Hi,My knowledge in computers is very limited and cannot decide between the two systems which will provide the best performance for the FS2004 with PMDG excellent products.I understand that is a debate between INTEL and AMD chip users and I will appreciate any inputs.Kind regards,Alex[1] Area-51

Intel. Besides, build your own system and save LOTS of money.

Usually when you purchase a pre-built system you end up paying for junk you don't need, so be careful what they try and sell you.Also, these systems are proprietary and if in the future you want to change some components, then you will most likely have a few issues to deal with.I recommend Windows XP Pro (sp1). sp2 is causing a lot of gamers problems for now and I'm sure it will get fixed in the near future.Best thing to do is a lot of research -http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1650.htmlJoin these forums, many experience people - www.guru3d.comwww.rage3d.com

I'd go for the latter personally :)As for SP2, you'll find the windows discs sent to Alienware will come with SP2.

>I recommend Windows XP Pro (sp1). sp2 is causing a lot of>gamers problems for now and I'm sure it will get fixed in the>near future.I disagree. "Pro" is really not necessary for gaming. Unless he wants to move one day to 2-CPU system ...Second, I recommend SP2 specially with his fresh install of XP. No problems here and much safer computer. Michael J.WinXP-Home SP2,AMD64 3500+,Abit AV8,Radeon X800Pro,36GB Raptor,1GB PC3200,Audigy 2

Windows XP Pro only features some more admin tools & services. It also allows you to connect to a domain unlike Windows XP Home.

I would like to thank you all for your inputs.

I always go with Intel - even though you will get a lot of people on the AMD side. I can't say much for the AMD as I have never owned one that went through the mill with the games, but I have yet to meet an AMD based PC that does not have problems with something at some point. Call it bad luck or just coincidence!!! :-) But I am no longer interested in the heavy tweaking and extra motherboard knowledge you seem to be able to perform on AMD based machine, hence probably why I stick with Intel. I am sure a company like Alienware will have it all tested out so its really a matter of preference as it seems that the rest of the setup is pretty much the same.ps. don't let the t-shirts fool you ... they can't boost the performance :-)cheers,Ronniehttp://ronnie.vandelaak.com/baw644.gif

I've had both - Intel and AMD.I went with AMD last time because of cost and gaming performance in the class of machine I was looking for. I think the best of the best changes from week to week, so what's good today will probably be so-so tomorrow.I can't tell any difference from the operating system standpoint. If you go with AMD, I'd recommend the NVIDIA chipset, which seems to have better support and drivers than some of the other chips out there.I had no major problems with AMD, but if you're not a DYI, you are likely better off getting a known brand just because you won't have to put stuff together. I had to RMA my board because the onboard SATA controller wasn't working, that took some going back and forth with tech support on the issue as to who was the problem - the drive, the board or the chipset driver (reminds me of the new car you get with the bad tire, the car maker sends you to the tire manuf for warranty, the tire manuf sends you back to the car manuf for warrany, meanwhile, you're stuck with the problem). If you get a "canned" system, this is tested for you before it ships, but you do pay for the privilege and convenience.For gaming, Alienware is very nice but can be on the top end of the price range. A good DELL box isn't bad either. Alienware or VoodooPC is definitely a better gaming PC.For FS, I'd recommend to get the most memory (pref 1Gb) and best video card (high end ATI/NVidia) you can afford and skimp on the rest (get a decent processor). Don't necessarily get the fastest processor because you do pay a huge premium for this, and you probably will get better FPS with a faster video card instead of that 100MHz boost in performance. Of course, it's easy for me to write that but I know it would be very hard to do.Also, forget about upgrades - by the time you're ready to "upgrade", it's usually better to yank the guts out and put new board, processor, memory and video card in the system.You can't go wrong with a known brand. Stay away from the local garage shop unless you know the people well.Cheers,

Thank you all, I do appreciate the inputs and suggestions; it is a pleasure to find nice and honest people.THANK YOU!

Alex,A test this month in PC Magazine in Holland learns that you can save money and don't lose much performance with the nVidia GeForce 6800 GT 256 MB and not the ultra.Best manufacturer of this card: MSI NX6800GT-TD256Frans Dekker / TFF074