Flight Simulator 2004

samufc · 21 Nov 2008 at 22:31

Hi all,

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post, so I apologise if it's in the wrong place. I'm looking at getting a new computer for Christmas and would like some opinions. Ideally, I want to run FS2004 with max settings and max clouds, which means I need a good computer. I've came across a few computers that I think may run pretty well but im a novice...

Intel® Core™ 2 Quad Q6600
(2.4GHz ,8MB L2 Cache)
Windows Vista™ Home Premium SP1
8192MB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM
500GB Hard Drive - with 16MB buffer
1024MB nVidia 9600GT Graphics

I've heard that FS2004 only uses one core which might slow it down quite abit. If anyone has any recommendations/advice it would be appreciated - Ideally I don't want to go over £600!

Thanks,
Sam.

iamTakeo · 21 Nov 2008 at 23:52

thats a good computer but the graphics should be higher, something like an 8800GT

Crashgate3 · 22 Nov 2008 at 00:14

FS2004 is mailnly dependant on CPU. It doesn't need a huge graphics card (although it would help in other games).

samufc · 22 Nov 2008 at 04:59

Thanks fellas. I think I may end up going for this one. With the Processor being only 2.4GHz, is it worth overclocking?

andyp · 22 Nov 2008 at 14:40

Spend your money on a good dual-core CPU, and clock the hell out of it.

dirtydog · 22 Nov 2008 at 14:44

samufc said:
Thanks fellas. I think I may end up going for this one. With the Processor being only 2.4GHz, is it worth overclocking?

Are you buying a pre-built PC because if so, you might not be able to overclock it (eg. a Dell) or doing so might invalidate the warranty.

I expect the Q6600 at stock would be plenty for the game though and the rest of your spec is good too. The 9600GT is more than enough for that game and should be fine for any other game out as well.

samufc · 23 Nov 2008 at 00:51

dirtydog said:
Are you buying a pre-built PC because if so, you might not be able to overclock it (eg. a Dell) or doing so might invalidate the warranty.

Dirtydog,

It's a 'Build your own mesh computer' on Comet - It's coming up at £750. If I could i'd like it abit cheaper but most of the other places I look they have good systems for £700 or so and no monitor or OS - I'm not to confident of building my own.

I will be ordering it on Wednesday, so if somebody knows any better for value PCs please tell me

thanks guys.

andyp · 23 Nov 2008 at 00:56

dirtydog said:
I expect the Q6600 at stock would be plenty for the game though

You'd be surprised once you start getting deep into FS9 add-on territory.

My E2180@3ghz slows down to about 12-13fps with full 3d ActiveSky clouds on a 10/10ths overcast at Aerosoft's Heathrow 2008 with 100% AI package in the PMDG 747 virtual cockpit.

jasont · 23 Nov 2008 at 01:02

I say order a case,motherboard,cpu,ram,psu,graphics card,hard drive,cpu cooler,optical drive,monitor,keyboard and mouse,and vista home premium and go for it.
Im sure all the ocuk community will guide you through it.
once you have done it the first time theres no better feeling.
And unpacking all those new parts.
OOOOhhhhhh im dribling at the mouth.

samufc · 23 Nov 2008 at 01:32

andyp said:
You'd be surprised once you start getting deep into FS9 add-on territory.

My E2180@3ghz slows down to about 12-13fps with full 3d ActiveSky clouds on a 10/10ths overcast at Aerosoft's Heathrow 2008 with 100% AI package in the PMDG 747 virtual cockpit.

Any idea what kind of fps you get without the AI traffic? I usually fly with FSpassengers and don't like getting rear ended by the AI on finals so it's usually switched off. Again, not to bothered about scenery. All I want is max settings, max clouds and some add-ons like the PMDG, LDS, ActiveSky etc.

jasont

Ahh still not sure

dirtydog · 23 Nov 2008 at 07:10

andyp said:
You'd be surprised once you start getting deep into FS9 add-on territory.

