Simviation Forum

Feb 6^th, 2011 at 4:18pm

jasarham Offline
Major
I Like Flight Simulation!

Posts: 4

Hello All

my current system is quite old (Intel E6400@2.8GHz, 4GB RAM, 8800GT 512MB) but I like the passive cooling on 8800GT and very quiet CPU cooling Arctic Freezer. Overall, it is very quiet pc.
I am looking for new hardware to run FS X smothly at 26" LCD with 1920x1200 and maximum details as possible

Here is my shopping list

Intel Core i5 2500K 3.3GHz BOX (LGA1155)
Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD3
CoolerMaster Sileo 500 Silent case
Artic Cooling Fusion 550 550W Bulk
GIGABYTE NVidia GTX 560OC 1GB
Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB 1600MHz (2x2)
2x 12cm Noctua fans
Noctua NH-C14
1TB Western Digital Black 7200rpm
Windows 7

I expect the CPU will be overclocked to 4GHz maybe more.
Definitely, I will wait for new chipset because of the Intel bug with SATA.
Is there any reason to get 6 or 8 GB RAM ?
Possibly, I want to attach additional screen to display panel, map, GPS or something like that. Is that possible with NVidia GTX 560 ?
Is there any use in new PC for my old 8800GT ?
Is there any reason to but sound card, or integrated is just enough ? (I have 2 active stereo speakers)
Anyone has experience with GTX560 ? I read reviews and they say, it is quiet... Anyone tested some passive cooling for it ?
Anything else to improve here ?

Maybe too many questions at first post

And thanks in forward.

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Reply #1 - Feb 6^th, 2011 at 10:03pm

NNNG Ex Member

Quote:

Intel Core i5 2500K 3.3GHz BOX (LGA1155)

Perfect.

Quote:

Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD3

It might be better with GA-P67A-UD3P or GA-P67-UD3R, they have a nicer looking PCB that is black... and also they have ultra-durable 3 instead of ultra-durable 3 classic. and better CPU power components... basically means it will last longer and be more stable especially when overclocked.

If you want a UEFI BIOS then go for ASUS P8P67 Pro or higher, or ASRock P67 Extreme4 or higher.

Quote:

CoolerMaster Sileo 500 Silent case

Don't anything about that case so I cannot comment.

Quote:

Artic Cooling Fusion 550 550W Bulk

Didn't appear to get that good reviews... go with Seasonic M12 II 620 watt, Corsair HX-650, or NZXT HALE series >600 watt.

Quote:

GIGABYTE NVidia GTX 560OC 1GB

Good.

Quote:

Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB 1600MHz (2x2)

Make sure the RAM runs at a voltage of 1.6 volts or less and has a CAS latency of 6, 7 or 8. Lower is better although the difference is small.

CAS 6
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231444

CAS 7
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231430

CAS 8
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231443

Quote:

2x 12cm Noctua fans

Noctua makes some of the best PC fans... although the included fans might be good enough, and Noctua fans are expensive.

Quote:

Noctua NH-C14

Good. Unless you're aiming for really high clocks (or really low noise levels) then this might be overkill.

Quote:

1TB Western Digital Black 7200rpm

Good. Although WD Black drives are fairly loud. You might sacrifice a little possibly no performance going with Samsung Spinpoint F3 which is quieter will also save you some money.

Quote:

Windows 7

Get home Premium or higher.

Quote:

I expect the CPU will be overclocked to 4GHz maybe more.

Should do that easily. Expect 4.3ghz to 4.6ghz, although no promises. Keep it under 1.35 volts IMHO... and don't change things if you don't know what they do.

Quote:

Is there any reason to get 6 or 8 GB RAM ?

Not sure.

Quote:

Possibly, I want to attach additional screen to display panel, map, GPS or something like that. Is that possible with NVidia GTX 560 ?
Is there any use in new PC for my old 8800GT ?

Don't know.

Quote:

Is there any reason to but sound card, or integrated is just enough ? (I have 2 active stereo speakers)

No, integrated is usually decent enough.

Quote:

Anyone has experience with GTX560 ? I read reviews and they say, it is quiet... Anyone tested some passive cooling for it ?

No experience, but everything I've heard about them is positive.

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Reply #2 - Feb 7^th, 2011 at 11:54am

jasarham Offline
Major
I Like Flight Simulation!

Posts: 4

thanks for very detailed reply. i appreciate much. especially the uefi bios notice, because from what i read, it seems that standart bios will not be supported by next windows.
i will search more about the dual screen setup, because i would like to have panel on secondary screen.

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Reply #3 - Feb 8^th, 2011 at 12:52am

Augustus Offline
Major
I Like Flight Simulation!

Gender:
Posts: 4

Hey NNNG, you have described very pretty about every thing...
But I think Maxtor is a better brand... people normally like Maxtor due its durability...
What do you say??
I've also used WD its good. But never used Samsung..
so, don't know much about Samsung.

Chandler Homes for Sale

It will happen, when you take action.

