Anyone using a GTX 580 video card with FSX?

[TeiscoDelRay]

If you are how does it run with this card and how big an improvement did you get?

 

[AndyE1976]

Not yet, but I'm doing a new build tonight and it will feature a GTX580, so I'll let you know.

From what I've seen with the 480 it should be a significant improvement over my 9500GT and frankly I'd be shocked if it wasn't. It's widely regarded as one of the best graphics cards out there and even though a lot of people say that FSX is more dependent on CPU, I saw an improvement going from a 8600GT to a 9500GT with no other changes, so graphic performance is important too.

 

[ryanbatc]

What are you running right now? The 580 is pretty much the top of the line nvidia card. You really only need that card if running a huge resolution monitor.

 

[roger-wilco-66]

What are you running right now? The 580 is pretty much the top of the line nvidia card. You really only need that card if running a huge resolution monitor.

What do you consider a huge resolution monitor to be?
I run FSX on a Samsung 24" LED flat panel in a native 1080p resolution (with a GTX460) and my frames are fine (steadily locked at 30).

Cheers,
Mark

 

[txnetcop]

If you are how does it run with this card and how big an improvement did you get?

It depends on your CPU, motherboard, and ram how well it performs. It's all about being able to address bandwidth. Tell ya what send it to me and I'll let ya know LOL!
Ted

 

[Alan_A]

I moved from a 480 to a 580. I didn't see huge improvement in frames but overall smoothness is better. In addition, I haven't yet gotten any graphics-related crashes - you know, the g3ddll and ntdll crashes you get where the screen freezes and the sound keeps running. I used to get them in high-intensity graphics situations (e.g. PMDG 747 over Orbx Seattle). Still early in the game so it might yet happen but I think the additional Vram (1.5 megs vs. 1 meg) is helping.

Additional benefits - it's dramatically cooler than the 480 - about 15 degrees C cooler both at idle and under load. Haven't yet had to set my 580 fan speed above auto (used to run the 480 at 80 percent).

One thing to watch out for - in spite of claims, its power demand is higher than the 480's. I was getting system shutdowns until I upgraded from my 750W power supply. Right now I'm on a 1200W PSU, which is clearly overkill, and I'm probably going to trade back from that. There are issues both with overall power and with amps available on the rail - worth googling for specifics.

Hope this helps.

 

[TeiscoDelRay]

What power supply did you have that causes the problems? I am running a 750 watt at the moment and don't want to buy another one. I am using PC Power and Cooling 750 single rail 12 volt at 60amp, peak power 825.

 

[Shylock]

I'm running the 580 and its a beast of card. It helps a bit for sure but FSX is a CPU hog as others have said. I'm running the EVGA SuperClocked GeForce GTX 580, a Core i7-950 Not over clocked yet still trying to figure that one out, 850 Watt PSU and CORSAIR Vengeance 12GB (3 4GB) Memory.

I have the Areosoft heavy hitter US Cities X NYC, San Fran, Vegas, Cleveland plus the amazing ORBX PNW, Concrete and Walter Suttons scenery. I'm also running the following:

REX 2.0
GEX
UTX
Ultimate Traffic 2 (Traffic I have set to 30% for both commercial and civilian)
Megascenery earth all of NY and NJ.

As you can see with my new rig with everything I listed heres a flight in the Bell 412 painted up in the scheme that looked over me plenty of times while serving 10 years with the greatest department. The scenery is Manhattan X with target FPS of 30 and this was the lowest I had gotten was a 17 and didn't even notice a thing.

 

[Alan_A]

What power supply did you have that causes the problems? I am running a 750 watt at the moment and don't want to buy another one. I am using PC Power and Cooling 750 single rail 12 volt at 60amp, peak power 825.

I was running the same (or a similar) power supply - the PC Power and Cooling Silencer II, 750W.

It's entirely possible it became defective, and my adding the card was just a coincidence. I haven't had it tested. I'd actually been getting a string of software errors (recorded in Event Viewer) before adding the card, and all of them stopped when I went to the more powerful power supply. So you might want to try the 580 on your current PSU and see if it works. If I was to step down, I'd probably go to 850 - again, I've been told quite firmly that 1200W is too much for my equipment and I believe that, but I'd like to have some margin for error. Or it's possible I could step back to 750 if my problem was a failing PSU and not overall lack of power.

I should add that I'm also running a 980x at high overclock (4.48 GHz) and three Velociraptors on a 3Ware RAID card, so my power demands may be higher than normal even absent the 580.

 

[Alan_A]

...heres a flight in the Bell 412 painted up in the scheme that looked over me plenty of times while serving 10 years with the greatest department.

OT, Shylock, but for what it's worth, I'm an ex-New Yorker and have a good friend living down here who put in 20 years with the NYPD. Where and when did you work?

