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INTRODUCTION

This article describes the minimum system requirements for all versions and available expansion packs of Microsoft Flight Simulator X. See the “Applies To” section for a complete list of these titles.

More Information

To determine whether your computer meets the minimum system requirements, use the DirectX Diagnostic Tool (Dxdiag.exe). To start the DirectX Diagnostic Tool, follow these steps:

  1. Click Start windows icon , type dxdiag in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.


    Notice icon If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password, or provide confirmation.

  2. Note the values for Processor and for Memory.

  3. Click the Display tab.

  4. Under Device, note the values for Name and for Approx. Total Memory of the video card.

Minimum system requirements

Flight Simulator X

Component

Minimum system requirement

Operating system

Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)

Computer processor

1.0 gigahertz (GHz)

Memory

256 megabytes (MB) of RAM for Windows XP SP2

512 MB RAM for Windows 7 and Windows Vista

Hard disk space

14 gigabytes (GB) available hard disk space

Video card

32 MB DirectX 9-compatible video card

DVD drive

32x speed

Sound

Sound card, speakers, or headset

Pointing device

Keyboard and mouse or compatible game controller (Xbox 360 Controller for Windows)

Internet connection for online play

Network adapter for LAN multiplayer gameplay

Broadband Internet access for Windows Live multiplayer gameplay

Flight Simulator X Acceleration Expansion Pack

Component

Minimum system requirement

Operating system

Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)

Computer processor

2.0 gigahertz (GHz) or more

Memory

1 gigabyte (GB) or more of RAM

Hard disk space

4 gigabytes (GB) available hard disk space

Video card

DirectX 9 (or later version)-compatible video card

128 MB or more video RAM, Shader Model 1.1 or later version

DVD drive

32x speed

Sound

Sound card, speakers, or headset

Pointing device

Keyboard and mouse or compatible game controller (such as Xbox 360 Controller for Windows)

Internet connection for online play

Network adapter for LAN multiplayer gameplay

Broadband Internet access for Windows Live multiplayer gameplay

Note The Acceleration Expansion pack requires that the original Flight Simulator X program is installed. All system requirements for Flight Simulator X must be met or exceeded for the expansion pack to function correctly.

Supported graphics hardware

To play Flight Simulator X, the computer must meet the minimum system requirements. Additionally, the hardware must pass a system check when you start the game. If you experience slow performance in the game, the in-game settings must be adjusted.

For more information about how to improve game performance, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

927286 Flight Simulator X: Game performance is slower than expected

If you receive an error message that states that your video card or your video drivers are not working with the game, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

925722 Troubleshoot graphics issues in Flight Simulator X

Unsupported hardware

The following video cards are known to be incompatible with Flight Simulator X and with the Acceleration Expansion Pack:

  • Intel 845/910/945/965 series

  • sis650_651_740, or via

  • s3g unichrome igp

This list may not be exhaustive. Visit your video card manufacturer’s Web site to search for any known compatibility issues. Some video cards may not work with Flight Simulator X Acceleration Expansion Pack because they do not support Shader Model, as the game requires. If you have a video card that does not meet this requirement, you may have to purchase a different video card to play the game.

If the computer does not meet the minimum system requirements, you will receive an error message that states that your hardware is not supported or is incompatible. To resolve this problem, upgrade the hardware components on the computer.

To do this, contact the computer manufacturer.

Additionally, you can view and compare features and prices of different video cards. To do this, visit the following Microsoft Web site, type
video cards in the Search box, and then press ENTER:

http://www.windowsmarketplace.com

http://products.live.com

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