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Flight Simulator on iMac
- Thread starter tommy0614
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No. Graphics card is what is the most important mate. True SSD will help in loading times but not FPS or visual stuff.
You want the top of the line iMac with 680mx graphics. Get that for gaming.
MS FSX doesn't require a powerful graphics card to run at highest settings. It is CPU intensive, as all the frame generation work is done by the CPU. Graphics with 1GB of VRAM is ideal, as more texture storage can improve overall FSX performance. To run FSX on an iMac, the 3.4GHz i7 is the best choice. On my Windows PC I am running FSX off an SSD. FSX loads faster on an SSD, and it does runn smoother. FSX is constantly loading autogen and other graphics which can cause micro-stutters, depending on drive performance, and this is where an SSD helps, but it's not worth the cost of the 768GB SSD. Also, 64 bit Win 7 Pro is the best version of Windows, so far, for running FSX.
FSX isn't a good flight sim. I've flown real planes (Cessna and Piper) and found FSX too easy to be realistic, even with a proper yoke and pedals. They had a rig in my flying school and I used it one day when my lesson was cancelled due to bad weather and I was able to do a perfect circuit and landing. No way I would have been able to do that for real at the time. I bought Xplane for my Mac which I found much more realistic, and I also installed FlightGear which I liked for practicing circuits because I could mouse look easily while using my yoke and pedals to actually fly. FSX looks pretty and maybe it can be tweaked to be more realistic but my instructor agreed at the time when I asked him that it wasn't very good and they had Xplane too but some people liked FSX.
+1 for X-Plane I fly for real also and the only thing I don't like about x-plane is the crosswind simulation is exaggerated, aside from that its pretty realistic nothing like the real thing though. FSX is an old simulator and your better off with x-plane IMHO.
For X-Plane 10?
X-Plane with no extra scenery can easily be maxxed.
Issue is with highly detailed airports, high-rez airplanes and stuff like photoscenery.
Once you get these (pay ware) extras installed (have a look around X-Plane.org and their store), then you will be taxing your system.
You'll find out that all these components can (will) be your limiting factor:
1. CPU
2. GPU
3. RAM
4. VRAM
All 4 must be very highly spec'ed to be able to come close to maxing the settings. The fastest i7 with GTFX980 Ti will not be able to max everything out when flying over the pay ware Manhattan scenery with pay ware KJFK, KLGA and KEWR and with WorldTraffic AI aircraft flying around....
BUT... getting closer to very high setting does make X-Plane 10 look good!!!