NZFF

OK everybody is looking at FSX and its requirements.

I've made a decision not to frustrate myself by starting at the bottom of the ladder AGAIN, with an expensive machine that barely copes with the base install, and will battle with every addon and improvement over the next year.

BUT I know I can have a sim that runs 25fps showing great graphics with
- Every possible addon texture, be it ground water or sky;
- All the AI ever invented
- Every bit of scenery possible, and
- All sliders maxxed
in FS9.
Question is what spec do you require?
My understanding is that dual core doesn't help FS9 but hyperthreading might.
Who knows if a 2.6GHZ dual-core outperforms a 3GHz single, for FS9?
Intel or AMD? I've only ever had Intel
Graphics I guess has to be PCI Express, 512 MB?
And I suppose a state of the art motherboard with fast RAM - 1GB? 2?

This machine could live with the "experimental" phase of FSX too, I suppose.

Well, my computer has an AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3000 (roughly the same as a P4 3ghz), with 512 RAM and a Radeon 9600 XT. I can just about run FS9 the way you described, but I can run FSX on okay settings with 15 fps (see my FSX screenshots on these settings:
http://z11.invisionfree.com/nzff/index. ... topic=1199)

Where do you plan to buy your computer from? If you can link me to their website I could help you choose...

Was looking at
http://www.playtech.co.nz/category.php? ... how&id=333
but they may be a little too bleeding edge?
EDIT:
I think what I need is the last-gasp AGP mob with the hottest CPU it can take.
I have a serious investment in an ATI 800PRO which is a gorgeous video card.

those are expensive....
Get something with an AMD athlon 64 3500+ Those are good cpu's and apparently great for gaming at a good price

brownbox wrote: those are expensive....
Get something with an AMD athlon 64 3500+ Those are good cpu's and apparently great for gaming at a good price

Charl, i would agree with the AMD Athlon choice.
If you are a reader of NZ PC World and such the like, you will see in various tests that AMD stuff always seems to outperform Intel stuff, in its speed of opening and running most apps. There is also the cheaper price to consider as well.


Lawrie.

AMD stuff always seems to outperform Intel stuff

Not at present... the Intel Core 2 Duo's stomp all over the AMD X2's... and they are around the same price...

Intel do have a bad habit of changing the socket for each new CPU tho, whereas AMD like to re-use socket design, so you can usually get at least 2 generations out of a mobo...

HardCorePawn wrote:

AMD stuff always seems to outperform Intel stuff

Not at present... the Intel Core 2 Duo's stomp all over the AMD X2's... and they are around the same price...

Intel do have a bad habit of changing the socket for each new CPU tho, whereas AMD like to re-use socket design, so you can usually get at least 2 generations out of a mobo...

Yes, HardCorePawn, you are correct.
I just finished reading an article about it in the latest NZ PC World.
Still, i have no doubt that will change again when AMD brings out a new design, as always seems to happen.
Isnt technology great, changes so quickly these days, and when you buy the latest and greatest of something, its pretty much outdated the moment you walk out of the shop with it
Pretty damned hard to keep up with it all..................

Lawrie