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In search of a new computer

wombat666 said:
To be brutally frank, it comes down to how much money you want to spend. :biggrin-new:
Like tuning a car 'How fast can you make it go?'....................'How much money can you spend?'
Building your own rig is worth considering, at least you can choose your own components with an eye toward upgrading and it is a very satisfying experience.
While you might want to stick with FSX eventually you might also to go P3D4 and it is nice to have the option of tweaking your very own custom built box!:encouragement:
And a BTW:Laptops suck, good for business purposes etc but not much else.
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I wouldn't say they suck because for some having the mobility is important.

They do however operate under severe thermal constraints, which impacts performance, and have a blocked upgrade path. Also cost a lot.


And for FSX's sake alone there's a point when throwing more money simply won't make any difference. Between an i3 and an i7 you'll gain 2 fps. GPU's are a better investment, but only because some developers go full psycho with poly counts and texture sizes (an atrocity that happens far too often if you ask me).
 
Laptops are okay if the CPU can do at least 3 GHz, the video card has its own, dedicated memory, the RAM is fast and there is a large SSD.
For exclusive home use, a desktop PC is still superior though, since laptop keyboards are not what they used to be and trackpads are absolutely the worst.

For people that are out and about, often staying in hotel rooms, at the mistresses' or generally outside the house dragon's domain, a powerful laptop and an XBox 360 pad offers a good, compact flightsimming setup. With a long enough HDMI cable, one can even (ab)use the TV in the room as a second monitor. Heck, with the webcam, Opentrack and a basecap with an Aruco tracker, even a cheap TrackIR substitute is possible!


Never had an issue with thermal throttling on my laptop. Only third degree burns on my thighs when laying in bed with it.
 
Bjoern said:
Laptops are okay if the CPU can do at least 3 GHz, the video card has its own, dedicated memory, the RAM is fast and there is a large SSD.
For exclusive home use, a desktop PC is still superior though, since laptop keyboards are not what they used to be and trackpads are absolutely the worst.

For people that are out and about, often staying in hotel rooms, at the mistresses' or generally outside the house dragon's domain, a powerful laptop and an XBox 360 pad offers a good, compact flightsimming setup. With a long enough HDMI cable, one can even (ab)use the TV in the room as a second monitor. Heck, with the webcam, Opentrack and a basecap with an Aruco tracker, even a cheap TrackIR substitute is possible!


Never had an issue with thermal throttling on my laptop. Only third degree burns on my thighs when laying in bed with it.
Click to expand...

Change that to an Xbox One controller nowadays. Superior d-pad.

About opentrack and the aruco paper thingy... Best thing I've not spent any money on, ever.
 
About three years ago I was in your shoes, I also asked a lot of questions on these forums.
One thing that so many people said was "Build it yourself, you'll get a better computer and it's not hard to do".
All I could think was "Me build a computer? No way!"
I ended up watching some videos on building a computer and had to admit that there isn't much to it. I ordered all the parts from Newegg that had excellent reviews. When I was ready to put it together, I watched the videos again and then putting it together was almost like doing it for the fifth time.
Everyone was right, there isn't much to it, for the most part, everything snaps into the motherboard.
If I could do it, anyone can if they really want to.
If you ordered a computer, the computer shop would have it put together in an hour, even if it took you five hours, you'll save a bunch money, get a better computer and you'll feel great about doing it. I've never regretted it and I have never had a problem with it.
 
What he said !

I built my first back in 2012, an I-7 3690X, H20 cooling..... blah blah blah .... I did it by watching You tube videos .... even did a small overclock on the Intel chip up to ~ 4.17

Go for it :applause:


Don
 
Thanks for all of your input, guys. Now to check with my minister of finance to see if funding is available. ☺
 
Gdavis101 said:
We recently purchased an IBUYPower Intel I7 8700 with a GTX 1060. The only thing I had to do was dump in another 8GB stick of Ram. I used to build my own PC's, in fact built the last 3 and I used to build them professionally but I just didn't want to this time so we found this one on Amazon. It runs P3D4 wonderfully!

https://www.amazon.com/iBUYPOWER-De...1527721483&sr=8-6&keywords=ibuypower+intel+i7
Click to expand...
I bought the same one except for a 1070 8mb card and second the opinion. If you search the net you will find the list of components and they are top notch. Runs everything I throw at it with sliders almost all the way to the right.
I run P4D V4 and only use FSX for those few planes not compatible with P3D.

whatever you get, enjoy simming.
Bob
 
Well, I took the plunge yesterday. After researching and mulling over it. I ordered the iBuypower 8700 with the 1080 card in it from Bestbuy. It's supposed to be here Friday. I also got a Thrustmaster Hotas 4 to replace my ancient control stick. If all goes well, maybe I can finally get back in the air soon. I thank everyone for your insight. 👍
 
Right with you, after mulling over reviews and prices finally decided to stay with a 1080 GPU plus a "gaming" monitor although I'm going to explore VR. I am NOT looking forward to moving over my massive FSX files (well the ones that work in P3D) and starting from ground zero with settings/tweaks/downloads. On the good side, a few bolters are in my future with the DCS Hornet!

My current ASUS gaming laptop has actually held up, purchased early 2011 with a couple overseas trips on it. Motherboard did something weird after the 1 year warranty expired (as in the day after), factory couldn't repair and I've only recently replaced the battery. FPS locked at 30, the old GTX 460 allows me to fly with reduced settings, but I have to have my AI on! I fly 95% mil stuff (no PMDG yet), so the VRS Bug does well as long as I'm not buzzing the NYC/SFO skyline.
 
Quicksand said:
Well, I took the plunge yesterday. After researching and mulling over it. I ordered the iBuypower 8700 with the 1080 card in it from Bestbuy. It's supposed to be here Friday. I also got a Thrustmaster Hotas 4 to replace my ancient control stick. If all goes well, maybe I can finally get back in the air soon. I thank everyone for your insight. 
Click to expand...

I'm sure you'll get many hours of pleasure out of that rig QS!!

Have fun! It is after all, a hobby.

Priller
 
Daveroo said:
bought an Ibuypower pc a few years ago,was the worst pc ive ever had.hope you well with yours.
Click to expand...

Let's stay positive here! The man bought a system with an i7 8700 and an Nvidia GTX1080. I'm pretty sure he'll be very happy with it! ;)

Priller
 
I'm hoping so. Sorry you had a bad experience with your buy, Daveroo. I read tons of reviews before I forked over the money. They (iBuypower) has addressed alot of the issues. At least it's not a laptop, and I've got a three year warranty with it. Time will tell. 
 
Quicksand said:
I'm hoping so. Sorry you had a bad experience with your buy, Daveroo. I read tons of reviews before I forked over the money. They (iBuypower) has addressed alot of the issues. At least it's not a laptop, and I've got a three year warranty with it. Time will tell. 
Click to expand...

Two more days QS, and your new toy will be there!! ;)

And then, hours of clicking and installing fun! :D

Priller
 
Your jaw will drop the first time you run FSX. I have the same computer only with a 1070 and I love it.
 
Mine just arrived, but undecided yet if I'm going to put both FSX and P3D on it. Sadly, I do know some of my favorite FSX add-ons will not transfer to P3Dv4.
 
Victory103 said:
Mine just arrived, but undecided yet if I'm going to put both FSX and P3D on it. Sadly, I do know some of my favorite FSX add-ons will not transfer to P3Dv4.
Click to expand...
You can always experiment with P3D by getting a developers license, 10$ a month, cancel before the month is up. If you got a new high power machine you might as well at least try it.
 
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