Is this computer ok tu run X-Plane 11

Question

Hi all,

I am about to upgrade my computer from a laptop to a PC, and the upgrade will be made taking into account X-Plane 11's recommended system requirements, one PC that I've come across and that is within budget features:

CPU:Intel i5 6600K (4 x 3.9 GHz)
RAM: 16 GB DDR4 2133 MHZ
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GTX 1060 6 GB
Storage: 240 GB SSD

While this is about right to run X-Plane 11, there are two issues. First, the PC does not have an internal CD/DVD drive. Although I could add an external CD/DVD drive, does X-Plane requires that a CD/DVD be in the driver while using the simulator? If so, would using an external hard drive be an issue in this case?

My second question is concerning the scenery on X-Plane 11, which is quoted at 60 GB. Does one have to install the 60 GB's worth in one go or can one install only the scenery piecemeal? Given that the PC I mentioned only has a 240 GB internal SSD drive, the scenery alone would take up 1/4 of the internal ROM memory space.

 

Many thanks for your help!

 

Lorenzo.

 

Answer 1

The PC should handle XP 11 with no problems, and no, you do NOT need a CD/DVD drive.  Assuming you have a reliable, fast internet connection, you can download XP11 without buying the DVD's (which are NOT yet available).  

You do NOT need to download all 60GB to enjoy X-plane.  Just download the scenery geographic areas that are interesting to you.  OR, you can download all of the areas and keep them on a Flash Drive and pick and choose which areas you want.  

I hope this helps; please respond with a comment or give me a "thumbs up"!  Matt

Comments

Hi Matt,

thanks you very much for the quick and thorough response. Should I decide to go the DVD way when this is available for X-Plane 11, will I still have to leave a CD in CD/DVD drive for the simulator to run? And if I have, would using an external hard drive cause it to run slower than if it was an internal CD drive? again, many thanks.

 

Lorenzo.

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You would have to leave one DVD in the drive, and it would not your performance.  An alternative would be to buy the "hasp", a key that plugs into a USB port.  If you have a spare port, this would be the way to go ( that's what I do for XP 10.).  Hope this helps; if so, please return another comment or give me a "thumbs up".

http://www.x-plane.com/kb/hasp-drivers-x-plane-usb-keys/

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Hi Matt,

Is the USB "hasp" key an alternative to the digital download and DVD install? Will it be available for X-Plane 11 at some point? Again, thanks for your excellent support!

Lorenzo.

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The HASP is used in lieu of keeping a DVD in the drive.  It is available for XP 10, and I assume they will have one for the DVD version of XP 11.  I was pretty much leaning away from the digital download and waiting for the DVD version, but I'm in the States with a very fast internet connection, so I went with the download, even though it is still in Beta versions.