>>As soon as the ground textures come into play, everything dropsThe very same thing happens to me.>>From what I can see, the computer just can't keep up with the >>textures of the aircraft for some reasonNot sure I agree with this one though I could be wrong. I think the problem is ground/scenery textures, not the aircraft. At high altitudes, I get FPS in the 30 range with just about all views....VC, 2D and external aircraft views.

I thought I already answered that: I don't necessarily see a performance benefit, since the hardware remains the same. As a developer, though, I feel that it gives me more "breathing room" as I can be running other applications freely, without the sensation of choking FSX that XP would offer.