£1500 FSX Build

chaders

chaders

chaders

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Joined
18 Aug 2005
Posts
178
Hi All,

Looks like I've secured funding to update my long in the tooth PC. I'm planning to put this lot in my existing Lian-Li PC-7 case. Surprisingly the 7850 is allegedly only 197mm long so should fit in nicely. I'm thinking of using the stock cooler initially as I'll run it for a while at stock speeds. Once the missus has forgotten just how much I spent on the rig I'll upgrade the cooler and consider overclocking.

I've gone for 3 monitors as this works well with FSX where the extra peripheral view helps. For more modern games I'll probably have to just use the center screen to keep the performance up. One question with the eyefinity set up, the monitors have display port connection but the card have mini-DP. I've had a good look around OCUK but haven't spotted and cables that go from Mini-DP to DP am I missing something?

Finally have I missed anything? I have a SATA DVD RW to pop in from the old rig and a couple of Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB SATAII HDD should I need any more storage.


YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI HD 7850 Twin Frozr III OC 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Cards £199.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £189.95
3 x Dell UltraSharp U2212HM 22" Widescreen LED Monitor - Midnight Grey £179.99 (£539.97)
1 x Crucial RealSSD M4 256GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (CT256M4SSD2) £166.99
1 x Cooler Master GX 750W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £79.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £79.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £79.98
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) £69.98
1 x Kingston HyperX RED Limited Edition 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3B1RK2/8GX) £43.99
Total : £1,467.04 (includes shipping : £13.50).

 
Looks good, don't think that gpu will handle 3 monitors tho.... And as FSX is mainly CPU power driven I would be overclocking as soon as I could :) just be careful with them Ivy they get very hot when being pushed hard!
 
Doomedspeed said:
Looks great.

Though id swap the PSU for this: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-165-CM
Click to expand...

I take it that has a more stable output despite being rated 50W lower? I'll swap it in the basket.

Would the Z77X-D3H be a better MOBO should I need to Xfire in the future then?? I may have to bin the 3 monitors and go for a larger single screen option. I'd thought about possibly this one.

The £1500 budget is a hard one as divorce papers may follow if I exceed it ;) Seeing as my existing PC is :-

E6600 2.40GHz,
Asus P5W DH,
2x1GB Geil PC6400 DDR2,
Tagan TG530-U15 PSU,
Samsung SH-W163 DVD RW,
ATI X1900XT,
Lian-Li PC-7 case,
2xSeagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB SATAII HDD

I'm expecting a huge increase in performance as it is.
 
YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7-3770K 3.50GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £274.99
1 x MSI HD 7850 Power Edition Twin Frozr IV OC 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £209.99
1 x Samsung 256GB SSD 830 Notebook/Apple Series SATA 6Gb/s KIT with Norton Ghost - (MZ-7PC256N/EU) £144.98
3 x IIyama Prolite E2475HDS 24" Widescreen LED Business Monitor - Black £139.99 (419.97)
1 x Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard with FREE BOOGIE BUG XXL GAMING MOUSE MAT £129.98
1 x XFX Pro 750W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £82.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £79.98
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) £69.98
1 x Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML8GX3M2A1600C9) £44.99
1 x Alpenföhn Matterhorn Pure Edition CPU Cooler (Socket LGA2011/1366/1155/1156/775/ AMD AM3/AM3+/AM2/AM2+/FM1) £30.98
Total : £1,519.39 (includes shipping : £25.45).



Then add a 7850 later if one not enough?

Or take a single display, a 670 4GB (2GB enough?), in the hope of upgrading later. Extra GPU, plus two screens (gonna be expensive).
 
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Hi Olivier,

That 2nd one looks like a great spec. Would still be in budget even if I put the SSD back in the mix for my OS and FSX. Do you have any idea on the size of the 670?? I may need to get the Dremmel out if it's over 200mm long ;)
 
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chaders said:
Hi Olivier,

That 2nd one looks like a great spec. Would still be in budget even if I put the SSD back in the mix for my OS and FSX. Do you have any idea on the size of the 670?? I may need to get the Dremmel out if it's over 200mm long ;)
Click to expand...

Sorry, I've ninja'd my post.

