FSX on 720p

[kipoots]

I want to build or order a new gaming computer.

I want to connect my PC via HDMI to my 50in 720p plasma (1024*768) and to my 22in comp screen (1680x1050)
I want to play Microsoft Flight Simulator X, maybe not at the highest settings but I want it hot, it would be the only game I'll play
My budget is 700-900 $CDN
I want to play mkvs and other HD content
I want to set it up this week or next one.


Here is where I'm heading, please suggest or comment, prices come from NCIX and Newegg Canada:

Intel Core i5 750 Quad Core Processor Lynnfield LGA1156 2.66GHZ 8MB Cache OEM

MSI P55-GD55 ATX LGA1156 P55 DDR3 2XPCI-E16 3XPCI-E1 2XPCI RAID Audio GBLAN CrossFire Motherboard
- Bundle deal: 320$

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ
- 105$

Powercolor Radeon HD 5770 850MHZ 512MB 4.8GHZ GDDR5 VGA DVI-I HDMI DIRECTX11 PCI-E Video Card
- 150$

COOLER MASTER Silent Pro 600 RS-600-AMBA-D3 600W ATX12V V2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active
- 90$

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
- 70$


That makes 735$, includes shipping, plus taxes it comes to 830 CDN$.

I will put my own HDD 320 GB WD SATA and LG DVD burner SATA and my new version of Win7 64 Bit pro.
I want to wait a little bit in order to get solid state drives in the future.

What do you think? it would be my first built, or I'll ask somebody to build. Are there any overkills, underacheivers?

I want to go for Radeon GPU cause I like the HDMI THX sound compatibility via HDMI, but am not blind to Nvidia yet.

 

[r_manic]

Just make sure the RAM you chose is on the motherboard's QVL, to make sure it's totally compatible. Other than that, I don't have complaints about your system, except that if you're building a system to "just" play FSX, you can get away with cheaper parts—that are on dead-end platforms (socket LGA 775, etc.)

 

[Jermmau]

There is an issue here you may not have considered.

You say you want to run FSX at 720p on your TV. However you also state your TV is not a 720p set, and that it runs at 1024x768. I assume the TV has an aspect ratio of 16:9, and this means that the pixel aspect ratio is not square. This means if you pump 720p from the 5770 to the TV it will have to be scaled by the TV, and you may be surprised by the loss in image quality. This will probably have a severe effect on your ability to read cockput gauges.

Also, usual windows tasks will be almost impossible at non square 1024x768. Yes it is possible, but if you are used to using windows at square 16XX x 10XX you are in for trouble. Objects like text will lose significant definition because some of their horizontal resolution is being discarded.

A partial solution to improve the quality would be to run a custom 16:9 768p resolution from the 5770. You will still lose some horizontal resolution to scaling, but it will not be as severe. Windows only supports square aspect ratios, so pixel loss is unavoidable with your TV.

Also, at a 720p or a custom 768p resolution your CPU will an extreme bottleneck for FSX, the GPU load will be small in comparison. As such I wouldn't go any higher than a 5770, instead putting money into the CPU.

EDIT: Spelling