Hi Nick, since you did not comment on my system, I will try again   But then in an appropiate forum for hardware and tweaking,


My System is :
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Abit ip35Pro (p35chipset)                              - Mainboard
Intel Quad 6600 (G0)                                    - Processor
Noctua NH-U12P, with OCZ Freeze                 - Cpu-cooler
XFX 8800-GTX                                             - Display-adapter
4x1024GB (4GB)Corsair 8500 XMS2 DDR2     - Ram
OCZ Tech PcP&cooling Silencer 750               - Power Supply
2x200Gb Samsung spinpoint SATA                 - HDDs    
Windows Xp Home Sp3                                  - OS
Lian Li PC-60 , with several case-fans             - Computer Cabinet
I use FSX Deluxe with Acceleration pack         - simulator
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you see any weak combinations in this system , please point them out??  

Do you think it is better to use 2x1024 instead of 4x1024 of Ram that I'm using now?
Also how much would I gain with changing to this motherboard : Asus Rampage Formula X48
I read so much good about it here:http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1223693603
I like overclocking, but do not know to much yet(still learing) Had my q6600 at 3,4Ghz, but don't think it was stable, with 360fsb and 9 multi i think with ram at 999speed something like that   don't remember
I tried to match some of the settings which I have read in that thread and other places since my system is fairly similar ,except the X48-board.
But when it comes to RAM timings I'm completely lost there are so many values


Should I install FSX on that second disk? same size and spec I think.. have used it for a RAID-System in FS2004
Last thing , my install is 190GB and 8mb of unallocated space is left, is this right or have I done something wrong??

So hoping for some help getting the most out of my comp.. , Would like to get in the "FSX zone" with my comp
I am thinking about changing that motherboard, have not decided yet..

PS. Getting the PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 PSU you recommended later today, maybe that will help also..  

Thanks in advance

Uups sorry, Did not try to be rude. Please just use this post here, and forget about that FSWC-post, I have sort of closed it..  

Yes I know you are one person and at least 1000 people would like to speak to you at the same time.. hehe  
"No pun intended" And Inbetween you would also like to work on GEX Eu, so sorry. 
I will wait for my time..

Well if you're nterested in the opinion of someone who actually has a Q6600 - see my various posts about this.

I had nothing but problems with 2 x 2GB sticks of RAM...with XP.

BSODs, freezes everything....I blamed my new GTX 260 and the drivers...but once I went back to 2 x 1GB and removed the stoopid switch thing - perfect....again.

Also, there is no evidence that RAID arrays have any benefit in FSX - too much complexity to be worth even considering, if you ask me.

And, as has been said countless times.... don't mess around with multiple disks - everything on 1 Good disk and use a good defragger...properly. And, just FSX...nothing else - no need for virus checkers, office any other crap...just FSX...nothing else.

T1MT1M wrote on Dec 8^th, 2008 at 10:04am:


1 + 1 = 2.

Before I go through this I wish to state that I am not going to get into a long conversation about HOW TO OVERCLOCK… I do not post in threads about clocking and how to do it unless:

A.      I have the time
B.      I know the person on the other end is experienced


That being said I will answer you the best I can…

The information in the thread you posted http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1223693603  is the SAME for any motherboard that can run 400-450MHz and a Q6600 or Q9650. If you can not follow that thread and clock, don’t do it. That thread is as simple as I can make it and be sure to read the ENTIRE THREAD not just ONE post!


Abit ip35Pro (p35chipset)

Old board but should do 400MHz on the right memory with the Q6600 @ 3.6GHz

If it won’t run 400MHz stable with the right CPU cooler and memory then I would suggest this replacement:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131219

Or the Rampage Formula which is even better

HOWEVER

The use of those boards comes down to YOU, your ability to use 400-450MHz correctly and using them too clock the Q6600 or another processor


Intel Quad 6600 (G0)

A Q9650 ‘clocked’ would be an upgrade and would probably need the board I posted above to run 450MHz with a CPU speed of 4050MHz

The Q6600 (G0) will top out at 3.6GHz and around 1.42-1.46v vcore with LLC ENABLED in the BIOS


Both need the right CPU cooling solution and monitor temps during stress testing to assure they DO NOT exceed 75-78c under the OCCT 1 hr load test, as monitored by the software CORETEMP




Noctua NH-U12P, with OCZ Freeze

OK unit but if you intend to clock I would invest in a Thermalright 120 Extreme with a 120mm fan



XFX 8800-GTX  

Good card for FSX and can be clocked up as well



4x1024GB (4GB)Corsair 8500 XMS2 DDR2  

Use 4GB. Gabe’s problem is something to do with his hardware.

