PC build for Flight Simulator X

[weaverwacker]

A new build has been completed! My client is a hardcore FSX pilot and wanted a PC that could handle 3 1920 x 1080 monitors with realism mods, HD textures, etc. His budget was $1600. So, I did my homework and studied up on FSX. Seems to be a very picky program. Anyways, hope you guys enjoy the video! I'm trying to make a name for myself on YouTube, so every bit of support you guys can give helps very much!

 

What I learned about FSX, in case any one cares.

FSX favors nvidia cards ( something about AMD's drivers no longer increasing performance on older programs. FSX was released in 2006 )

FSX doesnt like SLI, ( seen no real evidence, but everything I've read seems to support this theory. Some people say SLI made their FSX run slower with SLI than on just one card alone. )

RAID causes FSX to become very fragmented across multiple drives, hindering load times drastically.

FSX is a very CPU bound program, hence why I only went with a 770 instead of a 780.

 

Specs:

 

Case- Corsair Obsidian 350D

Mobo- Asus gryphon z87 w/ armor kit ( sexy ;) )

CPU- Intel i5-4670k @ 3.4 ghz

CPU Cooler- Cooler master Hyper 212 Evo

RAM- 2 x 8gb 1600mhz Corsair Vengeance ( LP ) ( Client insisted on 16gb, even though I personally didnt see it necessary. But hey, makes for a more interesting build. )

GPU- EVGA GTX 770 SC w/ ACX cooling (also sexy!) w/ 4gb frame buffer to handle the multi-monitor setup

PSU- Corsair TX750M (Yes, I'm a Corsair fanboy. Sponsor me? :wub: )

SSD- Adata 256gb Sata III (550mb/s read, 530mb/s write)

Optical- LG Blu-Ray burner

OS- WIndows 7 Pro ( I got Pro to accommodate for future ram upgrades as Home Premium only detects up to 16gb )

 

 

[M-ursu]

770 is overkill for FSX i play it at max settings whit my gtx 650.

[Guest GRRigger]

oculus rift and joystick ? :D

[FireFox]

My GT 630 plays it really well so with that you should be fine mate

[Night]

Its k. Nice vid. I kind of wish the build was more badass, but I also understand that its for someone else and its their money to decide what goes in there.

[jonasa97]

770 is overkill for FSX i play it at max settings whit my gtx 650.

 

 

My GT 630 plays it really well so with that you should be fine mate

 

 

If both of you would have read the post, they would have seen that the customer plays FSX on 3 1920x1080p resolution monitors. (5760x1080p) which I'm afraid your GT630 and GTX650 will have some trouble handling.

[M-ursu]

If both of you would have read the post, they would have seen that the customer plays FSX on 3 1920x1080p resolution monitors. (5760x1080p) which I'm afraid your GT630 and GTX650 will have some trouble handling.

Btw. FSX wont support surround.

[jonasa97]

Btw. FSX wont support surround.

are you certain of this?

[M-ursu]

are you certain of this?

I tried it and only my main monitor worked, other 2- monitors were black.

[Xelithium]

Btw. FSX wont support surround.

It does.

 

 

Not right of the bat though. ^^

[M-ursu]

It does.

 

 

Not right of the bat though. ^^

Hmm, it did not get it working, weird.

[FireFox]

If both of you would have read the post, they would have seen that the customer plays FSX on 3 1920x1080p resolution monitors. (5760x1080p) which I'm afraid your GT630 and GTX650 will have some trouble handling.

 

Didn't see that part lol

[weaverwacker]

With extremely high resolutions like with 5760x1080, I'm sure a GT 630 would studder a bit. But yeah guys, when I gave the computer to the client yesterday, he was like an 8 year-old on Christmas Morning! (He's actually 50 or so). We tried setting up the surround, but it was a pain in the balls. He used to run FSX on 3 monitors on XP, but win Win 7 it seems to be a bit more of a problem. It is possible, just with a butt load of tweaks I guess. Oh well, if the surround doesn't work out for him he can just buy a single super high-res monitor! Also, thanskf or all the feedback on the video! MUCH APPRECIATED!  :D

[Shwappin]

I too am an FSX fanatic, looking for a tech-saavy expert to educate me on a kickass FSX PC build.

 

Could someone maybe update the specs Weaverwacker used with the latest hardware options as of

the end of Dec., 2013.  Someone had mentioned it could be made even more "badass" with extra cash,

say $2500 just for the PC.

 

Considerations:

. I have multiple USB devices:

    . Thrustmaster Warthog throttle

    . Saitek rudder pedals

    . Saitek yoke

    . GoFlight MCP-PRO Autopilot

    . GoFlight EFIS

    . GoFlight G166 radio panel

    . Logitech G13 gaming pad

    . Logitech trackball

    . Microsoft wireless keyboard

    . a wireless/USB mini keyboard

 

  >> so I need enough powered USB hubs with enough current to handle their power draw.

