New graphics card

D5Tweddle wrote:

I currently have an ATI Radeon X800 and I am looking at upgrading to a ATI Radeon X1650 Pro HIS IceQ 512MB GDDR2 AGP 8x.

At the moment I can not run FSX on full, as the frame rate is between 7 and 13.

Would the new Radeon greatly improve this, or could someone recommend a different new graphics card to get, so I can try and run FSX (hopefully) on near enough full/very dense.

Look forward to any recommendations.

It would probably help if we knew what kind of cpu and RAM you have setup.

The answer is no, no matter what kind of cpu and ram he has.... the graphics card is not doing much work at all.... The CPU and RAM are what make all the difference when running FSX... No matter what you have now, an upgrade will make it run better.

Some people (like myself) have spent $2000 to build a rig that can fully handle FSX on full scenery and effects. A $400 investment into a new card would only yield about a 1-2% increase in frame rates.

Im giving you this info so you do not spend $150 on a new video card, only to notice that nothing changes performance wise. The order of upgrade should ALWAYS be CPU/RAM, then Graphics.

I suggest you go for the ATI x2900xt. This is a card which supports direct x 10 and would be useful in the future. And I also insist on the fact that graphics card plays a very important role in FSX. Its the in-game benefits which we get out of the card. This card which I mentioned has a ddr-3 ram and a total memory of 512mb.

Also if possible get a good cooling system for you. That really helps cutting down the heat.

Thanks for your advice, it is greatly appreciated.

How can I find out what CPU/RAM I have?

Well try the software pcwizard 2007. its free and easily googleable. Not only CPU/Ram it does a complete analysis on your system.