I do not recall if Gabe was running 4 sticks but if that is so more than likely that is the reason he failed


Most can run 4GB with the 3GB switch and VM edit I posted with a 32bit OS. It will allow FSX SP2 access to up to 3GB with the 8800GTX and its 768MB video memory.

My question about this memory what is its timing spec @ 1066?     5-5-5? and will it run that with 4 sticks?

Probably not which is why 2x2GB is always better and more stable for use especially in a 32bit OS

I need exact memory part number to suggest what the memory product will do in a clock.

Regardless… with DDR2 on a Q6600 the best you will ever do in a clock is 3.6GHz, 400FSB with memory at DDR2 1066 5-5-5

With a 9650 on the same CPU cooler that would increase to 4.1GHz, 450FSB with a memory speed of 1081 5-5-5 assuming the memory will run that stable.

This memory will do it:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146785

As will this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145197

Unfortunately Mushkin does not sell their 996535 memory anymore which is known for hitting 1T and tRD 6 @ 1066-1081 so your results in clocking that would not be the same as Vic’s in the thread we were discussing his clock

You can still do 5-5-5-15 1066 to 1081 but the sticks may not run 1T CMD and I know they will max at tRD7 as the lowest Performance Level possible.

Both memory products above run @ 2.1v for the clock speed


OCZ Tech PcP&cooling Silencer 750

Excellent choice.. will cary you into i7 upgrade on a single high performance video card



2x200Gb Samsung spinpoint SATA

You could do better with a hard drive for FSX. The VelociRaptor 150 and 300 will get you the best performance for the cost without going to a controller card or RAID. You must make sure your motherboard supports SATAII in order for those drives to benefit the system. They will run even faster on a professional SATA card

RAID0 is only possible with FSX on a professional PCIe 4-8x SATAII/RAID card with onboard DDR memory buffer. Motherboard RAID will reduce FSX performance.



Windows Xp Home Sp3

This will limit memory use. A 64bit OS would allow you to use 4GB of memory without any OS edits and without any memory limits. I use WindowsXP x64 for that reason.




Lian Li PC-60 , with several case-fans


Nice tower…  I prefer the Silverstone TJ09 and TJ10 units





I use FSX Deluxe with Acceleration pack      

Which means you run SP2 and have access to >2GB with FSX
If you see any weak combinations in this system , please point them out??  

See answers above








Do you think it is better to use 2x1024 instead of 4x1024 of Ram that I'm using now?

Answered above

2x2GB is ALWAYS more stable than 4x1GB and 2x2GB will run lower timing. More than likely you are very restricted in a clock because of 4x1GB. I posted the memory product you need above.





Also how much would I gain with changing to this motherboard : Asus Rampage Formula X48
I read so much good about it here:http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1223693603
I like overclocking, but do not know to much yet(still learing) Had my q6600 at 3,4Ghz, but don't think it was stable, with 360fsb and 9 multi i think with ram at 999speed something like that don't remember
I tried to match some of the settings which I have read in that thread and other places since my system is fairly similar ,except the X48-board.
But when it comes to RAM timings I'm completely lost there are so many values


See answers above





Should I install FSX on that second disk? same size and spec I think.. have used it for a RAID-System in FS2004

I always run FSX on its own drive and format it to 64K clusters using 3rd party disk utility software since







Last thing , my install is 190GB and 8mb of unallocated space is left, is this right or have I done something wrong??

No, that is correct for a drive. During the format process a % is reserved by the format process for things you need not be concerned with. That amount can vary from 2-15GB.

I hope you understand now why I could not respond to such a long request right away.. answering a combination question post with thought and consideration for the persons needs on the other end takes time and removes my time from others who ask simple single questions which I can respond quickly to, and, my personal time not to mention my work with GEX.



Everything you need to know is in the answers above… the rest is up to you to research, build and tweak correctly.

Quote:



Ah but this is where electronics comes in, we will clone you and then use your brain for information which will be collected on a hard drive which will then be embedded in the clones head (if we can't find a way to put it in there we'll do what i usually do when i get frustrated that something that won't go, force it).   .

I am also yet to go to uni to get my degree in physics so we'll wait a few years and then we can clone you. If that dosent work we can get a sheep that sorta looks like you and clone that because we know that can be done  .

NickN wrote on Dec 9^th, 2008 at 1:57pm:

You asked about my ram timings: This is posted on the ram-sticks, I have a picture but don't know how to put it into the post so just posted all info more or less like it is on the sticks..


Corsair CM2X1024-8500C5                         5-5-5-15
2.20V  Ver1.3                                           1066Mhz
    3977639               08030263                  1024MB
                                                            XMS2-8500

Hey Thanks

Finally found out how to upload pictures here so wil give it a try..

The corsair Sticks:

P.S. the numbers might not be same on the other pair but they are bought on the same time in pairs of 2(1024X2 in each pack). So they should be of the same spec, just not same serials I think, But you know this better than me



CPU-Z










That should provide you with a lot of information I think..