 

     . I also would like to add a TrackIR headset

 

. I use 2 monitors now, and would like the capability for a 3rd.

. I'd like to base it on an i7 processor.

 

I'm planning on piecing together the recommended components through NCIX.  I was thinking of

having them build it, or someone local to me in/around Vancouver, BC, Canada.

 

Thanks for your time!

 

[Shwappin]

Here's a starting NCIX config.  What do you think of this?  What's missing?  

 

Processor (CPU) Intel Core i7 3770K Unlocked Quad Core Hyperthreading Processor LGA1155 3.5GHZ Ivy Bridge 8MB Retail
(BX80637I73770K) (sku: 70540) In Stock

1

$369.98

$369.98

CPU Cooling Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H40 High Performance CPU Cooler System LGA1366 1155 1150 AM3 120mm Fan
(CW-9060001-WW) (sku: 64341) In Stock

1

$69.99

$69.99

Motherboard ASUS Z87 WS LGA1150 ATX Dual Channel 4XPCIE SLI CF DP HDMI Minidp 6XSATA 6GB/S Motherboard
(Z87 WS) (sku: 91121) In Stock

1

$309.99

$309.99

DDR3 Memory (RAM) Corsair Vengeance Black CMZ16GX3M2A1600C10 16GB 2X8GB DDR3-1600 CL10 1.5V Dual Channel Memory Kit
(CMZ16GX3M2A1600C10) (sku: 66354) In Stock

1

$181.98

$181.98

Video Cards EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB 876MHZ 7010MHZ GDDR5 384BIT Dual DVI-I/D HDMI DP SLI Ready Graphics Card
(03G-P4-2881-KR) (sku: 91735) In Stock

1

$779.99

$779.99

Computer Case Corsair Graphite Series 600T Special Edition White Mid-Tower Case ATX 4X5.25 6X3.5INT USB 1394 No PS
(CC600TWM-WHT) (sku: 59759) In Stock

1

$179.99

$179.99

Power Supply Corsair Enthusiast Series TX750M 750W ATX Modular Power Supply Active PFC 120mm Fan 5 Year Warranty
(CP-9020040-NA) (sku: 62826) In Stock

1

$149.98

$149.98

Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Edition 64Bit DVD SP1 OEM *for NCIX PC Only*
(FQC-04649-NCIXPC) (sku: 76370) In Stock

1

$139.98

$139.98

Hard Drives Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA3 64MB Cache 3.5in Internal Hard Drive
(ST2000DM001) (sku: 66010) In Stock

1

$104.98

$104.98

Network Card   Please Use The Onboard Network Ethernet Card Integrated On My Motherboard
(ONBOARD-NETWORK) (sku: 33601) In Stock

1

$0.98

$0.98

Sound Card ASUS Xonar DG 5.1 Channel PCI Sound Card 24BIT Dolby Digital DTS 105DB SNR W/ Headphone AMP
(XONAR DG) (sku: 56330) 

[brob]

 

Here's a starting NCIX config.  What do you think of this?  What's missing?  

 

Processor (CPU) Intel Core i7 3770K Unlocked Quad Core Hyperthreading Processor LGA1155 3.5GHZ Ivy Bridge 8MB Retail

(BX80637I73770K) (sku: 70540)

In Stock

 

 

Many of the components are not compatible with each other.

 

There is really no need for a sound card, especially with the on-board sound of the motherboard in the following build.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU:  Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($309.99 @ Memory Express)

CPU Cooler:  Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($75.84 @ Newegg Canada)

Motherboard:  Asus MAXIMUS VI GENE Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($206.07 @ DirectCanada)

Memory:  Mushkin Blackline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory  ($135.98 @ Newegg Canada)

Storage:  Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($159.99 @ Amazon Canada)

Storage:  Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($84.98 @ Newegg Canada)

Video Card:  Asus GeForce GTX 770 4GB Video Card  ($422.84 @ Newegg Canada)

Case:  Corsair 350D MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($79.99 @ Memory Express)

Power Supply:  SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($105.98 @ Newegg Canada)

Optical Drive:  Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer  ($72.00 @ Vuugo)

Operating System:  Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit)  ($98.88 @ DirectCanada)

Total: $1752.54

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-28 04:34 EST-0500)

 

NCIX Canada is not included in pcpartpicker at the moment. I expect you can find all of these components at NCIX. (Don't use their system builder. Just add the parts to your shopping cart and then add pc assembly & testing - sku 7842). If they are more expensive you should be able to price match.