How does this look for a flightsim pc ?

[Chairman]

Time to start speccing up a new computer (again) ... any thoughts on these ?

I'm looking for something that will make editing video a bit more realistic as well as properly running FSX and Trainz with the sliders not set to minimum. I have a couple of 1TB sata drives to go in so hard drive space isn't an issue. None of these have an OS but I can always transplant my existing sata c: drive which is only a couple of weeks old and continue to use XP ...

Cheers
Gary


http://www.trademe.co.nz/Computers/Desktop...n-286664860.htm
($965)
* CPU --- AMD Athlon II 630 Quad Core(x4) 2.8Ghz (total is 11.2Ghz) AM3 Socket
* Motherboard --- Asus M4A785-M 785G HDMI, AM3
* Memory --- Transcend or Kingston 8GB ddr2 Memory
* Hard Drive --- West Digital 1000GB SATA2 Hard Drive
* DVD Writer --- SATA 24x Speed Optical DVD Writer
* PC Case --- TX373 Style PC Case
* Video Card --- ATI Radeon HD4200 graphics (DirectX10.1) , Integrated HDMI/ DVI interface for Full HD 1080 Blu-ray playback with HDCP
* Audio --- 8 -Channel High-Definition Audio
* Network --- RTL8211CL Gigabit LAN
* USB Port --- 2 Front USB, 6 Rear USB


http://www.trademe.co.nz/Computers/Desktop...n-286203957.htm
($1099)
CPU: NEW Socket AM3 AMD Athlon II 630 2.8Ghz x 4 Quad Core Processor - VERY FAST!
Motherboard: Nvidia MCP61P Chipset AM3+ PCI-E SATA Quad Core Ready Board.
Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 5750 1GB GDDR5 extreme performance graphics card!
RAM: LATEST 4GB DDR3-1333 running in Dual Channel
HDD: 500GB SATAII 7200RPM Fast HDD
Optical: FASTEST 24X Dual Layer DVD-RW
Case: Thermaltake M9 ATX Gaming Case with side window and 430W Thermaltake PSU.


http://www.trademe.co.nz/Computers/Desktop...n-286680387.htm
($969)
CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 630 2.8Ghz x 4 Quad Core Processor, new socket AM3, very fast!
Motherboard- AMD 785G SB710 AM3 DDR3 Ready DDR3-1600 up to 16GB of ram.
RAM: Superior 8GB DDR3-1333 Dual Channel Low Latency Memory
HDD: 1TB SATA II 7200RPM Hard Drive
Graphics: ATI Radeon HD4200 Graphics onboard up to 512MB of memory shared.
DVD: Fastest 24X Dual Layer DVD-RW
Case: Solid Foxconn TLA566 ATX Case as pictured, note: This is not a cheap case! High quality chassis with 2 front USBs and audio on top of case.
Network: Broadband Ready Gigabit network.
Total 8 USBs, 6 back, 2 front.

[creator2003]

Id be looking at the middle one myself due to it has a Graphic card ,things it lacks in is the amount of Ram of the others and only a 430W Thermaltake PSU that seems rather small ,all things that could be upgraded ..
the other two PCs look the same though i read from some goggle searches that the 4200 ati card is on board ?,this would mean you'd need to go out and get a gaming Graphic card for them would it not ..

[Chairman]

Ooh yes, good spotting on the onboard graphics - thought I'd weeded all those out. Do the motherboards and CPUs look as though they'll do the job ?

Thanks
Gary

[markll]

QUOTE (creator2003 @ Apr 29 2010, 06:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Id be looking at the middle one myself due to it has a Graphic card ,things it lacks in is the amount of Ram of the others and only a 430W Thermaltake PSU that seems rather small ,all things that could be upgraded ..
the other two PCs look the same though i read from some goggle searches that the 4200 ati card is on board ?,this would mean you'd need to go out and get a gaming Graphic card for them would it not ..

