Open for Suggestions

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.games.zone.simulation (More info?)

I'm running FS2K4 on a system with the following components, and I'm open for
suggestions on what parts to swap out to improve performance.

Asus A7V333-X motherboard with VIA KT333 chipset
AMD Athlon XP 2000+ at 1.67GHz (not overclocked)
512MB of PC2700 DDR RAM
80GB 7200rpm Maxtor HDD
Sound Blaster Live 5.1
256MB Asylum nVidia GeForce FX5200 (mildly overclocked)
All sliders maxed out
Frame rates without Real World Weather: average 20fps
Frame rates with Real World Weather: average less than 3fps

Again, I'm open for suggestions on what parts to swap out. Thanks.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.games.zone.simulation (More info?)

The AMD Athlon XP isn't a very good chip. I would recommend either a Pentium
4(at least 2.8GHz) or a Athlon 64(at least 3500+, not a FX51 - the FX53 and
FX55 are the best ones I believe). Also I don't think the GeForce 5200 is a
very good video card. I once looked up the GeForce 5200 on Google, it came
up worse than even the Radeon 9000. For a video card I don't know that much
about nVidia's, but always have known ATI to make the best. The Radeon X
series and their best currently but the Radeon 9800 I know to be excellent.

HTH,
jkb

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.games.zone.simulation (More info?)

Since I'm on kind of a tight budget, I may just go ahead and bump my RAM up
to 1024MB and get a hotter video card, say, a 128MB nVidia GeForce 6600GT to
start with, and see what happens from there. If I can get mediocre to
half-decent performance out of it that way (more than 15fps with Real World
Weather near any major airport), I'll deal with it.

The way my system is now, I flew a US Airways Airbus A321 from Charlotte to
O'Hare, without Real World Weather. I got within 15 miles of O'Hare and I was
lucky to see 2.2fps with it. So, understandably, it's frustrating when you're
bopping along and your flight suddenly turns into a slide show.

I do appreciate your input as far as what I should improve on my system.
Thanks for your time.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.games.zone.simulation (More info?)

Increasing your RAM sounds like a good idea, as RAM is something a computer
will always like a lot of, and 1024(or 1GB) is a large amount. I don't know
about the GeForce 6600GT, but it sounds like one of their high-end ones as
the 6800 is one of their really big ones. If the worst comes to the worst,
you can decrease your video quality or resoloution is FS(unless you already
have). I fully understand how annoying it is when you are playing on a slide
show.

Hope you get better performance soon,
jkb

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.games.zone.simulation (More info?)

My motherboard, the Asus A7V333-X, will take up to 3072MB (3GB) of RAM, but
putting that much RAM in a run-of-the-mill homebuilt computer, so I'm told,
is akin to putting a 12-cylinder Lamborghini engine in a Yugo. I think either
1GB or 1.5GB of RAM would be plenty.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.games.zone.simulation (More info?)

Not to start a flame war but there is absolutely nothing wrong with the
Athlon. It is an excellent chip. Until I just upgraded I've been running an
Athlon XP 2700 with an Asus A7M266 mobo and an nVidia GeForce 4 TI4600/128
with 1G PC2700 ram with no problems at all. Run ActiveSky for real weather
and generally get 22fps ( set max at 24) with no stutters. In heavy
thunderclouds at busy airport like LAX it will drop to 7 or 8. Either the
Athlon or the Intel are excellent chips.


Good luck -
"jkb" <jkb@jomitech.ca> wrote in message
news:%23ts4YarPFHA.2680@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> The AMD Athlon XP isn't a very good chip. I would recommend either a
Pentium
> 4(at least 2.8GHz) or a Athlon 64(at least 3500+, not a FX51 - the FX53
and
> FX55 are the best ones I believe). Also I don't think the GeForce 5200 is
a
> very good video card. I once looked up the GeForce 5200 on Google, it came
> up worse than even the Radeon 9000. For a video card I don't know that
much
> about nVidia's, but always have known ATI to make the best. The Radeon X
> series and their best currently but the Radeon 9800 I know to be
excellent.
>
> HTH,
> jkb
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.games.zone.simulation (More info?)

I also think that 1 or 1.5GB would be plenty for FS2004. If you put more RAM
in the mobo than it can take, I believe that the computer just ignores the
excess RAM. Glad you have a ASUS mobo, as I believe that they make the very
best mobos.

jkb