New graphics card for Flight Sim X?

Lonz · 29 Jul 2007 at 23:15

Getting a shocking FPS in Flight Simulator X on 1280x1024 on medium/low settings. Get around 5 FPS on and around the ground, 15 in the air..

My setup atm is:

4800+
X1900XT
2GB RAM

Would I be better off with a new CPU or upgrading to say an 8800GTX. Don't think I can afford both at the moment.

Lonz · 29 Jul 2007 at 23:15

FFS, wrong forum, please move, thanks.

Jonny L · 30 Jul 2007 at 07:55

jaykay · 30 Jul 2007 at 08:14

I would go for a 8800GTs and a core 2 duo. It will be much better.

Kirth Gersen · 30 Jul 2007 at 17:13

Ha - my problem exactly. In fact, I have the same card as you.

I would agree with JayKay. With FSX, the biggest bang per buck is the processor and not the graphics card. That said an 8800GTX probably wouldn't hurt in terms of future proofing.

The big question is which C2D? If you are pairing with an 8800GTS, then the choice is Q6600 or E6850 and would mean moving to a P35 board (more money

).

Big debate as to which is best. See FSX thread in the PC Games forum. I am personally plumbing for the E6850. FSX isn't great with multi-core, so you will struggle to see benefits with a quad. And that 3Ghz on the E6850 should pay dividends. Q6600 fanboys will state that you can easily clock one to 3+Ghz, but then the easy answer is that you can clock an E6850 to c3.6+ Ghz

.

After a couple of years, when hopefully MS have sorted out decent multi-core handling in FS, we are in a whole new upgrade ballpark: 45nm technology and quazillion core processors

.

Hope this rambling helps.