Spot on, I reckon - thats a pretty nice video card in that middle PC - excellent performance, and realtively cheap - consider that you're really paying ~200 for that card compared to the other machines you list (factoring in the extra ram in the others). You won't miss the extra ram the others have, nothing you do will use the 4gb let alone go near 8. That PSU *might* struggle, esp. with the video card, as creator said...this page here http://support.asus.com/PowerSupplyCalcula...SLanguage=en-us says you want a minimum of a 400w PSU for that system, and thats without adding an extra HDD into it. But hey, you can buy a new PSU for it too, just be aware that you may need to, thats all.

I'd love to see your framerates in FSX with that rig too BTW - should beat FSX nicely into submission!

[Chairman]

I've narrowed it down to three choices. They all have no hard drives because I'll use my own, they all have a 1GB ATI HD5750 video card, they all have 4 GB of DDR3-1333 ram and the usual dvd-rw etc, and they're all about the same price.

Any comments on the motherboards / cpus ? I see they all use Athlons but that's about where my need-to-know finishes - will the 2.9GHz be the fastest because it's a 2.9 not a 2.8 ?

They all seem to like the 420-430w power supplies, if it does go pop I've got a 500w coolermaster sitting here still in the shrinkwrap so that's not a major factor.

Thanks
Gary


http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=287182286
- still waiting to hear what the motherboard will be, watch this space
- AMD Athlon II X4 635 2.9GHz quad core CPU
- Raidmax Hurricane performance gaming case with side window/blue LEDs
- $1039


http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=286203957
CPU: NEW Socket AM3 AMD Athlon II 630 2.8Ghz x 4 Quad Core Processor - VERY FAST!
Motherboard: m4n68t-m (asus?) Nvidia MCP61P Chipset AM3+ PCI-E SATA Quad Core Ready Board.
Case: Thermaltake M9 ATX Gaming Case with side window and 430W Thermaltake PSU.
$1025


http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=286473595
CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 Processor AMD Phenom II X4 Processor 925 2.8GHz
Motherboard: Asus M4A77TD Support latest AM3Support up to 16G DDR3 memory
Case: Aywun GAME Series G03 Black mid tower ATX 420w
$1059

[Chairman]

Had the reply from computer #1, he said "would most likely be using an Asus motherboard with Nvidia nForce 630a chipset. You can upgrade the motherboard to a different model for a low price."

So the computer with the (supposedly) fastest CPU is also the only one where the motherboard is a big question mark

Any comments on the motherboards / CPUs ?

Thanks
Gary

[Ian Warren]

in response to above, the 925 processor is nice. just bought one myself (phenom 2 that is, not quite sure which you are talking about...

QUOTE

AMD Athlon II X4 Processor AMD Phenom II X4 Processor 925 2.8GHz[/quote]

i think you are talking about the phenom anyway )

especially if you chuck an after market cooler on it. running pretty cool at 35 degrees on the standard cooler though

----

found PCOnline to be pretty good if you dont mind building it yourself or getting one of your techie mates build it for you


example:

Board: Gigabyte GA-770T-USB3 AM3 ATX Motherboard (even has USB3 onboard if you have any usb3 devices, not likely but future proofed)
RAM: Kingston 4GB 1333MHz DDR3
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 925 2.8GHz Socket AM3
Case/PSU: Raidmax Sagitta2 Gaming Tower Case with 500W PSU
Video: Sapphire Radeon HD5750 1GB
HDD: Western Digital 1TB SATA Hard Drive
DVD: Lite-On 24x LightScribe SATA DVDRW Drive

$1176.83 minus shipping, usually about $10-30
tbh iprobably would have bought that machine in my example if i hadnt just bought my own one

Last edited by pilot.masman on Fri Apr 30, 2010 11:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Chairman]

QUOTE (pilot.masman @ Apr 30 2010, 10:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

in response to above, the 925 processor is nice. just bought one myself (phenom 2 that is, not quite sure which you are talking about...

found PCOnline to be pretty good if you dont mind building it yourself or getting one of your techie mates build it for you
example:
$1176.83 minus shipping, usually about $10-30

Yeah, I'm leaning towards computer # 3.

