Is FSX IS the Next Level in flight sim Gaming ? This game has potentially, but you really need a high spec machine to get good performance. After the relese of sp1 & DX-10 You will enjoy fsx to the max . Is the poor frame rate a killer issue? That's arguable and depends on how much you require in terms of smooth frame rates in a civilian flight sim. Some people may want to wait until tweaks have been established that boost the performance or until they invest in new hardware. Others may decide to put up with less-than-stellar performance to be able to enjoy the amazing content and plethora of rich experiences that Flight Simulator X offers. What is not arguable is that Flight Simulator X provides a quantity and quality of flight simulation capabilities that would be amazing in a product that costs twice the price. Editor Doug Horton review on Computer Pilot. Editor Doug Horton clarifies that the title runs on multiple versions of Windows, not Vista-only, and that it does not utilize DirectX 10 yet. Moreover, the writer also notes that you do not need a Cray z computer or a new graphics card to run the game, but calls out the inaccuracy of the minimum system requirements posted on Microsoft�s Web site. Doug Hortonemphasizes that the newly featured missions add �new possibilities and opportunities� instead of taking away from the simulator experience, writing, ��quite frankly, I had a load of fun going through some of them.� He goes on to highlight improvements in aircraft, comparable performance to �Flight Simulator 9� and notes that the title �is not �just� a graphics update!� Dumas also mentions several times the lack of need to buy new hardware before Windows Vista and DirectX 10 come out later this year, as there will be new upgrades and add-ons. MS flight Sim fsx. Get a Direct X 10 Video Card and Vista if all you're after is a great Flight Simulation game. You will drool. Of course, those cards to be mildly in our humble price range won't be available till Summer. But seriously, i would hold off on spending anything until then. FSX was designed for DX10 and Vista. Flight Simulator X�Tech Tips The following information will outline exactly what settings need tweaking in order to get the best custom tailored experience no matter what NVIDIA or ATI Graphics Card you own. These tech tips will truly let you play the game The Way It's Meant To Be Played Try This Using in-game AF (anisotropic filtering) is always better than forcing AF in Driver Control Panel. It's always faster and gives virtually the same image quality, because game developers know exactly which surfaces need anisotropic filtering and which don't. It allows the GPU to save the precious resources and achieve better gameplay. Use in-game AF in Microsoft's Flight Simulator X to achieve better image quality. What is the difference between the standard and deluxe versions? The deluxe version includes everything the standard version does, plus the following additions: - 24 airplanes (6 more than standard edition) - 45 high-detail airports (5 more than standard edition) - 38 high-detail cities (10 more than standard edition) - 50+ structured missions (20 more than standard edition) - Glass panel (G1000) cockpit (not included in standard edition) - Tower controller application (not included in standard edition). What are the minimum system requirements? These are the specs listed by Microsoft: I Find it a bit wrong. - Windows XP SP2 with 256 Mb RAM - Windows Vista with 512 Mb RAM - 1.0 GHz Processor - DirectX 9.0c compliant Video Card with 32Mb RAM - 15 Gb Hard Drive Space - DVD Drive What are the recommended system requirements? - Windows XP SP2 with 1024 Mb RAM - Windows Vista with 1024 Mb RAM - 2.0 GHz+ Processor - DirectX 9.0c compliant Video Card with 256Mb RAM - 15 Gb Hard Drive Space - DVD Drive What is the absolute best system to run FSX? The simple answer to this one is to buy the fastest system you can afford at the time. Focus specifically on the CPU speed, as much fast DDR memory as you can afford and the best video card as well. For a good roundup on what video cards, CPUs and memory are the best. Ideally, a good FSX system will have at least a 3Ghz dual core processor, at least 2Gb DDr2 fast memory and a Radeon X1950 or Nvidia 8800 series card or better. IF YOUR FSX and frame rates are poor ? 1)This could be for a number of reasons. It could be that you are simply running it on a system that is not fast enough to run the software 2)because some user has everything (detail, graphic, traffic and scenery-wise) turned up to maximum ! Not even the fastest system available right now can probably run FSX with all options maxed out. found out that it is possible to get good frame rates if you are willing to turn down, or turn off some items that aren't as important as others. 3)Another important factor is how well your hard drive is performing ? If you have a drive that is full of unorganized files, it will take FSX longer to find those files on your drive when it needs to load them, causing a drop in performance, and overall frame rates. If the files and organised well on the drive, FSX can find them quickly, load them into memory and ultimately deliver better sim performance. To organise your files on the hard disk you need a defragmentation software program. Additionally, there is a good tweaking article compiled by Greg Germanowski on how you can improve FSX performance. You can find that article at: You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this document. http://members.cox.net/spambait/FSXTweakGuide.pdf If u have problems installing & uninstall fsx ? Read this Microsoft Tech article and follow instructions : http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301 Some fsx pdf help files : Microsoft Flight Simulator Essentials: http://www.bruceair.com/CDContents/Microsoft%20Flight%20Simulator%20Essentials.pdf Microsoft� Flight Simulator X Key Commands: http://www.bruceair.com/CDContents/FSX_KeyCommands.pdf The difference in framerate in simply going from a 6300 @ 1.8ghz to a 6800 @ 2.9Ghz is over 50%, this is solely down to Cpu clockspeed. The amd family of chips dont do well at all in FSX compared to C2D. only in the upcoming month we will really know the answer !