iflygary Posted November 29, 2019 Share Posted November 29, 2019 I had this system pop up as a Black Friday Deal for $1200. Alienware Aurora R8 Gaming Desktop i7-9700(8-core, 12MB cache, up to 4.9GHz) 16GB RAM 256GB SSD 1TB HDD RTX 2060 6GB. My system is older and I was thinking of making an upgrade soon. Will this provide a nice jump considering what I already have??? I'm still running Windows 7 and know I'm going to have to bite the bullet very soon to switch over to Windows 10. My current system is an i7 3820 O/C @ 4.2 Ghz and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 970. Any suggestions??? Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Harmes Posted November 29, 2019 Share Posted November 29, 2019 The RTX2060 gets very good reviews online, from users and tech journalists. The only thing I would have concern over is the 6GB of VRAM. For flight simming needs 6GB is not a lot these days when using P3D or XP11. The i7-9700 is a nice CPU and rates very well comparitively on CPU Passmark. The other items I would personally have concern over would be the amount of RAM ( I would prefer 32GB today), and the amount of storage ( I use a LOT of storage, currently 16TB internally). All in all it's a nice sytem for a pretty nice price, but for flight simming needs it could be considered limited, and may need enhancement and upgrading after the fact. As for your current system, that is no slouch, and if your only concern is switching to Windows 10, you can do that with your current system. There are actually still free upgrades for Windows 7 to Windows 10. I just upgraded my old PC which I still have running as a bit of a test and storage rig. it is a hard decision, but IMHO I think you could hold off with your current system for a bit longer, and just by waiting, get more bang for your buck when you really NEED to upgrade. Tech prices decrease fairly rapidly these days, so I think you could do better if you take your time. Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iflygary Posted November 29, 2019 Author Share Posted November 29, 2019 3 hours ago, Scott Harmes said: The RTX2060 gets very good reviews online, from users and tech journalists. The only thing I would have concern over is the 6GB of VRAM. For flight simming needs 6GB is not a lot these days when using P3D or XP11. The i7-9700 is a nice CPU and rates very well comparitively on CPU Passmark. The other items I would personally have concern over would be the amount of RAM ( I would prefer 32GB today), and the amount of storage ( I use a LOT of storage, currently 16TB internally). All in all it's a nice sytem for a pretty nice price, but for flight simming needs it could be considered limited, and may need enhancement and upgrading after the fact. As for your current system, that is no slouch, and if your only concern is switching to Windows 10, you can do that with your current system. There are actually still free upgrades for Windows 7 to Windows 10. I just upgraded my old PC which I still have running as a bit of a test and storage rig. it is a hard decision, but IMHO I think you could hold off with your current system for a bit longer, and just by waiting, get more bang for your buck when you really NEED to upgrade. Tech prices decrease fairly rapidly these days, so I think you could do better if you take your time. Cheers, Scott, Thanks a bunch for your reply!! I was at the "checkout" stage of the order and decided it would be best to ask on the forums before making the purchase and I am happy I did. Interestingly, I had someone else say those exact words to be before, my current system was no slouch, so know I will definitely take heed to hearing it repeated to me. I will be honest, my major concern is switching over to Windows 10. How tedious of a process is this? Will I have to reinstall everything??? Thanks again for your response. I feel so much better now holding off on that purchase. Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Q Posted November 29, 2019 Share Posted November 29, 2019 Take a look at Jetline Systems. They build computers specifically for flight simulation, and that's all they do. They customize for the specific simulator you are using. While not cheap, their pricing is fair, and their service is outstanding. A question or a problem and they work with you to solve it; help is just a phone call away. They are located in Florida. I bought my FS computer from them almost two years ago, and it is the best investment I've made. Check out their website Jetlinesystems.com. Froogle did tour and interview of the owners a while ago, so you can search his YouTube channel for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Harmes Posted November 29, 2019 Share Posted November 29, 2019 1 hour ago, iflygary said: I will be honest, my major concern is switching over to Windows 10. How tedious of a process is this? Will I have to reinstall everything??? HI Gary, I am no expert, but updating my older PC from Windows 7 64 bit to Windows 10 was very easy. I did do a completely fresh installation of that PC, as I had previously removed almost everything from it and transferred to my new PC, and I decided to start from scratch with the Windows 10 update. The main reason I did it was just to test an issue I was having with my Oculus Rift S on a second PC, and that required Windows 10 to be installed. If you do it, just take note of a few things: Back up any important files you definitely don't want to lose such as documents, photos, videos, installers etc. Preferably back these up on a drive that is not your OS drive or an external drive. When you use the Media Creation Tool, which is the tool that updates your PC to Windows 10, there are two options. First option is to "Upgrade this PC now". This option is the recommended option. This will simply download and install Windows 10 on to your PC then and there, overwriting your Windows 7 OS. The second option is to create installation media (USB Flash Drive, DVD or ISO file). The reason I would not recommend this option is that although it is probably safe if done properly, there was a developer recently that lost all of his work off his PC when he accidentally used this option incorrectly and the installer wiped his drive when it created the installation media. I don't know the exact circumstances, but it seems that this is what happened. This is the reason that I would recommend backing up any important files first, just in case. Although, in saying that, if you use the "Upgrade my PC now" option you should not have a problem. Just make sure you follow the on screen instructiuons because there is one selection where you need to decide to keep all your personal files and apps. I'm pretty sure this is the default selection anyway. Here is a Youtube video below which explains the process pretty well, and in the description is the link for the Media Creation Tool (also below). I would recommend doing a bit of research before doing it; watch a few Youtube videos (read the comments too, as they will usually confirm or disprove the information from the video), Google anything you're not 100% sure of, so you know what is required before you start. I am making it sound pretty risky, but it's not if you take your time, back things up first, and follow the on screen instructions carefully while you are doing the upgrade. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudger Posted November 29, 2019 Share Posted November 29, 2019 Hello Gary Scott has given you an excellent description of what to expect, the only thing I would add, when I moved to Win10 from Win7, it did create a backup of my Win7 that would still be availabe for 30 days, I seem to recall, should I decide to go back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iflygary Posted November 29, 2019 Author Share Posted November 29, 2019 Wow gentlemen thanks so much for all of the helpful and useful advice. I feel so much better now in making the move from Windows 7 to Windows 10. This is precisely why I now know it's so beneficial to post here on the forums to get the best advice concerning the best ways to maximize our great hobby!! Scott thanks again for you in depth explanation of everything. It's really put me at ease with my current system as well as switching over operating systems!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iflygary Posted November 30, 2019 Author Share Posted November 30, 2019 Success!!! Wow that was easy going from Windows 7 to Windows 10!! I'd really like to say thanks Scott as well as everyone else that chimed in!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Harmes Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 No worries Gary, any time. I'm glad it all went smoothly. Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Sawyer Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 On 11/29/2019 at 9:26 AM, Ken Q said: Take a look at Jetline Systems. They build computers specifically for flight simulation, and that's all they do. They customize for the specific simulator you are using. While not cheap, their pricing is fair, and their service is outstanding. A question or a problem and they work with you to solve it; help is just a phone call away. They are located in Florida. I bought my FS computer from them almost two years ago, and it is the best investment I've made. Check out their website Jetlinesystems.com. Froogle did tour and interview of the owners a while ago, so you can search his YouTube channel for that. Yes! I'm on my third one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Q Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 One problem I've had was the inability to install Rex Simulation software. Until now it didn't bother me much, but I just took advantage of their sale to get the WX Radar, and found I could not get it to install. I called Jetline, and Ken spent over an hour installing this and another of my Rex programs, and making sure that it works. As I said before, great products and phenomenal service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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