hwo come?

Anonymous wrote:

I have 2 512mb RAM in my computer but when i right click on 'my computer' it only shows there being 768mb ram on the computer, where has the other 250mb gone?? 😕

On some computers with integrated graphics, graphics card built into the motherboard, part of the total RAM is shared to provide the graphics capabilities of the motherboard. These computers don't have a separate graphics card. 🙂

ahh i understand. I have Nvidia graphics 256mb onboard. I have looked in my pc and realise that i have a PCI-Express slow. Does this mean that i can buy a proper graphics card for the flight simulator and have all my 1gb or ram?

Also can i ask, which cards would be compatible. I think the PCI-E slot is 16x, so which ones would you advise me buying?

Hard to say. If you get a PCI express graphics card, it will work much better than your current set up. You would have to disable the on-board graphics but I'm unsure if it will release the RAM. As far as which card to buy, that depends on how much money you want to spend. Look at the Nvidia GeForce 7800 GTX 512. You can check out cards at
➡ http://reviews.cnet.com/4566-8902_7-0.html?tag=dir

Thanks for that. My current set up is:

AMD athlon 64 3200+
1gb RAM
256mb nvidia onboard graphics card

I get frame frates of 35-40 on the ground and 50+ in the sky but when i go through clouds etc they can drop to 18fps. If i was to get a good graphics card, would you be able to predict frame rates? 🙂

Anonymous wrote:

If i was to get a good graphics card, would you be able to predict frame rates?

No, not really. There are many variables that go into the framerate. Processor, graphics card, amount and type of RAM, architecture of motherboard, all play a role. The only thing you can do is try to get the best in each category(budget allowing). I suggest you a 512 mb card and 1GB more of RAM, in that order if you can only get one. I'm no expert so you may want to wait for other peoples opinion before you act, I'm just trying to help.🙂

Anonymous wrote:

Thanks for that. My current set up is:

AMD athlon 64 3200+
1gb RAM
256mb nvidia onboard graphics card

I get frame frates of 35-40 on the ground and 50+ in the sky but when i go through clouds etc they can drop to 18fps. If i was to get a good graphics card, would you be able to predict frame rates? 🙂

You may have good FPS but try turning up the detail! That is when a good card will show its worth.

In answer to your original question regarding having a your 1gb ram; Yes, disabling your onboard graphics will allow you your full 1gb ram. A dedicated graphics card will certainly allow you to get better visual results. Increasing FPS is not a concern. Anything over 20FPS is considered smooth in FSX.

I have all detail maxed out with thse frame rates. They just are sluggish in clouds.