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New Computer ?

R

rayhere48

Charter Member
I am in the market for a new computer and I can not build my own. I am retired and am 67 and hands not very steady any more. I want to get a new computer and just would love some input on a gaming system. There are so many out there and they all say they are great, but just don't know know what company is the most honest. I am sure I will have to pay in the $2000 dollar range. I do FSX and allot of sim games and some FPS.
 
A few months ago, I was needing a new comp and after searching around got my first store bought, an iBuyPower. I just got the tower and used my old monitor and peripherals. Ended up costing well under $750 for it and it runs the heck out of FSX SE. I'm very happy with it.

Forgot to add that it was built as a gaming rig and didn't have all the usual junk loaded onto it that you get with the major manufacturers.
 
I just purchased a new computer & took delivery 2 weeks ago (system specs in sig) from Maingear. Their rigs run from mild to wild & have prices to match.

They specialize in gaming rigs & tweak them when being built for that purpose. An added plus is there is zero bloatware when the PC arrives. All thats on your HD is the version of Windows you asked for & current drivers.

Their customer service is top not but you have to call them. They are slow to respond to emails (24hrs typically) but are Johnny on the spot when you call.

So far I am very pleased with my new rig! With the SSD drives it boots from cold & dark in about 20sec & launching FSX is almost instantaneous. Once I have created my flight FSX loads & I am in the pit in about 10sec. Not sure what my upward limit on FPS is because I have it limited to 50 but it has pretty well stayed there so far on every flight.

Like Willy I just ordered the box & elected to use my existing peripherals but I was out better than 3 times what he paid. Thus far I am delighted & feel like I got my moneys worth.
 
rayhere48 said:
I am in the market for a new computer and I can not build my own. I am retired and am 67 and hands not very steady any more. I want to get a new computer and just would love some input on a gaming system. There are so many out there and they all say they are great, but just don't know know what company is the most honest. I am sure I will have to pay in the $2000 dollar range. I do FSX and allot of sim games and some FPS.
Click to expand...

I build gaming units for a living but shipping and insurance is just to too expensive, so I only build locally now. However I agree with Willy. You can get some great deals through IBUYPOWER, newegg.com, etc.,just look for complete units. You won't need to spend $2000 to run FSX at DX10. There are some things you need to know as far as what components allow you to run at DX10 levels and keep in mind that one day you might want P3D or X-Plane. There's lots of friendly folks on here to help you pick the parts you need. I would go with WIN 10 i7 64bit system since you have at least that much $$$ available. Start here for newegg.com to give you an idea of what is available. Also look up IBUYPOWER they have a game system configurator and give you the complete price plus shipping if any. Bargain...no tax in the U.S.!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...7&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&Order=RATING&PageSize=30
Ted
 
I did my own thing - building an 'ideal' and for once went with 'better' rather than 'cheaper' and the whole animal ended up at 7k AUD but technically you could not buy 'better/faster' at the time.

Bottom line is....no matter what you throw at FSX it can/will always need more - simply because it can't manage beyond its own coding limitations.

When looking for a new system the trick is research-research and [hopefully] avoid 'sponsored' reviews of products - they tend to be er.....biased....;)

Reputation/references is 'everything' so go by popular advice/opinion and you'll always have plenty of people to blame...;)
 
Willy,

Can you tell me what the name of the computer you bought. There are so many to choose from, with so many vid cards and power supplies. They sure do range in price, allot. I checked over on newegg and I would hate to spend more then I have to. Sorry for all the questions.
 
rayhere48 said:
Willy,

Can you tell me what the name of the computer you bought. There are so many to choose from, with so many vid cards and power supplies. They sure do range in price, allot. I checked over on newegg and I would hate to spend more then I have to. Sorry for all the questions.
Click to expand...


The main thing to look for in my opinion for FSX is CPU speed. Put your money there first. You are looking for no less than 3.8 Ghz but more into the 4.0 range is best. Second get a good speed DDR3 memory, I run 16 gigs @ 1600 whick is more than enough for FSX.. SSD drives are the best these days. I run 2 . One for the OS and one for FSX. Then I have one 2T platter drive that I split in halh. One Partition for FSX textures and one just for storage and backups.
 
Hdguy said:
The main thing to look for in my opinion for FSX is CPU speed. Put your money there first. You are looking for no less than 3.8 Ghz but more into the 4.0 range is best. Second get a good speed DDR3 memory, I run 16 gigs @ 1600 whick is more than enough for FSX.. SSD drives are the best these days. I run 2 . One for the OS and one for FSX. Then I have one 2T platter drive that I split in halh. One Partition for FSX textures and one just for storage and backups.
Click to expand...

