Simviation Forum - Upgrade Advice

Jul 16^th, 2010 at 2:24pm

RaptorF22 Offline
Colonel

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My specs:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 @ 2.33 Ghz
ATI Radeon HD 3400 256Mb
6Gb of RAM

I run FSX at almost everything max at 12-14 fps, and I'm thinking of upgrading.
What do you think I should upgrade with a maybe $100 budget.

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Reply #1 - Jul 16^th, 2010 at 4:11pm

Rich H Offline
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Solihull, U.K.

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RaptorF22 wrote on Jul 16^th, 2010 at 2:24pm:

My specs:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 @ 2.33 Ghz
ATI Radeon HD 3400 256Mb
6Gb of RAM

I run FSX at almost everything max at 12-14 fps, and I'm thinking of upgrading.
What do you think I should upgrade with a maybe $100 budget.

Can you bear such low fps? Undecided

I would upgrade your graphics card first, then when you next upgrade, aim to change your processor.

It might help if you can increase your budget, not sure you'll get something very worthwhile on $100?

"Politics" is made up of two words, "Poli", which is Greek for "many", and "tics", which are blood sucking insects. - Gore Vidal

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Reply #2 - Jul 16^th, 2010 at 10:49pm

RaptorF22 Offline
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Posts: 1643

I prefer graphics over fps, although getting some higher fps would be really nice.
What graphics card would you recommend and what kind of fps could I expect with it? And how expensive would it be? I could just save up until I have enough for it, I don't know what good cards run.

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Reply #3 - Jul 17^th, 2010 at 12:14pm

Groundbound1 Offline
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No, I don't work for Mythbusters...
Michigan, USA

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RaptorF22 wrote on Jul 16^th, 2010 at 10:49pm:

I prefer graphics over fps, although getting some higher fps would be really nice.
What graphics card would you recommend and what kind of fps could I expect with it? And how expensive would it be? I could just save up until I have enough for it, I don't know what good cards run.

Is this a laptop? If so what make and model?

Specs: Asus Crosshair nForce 590 SLI,
AMD Athlon X2 6400+ w/ZeroTherm BTF90,
4GB G.Skill PI Series DDR2-800,
Sapphire HD4870 512MB,
PC P&C 750 Quad, in a CoolerMaster HAF932

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Reply #4 - Jul 18^th, 2010 at 12:45am

NNNG Ex Member

9800GT, GTS 250. Check if your PSU can run them first though.

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Reply #5 - Jul 21^st, 2010 at 11:40pm

RaptorF22 Offline
Colonel

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Posts: 1643

Groundbound1 wrote on Jul 17^th, 2010 at 12:14pm:

RaptorF22 wrote on Jul 16^th, 2010 at 10:49pm:

I prefer graphics over fps, although getting some higher fps would be really nice.
What graphics card would you recommend and what kind of fps could I expect with it? And how expensive would it be? I could just save up until I have enough for it, I don't know what good cards run.

Is this a laptop? If so what make and model?

No, this is a desktop, a Dell Studio 540 I belive.
Thanks for the replys, I will look into those cards.

Edit: BTW, how can I find out if my PSU can handle it?

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Reply #6 - Jul 22^nd, 2010 at 12:56am

Groundbound1 Offline
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No, I don't work for Mythbusters...
Michigan, USA

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If it says Dell on it, you'll likely need a psu upgrade. Grin

Joking aside, there should be a label on the psu telling you what the wattage and amperage ratings are.

Just a random shot from the web, but the link below will take you to a shot of a Dell psu label.

http://www.txcesssurplus.com/catalog/10405-dell-W8185-psu-label.jpg

Note the 305 Watt max output(DC output: 305W), as well as the +12v_A and +12v_B ratings of 18 amps each. That means this psu has two 12v rails with a combined rating of 36 amps.

Those are the two "important numbers" when looking at psu ratings. When you find a video card you like, the manufacturer of that card will usually tell you how much power is recommended. (Case in point below, under "requirements")
http://www.evga.com/products/moreinfo.asp?pn=512-P3-N871-AR

Hope this helps.

Specs: Asus Crosshair nForce 590 SLI,
AMD Athlon X2 6400+ w/ZeroTherm BTF90,
4GB G.Skill PI Series DDR2-800,
Sapphire HD4870 512MB,
PC P&C 750 Quad, in a CoolerMaster HAF932

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Reply #7 - Jul 23^rd, 2010 at 12:02am

markag Offline
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Illinois

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Posts: 191

You're in need of a better graphics card. For 100, you probably could go back a generation or two and get a top of the line older card. You will run into issues with a high end card and a dell power supply though, they aren't rated for high performance GPUs. Also, if you have a "slim" desktop, you probably are going to be out of luck for a graphics upgrade. It will be hard to find a graphics card that fits. I don't know if you can still get 8800 series graphics cards, but an 8800 GT, GTS (512), 9800 GTX, etc can probably be had in your pricerange and would give you incrased performance.

Intel Core i7 930 @ 4.085 GHz
6GB DDR3 1600 MHz @ 8-8-8-24
EVGA Superclocked GTX570
EVGA X58 SLI LE Motherboard
Corsair TX950W PSU
Coolermaster HAF X
Custom Watercooling

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