My E2180@3ghz slows down to about 12-13fps with full 3d ActiveSky clouds on a 10/10ths overcast at Aerosoft's Heathrow 2008 with 100% AI package in the PMDG 747 virtual cockpit.

I don't know if the small L2 cache hurts the E2180's performance in this game. The MS Flight Sim games have always been very CPU intensive.

dirtydog · 23 Nov 2008 at 07:11

samufc said:
Dirtydog,

It's a 'Build your own mesh computer' on Comet - It's coming up at £750. If I could i'd like it abit cheaper but most of the other places I look they have good systems for £700 or so and no monitor or OS - I'm not to confident of building my own.

I will be ordering it on Wednesday, so if somebody knows any better for value PCs please tell me thanks guys.

If I was buying a whole PC for your sort of budget I would be looking at the Dell XPS range personally - you can customise the components to suit your needs and budget.

dirtydog · 23 Nov 2008 at 07:12

samufc said:
Ahh still not sure

If you aren't comfortable building a whole PC yourself then don't let people here talk you into it

It can be daunting if you aren't confident in what you are doing.

andyp · 23 Nov 2008 at 14:07

samufc said:
Any idea what kind of fps you get without the AI traffic? I usually fly with FSpassengers and don't like getting rear ended by the AI on finals so it's usually switched off. Again, not to bothered about scenery. All I want is max settings, max clouds and some add-ons like the PMDG, LDS, ActiveSky etc.

Jumps right back up to 25fps (my FS9 is limited to 25 so not sure how high it would go). High res 3d clouds and complex AI traffic always have killed the best CPU's.

If you don't want to get rear-ended by your AI, get AI Smooth.

Works a treat

andyp · 23 Nov 2008 at 14:09

dirtydog said:
I don't know if the small L2 cache hurts the E2180's performance in this game. The MS Flight Sim games have always been very CPU intensive.

Not sure, I think it's just raw power, clock speed that FS9 thrives on.

I've been considering an E8400 to see if I can get a few more FPS out of the damn thing.

samufc · 23 Nov 2008 at 16:30

andyp said:
Jumps right back up to 25fps (my FS9 is limited to 25 so not sure how high it would go). High res 3d clouds and complex AI traffic always have killed the best CPU's.

Do you get 25fps with the 3D clouds? I know they usually kill fps but I'd like them to look pretty good.

dirtydog said:
If I was buying a whole PC for your sort of budget I would be looking at the Dell XPS range personally - you can customise the components to suit your needs and budget.

Had a look at them but I don't really want to go over £750 - I've already gone over my price range once

Is this pretty much the same PC, and would it be worth getting a OS and Monitor instead of the above system at the top?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/QUAD-CORE-9-6...14&_trkparms=72:1301|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1308

dirtydog · 23 Nov 2008 at 16:47

I would never buy a PC from ebay, just a personal thing - too much can go wrong.

samufc · 23 Nov 2008 at 17:07

Fair enough. It was a last resort but I think i'll just stop bothering you all now

and take the plunge. Many thanks for all the help!

andyp · 23 Nov 2008 at 17:09

samufc said:
Do you get 25fps with the 3D clouds? I know they usually kill fps but I'd like them to look pretty good.

As long as you use 64x64 or 128x128 textures in Active Sky you'll get decent frame rates unless you've set it to draw double cloud layers when overcast is in the METAR, then it'll hammer it down to mid teens/twentyish.

samufc · 2 Dec 2008 at 07:36

Hi all,

Sorry to bother you all again. My PC is coming on Thursday - I ordered a different comp with similar specs as the place I was getting it from didn't accept American Express. The PC I ordered was a lot cheaper with the only drawback being the Graphics Card 9300GS. I'm thinking of upgrading that straight away. Should I just buy the 1024mb 9600GT as planned or maybe get the 512mb 8800GT? Any help would be appreciated!

Have a good Christmas all (when it finally arrives)

Cheers,
Sam