FSX Computer advice?

[Pilot Oatmeal]

Hello Everyone,

I'm thinking about getting a computer to run FSX.  I'm not at all into building computers myself so I would have to buy one fully constructed.

I need to have microsoft office and an operating system, as well as the ability to do normal everyday computer functions (internet etc) so its not just a gaming computer but also one I can do my college work on and do my normal everyday functions

my budget is 500 - 800 GPB POUNDs... and advice would be greatly appreciated

Many Thanks,

J.Oates

[Ilyushin]

Windows 7 64bit
Intel Core i5 2500 (and fitting motherboard, make sure you have SLI option for dual graphic cards for future upgrading)
nVidia GeForce GTX 560
8GB DDR3 RAM memory
some badass power supply... about 700W will do, I think...

I think it will be within your budget... (monitor excluded)

with this set you have a very decent PC there...

[Pilot Oatmeal]

haha okay but where can I buy it? lol

I'm not good with computers at all...and this will be the first time I buy one with gaming in mind

[Ilyushin]

My friend recommended www.newegg.com
and then go to the 'build your own' part

[GEnx]

Don't buy NVidia, they're way too noisy, run way too hot and are way too expensive compared to AMD's offerings. Also, 4GB of RAM should be more than fine.

Just look around on the internet for PC's with an Intel Core i5, 4GB of RAM and a Radeon HD6850 (or at least > HD66XX).

[Ilyushin]

FSX likes RAM... My Intel Core i7 860 with nVidia 9800 GT and 4 GB DDR3 RAM doesn't even run so smoothly... Besides, 8 GB as opposed to 4 GB isn't even expensive, at all.

Also Quinoky.. those cards you posted aren't very good actually. GTX 560 sure performs way better than those.

[GEnx]

That's due in part to your 9800 GT. Didn't know FSX sucks up a lot of RAM, though.

[Pilot Oatmeal]

on that newegg.com website i cant find the build your own part...

and is there any other places I can buy these sort of computers?

[Ilyushin]

on that newegg.com website i cant find the build your own part...

and is there any other places I can buy these sort of computers?

Scroll down a little, it's in big letters.

[GEnx]

on that newegg.com website i cant find the build your own part...

and is there any other places I can buy these sort of computers?

If you want the best value system for your money, building your own by far wins from any other manufacturer. I believe many online computer hardware stores also offer to build your chosen parts into the case for you as a service, so you should definitely look into that.

[Pilot Oatmeal]

ahhh but thats if you want to build it yourself... i want to buy one already built ... i cant build a computer lol

[GEnx]

ahhh but thats if you want to build it yourself... i want to buy one already built ... i cant build a computer lol

That's what I said, some stores will build it for you.

[Pilot Oatmeal]

Yea but is there no where that I can just buy one completely built, no hassle ... just ready to go

[GEnx]

Haha, fair enough. Since most manufacturers offer really sh*tty GPU's it's rather hard to find, especially for your budget, but here we go:

http://www.dell.com/uk/p/xps-8300/fs

This should be able to do the job for your budget.

[GEnx]

Also Quinoky.. those cards you posted aren't very good actually. GTX 560 sure performs way better than those.

Sure, but what I'm trying to say is that AMD offers way better value cards. An HD6850 can do a perfectly fine job at running FSX smoothly, even though it is way cheaper.

Also, take a look at this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card-game-performance-radeon-hd-6670,2935-3.html
And this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card-game-performance-radeon-hd-6670,2935-4.html
And this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card-game-performance-radeon-hd-6670,2935-5.html

No mention of the GTX 560 and merely one "honorable mention" of an NVidia card.

[Dave4468]

ahhh but thats if you want to build it yourself... i want to buy one already built ... i cant build a computer lol

I couldn't either until I built one. I built it two years ago and its still going strong.

Its so so easy, its very modular and as long as you make sure that the stuff you buy is all compatible (and that is only really that the CPU, graphics card and RAM slots on the motherboard are right and the power unit produces enough power) it's easy. It's also cheap, cost me £600 to build one that was built worth (at the time) £1000. I built mine in about two hours and worked on its first boot.

If not try http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=43, they are nice and powerful.

[Pilot Oatmeal]

Thanks Dave!

How does this one look?

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-176-OE&groupid=43&catid=2040&subcat=

[Dave4468]

Also long as you were to never call it by its ridiculous name it wouldn't have any problem with FSX, which bear in mind in 5 years old now.

[Pilot Oatmeal]

Lol yea a bit of a weird name 

is there another one you would recommend or should i be fine with this?

[Ilyushin]

That's a nice PC, but it only has 500 GB of memory. If you become an active FSX player including mods, your FSX folder alone may reach up to 50 GB, even (mine is 54 GB )
So in the long run you might want to buy some extra memory...

Do keep in mind that that PC has no OS installed yet.