 

[big-mike]

Shylock,
i`ve just tested this setup you`ve discribed.
NY Aerosoft,ASE.MyTrafficX,Bell 412+the other things and i get 18-20FPS by locked 20FPS in game.
So you cannot relate it on the 580GTX,i have an 285GTX,i7 975 oc 4.0gHz,300gb VRapfor FSX.
But you mentioned in the first sentence,FSX is an CPU hog--that`s true.
The GPU is not so relevant,but you don`t need an 580GTX for FSX.
I`ve read through so may threads in many forums and you will find allways the same conclusion.
One test was over in the simforums,a while ago,when the 480GTXcame out.
One guy there made a very concrete test with this 480GTX and a 285GTX.
Guess what the result was?
Waste of money.
Michael

 

[Alan_A]

Lots of good information (and viewpoints) in this thread over at Avsim. Worth reviewing.

 

[big-mike]

You will find hundreds of opinions.
Go and read as much as you can and then decide what to buy.
Every hardware setup is different and what works for me (for example) must not work for you.
I am very happy with my hardware,it`s nearly 3years old but it works very well and i have no need for new hardware.
Michael

 

[Alan_A]

Every hardware setup is different and what works for me (for example) must not work for you.
Michael

Couldn't agree more and couldn't have put it better. I feel the same right now about moving to Sandy Bridge - am doing just fine on my current rig, not feeling motivated to change. Maybe later. Same could be true re: the 480 vs. 580, depending on how the overall rig performs and whether you're happy with it.

 

[Shylock]

Shylock,
i`ve just tested this setup you`ve discribed.
NY Aerosoft,ASE.MyTrafficX,Bell 412+the other things and i get 18-20FPS by locked 20FPS in game.
So you cannot relate it on the 580GTX,i have an 285GTX,i7 975 oc 4.0gHz,300gb VRapfor FSX.
But you mentioned in the first sentence,FSX is an CPU hog--that`s true.
The GPU is not so relevant,but you don`t need an 580GTX for FSX.
I`ve read through so may threads in many forums and you will find allways the same conclusion.
One test was over in the simforums,a while ago,when the 480GTXcame out.
One guy there made a very concrete test with this 480GTX and a 285GTX.
Guess what the result was?
Waste of money.
Michael

Yep I thought thats what I was saying that but if it missed thats my fault. If you have the extra cash and want to invest in it it doesn't hurt for sure if your going to run duel monitors or just want an added boast. Your CPU is a lot more powerful then mine so I believe, not saying a fact just my belief that with my 950 at 3.03 GHZ the 580 helps me get to the point i'm at. You still need to have a good GPU to render all the textures from what I'm understanding.

I do a lot of other gaming such as Iracing and other racing sims which this card is a beast and makes it uber amazing.

Alan, I worked in Brooklyn South in the 069 Pct and retired out due to an injury. Can't complain I miss the job from time to time but my new job rids me of those feelings fast lol. Where did you live while in NY?

 

[stansdds]

Ted is correct, MicroSoft's flight sims are very CPU dependent. You can have a blisteringly fast video card and still have poor performance with MS flight sims if the CPU, RAM, and system buses can't perform. I've considered upgrading my 8800GT, but in FS9 and FSX the GPU fan and temperature barely increase, but the CPU fan and temps increase tremendously. Contrast that to Il2: 1946, which is coded in JAVA and optimized for OpenGL and known to make tremendous use of the graphics card. With that sim, my CPU fan and temps rise slightly, but the video card fan goes to about 80% and there is a significant increase in GPU temp.

 

[Alan_A]

Alan, I worked in Brooklyn South in the 069 Pct and retired out due to an injury. Can't complain I miss the job from time to time but my new job rids me of those feelings fast lol. Where did you live while in NY?

Was born and raised in Manhattan (third generation, so I come by it honestly). Went to school in the Bronx. My friend Adam was a patrolman in the 26 Precinct and a patrol sergeant in the 10 Precinct. After that he taught law at the Academy for a while, and wound up on the planning staff at One Police Plaza. Retired as Lieutenant Special Assignment. Tells me he misses New York but I don't get the impression he misses the job all that much.

I hung out with some FDNY people for a while but everybody I knew had retired and moved on before 9/11, thankfully, so I didn't lose anybody I knew there. Have some friends in EMS, both in NY and down here.

I'm a writer and I do corporate PR consulting - maybe for that reason have always liked keeping in touch with people who do things that are slightly more real.

 

[paulb]

I have a GTX570 currently and am very happy with the card. A GTX580 is better (without doubt) but comes at a fair price premium. One big advantage of the 580 over the 570 is at the very highest resolutions in FSX. I run FSX at 1920 by 1200 which is the native resolution of my monitor. A 580 would not make much difference for me at that resolution. However if you crank the resolution up higher, then a 580 is the way to go.

Hope this help.

Cheers

Paul

 

[Shylock]

Alan if your ever back in NY you got a beer on me unless you don't drink. Brooklyn born and raised here, now living on Long Island.

 

[Alan_A]

Alan if your ever back in NY you got a beer on me unless you don't drink. Brooklyn born and raised here, now living on Long Island.

I do and you're on. I haven't been back in the past year - which amazes me - but between work and other connections I'm bound to be up there pretty often. Will give you a shout before the next trip.