FSX

[Wesley313]

Hmm i don't even know where to start.. Well i built a computer last summer for gameing, and i have a few, or perhaps a lot of questions. Ill start with my build

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 2.33GHz
Video card:GeForce 9800 GTX(G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3
Motherboard:Can not quite recall im not home.. its a gigabyte(the one that can take either DDR2 or DDR3)
Memory:CORSAIR Dominator 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066
I think that is all that matters here let me know if you need more

Anyways so i have been looking at the benchmarks on this site and found that with my video card Fsx in 1650 by 1080 was getting 33 FPS. I dont know how exactly these benchmarks work but i do know that when i have my setting low in Fsx i get high teens to low 20's in fps. And even more recently i have been getting an error says my computer does not have enought memory for fsx before it closes..Also just overall my computer has been slowing down.

My question is what do i need to speed my computer up? New processor? when im in the game my cpus are all maxed out running at 98 to 100%.can i just switch cpus out or is that a whole complicated process? New video card? I know that my card is not top of the line anymore but i dont think it is that far outdated. Memory? This is where i think(not that im smart at all) the problem lies. Is 3.2 gigs of ram good enough? Or will i have to step up to 64 bit windows.(which brings up another question, Vista 64 bit or xp 64bit? or does it matter?) If i get more ram does it have to be the exact type?
Or do i need to combination of these things.

Also i have 2 screens. i understand that, that has an affect on my frame rate. any input there?

OR do i have okay components and just need to tweak my settings with nhancer or something.(I have noooooo idea how to do this well at all)

I do not want a monostor machine that will cost me a few thousand more dollers, i just want to be running fsx above 25 fps.(perhaps an oxymoron)

I understand that i just asked about 40 questions but any input would be helpful!

Thanks,
Wes

 

[nerrawg]

FSX is a bitch of a game - pardon my french. It really eats just about ever system out there - but it loves cpu power and NVidia graphics.
Have you tried to OC that CPU? If not that will be the best investment you can make, spend about $40 on a CPU cooler and OC that baby to 3.4 Ghz +
If you want some guides and resources on this I can link them to you
Also 4 Gigs is a good idea - can't hurt and its cheap

-edit, just caught that stuff on the 2 screens - yeah that will matter if you run them at the same time.
For that you need more memory and if you use XP or Vista (this is supposed to be fixed in windows 7) then the memory used by your GPU will be mirrored in your system memory - so that takes up more of your system memory - although it is of course a maximum of 512 MB, but then Vista is gonna be using 1-1.5 and XP will probably be using 0.5 so more RAM can't hurt - go for 4 gigs

Also mate have you tried playing Falcon 4.0 Allied Force, Lock On Modern Combat or IL-2 Sturmovik? these are some ace flight sims that will work very nicely

 

[Wesley313]

Thanks for the reply... and i would like to see those guides in overcloaking, i have thought about doing it before but was to chicken and didn't want to mess anything up. i have a cpu cooler that is not stock.

and i have heard that those seems are good.

 

[aevm]

You've probably got a GA-P35C-DS3R or something similar based on P45.

Add more RAM. 4GB should do much better than 2GB.

+1 to OCing the CPU. It pays off very well in FSX.

 

[nerrawg]

Here is a great guide to overclocking basics:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/240001-29-howto-overclock-quads-duals-guide

Here are some results with the Q8200:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15573
http://www.madshrimps.be/vbulletin/f22/m-intel-q8200-overclocked-3-6ghz-biostar-tp45-motherboard-46595/
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=586754

looks like it won't OC that much - but 3.0 GHz is still very good, give it a check at least

 

[Kill@dor]

4GB DDR2 1066 or 1200 should hit the spot for that game. It really sounds like you have 2GBs of RAM now. Also, i would OC (like everyone mentioned) your CPU to 2.8GHz or 3.0GHz for better frames. I wouldn't go over 3.2GHz unless you want a faster PC...but it will be useless in game.

Last but not least, you need a good hard drive and you NEED to maintain the PC. That means:

Hard Drive: 7200RPM 3.0GB/s
Run Error checks and defrag PC at least once a month for good performance. Delete unnecessary or temporary files in the system. Check your restore points...they use up RAM!!! So creating new back up files and restore points is ideal.

Hope this works out bud!!

 

[Wesley313]

So the mother mo-bo is the EP35C-DS3R and sorry i lied about the cpu it is the Q6600 my mistake.

Next question.. do i have to get the exact same type of ram? and xp 32 sp 3 can only use 3.2 gigs of ram correct?

Thanks guys!

 

[Wesley313]

4GB DDR2 1066 or 1200 should hit the spot for that game. It really sounds like you have 2GBs of RAM now. Also, i would OC (like everyone mentioned) your CPU to 2.8GHz or 3.0GHz for better frames. I wouldn't go over 3.2GHz unless you want a faster PC...but it will be useless in game.

Last but not least, you need a good hard drive and you NEED to maintain the PC. That means:

Hard Drive: 7200RPM 3.0GB/s
Run Error checks and defrag PC at least once a month for good performance. Delete unnecessary or temporary files in the system. Check your restore points...they use up RAM!!! So creating new back up files and restore points is ideal.

Hope this works out bud!!

Any other things i can do to keep my PC clean and runing smooth? how do i do error checks?

Thanks!

 

[aevm]

If you can get the exact type of RAM it would help a lot. Mixing two different types can cause headaches, especially when the two types want different voltages.

Download and run memtest86.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

Check your restore points...they use up RAM!!!

I agree that you should keep the system clean, but restore points use up HD space, not RAM.

 

[nerrawg]

You have a Q6600!? awesome- thats a much better overclocker than the Q8200 - you are lucky that is the case. There are lots (literally hundreds) of guides on OC'ing the 6600, good luck mate - you should be on to a winner there

 

[Wesley313]

Well my bios is not the same as the guides so im doing my best. but it appears to but change the FSB to get to 2.4GHZ any ideas? and i push save and exit
Thanks

 

[shortstuff_mt]

You need to read through the guides some more. There are quite a few more things you should change in the BIOS. Here's a few off the top of my head:

1. You need to change the PCI Express frequency from 'Auto' to 100.
2. You need to change the System Memory Multiplier to a value that puts the RAM at 1066 (its currently trying to run at 1333).
3. You need to change the DRAM Timing Selectable to manual and set the first four value to whatever timings your RAM is rated to run at (probably 5-5-5-15, but check your RAM specs to be sure).
4. The DDR2/DDR3 OverVoltage Control should be set to +.3 if the RAM is rated to run at 2.1v (the DDR2 standard is 1.8v).
5. You may need to manually set the CPU voltage.

 

[Wesley313]

okay well i appear to have it stable at 3.00 Ghz... thanks guys