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LOOKING TO BUILD A NEW PC FOR FSX THEN LOOK HERE!

txnetcop

txnetcop

Charter Member
These are the products that consistantly win at TechCorp's shakedowns!


Motherboards I highly recommend:

Core i7 1366 SOCKET Triple channel memory only

High End User
ASUS does it again with the P6X58D motherboard!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131614

Mid Range yet Powerful
Asus does it again with the Sabertooth X58 1366 motherboard!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131665

Gigabyte has a Winner!
X58 UD5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128422

I DON'T RECOMMEND 1156 SOCKET i5Core because of the new higher powered SandyBridge if you already have 1155 socket use i7860 and above CPUs

SANDYBRIDGE IS HERE AND HERE TO STAY! 1155 socket Dual channel memory only
NEW untested for FSX by TechCorp but several including Nick Needham say it runs all games AT HIGHEST LEVELS WHILE SAVING YOU MONEY-you might check Nick N's guides to see what the latest is concerning FSX and SandyBridge 1155 socket units.

New SandyBridge motheboards
ASUS P8P67 PRO LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131682

GIGABYTE GA-P67A-UD4 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128463

MSI P67A-GD65 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130553

CPUs I recommend

Core i7 SOCKET 1366
i7 980X $999.99
i7 950 price/performance winner $295.00 best in FSX for the money OC to 3.8GHz
i7930 $280.00

Again, now that SandyBridge is here I cannot recommend i5Core and i7 Core socket 1156

Sandy Bridge
i7 2600K only 3.4Ghz OC to 3.7GHz Excellent performance!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070 $330.00

WHY SANDY BRIDGE for FSX and other games:
http://www.guru3d.com/article/core-i5-2500k-and-core-i7-2600k-review/
PRICE/PERFORMANCE WINNER OVERALL!




Desktop Memory I recommend

Triple Channel Socket 1366 6GB minimum
Corsair Dominator PC3 12800 Absolute Best
The ultimate Intel X58 Core i7 performance memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145224


G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231304

Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226028


Dual Channel For socket 1155 and 1156 motherboards 4GB minimum

Patriot Viper II 1600mhz PC 12800 Sector 5
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5210472&CatId=4527

OCZ Intel Extreme Edition Dual Channel 4096MB PC12800 DDR3 1600MHz Memory
if you can find it very low CAS rating


Video Cards I recommend:

This applies to all games including FSX
Well not many are going to like my recommendation but here it is:
If you already have GTX 460 and can run 2500x1200 or better get another GTX460-this only applies to 256bit interface GTX460s

If you currently run a GTX470 and can run 2500x1200 or better get another GTX470

If you have a GTX480 keep it if you have no bad heating issues

IF you have a GTX260, GTX270 GTX285 get rid of it and buy an EVGA or GIGABYTE GTX580
The GTX580 is 25 to 30% faster STOCK than the GTX480 and is everything the GTX480 was not! However the GTX480 is innovative and worth keeping if you have no heat issues with it


ABOUT PSUs
The most important thing to remember about PSUs is to consider your future upgrade possibilites. Don't buy minimum "just get by power supplies...you aren't saving the earth by doing so! The PSU only uses what it needs to power a unit.

I recommend nothing less than 750 watt, +12V @60A for single rail and 35A or dual rail units 80+ Silver Certified or better, 85%effciency rating or better Make sure it has several PCI-E 6+2 pin connectors for SLI or CROSSFIRE.
All of the above is imperative when choosing a power supply. For gaming single rail 60A on +12V or higher units are superior!

Some trusted mfgs CORSAIR, THERMALTAKE, ENERMAX, ANTEC, PC POWER and COOLING

USE ULTRA-X AND X2 AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION I DON'T RECOMMEND THEM!

I hope this helps many who are in the valley of decision MORE ON COOLING ADDED LATER THIS WEEKEND-TESTING COOLING NOW!!!
Ted
 
Excellent write up,Ted. :ernae:


I've been hearing some great things about the Sandy Bridge i7 2600....an excellent overclocker by all accounts!!!
 
I've been doing a LOT of research on the 2600K for use with FSX. They sound real good but, I can't find any topics where everyone isn't all goofy excited. Meaning all they're talking about is what the 2500/2600 CPU'S are. So far all I've found out there is they're new! No kidding.
.... I'm looking for actual FSX performance results to help me make my decision.

