Upgrade / Build a new PC for MSFS (FS9 / FSX)

Gentlemen, and Ladies.....a question for you. I'm now thinking of building a new "main pc" for my sim.

Present setup is,

Current main PC (PC1)
Hardware:-
Dual Core AMD Athlon 64 (5200+) at 2,71Ghz
2Gb RAM
Nvidia GeForce 6200LE PCI 512Mb Graphics card
Matrox TH2GO
3x Viewsonic 23" LCD Monitors for outside view
1x 15" LCD Monitor for Cmd & Control.
KB & Mouse
CpFlight MCP and Pedestal units
RSP TQ (motorised)
RSP Rudders
ACE Yoke - rewired with Bodnar card.
Software:-
MS XP Home with SP2 (sys32)
MS FS9 (2004)
WideFs
Client
SIOC
FSUIPC
Prosim737
ADD-ON's, for various airports (Aerosoft)

(Have REX loaded but NOT running.....will want to run this in future).

Second (PC2) runs XP, TH2GO 3xMonitors for MIP, Prosim737 (Instruments/FMC) WideFs, Client, 1xLCD for Cmd & Control.

Ok - what I want to do with the new setup:-

Create a new main PC (PC1)
1. Future Proof to some degree.
2. Change from using TH2GO for visuals (limited stretched main view) to using three projectors for 160-180 degree visual.
3. XP support ends this April 8th 2014, so may change operating system if needed (part of future proofing).
4. Able to migrate from FS9 to FSX (part of future proofing).
5. To be able to run add-on s/w for visual enhancement i.e. REX, Aircraft, AES...etc., etc..
6. Online real weather information running on Sim.

Two existing PC's will become PC2, and PC3. New PC will be main PC (PC1).
Current main PC (PC1) will become PC2 to run software/hardware from current PC2.
Old PC2 will become PC3 to link to VATSIM & Squarkbox

Question a) - What do you use?

Question b) - What would you recommend?

Question c) - How would you set it up?

Phew!....think that's most, if not all I'd like to do.

Any ideas, and help would be appreciated.

Thanks guys & gals!

John P (UK)

Hi John.

Quiet in here, innit? I'll have a go at answering your question.

First, drop XP like a hot potato. Not only is it now unsupported - no more bug fixes - and therefore a huge liability to have connected to a network, but it's 32-bit only and can't use more than 4GB of RAM. Windows has come on leaps and bounds and you'll get much better performance out of a 64-bit modern OS. That said, I'd avoid Windows 8 for an FS box. FSX works OK on Windows 8, but it's broken on Windows 8.1, and since Microsoft no longer supports Flight Sim as a product, it may never work properly on newer versions of Windows going forward. I have no idea if FS9 would run on 8.1. Use Windows 7 x64 and stick with it for now, you'll be good for another decade.

Second, get the fastest, highest-spec machine you can. No point in stinting if you want decent performance out of FSX when you move to it. That means Intel CPU, latest-generation Haswell Core i5/i7. Get one of the 'K' editions which can be fully overclocked. 8GB RAM, no more, no less. Think SSDs rather than hard disks, and use at least two; having Flight Sim on a different disk from the OS gives you noticeably better performance and fewer jitters. Get the parts and build it yourself if you are happy doing that. You get more choice that way.

My current FSX rig, just built this week, is:

- Intel Core i7 4770K (3.5GHz stock, clocked to 4.0GHz now, 4.3GHz+ soon)
- Corsair H80 closed-loop hybrid liquid cooler
- 8GB Dual-Channel DDR3 RAM (DDR3-1833, though I want to replace that with DDR3-2400)
- 2 x 256GB OCZ Vertex 4 SSD
- NVidia GeForce 780 graphics card - mine's an MSI Lightning, 3GB RAM, factory-overclocked
- Antec case, it's just a generic gamer case + Corsair 1000W PSU (I really rate Corsair kit in general)
- Asus PB298Q 29" ultra-wide monitor (I've been dying to try one of these - it's brilliant)

In terms of set-up - that's just too big a topic to go into here. Minimal tweaks, but those that I do do seem to make a lot of difference. I couldn't believe how smooth this rig was when I first got it going. My jaw still drops a little :-)

That lot is not cheap - including the monitor, it tops out at just shy of £1500 - but it's been well worth it, and as an investment for the next few years, it will pay off.

Hello Neil,
Sorry for the late reply to your post.YES it is quiet in here!, I'd given up checking if anybody had posted some info.
Surely there are other builders, who at some point will want to upgrade, and this sort of info would be very useful. Especially now there is no more support for XP, and thus it will force quite a few to move to the next version of Windows.
Thank you for the info, it's a great help.
Looks like I've a lot of research to do.
Once again, cheers!

JP

Hey JP and Neil,

Just need your opinion of setting up a 2 PC combination of a Fast PC for FSX or P3D Visuals and a Mid to Hi end PC with dual Display output cards for my Project Magenta Boeing and Airbus Suite that I have. I currently am running 4 PC's for Project Magenta with another PC for my FS9 Visuals. I want to upgrade to FSX or P3D for the visuals , hence a high end PC for it. I want to reduce the number of PC's for the Project Magenta Software that I have thus reducing the amount of "mess" at the back of my homebuilt cockpit. Recommendations for a PC for PM and how to setup the EICAS, CDU, PFD/ND ? See Pictures attached

Attachment 9212Attachment 9213

Cheers,
Chris