PC upgrade-build-or buy advice??

[Slacker]

PC Advice :-    So I have an off the Self ASUS ROG G20CB  16 gig ram. GTX1070 video card I think its I7 but could be I5 1TB hard drive. had it for almost 2 years.     SO it is working fine but I cant turn up my graphics to where I want them. Also I am only running 2 monitors. 1 with the flight sim and a second with either a nav program or just the internet for whilst im flying.     even tho its a pretty good spec its not enough for flight sim so Im thinking of either upgrading this by adding ram lowest cost and I doubt will get me what I want. Or Buy or BUild.        I want to be able to run my flight sim on 3 screens and maxed out graphics with a good frame rate and extra performance so it will last for a few years.   suggestions??    Build ?? Buy??    dual graphics cards ??      Im currently running FSX steam and xplane 11.   but i am probably going to go with P3D as I have already invested in a tone of Orbex and add on planes weather etc that work with FSX and should transfer to P3D I believe.         So let the PC opinion help begin please.    Oh also I am working on building a cockpit probably a generic GA cockpit that will work across multiple planes.   

[Slacker]

So Im thinking I need to do a lot more research before I spend a penny.  Just had fsx open flying around the Portland Oregon area with my Orbex scenery.  graphics not completely maxed out but pretty close.  Pulling a whopping 15 to 20 FPS.    yet when I look at the performance monitor im only using 50%CPU  40% memory  40% graphics card.      so I either got some settings issues going on or maybe  the read write speed of my hard drive is not fast enough.   ether way I should be able to tune my current system to run better with some more research. 

[N4208T]

Howdy,  IMHO you have enough computer to more than run what you are describing.  I would hold off on buying or building a new rig until you tweak what you already have.  Your PC could be either an i5 or an i7 and while the i7 is better, the i5 is more than capable.  Knowing all of your pc's stats would help to make any recommendations.

It is hard to go into a lengthy discussion here because the number of tweaks and adjustments can be large and dependent on how you already have your computer set up.  Your video card is fine and the 1070 typically has 8GB of vram.  16 gb of RAM is fine for what you are running.  32 bit programs really cannot take advantage of large amounts of RAM anyway.

FSX is 32 bit and not the most efficient.  FSX-SE handles memory a bit better but, personally, I hate Steam.  P3Dv3 is similar to FSX but a bit better and, of course, P3Dv4 is a 64 bit program which is a major improvement but may cause some issues with any/some of your add-ons.

Don't get hung up on frame-rate.  If the sim flies smoothly and does not hang and you are satisfied with the performance, then don't worry what the numbers show.  At 15,000 feet in a clear sky they will be much higher.  You can also always turn the graphics down but you can also tweak the settings of the GTX 1070 to get the best performance for your system.

Try it.  Cannot hurt anything and just keep copies of original files or settings.  AVSIM's P3D tweaking guide is really helpful too.

Feel free to PM me if I can help.

Steve (N4208T)

[KyleH]

If your staying with FSX, I'd suggest googling 'FSX Bible' by Nick N. If your going to change to P3D, then his hardware selection and OS setup comments are still valid, but setting up the flight sim has changed.

[FredK]

If your objective really is "to run 3 screens with maxed out graphics" that is no where near possible with a single computer.  You would need to consider a mult-channel (multi computer) setup to approach that. There are many threads in this forum that you can search related to that.

Fred K

[Slacker]

Thanks for the info guys.
I am definitely doing more research before spending anything.    the 3 screens is a long term goal.
right now I just need to learn more with this set up and try different changes to see how it works.
I am reading the FSX bible thread. its a long one     I will also try the Avsim one because I think I am going to end up going to P3d at some point.

Cheers

[N4208T]

FYI - AVSIM has an FSX Setup guide too.  They are pretty much the same but not identical.

[727737Nut]

Just my  ,   My PC, I5 6600k OC to 4.3G,  1060GTX 6g Video, 16G 2400mhz ram, middle of the road mobo,  750w psu, 250g SSD for windows and x-plane and 3TB hdd for scenery

I run can run 3,  50" TV's and maintain 30+ fps with setting one notch below max no problem.  Sometimes in heavy clouds i'll see 22-24 but its still smooth.   I also have 35 usb interfaces communicating as well all on one lonely PC.   

So to tell someone it can't be done is not totally true. 

[iwik]

Rob,
What are you using for usb hubs>
Thanks
Les

[727737Nut]

Rob,
What are you using for usb hubs>
Thanks
Les

Les,
Just make sure you get TT rated usb hub and you'll be fine.  I got mine from amazon for 18$  4 port hubs and I stack them where needed. 

Rob

[iwik]

Thanks Rob,
Yes i previously used two such hubs. Can you provide a link to the ones you used. Your
price looks more attractive than the $70 i paid.
Les