The 670 reference is small. under 10'' (9.5''), and I believe you have space for 290mm (11.4'') GPUs.

YOUR BASKET
1 x EVGA GeForce GTX 670 Superclock w/Backplate 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (02G-P4-2673-KR) £419.99
1 x Intel Core i7-3770K 3.50GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £274.99
1 x Samsung 256GB SSD 830 Notebook/Apple Series SATA 6Gb/s KIT with Norton Ghost - (MZ-7PC256N/EU) £144.98
1 x IIyama Prolite E2475HDS 24" Widescreen LED Business Monitor - Black £139.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard with FREE BOOGIE BUG XXL GAMING MOUSE MAT £129.98
1 x XFX Pro 750W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £82.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £79.98
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) £69.98
1 x Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML8GX3M2A1600C9) £44.99
1 x Alpenföhn Matterhorn Pure Edition CPU Cooler (Socket LGA2011/1366/1155/1156/775/ AMD AM3/AM3+/AM2/AM2+/FM1) £30.98
Total : £1,433.87 (includes shipping : £12.50).




The other advantage is that the reference 670 exhaust at the back of the case, not inside the case. If you have a small case, that's a plus. And also the potential for water cooling but that's another matter.
 
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Ahh Olivier's second spec has gone. I'm thinking the 670 will be the best option now, Not sure if I need 4gig on it though I could save nearly £100 by going with the 2Gig option. I'm going single screen though either 24 or 27 inch. The 3 screen option may be more trouble than I need.
 
Hi All,

Well it looks like I'm going with the following :-


YOUR BASKET
1 x EVGA GeForce GTX 670 Superclock w/Backplate 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (02G-P4-2673-KR) £419.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £189.95
1 x Samsung 256GB SSD 830 Notebook/Apple Series SATA 6Gb/s KIT with Norton Ghost - (MZ-7PC256N/EU) £144.98
1 x IIyama Prolite E2475HDS 24" Widescreen LED Business Monitor - Black £139.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard with FREE BOOGIE BUG XXL GAMING MOUSE MAT £129.98
1 x XFX Pro 750W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £82.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £79.98
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) £69.98
1 x Kingston HyperX RED Limited Edition 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3B1RK2/8GX) £43.99
1 x Alpenföhn Matterhorn Pure Edition CPU Cooler (Socket LGA2011/1366/1155/1156/775/ AMD AM3/AM3+/AM2/AM2+/FM1) £30.98
Total : £1,347.83 (includes shipping : £12.50).



I thought about the i7 but decided that it's probably a chip to far for me and coming in under budget will mean I can treat myself to either some modern games to run on the new rig or some addons for FSX.

Thanks for the help gents. If anyone has any other thoughts or if they've spotted something I may have missed just shout up.
 
Doomedspeed said:
Looks good to me too.

I would get a 27" if i were you though.

Would look amazing. :)
Click to expand...

See I was thinking about that originally. I'll have to drop down to the 2Gig GPU to make it happen. That would make my Final ish spec :-

YOUR BASKET
1 x EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (02G-P4-2670-KR) £305.99
1 x Asus VE278Q 27" Widescreen LED Multimedia Monitor - Black £259.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £189.95
1 x Samsung 256GB SSD 830 Notebook/Apple Series SATA 6Gb/s KIT with Norton Ghost - (MZ-7PC256N/EU) £144.98
1 x IIyama Prolite E2475HDS 24" Widescreen LED Business Monitor - Black £139.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard with FREE BOOGIE BUG XXL GAMING MOUSE MAT £129.98
1 x XFX Pro 750W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £82.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £79.98
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) £69.98
1 x Kingston HyperX RED Limited Edition 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3B1RK2/8GX) £43.99
1 x Alpenföhn Matterhorn Pure Edition CPU Cooler (Socket LGA2011/1366/1155/1156/775/ AMD AM3/AM3+/AM2/AM2+/FM1) £30.98
Total : £1,502.94 (includes shipping : £20.10).

 
chaders said:
See I was thinking about that originally. I'll have to drop down to the 2Gig GPU to make it happen. That would make my Final ish spec :-