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Reply #4 - Feb 8^th, 2011 at 3:21am

NNNG Ex Member

Maxtor was bought out by Seagate in 2006. I think some drives still carry the Maxtor branding... but as far as I know they no longer make 7200 rpm internal drives... There's only Seagate, which bought out Maxtor. in any case, Seagate also build very good drives, but it's hard to say which is the most reliable. WD and Seagate are both very good. From what I understand some of the earlier Samsung Spinpoint F3's had reliability issues but these have been solved. I'm happy with my Samsung Spinpoint F3 because it's cheap, quiet, fairly fast and they if they die they usually give you a new drive, instead of repairing the old one like WD and Seagate do. Samsung has a better RMA predecure for Australians (like me) because the RMA place (place u send it if it dies) is located in Sydney rather than Malaysia.

I am unfamiliar with Seagate drives (although I keep hearing they're on par with Western Digital) and I am completely unfamiliar with Hitachi drives.

But basically, there is no large difference between Seagate, Samsung, and Western Digital. All are very good. If the specifications are identical then go with the cheapest, quietest, one with best warranty, or one with best RMA procedure, IMHO. Or read reviews. IMHO, Samsung Spinpoint F3 is slightly better than most other 7200rpm 1tb drives, although you really can't go wrong buying any. iirc, Seagate have the best low power / "green" drive. WD have the 7200rpm BLACK which is fast but loud and expensive, and the Raptor 10,000 rpm series.

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Reply #5 - Feb 12^th, 2011 at 9:19am

Sean Grenyer Offline
Colonel
Kent, UK.

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Posts: 133

I've personally heard that 6Gb RAM is better than 4Gb when using Windows 7 with FSX and for the sake of an extra £20 or so (in UK) it's hardly a big expense.

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Reply #6 - Feb 13^th, 2011 at 11:26am

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

Gender:
Posts: 1745

Just remember, if you go with more than 4GB of ram, you'll need a 64bit version of Windows 7 to make any kind of use of it.

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 - Feb 13^th, 2011 at 9:26pm

Flight Ace Offline
Colonel
I Fly Sim!
Virginia

Gender:
Posts: 205

jasarham wrote on Feb 6^th, 2011 at 4:18pm:

Hello All

my current system is quite old (Intel E6400@2.8GHz, 4GB RAM, 8800GT 512MB) but I like the passive cooling on 8800GT and very quiet CPU cooling Arctic Freezer. Overall, it is very quiet pc.
I am looking for new hardware to run FS X smothly at 26" LCD with 1920x1200 and maximum details as possible

Here is my shopping list

Intel Core i5 2500K 3.3GHz BOX (LGA1155)
Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD3
CoolerMaster Sileo 500 Silent case
Artic Cooling Fusion 550 550W Bulk
GIGABYTE NVidia GTX 560OC 1GB
Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB 1600MHz (2x2)
2x 12cm Noctua fans
Noctua NH-C14
1TB Western Digital Black 7200rpm
Windows 7

I expect the CPU will be overclocked to 4GHz maybe more.
Definitely, I will wait for new chipset because of the Intel bug with SATA.
Is there any reason to get 6 or 8 GB RAM ?
Possibly, I want to attach additional screen to display panel, map, GPS or something like that. Is that possible with NVidia GTX 560 ?
Is there any use in new PC for my old 8800GT ?
Is there any reason to but sound card, or integrated is just enough ? (I have 2 active stereo speakers)
Anyone has experience with GTX560 ? I read reviews and they say, it is quiet... Anyone tested some passive cooling for it ?
Anything else to improve here ?

Maybe too many questions at first post

And thanks in forward.

jasarham,

I just have several constructive comments, even though the components you have selected will allow you to overclock and run FSX well.

You know what CPU you are going with (i5 2500K 3.3GHz) which in my opinion is an excellent pick. Now, for me, the first two major decisions in designing a new PC is selecting a Motherboard and a Case. For the Motherboard, I would be looking for one that supports all your requirements and is very EASY TO OVERCLOCK. I spent a little time in doing some research and suggest you look at the MSI P67A-GD65. Look it up on the internet and compare it with your current picks. Second, personally, I prefer a full case for a new computer because you can fit almost anything within it, easy to work with and, in my opinion, it is easier to cool. And don't undercut yourself in a power supply or RAM. I would recommend at least an 800 Watt or higher power supply. For RAM go with the CL6 timing. Finally, I definitely would recommend a 120 GB SSD for your Operating System and FSX and a second drive for everything else. You will be amazed at how fast things boot up. As far as prices go, time is on your hands so continually look for the sales. If not today, the day will come for good pricing.

It has been almost two years since I built my present PC, which like you, replaced an old PC with a GTX 8800. The old PC ran FSX reasonably well so I took all the time I needed to research for the best components and then buy them on sale. It ended up that my new (current) PC can handle anything FSX can throw at it with settings at their highest (FPS at 30 to 100+ with great scenery and smoooooth flight).

