Processor (CPU) Performance

Choosing your Processor
The processor is the most important component you will
choose in a high performance flight sim pc. Make this component
priority one when planning your system specs.

FSX Performance
Up to 75% of your frame rate is produced from the CPU.
Quad core processors will improve frame rates with
increased auto gen scenery, traffic, and weather generation.

Intel Core i7 technology has proven to be the biggest
impact upgrade for FSX performance. The Core i7 3960x
Extreme Edition CPU has proven to be the best performer
in FSX. The 3960x has six processor cores to provide top
performance while running demanding aircraft, traffic and
scenery add-on programs.

Memory (RAM) Performance

Choosing Your Memory
Consider both memory clock speed and CAS latency timings
when selecting a performance memory configuration

FSX Performance
Memory clock speed is an important component to any high end
rig. The secret to high performance memory is the CAS latency
(CL #). This information is not commonly published in
off-the-shelf computers. CAS latency is a timing reference to
how many processing cycles are required to read 1 pass of
memory data. The lower the CL number the faster the memory.

Good: 8GB DDR3 SDRAM @ 1333MHz (CL9)
Better: 8GB DDR3 SDRAM @ 1600MHz (CL8)
Best: 8 GB DDR3 SDRAM @ 1600MHz (CL7)

FSX SP2 Memory Performance (Clock Speed)

FSX SP2 Memory Performance (CAS Latency)

Graphics (GPU) Performance

FSX Performance
Only up to 25% of your total frame rate is generated from your
graphics engine. We recommend the Nvidia GTX 580
graphics card for best performance now and keeping your rig
ready for future.

Multi-GPU Impact on FSX
Our testing has proved that SLI and Crossfire graphics will
only improve performance when run on extremely high
display resolutions (triple monitor configs). Although many
games benefit from multi-gpu graphics, FSX typically will
not. A single GPU solution is recommended for single
monitor operations.

Warning
The Nvidia GeForce GTX 295 and ATI Radeon 5970 have tested
to be a significant performance decrease to FSX. This is due to
their integrated dual GPU design. Jetline is not offering these
models due to low FSX test results.

Memory Bandwidth (GB/s)

Effective Performance (Flight Simulator X SP2) 1920 x 1200, AA, AF

Hard Disk (HDD/SSD) Performance

Choosing a Hard Drive Configuration
Jetline recommends installing dual hard drives in your system.
The primary hard drive will have the Windows operating system
installed with additional space for personal files (pictures,
documents, other media) and a secondary hard drive
dedicated to the flight simulation program and add-on products.

Common Configuration Examples:

Primary Hard Drive: 1TB 7200RPM 32MB Cache (OS)
Secondary Hard Drive: 300GB VelociRaptor 10,000 RPM (FSX)
--or--
Primary Hard Drive: 60GB or 120GB Mushkin Solid State (OS)
Secondary Hard Drive: 600GB VelociRaptor 10,000 RPM (FSX)

FSX Performance
In order to maximize FSX performance you will want a dedicated
(Secondary) hard drive to install the program to. We also
recommend a SSD or 10,000 RPM Drive for best performance.

RAID 0 Impact on FSX
Many gaming PC companies are offering RAID 0 performance
configurations. This is a good configuration for PC GAMES, but
not Flight Simulator Programs. Onboard RAID 0(pairing hdd's)
can significantly reduce FSX performance.

Hard Disk (HDD/SSD) Performance

HDD Configuration Performance, FSX SP2