YOUR BASKET
1 x EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (02G-P4-2670-KR) £305.99
1 x Asus VE278Q 27" Widescreen LED Multimedia Monitor - Black £259.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £189.95
1 x Samsung 256GB SSD 830 Notebook/Apple Series SATA 6Gb/s KIT with Norton Ghost - (MZ-7PC256N/EU) £144.98
1 x IIyama Prolite E2475HDS 24" Widescreen LED Business Monitor - Black £139.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard with FREE BOOGIE BUG XXL GAMING MOUSE MAT £129.98
1 x XFX Pro 750W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £82.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £79.98
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) £69.98
1 x Kingston HyperX RED Limited Edition 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3B1RK2/8GX) £43.99
1 x Alpenföhn Matterhorn Pure Edition CPU Cooler (Socket LGA2011/1366/1155/1156/775/ AMD AM3/AM3+/AM2/AM2+/FM1) £30.98
Total : £1,502.94 (includes shipping : £20.10).

Click to expand...

Have you seen your mistake yet.

I'll give you a hint: You have 2 montiros in your basket. Removing the 24" one will give you enough left over to upgrade to the 4GB card :)
 
chaders said:
See I was thinking about that originally. I'll have to drop down to the 2Gig GPU to make it happen. That would make my Final ish spec :-

YOUR BASKET
1 x EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (02G-P4-2670-KR) £305.99
1 x Asus VE278Q 27" Widescreen LED Multimedia Monitor - Black £259.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £189.95
1 x Samsung 256GB SSD 830 Notebook/Apple Series SATA 6Gb/s KIT with Norton Ghost - (MZ-7PC256N/EU) £144.98
1 x IIyama Prolite E2475HDS 24" Widescreen LED Business Monitor - Black £139.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard with FREE BOOGIE BUG XXL GAMING MOUSE MAT £129.98
1 x XFX Pro 750W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £82.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £79.98
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) £69.98
1 x Kingston HyperX RED Limited Edition 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3B1RK2/8GX) £43.99
1 x Alpenföhn Matterhorn Pure Edition CPU Cooler (Socket LGA2011/1366/1155/1156/775/ AMD AM3/AM3+/AM2/AM2+/FM1) £30.98
Total : £1,502.94 (includes shipping : £20.10).

Click to expand...


You have 2 screens in there fella....take one out
 
How about this. Right at the top end of your original budget (bit over with shipping) and a single 27" screen with a resolution of 2650x1440.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Hazro HZ27WC 8-Bit 27" LED Widescreen Professional Monitor - Black £419.99
1 x KFA2 GeForce GTX 670 EX OC 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £329.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £189.95
1 x Samsung 256GB SSD 830 Notebook/Apple Series SATA 6Gb/s KIT with Norton Ghost - (MZ-7PC256N/EU) £144.98
1 x Gigabyte Z77X-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £105.98
1 x XFX Pro 750W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £82.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £79.98
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) £69.98
1 x Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML8GX3M2A1600C9) £44.99
1 x Alpenföhn Matterhorn Pure Edition CPU Cooler (Socket LGA2011/1366/1155/1156/775/ AMD AM3/AM3+/AM2/AM2+/FM1) £30.98
Total : £1,514.82 (includes shipping : £12.50).




As for FSX, remember it's largely CPU bound so overclocking your 3570K is a must really. Try to push it as far as you can with reasonable temperatures. No benefit in getting an i7 Ivy Bridge as I've found no improvement with hyperthreading on an older i7 920.

A few other points about FSX. It doens't support SLI so although you could add in another 670 later down the line you won't see any improvement with flight sim. 2GB VRAM is more than enough for this resolution with FSX. I play at 10920x1080 and have never seen more than about 700MB VRAM being used. Depending on how many addons you have for FSX try to install it on your SSD. 100GB should be plenty for a basic FSX installation and quite a few addons unless your planning on having very large areas of photorealistic scenery. Loading times are massively improved for textures so blurries are significantly reduced. Things like REX, UTX, GEX backups and textures can still be stored on your mechanical drive and copied to the SSD when needed. Femember FSX is all about tweaking, head over to the FSX Screenshot thread in PC Games sub-forum for lots of tips and hints etc.
 
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