If you take the cost of the hard drive out of the PC Online spec it becomes a very similar price to the others, and they come without the hassle (or fun depending on your perspective) of assembly I suppose if I took the case out of the equation as well and just looked at it as a motherboard replacement it would start to price itself a bit better. Hmm, worth a thought ...

Cheers
Gary

[Ian Warren]

Gary , Dont forget , keep your old PC , network it , this is your comm base and your internet dog box , from here you can join super easy in a MP , keeping your Flightsim independent and ability to join chat anytime .

[pilot.masman]

QUOTE (Ian Warren @ May 1 2010, 12:17 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Gary , Dont forget , keep your old PC , network it.

have to agree with you there mate, my old pentium D has been transformed into my file server/voice comms box. very good use for old gear. very very useful

[Chairman]

Ok I have a motherboard model for computer #1 now, the choices are :

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=287182286
Asus M4N68T with AMD Athlon II X4 635 2.9GHz quad core CPU
$1039

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=286203957
Asus M4N68T-M with Socket AM3 AMD Athlon II 630 2.8Ghz x 4 Quad Core Processor
$1025

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=286473595
Asus M4A77TD with AMD Athlon II X4 Processor AMD Phenom II X4 Processor 925 2.8GHz
$1059

I don't know jack about how to compare motherboards and CPUs so it's down to random googling for snippets of comparison or asking advice from people who know more than me.

The random googling did turn up an opinion that the M4A77TD was better than the M4N68T-M, something about "HyperTransportâ„¢ 1.0 based system bus will cripple your CPU", anyone else want to add anything ?

Thanks

[pilot.masman]

might wanna ask the guy on the last auction whether its an Athlon or a Phenom. in the auction it says both but that would be a bit strange

have to say i would go for #3 with the phenom and the better board.

[markll]

QUOTE (pilot.masman @ May 1 2010, 12:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

might wanna ask the guy on the last auction whether its an Athlon or a Phenom. in the auction it says both but that would be a bit strange

have to say i would go for #3 with the phenom and the better board.

Yeah, agreed - if its a phenom, it'll perform better than the Athlon II in #1, even though the Athlon has a faster clock speed - the Phenom has more on-cpu cache, so there will be less chance that it'll need to go to system memory for stuff, which makes it faster.

[Chairman]

Ok I've pulled the trigger on number 3 with win7 and a 450W power supply which I'm assured will cope with a couple of extra SATA drives, and specified I'd like the Phenom CPU, and it should be ready for me on Monday afternoon. I've got FSX deluxe here, I presume there are a couple of service packs to download so I'll get those before Monday, all that's left is to decide which of the FSX-only addons that I've scorned until now shall I pop its cherry with.

A Mustang ? A J41 ? I'm loathe to get any of the LDS or PMDG heavies as I already have them for FS9, hmmm, I think it'll have to be the J41.

Then I'll need a new FSUIPC ... And some new weather ... oh dear ... what have I started ...

[dbcunnz]

QUOTE (Chairman @ May 1 2010, 01:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ok I've pulled the trigger on number 3 with win7 and a 450W power supply which I'm assured will cope with a couple of extra SATA drives, and specified I'd like the Phenom CPU, and it should be ready for me on Monday afternoon. I've got FSX deluxe here, I presume there are a couple of service packs to download so I'll get those before Monday, all that's left is to decide which of the FSX-only addons that I've scorned until now shall I pop its cherry with.

A Mustang ? A J41 ? I'm loathe to get any of the LDS or PMDG heavies as I already have them for FS9, hmmm, I think it'll have to be the J41.

Then I'll need a new FSUIPC ... And some new weather ... oh dear ... what have I started ...

Hi Gary have you thought to ask if the CPU could be changed to a AMD Black Edition - Processor - 1 x AMD Phenom II X4 965 / 3.4 GHz - Socket AM3 - L3 6 MB - Box they are only about $60 more than the AMD Athlon II X4 Processor AMD Phenom II X4 Processor 925 2.8GHz and much faster.