Great write-up Ted!! Thanks for all the help :salute:
 
ok so ive been super naughty,

i have arriving tomorrow;

i7 2600
asus p67 jobbie you recommend ted,
8GB corsair Vengence
750watt Corsair modular PSU

will use my existing 460.

So excited, but totally aware I now need to cut down on the takeaways!
 
Lewis, do me a favor would you please. Let me know how this works for you will ya? I'm wanting to order a new configuration REAL soon!!
 
will do Oleboy, I opted for the slighty cheaper stock 2600 btw as I have no interest in Overclocking and stock speeds should be fast enough for my needs.
 
So, just to be clear, you are still recomending the i7 980X, even though it's not the Sandy Bridge architecture?
 
Bone said:
So, just to be clear, you are still recomending the i7 980X, even though it's not the Sandy Bridge architecture?
Click to expand...


There are several things that Sandy Bridge does not give you..like true Hyperthreading! Also the there are 1.7 billion transistors in the i7980X. The potential for the 980X hasn't even been exploited yet because of "lazy code." The i7 980X also has six cores and all of them have their own cache...in other words it's still the fastest processor out there for retail consumpion.

Now Sandy Bridge is unique and fast as well but in a different way. For instance the GPU is on the die and while not as powerful as say an Nvidia 580X or AMD 6870 it works along with your GPU to give you very speedy graphics. It has it's drawbacks but they are few. I still recommend the i7980X for the upgrade path for six core, but I am totally enthusiastic about the much lower price of the 2600K for the incredible performance it gives!
Ted
 
Lewis-A2A said:
will do Oleboy, I opted for the slighty cheaper stock 2600 btw as I have no interest in Overclocking and stock speeds should be fast enough for my needs.
Click to expand...

On the bright side the processor is smaller, cooler and allows for extreme overclocking without water cooling if you should desire later. The 2600K is the CPU to go with for an 1155 socket i5...excellent choice
Ted
 
txnetcop said:
There are several things that Sandy Bridge does not give you..like true Hyperthreading! Also the there are 1.7 billion transistors in the i7980X. The potential for the 980X hasn't even been exploited yet because of "lazy code." The i7 980X also has six cores and all of them have their own cache...in other words it's still the fastest processor out there for retail consumpion.

Now Sandy Bridge is unique and fast as well but in a different way. For instance the GPU is on the die and while not as powerful as say an Nvidia 580X or AMD 6870 it works along with your GPU to give you very speedy graphics. It has it's drawbacks but they are few. I still recommend the i7980X for the upgrade path for six core, but I am totally enthusiastic about the much lower price of the 2600K for the incredible performance it gives!
Ted
Click to expand...


Whew, OK great! I've got my finger on the "buy" button, and I did a big double-take when I saw your post. I think tommorrow I'm going to order it from New Egg. Which of the three MoBo's from above would work the best?
 
OK all the tests on cooling are in and the winners for Core i5 and i7 are:

ZALMAN 9900 CNPS
ZALMAN 10X EXTREME
Thermalright HR-02
NOCTURA NH-D14 Premium

All of these ran the best under extreme conditons. What you will want to consider is the size of the fan/heatsink compared to your motherboard and the high-rise coolers on your memory placement next to your CPU. All of these are big boys but they cool as well most water cooled products.

Let me say a quick word about the word PRICE/PERFORMANCE. When I use that term it means that for the price of the product the performance is outstanding.
EXAMPLE:
For instance while there are a couple areas of performance that the 2600K even exceed the 980X, however the 980X is still the fastest processor you can buy, but it cost $1000! For less than $400 you can have outstanding performance with the Sandy Bridge 2600K though it will still be less powerful than the $1000 980X. So PRICE/PERFORMANCE (what you get for your money if you are on a budget) the 2600k is a great choice.

I hope that helps
Ted
 
Wow, that 2600K looks to be a really good option against the much more expensive 980X. The guru3d figures peg them pretty closely matched - probably close enough to make minimal difference to FSX.

I'm looking forward to seeing what else is released.
 
txnetcop said:
with the Sandy Bridge 2600K though it will still be less powerful than the $1000 980X.

I hope that helps
Ted
Click to expand...

How much better is the 2600K than the QX9650?

About three months ago you recomended the following to me in a pm:

i7 980QX CPU
Nvidia 470/480 Fermi video card
Gigabyte X58A UD 90 MoBo
Corsair Dominator 1600mhz triple channel memory

The MoBo's you have recomended a few posts up are different. Which MoBo would be the best to get?
 