I think that is excellent advice!
 
Hdguy said:
The main thing to look for in my opinion for FSX is CPU speed. Put your money there first. You are looking for no less than 3.8 Ghz but more into the 4.0 range is best. Second get a good speed DDR3 memory, I run 16 gigs @ 1600 whick is more than enough for FSX.. SSD drives are the best these days. I run 2 . One for the OS and one for FSX. Then I have one 2T platter drive that I split in halh. One Partition for FSX textures and one just for storage and backups.
Click to expand...

Mason gives some good advice here. FSX definitely works better in the 4.0GHZ area, but another thing to consider for future use is 4GB of Vram on the video card you purchase. 64 bit X-Plane 10.3 now requires it for the new HDGLOBAL scenery, and it is AMAZING! While FSX is more CPU intensive more scenery is coming out monthly and there are plans for new 64 bit flight simulation software to be developed...so future proof your machine as much as possible.
Ted
 
Jafo said:
I did my own thing - building an 'ideal' and for once went with 'better' rather than 'cheaper' and the whole animal ended up at 7k AUD but technically you could not buy 'better/faster' at the time.

Bottom line is....no matter what you throw at FSX it can/will always need more - simply because it can't manage beyond its own coding limitations.

When looking for a new system the trick is research-research and [hopefully] avoid 'sponsored' reviews of products - they tend to be er.....biased....;)

Reputation/references is 'everything' so go by popular advice/opinion and you'll always have plenty of people to blame...;)
Click to expand...

Except for that 'Dust Catcher' case .......... :triumphant:
I've up-graded from my incredibly heavy Cosmos 2 and bought a CaseLabs Magnum TH10A, bloody brilliant, even if I'll need to sell a kidney to pay for it.
Scorptec offered me such a good deal I couldn't pass it up.

rayhere48,
Jafo makes a lot of sense, if you are getting a PC built from a retailer go for the best specification you can afford, and do check out the component 'Brands' offered.
Try to allow yourself some extra headroom for future DIY upgrades, and the one piece of advice I'd give is: do not settle for a cheap case, with a budget of USD2,000 spend a little extra on a Corsair Obsidian 750D or a Cooler Master HAF X,
worth doing in the long run.
:encouragement:
 
wombat666 said:
Except for that 'Dust Catcher' case .......... :triumphant:
I've up-graded from my incredibly heavy Cosmos 2 and bought a CaseLabs Magnum TH10A, bloody brilliant, even if I'll need to sell a kidney to pay for it.
Scorptec offered me such a good deal I couldn't pass it up.

rayhere48,
Jafo makes a lot of sense, if you are getting a PC built from a retailer go for the best specification you can afford, and do check out the component 'Brands' offered.
Try to allow yourself some extra headroom for future DIY upgrades, and the one piece of advice I'd give is: do not settle for a cheap case, with a budget of USD2,000 spend a little extra on a Corsair Obsidian 750D or a Cooler Master HAF X,
worth doing in the long run.
:encouragement:
Click to expand...
I'm quite happy with my 'dust catcher' case.....keeps the dust off the floors, etc...;)
Actually you can't go past a case made from 3mm sheet aluminium...it's its own heat-sink.
OK, so it cost the equivalent of the average person's entire machine budget....but it's something that won't wear out [unlike me].

I suppose I 'should' post my machine specs in my sig as others do....but they'll only look second-hand in a few years' time.
 
I have owned the Jetline System computer for 1 1/2 years now
Yes, slightly expensive but a fantastic machine, the best service and support around

Have not had any problems with this computer!

I just happen to live 15 miles from their shop and drop in all the time.......
Greg ( the owner) is always there and very friendly as well as Ken ( one of the best techs and really knows his way around the system)

It will be money well spent

Call them up...
Rick
 
I was wondering about the X51 (2) version of this machine. It is by dell not really up gradable, but I am not into up grading much. Any one know much about this com?
 
rayhere48 said:
I was wondering about the X51 (2) version of this machine. It is by dell not really up gradable, but I am not into up grading much. Any one know much about this com?
Click to expand...

I used to do contract work for Dell Systems, the Dell X51 is not truly a Dell product, it was originally Alienware and they built some very fine gaming systems. Dereck was my contact there he left when Dell bought Alienware but they still use a lot of the same Alienware engineers and techs so as far as I know it is still a fine game system.
Ted
 
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