Graphics Question...

ViperPilot2

ViperPilot2

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Staff member
So, I was thinking about a possible Computer Upgrade, and was wondering if the current Intel 'onboard' Graphics Card with 128 Mb would be enough to handle FS9?
The CPU is an Intel Core 7 with 1.8 Gb. 16 Gb of RAM.

Thanks!
 
ViperPilot2 said:
So, I was thinking about a possible Computer Upgrade, and was wondering if the current Intel 'onboard' Graphics Card with 128 Mb would be enough to handle FS9?
The CPU is an Intel Core 7 with 1.8 Gb. 16 Gb of RAM.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Mate, when FS9 came out, a graphics card with 128 Mb of it's own was considered brilliant. That doesn't even take into consideration the graphics capabilities of the current CPU's. You're more than good!
 
www.systemrequirementslab.com

Requirements Test

Check the system requirements. Can I Run it? Test your specs and rate your gaming PC.
www.systemrequirementslab.com www.systemrequirementslab.com

According to that site:

Here are the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight System Requirements (Minimum)

CPU: Pentium II or Athlon equivalent
CPU SPEED: 450 MHz
RAM: 64 MB for Win 98/ME, 128 MB for Win 2000/XP
VIDEO CARD: 8 MB 3D Video Card
TOTAL VIDEO RAM: 8 MB
3D: Yes
DIRECTX VERSION: 7.0
OS: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP (95 & NT not supported)
FREE DISK SPACE: 1.8 GB
SOUND CARD: Yes
CD-ROM: 4x speed or faster CD-Rom drive

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight Recommended Requirements

CPU: Pentium III or Athlon equivalent
CPU SPEED: 1 GHz
RAM: 128 MB
VIDEO CARD: 32 MB 3D Video Card
TOTAL VIDEO RAM: 32 MB
3D: Yes
DIRECTX VERSION: 9.0c (included)
OS: Windows 2000/XP
FREE DISK SPACE: 2.2 GB
SOUND CARD: Yes
CD-ROM: 4x speed or faster CD-Rom drive


I think you'll be good to go...lol!
 
Thanks, guys! I was curious because of the old opinion that 'onboard' Intel Graphics of yore weren't up to the task of making FS9 look all nice and sparkly... :giggle:
 
All I can add is, "Friends don't let friends Laptop". :wavey:

I've beaten it into the ground, but you can swing a NICE desktop tower and monitor without breaking the bank.
Search for "back-to-school" or "small biz" hardware. Those units are built for long hours and rough enviroments.
GPUs have gone thru the roof, but there are still some deals out there if you can live without the bells and whistles and the full-color LEDs.

Recently, I scored good deals on GPUs for both of my towers. I think I spent something like $200 for both.
For games like FS8 and 9 and maybe even FSX, low budget still gets you high performance.
 
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For many years, we ran our Shackleton simulator FS2004 with freeware Aeroworx South African scenery & the Shackleton Project payware model (80% full size to fit on a trailer) Actual seats, yoke throttle quad, pedals etc on an ancient Windows XP tower, with onboard graphics, 4GB RAM, onto a projector (scenery) & 2x screens in the pilot & copilot seats without any issues at all!
Power supply? - No idea.

BTW, after simming (FS2004 & P3Dv4.5) on a laptop (ASUS A15 Windows 11, 16GB RAM, AMD & NVidia GPU, 500GB SSD) I'll never go back to a box - just my own thoughts, after busting my back packing, unpacking & connecting my old box, keyboard, mouse, 2x monitors etc at many of our Virtual Flying club (Cape Virtual in Cape Town)
For me, a laptop just works.
 
Sbob said:
All I can add is, "Friends don't let friends Laptop". :wavey:

I've beaten it into the ground, but you can swing a NICE desktop tower and monitor without breaking the bank.
Search for "back-to-school" or "small biz" hardware. Those units are built for long hours and rough enviroments.
GPUs have gone thru the roof, but there are still some deals out there if you can live without the bells and whistles and the full-color LEDs.

Recently, I scored good deals on GPUs for both of my towers. I think I spent something like $200 for both.
For games like FS8 and 9 and maybe even FSX, low budget still gets you high performance.
Click to expand...
leuen said:
No single word about power supply and corresponding cooling system. Curious.

Bernard
Click to expand...

sound recommendation @Sbob and sound query @leuen when one wants to run more than simply a default / basic install - i.e. a setup w/ ample GPU and CPU intensive addons (especially now that a good many are freeware) and all the bells and whistles / HD eye candy & sparkles at maximum throughput and capacity for long hours, burning the midnight oil well into the night, which is what I believe the OP may perhaps have in mind, and accordingly wise words of wisdom to consider, especially, if that necessarily be the case...

cheers!
 
My basic set-up guide for buying a desktop/tower based FS system. :geek:

Start with the monitor first then build from there.
Is something basic like a 27" LCD flat screen running at 2K between 60-120 Hz going to make you happy? :unsure:
Maybe you want something larger? Keep in mind that as your display gets larger or you switch it up to 4K or maybe VR, your GPU requirements get more expensive, IF its even available. Do you have the room for a billboard-sign sized 4K wall of light? More pixels may need a bigger/better GPU which also drives your choice of power supply and load-out of RAM. This might be hard to realize BUT bigger power supplies usually go hand-in-hand with the longevity of your basic hardware. Also important- digital electronics DO NOT get along well with liquid cooling. :eek: If it has fluid in it, it WILL eventually leak. One last consideration, whatever computer you decide on- it will need some periodic maintenance. How MUCH maintenance it will need should drive your choices. Blowing out the dust bunnies twice a year and replacing the CPU battery at least every two years is MY kind of maintenance. :wiggle:

Now, forget FS for a minute. What else are you planning to watch or play? Just forum surfing and maybe a couple of streams and YouTube? Movie night with Netflix or DVDs? If you build-out a full cockpit sim, do you REALLY want other people to see it? Adults seeing their first in-house game room will revert to being children faster that you can say "WHOA..". What their eyes see will make their hands yearn to touch. Are you friends enough to laugh off a broken controller or custom throttle quadrant? :unsure:
Do you have a Man Cave with a "Keep Out" sign on the door or does all of this gear have to blend into your dinning room/tv room/basement? Will your spouse/partner understand why there's 1-to-1 scale F-16 cockpit in the bed room?

My basic idea is to not over-commit before you go shopping. Have a clear idea of what you NEED more than what you WANT. (y)

Next, pick out your rig based on what you're planning to play.
"Future Proofing" mostly doesn't exist right now aside from picking out your CPU.
We're kind of stuck buying what hardware is available. Stuff like RAM and storage have gone thru the roof thanks to Data Centers and Crypto.

If your plan is to play FS2002 to FSX plus some CFS, do you really want that i9 CPU? Sure, it wouldn't hurt but do you even NEED it?
Old games are single-core games and single core games depend on (stock) clock speed. Period.

Are you watching someone play something on YouTube or Twitch and you really want to play along?
Realize that a lot (almost all) of that content is EDITED to some degree. :wavey:
Meaning, it takes work to upload that video.. AND hardware, AND a lot of time.

What you really want to avoid is that treadmill of BUYING HARDWARE just to play ONE game.
What you're doing is burning $2,000 to play a $60 game. Does that sound like something that makes sense??
You could justify it back in the "00's" up until about 2015. Defiantly NOT NOW.
 
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