Model Forum / Radio Controlled / Air Models / November 2006

A PNY GEForce 6600GT nets about 60 fps on my system running G3.5.

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Hi, all:

I hope this is appropriate to ask this question here. I have RealFlight
G3.5 currently running on top of a  AMD Athlonâ"¢ 64 3300 CPU with 1GB
of ram, and the video card is a AGP version of ATI Radeon® 9250 with
128MB of ram. For current setting the RealFlight G3.5 simply could not
perform with reasonable frame rate.. Here are my questions:

1. If I'm a casual gamer who sometimes also play MS Flight Simulator X,
would I be better off to just upgrade my system to a PCI-E system, such
as a Intel Core 2 Duo system??

2. If I want to save some money by upgrading to a new system, would I
expect really big performance jump (frame rate it is) by upgrading to a
newer 256MB or even 512MB AGP based video card?? If so, which card
should I get for the best C/P value (Cost / Performance) for a AGP card
under US$150?? Is this is a wise investment (given that AGP might be
really phasing out in the next few years)???

Thanks for your help, I really appreciate that!

Hi, all:

I hope this is appropriate to ask this question here. I have RealFlight
G3.5 currently running on top of a  AMD AthlonT 64 3300 CPU with 1GB
of ram, and the video card is a AGP version of ATI Radeon® 9250 with
128MB of ram. For current setting the RealFlight G3.5 simply could not
perform with reasonable frame rate.. Here are my questions:

1. If I'm a casual gamer who sometimes also play MS Flight Simulator X,
would I be better off to just upgrade my system to a PCI-E system, such
as a Intel Core 2 Duo system??

2. If I want to save some money by upgrading to a new system, would I
expect really big performance jump (frame rate it is) by upgrading to a
newer 256MB or even 512MB AGP based video card?? If so, which card
should I get for the best C/P value (Cost / Performance) for a AGP card
under US$150?? Is this is a wise investment (given that AGP might be
really phasing out in the next few years)???

Thanks for your help, I really appreciate that!

NeVidia GeForce 7600GT.  Best bang for the buck?  I just installed one in my
Dell Dimension 8400 and it is fantastic!

Good flying,
desmobob

I'm definitely on the geeky end of computer geek.  I would recommend you go
ahead and opt for the Core 2 Duo and PCI-E option.  The nice thing about
going this route is that everything will speed up, not just your simulators.
You also won't be obsolete so fast.  The high end video cards are already
PCI-E only.  The downside of course will be that it'll cost you more.

Which video card to get has several variables.  The short answer is the best
you can afford, but you may not need to go there.
What resolution is your monitor?  It makes a big difference in the needed
firepower.
I'm running 1600x1200 with an ATI Radeon 512MB 1900XTX and get 400fps in
Aerofly Pro Deluxe,  but can just barely get usable framerates in MS Flight
Sim X with the visual settings maxed out.  This card was state of the art 3
months ago. ( It's not even in the top 3 now)
If you're running a lower resolution (1024x768 or 1280x1024)  your card
requirements won't be so steep.

Good Luck,  maybe you can find some Black Friday deals....

PCPhill

Hi, all:

I hope this is appropriate to ask this question here. I have RealFlight
G3.5 currently running on top of a  AMD AthlonT 64 3300 CPU with 1GB
of ram, and the video card is a AGP version of ATI Radeon® 9250 with
128MB of ram. For current setting the RealFlight G3.5 simply could not
perform with reasonable frame rate.. Here are my questions:

1. If I'm a casual gamer who sometimes also play MS Flight Simulator X,
would I be better off to just upgrade my system to a PCI-E system, such
as a Intel Core 2 Duo system??

2. If I want to save some money by upgrading to a new system, would I
expect really big performance jump (frame rate it is) by upgrading to a
newer 256MB or even 512MB AGP based video card?? If so, which card
should I get for the best C/P value (Cost / Performance) for a AGP card
under US$150?? Is this is a wise investment (given that AGP might be
really phasing out in the next few years)???

Thanks for your help, I really appreciate that!

It is.

The rest of your computer is fine, but that's not a high performing
card at all.  I would have thought it was OK, but then I looked up
some benchmarks on it -- and it appears to suck.

Personally, I've got a similar computer (slightly slower, X64 3000)
and a Geforce 6800GS, and it runs RFG3.5 flawlessly, as well as every
other game I've tried except for MSFS X.  I can even turn on
anti-aliasing (makes it look better, but usually slows it way down)
for most games and it works fine.

MSFS X drags on my computer, and is the first game I've played to do
so.

Memory doesn't really matter that much.  128 MB would be enough.  256
MB should give you some good room for future expansion.

I'm partial to Nvidia, so I'd go for another 6800 GS or perhaps a 6600
GT (slower, but cheaper.)  The 6800 GS's have come down recently, and
I believe are well within your price range now.

Nothing you buy will be modern forever.  But AGP still has plenty of
life left in it, as does your x64 mb and cpu.