Doug

[Chairman]

QUOTE (dbcunnz @ May 1 2010, 01:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi Gary have you thought to ask if the CPU could be changed to a AMD Black Edition - Processor - 1 x AMD Phenom II X4 965 / 3.4 GHz
... only about $60 more ... much faster ...

No, but that's the sort of thing I've been looking for people to say for the last couple of days ! Just got the change through in time, thanks for that.

Found that Level D have a coupon system that gives FS9 767 owners a credit equal to the price of the FS9 767 so the FSX version will only cost me US$15 so looks like I'll have some heavy iron in the hanger after all keeping the J41 company - I'm quite looking forward to this

pity I'm away playing with rally cars from wednesday sparrows fart until monday afternoon

Cheers
Gary

[dbcunnz]

QUOTE (Chairman @ May 1 2010, 11:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No, but that's the sort of thing I've been looking for people to say for the last couple of days ! Just got the change through in time, thanks for that.

Found that Level D have a coupon system that gives FS9 767 owners a credit equal to the price of the FS9 767 so the FSX version will only cost me US$15 so looks like I'll have some heavy iron in the hanger after all keeping the J41 company - I'm quite looking forward to this

pity I'm away playing with rally cars from wednesday sparrows fart until monday afternoon

Cheers
Gary

Can you give me an update on how it goes once you have it all setup and running. Sadly my motherboard wont take that PCU I have the fastest one that it will take an AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual core 6400+ 3.21 GHz it runs FSX fine with all the settings on high.

Cheers
Doug

[Chairman]

Just for reference I installed FSX tonight with SP1 and SP2, then took the default C172 from NZAA to NZWP. Nothing else running except zonealarm and notepad, and no addons. Traffic was set to 10% but I never saw hide nor hair of another plane except parked next to me at nzaa.

I went NZAA to the city in spot view enjoying the slideshow at 7-12 fps. Then I climbed back inside and went VC to NZWP at 12-18 fps, although I did see the low 20's a few times (I also saw 5's and 7's a couple of times, so don't read anything into that). I've had jerkier flights in FS9, but only in PMDG's MD-11 and 747 where frame rates in the mid to high teens with no traffic is about 'normal'.

I'm going to drop this hard drive into the new box so the setup shouldn't change, I'll do the same thing then and let you know the difference.

Cheers
Gary

[pilot.masman]

QUOTE (Chairman @ May 2 2010, 11:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Just for reference I installed FSX tonight with SP1 and SP2, then took the default C172 from NZAA to NZWP. Nothing else running except zonealarm and notepad, and no addons. Traffic was set to 10% but I never saw hide nor hair of another plane except parked next to me at nzaa.

I went NZAA to the city in spot view enjoying the slideshow at 7-12 fps. Then I climbed back inside and went VC to NZWP at 12-18 fps, although I did see the low 20's a few times (I also saw 5's and 7's a couple of times, so don't read anything into that). I've had jerkier flights in FS9, but only in PMDG's MD-11 and 747 where frame rates in the mid to high teens with no traffic is about 'normal'.

I'm going to drop this hard drive into the new box so the setup shouldn't change, I'll do the same thing then and let you know the difference.

Cheers
Gary

i hope you meant the old machine wouldnt like it if the new machine gave you those FPS. especially as im about to install FSX on just about the same setup

[Chairman]

Bah. I like to keep a spare keyboard 'in stock' in case I spill something or get annoyed and bash this one, and somehow I've managed to accumulate 6 brand new keyboards in the cupboard waiting for me to get annoyed with this one. 5 of them are USB as is my current one.

I don't keep spare mice because by the time they get to my desk the remaining cord is a bit short to swing them like bolas. In fact the one I have has lasted for years. It's a PS2 mouse.

My new computer has USB ports out the wazoo but only 1 PS2 port, and I'll give you one guess what it's for ...