Good luck with your build

FlightAce

1. Chaser MK-1 Full Tower ATX Computer Case
2. Core i7 3770K 1155 Processor OC to 4.7 GHz
3. ASUS Maximus V Gene Motherboard
4. EVGA GTX580 1536MB Video Card
5. 16 GB C8 G.SKILL Low Profile RAM
6. Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler
7. 240 GB OCZ Agility 3 SSD
8. 120 GB OCZ Agility 3 SSD
9. 1 TB Backup Drive
10. Samsung TOC 26 inch Monitor

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Reply #8 - Feb 14^th, 2011 at 12:57am

NNNG Ex Member

Sean Grenyer wrote on Feb 12^th, 2011 at 9:19am:

I've personally heard that 6Gb RAM is better than 4Gb when using Windows 7 with FSX and for the sake of an extra £20 or so (in UK) it's hardly a big expense.

2nd generation Core i-series processors all use dual channel memory which means that 6gb is not possible unless you buy a 4gb kit and a 2gb kit, and mix them. If this is done then please make both kits have the same voltages and timings or else instability may occur. IMHO go with 4gb or 8gb to avoid this.

Quote:

. I would recommend at least an 800 Watt or higher power supply

Agree with everything except this. The wattage of power supplies is often misleading because the rated wattage might be at PEAK power draw rather than CONTINUOUS, and it might be at a low temperature (the maximum power supplied by a power supply decreases with temperature). i.e. a power supply that has a PEAK wattage of 800 watts rated at 20 degrees will probably not be comparable to a QUALITY 550 continuous watt power supply that's rated at 50 degrees C. In other words, some 550 watt power supplies are better than some "800 watt" power supplies because there is no universal standard on what the rated wattage really means (i.e. continuous, peak, temperature etc...)....

The Core i5 2500K doesn't use that much power even when overclocked and the GTX 560 is fairly efficient. IMHO a Quality 600 watt power supply will be best suited to the rig. IMHO make sure it's 80+ BRONZE or better, and rated at >600 watts continuous @ >40 degrees C. And it needs to be modular.

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Reply #9 - Feb 14^th, 2011 at 12:36pm

Flight Ace Offline
Colonel
I Fly Sim!
Virginia

Gender:
Posts: 205

Quote:

Sean Grenyer wrote on Feb 12^th, 2011 at 9:19am:

I've personally heard that 6Gb RAM is better than 4Gb when using Windows 7 with FSX and for the sake of an extra £20 or so (in UK) it's hardly a big expense.

2nd generation Core i-series processors all use dual channel memory which means that 6gb is not possible unless you buy a 4gb kit and a 2gb kit, and mix them. If this is done then please make both kits have the same voltages and timings or else instability may occur. IMHO go with 4gb or 8gb to avoid this.

Quote:

. I would recommend at least an 800 Watt or higher power supply

Agree with everything except this. The wattage of power supplies is often misleading because the rated wattage might be at PEAK power draw rather than CONTINUOUS, and it might be at a low temperature (the maximum power supplied by a power supply decreases with temperature). i.e. a power supply that has a PEAK wattage of 800 watts rated at 20 degrees will probably not be comparable to a QUALITY 550 continuous watt power supply that's rated at 50 degrees C. In other words, some 550 watt power supplies are better than some "800 watt" power supplies because there is no universal standard on what the rated wattage really means (i.e. continuous, peak, temperature etc...)....

The Core i5 2500K doesn't use that much power even when overclocked and the GTX 560 is fairly efficient. IMHO a Quality 600 watt power supply will be best suited to the rig. IMHO make sure it's 80+ BRONZE or better, and rated at >600 watts continuous @ >40 degrees C. And it needs to be modular.

Your point is taken.

I would recommend the same kind of research for a power supply as for any PC component.

My position for a higher end power supply is its possible use for another upgrade or PC build that may require a heftier output. Also select one with modular cables - keeps the inside of the case more presentable. In some instances the additional cost may be negligible

Cheers Cheesy

1. Chaser MK-1 Full Tower ATX Computer Case
2. Core i7 3770K 1155 Processor OC to 4.7 GHz
3. ASUS Maximus V Gene Motherboard
4. EVGA GTX580 1536MB Video Card
5. 16 GB C8 G.SKILL Low Profile RAM
6. Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler
7. 240 GB OCZ Agility 3 SSD
8. 120 GB OCZ Agility 3 SSD
9. 1 TB Backup Drive
10. Samsung TOC 26 inch Monitor

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Reply #10 - Feb 15^th, 2011 at 12:00pm

jasarham Offline
Major
I Like Flight Simulation!

Posts: 4

People thanks to you all for comments. I appreciate much.

I will change my power supply to 500 or 625W Enermax. This brand is quite more expansive, but it has good reputation here.

http://www.enermaxusa.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21_56&products_id=148

I will calculate again the overall power requirements, but ie. here
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/nvidia-geforce-gtx-560-ti-gf114,2845-15.html
they say the average consumption is 260W
here 280W
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2011/01/25/nvidia-geforce-gtx-560-ti-1...
I read else that 560 has 180W consumption so that makes 15A only

I just cant wait for Intel to release new bug free MoBo...

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