Bone said:
How much better is the 2600K than the QX9650?

About three months ago you recomended the following to me in a pm:

i7 980QX CPU
Nvidia 470/480 Fermi video card
Gigabyte X58A UD 90 MoBo
Corsair Dominator 1600mhz triple channel memory

The MoBo's you have recomended a few posts up are different. Which MoBo would be the best to get?
Click to expand...


What made you look at the QX9650 (it's day has passed) as opposed to the i7 980X. You wanted the fastest I quoted it...the i7 980X period-nothing is faster. As far as motherboards it comes down to preference. For ASUS motherboards ASUS RAMPAGE III is the GOLD Standard for speed, power, CPU recovery however we have had them fail The ASUS Asus P6X58D PremiumI quoted above was the next best in speed but had the lowest failure rate in some very rigorous testing. However any motherboard can fail for any reason. The difference in the motherboards quoted are features. Since you have not done a build in the past you would never notice the difference between those two ASUS boards.

As for Gigabyte, the one I quoted you was the Gigabyte Gold Standard however in recent test the Gigabyte I quoted above is a midrange in price but performs almost as well as far as features as the Gigabyte X58 UD9 there are several reviews on all of the boards listed. Here is one for the Gigabyte done by PureOverclockers http://www.pureoverclock.com/article1038.html. As one who has never built a sytem before you would never notice the difference in features. The ASUS RAMPAGE III and the GIGABYTE X58 UD9 are boards meant for ENTHUSIAST OVERCLOCKERS! That does not mean that other motherboards cannot perform nearly as well. The ASUS Sabretooth and the Gigabyte UD5 are bargain boards but both will overclock to 4GHz and beyond but these are not FEATURE RICH motherboards.

Bone you asked for the motherboards I consider the top of the heap I quoted just that. However in six to eight weeks they will not be the top of heap. New versions and new revisions will take their place. The QX9650 is old technology compared to the 2600K or i7 980X and cannot compete on any level, It may run FSX almost as well. FSX though I love it compared to FS9 is old technology, bad coding, and all kinds of nuances that make it impossible to predict which systems will be the absolute best. It was given to us unfinished and rushed by Microsoft and they immediately shut down the ACES crew that built it. Try as much as is possible when you build a unit to build one that will not make you scrap your initial cash outlay too quickly. i7 Core still has a reasonable life cycle ahead of it. Sandy Bridge is anyone's guess right now. But it does look promisning. The fastest is still the i7 980X...but lookout AMD is promising that their new BULLDOZER CPU will beat the Intel i7 Core-we'll see they said that about their AMD 1090T.
Ted

Just to simplify things a little the Sandy Bridge 2600k is the only Sandy Bridge processor so far that has an unlocked CPU. That is what the "K" signifies. Sandy Bridge CPUs contain the HD3000 video gpu as well but can only be used by the "H67" motherboards. The best board for gaming is the "P67" series that does not allow the HD3000 GPU to run but instead must have a dedicated Video card or cards! These CPUs will not work on the i5Core Socket 1155 motherboards but instead use socket 1156 motherboards. I hope this helps clear up what Sandy Bridge is!
 
txnetcop said:
What made you look at the QX9650 (it's day has passed) as opposed to the i7 980X.
Ted
Click to expand...

The QX9650 is the CPU I've had for the last three years. The reason I asked you the question was based on your bang for the buck idea. Basicly, if the $400 2600K is a better bang for the buck deal than the $1000 dollar i7 980X, then how much better is the $400 2600K than an already paid for QX9650 in a bang for the buck scenario. Since this thread is the first time you've mentioned the 2600K, I gave it some consideration (briefly), so therefore my question. The email you sent me awhile ago said the i7 980X got a 25 percent performance boost over your benchmark test rig with the QX9650...so I'm guessing the 2600K falls somewhat short of the 25 percent gain over the QX9650.

I'm getting the i7 980X, but had some last minute questions...thanks.
 
Excellent choice with the i7 980x,Bone.:)

The Sandy Bridge is a very capable chip too...but requires some serious overclocking in order to come close to the potential of the 980x. It's times like this when I REALLY miss my last Tech job along with the benefits of discounted hardware and the odd freebie too. :(
 
Lift off, we have lift off......KAA-FRIGGING-CHING! I ordered all the stuff today. I was going to do it yesterday, but I spent a huge amount of time going through all the goodies, and finalizing the choices to go along with the i7 980X chipset.

My old rig is going to be sad.
 
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