Are these computers good for flight sim x?

[CadetPreston]

Hello,

Im doing more research for flight sim x and in the future I hope to buy myself a new computer but dont want to break the bank, my friend recommended me this computer

http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/-/3230/2497/-/30030300/Galaxy-Z68-Motherboard-I7-2600K-Gaming-Computer-PC-1tb-16gb-DDR3-GTX-550-TI-1gb/Product.html

I don't really know how well it will run flight sim x?

Thanks Aidan :D

[Efe Cem Elci]

Specs of which are:

Gigabyte Z68 Motherboard Technology
Intel I7 2600K Unlocked CPU
1TB Sata Hard Drive
16gb DDR3 1333 Memory
Nvidia Geforce GTX 550TI 1gb GDDR5
Galaxy 3 Gamers Style Case
24x Dual Layer Sata DVD Writer

Priced at: £626.53

[Neil Hewitt]

Short answer? Yes.

Long answer - yes, but you'll want to overclock it as far as you reasonably can. Some people are happy with the performance stock, but with lots of add-ons, scenery etc you'll want as many FLOPS as you can manage, and the whole point of the K series is that they're unlocked so they can be overclocked. Make sure the CPU has a decent cooler, well-fitted, and crank it up as far as it'll go and still remain stable. On air, 4.5GHz should be doable without too much stress. On water, I've heard of people pushing the 2600K to 5.2GHz stable. Though that's the exception rather than the rule - I can't get mine reliably much past 4.8GHz.

[JOSE J GONZALEZ AVILA]

I USE A COMPUTER GATEWAY WITH A (INTEL I-7 PROCESSOR ) IGET A GOOD F.R. I GOT A GOO PRICE AT BEST BUY, ONLY THING IT ONLY HAVE ONE SLOT FOR PCI EXPRESS

[Sean Nixon]

It's a very good price for the spec. As far as running FSX is concerned, it's about as good as you can get. You could spend 4 times that price on the very latest components, but you wouldn't get anywhere near 4 times the performance.

It'll run FSX out of the box really well (make sure you install SP1 & SP2 tho). Expect the frame rates to drop when installing the best sceneries and add-ons (e.g. PMDG-NGX), but they're still acceptable.

You say your purchase is in the future. Be aware that particular PC will not be around too long (too old!), but should be replaced with a similar priced model with newer components.

Also, I'm not sure that PC comes with an operating system, if not, factor in the cost of Windows 7, You'll need the 64 bit version to use that 16Gb of RAM. I assume you're still in education, in which case check out

http://www.software4students.co.uk/Windows_7-software.aspx

for a good price for W7. It's an OEM upgrade which technically requires you have a previous licence for windows available, but there are ways around this.

[Sean Nixon]

Forgot to mention, try these as an alternative...

http://www.palicomp.co.uk/

Their PC's have won several awards.

A friend has this model, it runs FSX really well. Pre-overclocked, excellent service and Windows and monitor included included in that price, omit them if you don't need them.

http://www.palicomp.co.uk/reviewed-pcs/phoenix-i5-destiny/prod_324.html

[CadetPreston]

Thank you very helpful two posts there.. I am looking on palicomp just now and they have some magnificent computers :) Can I just ask.. will there be a big decrease with going with i5 instead of i7? I know there will be a decrease in frames.. but alot?

[Sean Nixon]

I have an i7. My mate has the Palicomp i5. I can't tell any difference between his FSX and mine. If there is a difference, it's minor, and you certainly can't tell if you don't get obsessed with frame rates. He has the occasional stutter, as do I. Note that if you are running the default aircraft and scenery, both the i5 & i7 produce excellent frame rates. Over 100 most of the time. It's the 3rd party add ons that bring the performance back down to earth.

Sean

[CadetPreston]

To be honest.. I will only have like 1 texture add-on to make it look a bit cooler :D I just really fly cessna's and mooney bravos :D so don't really need cockpit add-ons etc. and thank you :D for the support I have bookmarked the computer you sent me :D :)

~Aidan