ALSO if you need more Information, just ask..


Thank you so much for helping,
I will choose vicely this time

Rune S wrote on Dec 11^th, 2008 at 3:41am:




If you are considering purchasing a DDR3 system then you would be much better served purchasing a i7 system and clocking it. A good 1st gen DDR3 motherboard and memory product is not cheap. The amount you would spend on a decent system and memory could be placed into a i7 upgrade and the result in performance would be better on a clocked i7 well over even a Q9650

i7 is easier to clock than Q/DDR3 as well but still requires the proper heatsink and knowledge to accomplish the task

A i7 920 on 3x2GB DDR3 (tri-channel kit) 1600 1.65v 7-8-7 memory from muskin on a Asus P6T and using a Thermalright 120 Extreme 1366 will do close to if not 4GHz and out match the Q9650 and harder clock to deal with at the same speed

1st generation DDR3 (which is NOT the same as tri-channel i7 DDR3) clocking requires the better memory.. you will be spending more for 2x2GB 1st generation DDR3 than 6GB of 2ng generation high performance memory

You need to learn how to clock and i7 is easier to clock than Q. I have posted links to clocking i7 in the hardware forum.. one is a simple video which explains the process

http://www.linustechtips.com/how-to/ncix-tech-tips-19-intel-core-i7-video-overcl...


As for what you have now... changing to DDR3 and remaining on the Q6600 will net results if you chose the right parts and set it up right but it wont be as fast a a Q9650 or i7 clocked


As far as I am concerned there is no better hard drive to run FSX from than a Velociraptor as long as the drive is connected to a proper SATAII port or a PCIe SATAII card

The board I would chose would either be the Asus Rampage Extreme http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131334 ; or the Asus http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131276 ...in order to assure stability and ability to upgrade from 1600 up through DDR3 2000

If you upgrade to a Q9650 and wish to run it at its full ability you must run DDR3 1800 due to the BIOS math which means you must purchase these sticks for Quad stability in a high clock:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145206

OCZ memory has issues with high clocking x38/x48 chipsets and can not be used above DDR3 1600


On the Q6600 and for the BIOS math you would be running DDR3 1600. The best sticks around are the Mushkin DDR3 1600 7-7-6 2x2GB product listed here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146799

You can not substitute cheap memory for high performance product when clocking DDR3

Lets get something strait...

Going to i7 is not a miracle upgrade by any means but it is much better than Q DDR3

The only way that purchase would be worth the upgrade is if you commit to cloking the 920 to at minimum 3.6GHz, then I can see the expense and the learning curve on a new system being worth the investment

Not clocking a 920 will not overcome a Q6600. It will run a bit smoother however it will still be hindered at its base speed.

The 940 has a base clock of 2.96GHz which would make it much better than the Q6600 but it too needs to be clocked if you are looking for FSX performance

..and there is no such thing a a system that is "OUT' of the FSX zone

FSX is a poorly upgraded year 2000 rendering engine that is made like most Microsoft products... overblown on old technology and chokes the life out of Intel and Nvidia's flagship hardware even afer 2 years on the market 

yes your board is not good for clocking control


so even if you replace your memory with the 2x2GB 1066 Corsair I cant say if that board would run it stable.. It certainly appears to be very limited in clocking control

The memory for that i7 system could be a bit better if you can get it

Look for 2x3GB DDR3 1600 1.65v 7-8-7 timing if you can find it

http://www.mushkin.com/doc/products/memory_detail.asp?id=730


Mushkin #998679 (3x2GB) XP3-12800



If not the Corsair you posted will work



If you go 920 you must clock the crap out of it.. at least 3.6 to 4GHz

The 940 will be easier to clock to 4G but the 920 will do it on the right PSU and heatsink

920 does have limits whith resspect to memory because the motherboard math on the memory multiplier is restricted with the 920 over the 940. Therefore 1600 memory is fine with 920 and even 940/965

i7 is new and over the next year there will be better memory coming out for it.

i7 clocking is different than Intel Quad and dual of the past. With i7 you do not use FSB to gain in a clock and the memory speed is not controlled the same with i7 either. There is a memory multiplier which is driven by BCLOCK, the same value used to increase the CPU speed of the i7. With 920 and most motherboards there are only 2 memory multiplier choices to work with where with 940 that is expanded

In my opinion the next step up from DDR3 1600 would be DDR3 2000 which is not yet on the market. So I would not purchase 1866 Corsair memory and stick with 1600 on lower timing


Yes the stciks I posted are currently the best 1600 memory on the market. They will probably be available in your country soon as they were just released here.

I have not used a 7900 series card in over 2 years


I dont know... he needs to experiment I guess

Start with the last official release for the card