New system - component suggestions?

[Guest]

Dear all,Unfortunately my existing system (AMD TBIRD 1.2 on Asus A7M266 with 512 MB DDR 2x40 GIG 7600 HD and GF 2 400MX) got fried the other day so I am looking at the moment at rebuilding a new system.After long deliberation I have taken the decision to this time build a system based on a Pentium 4.The main purpose of this system is to run FS2002 so I am looking at a system that is "specialised" to run FS2002 smoothly.I was thinking along the lines of PIV 2.0 Processor with a Geforce 4 card.Since I would like to "recycle" my Hard Disks and Case I am looking for the following components.* Mobo* Sound Card* Graphic CardI would appreciate it if you could let me know components that deliver speed for a resonable price and brands that are available in Europe at the current time.Since I will most likely just buy the Mobo and the Processor first and hold off on the purchase of the Graphics Card and Sound Card (due to financial restrictions) this would be priority.My budget for the Processor and the Mobo is around 350 to 500 Euros so if you would be so kind as to let me know what you believe would be *best* suited for that purpose I would appreciate it.Thanks in advance for your help.

[Guest SD Sim]

Dear Ralph,I understand your desire to move to the Pentium, but unless your willing to invest in a processor built on the Northwood core (2.3 and 2.5 GHz), then I would still steer you towards AMD, where you will simply be able to get more performance for your $$$. Now if you can wait a short while, it is expected that Intel will start slashing the prices on the current Northwood processors, and I suspect that the 2.3 unit will fall into a very affordable range (well less than US $200). Currently, if you go with DDR memory (non-rambus), you can assemble the mainboard/CPU/memory for just under US $500 (based on Pricewatch). Here would be my recommendation:Intel Pentium 4 2.26 GHz (533MHz FSB/512Kb L2 cache) = $230ASUS P4S533 or P4B533 = $116Samsung 512MB PC2700 = $138You can go with slower memory and drop the price, but then you might as well invest in an AMD Athlon XP1800+ or above, IMHO. I do want to mention that with the above system, were only talking about 10-20% differences in system performance when comparing Intel and AMD (Athlon XP1800+ and up). Now if your willing to shell out the money for a board that supports Rambus memory, then you can build the fastest system currently available. But as I said, this will cost you. Just for fun, here is what you would be looking at for a top system:Intel Pentium 4 2.53 GHz (533MHz FSB/512Kb L2 cache) = $584ASUS P4T533 = $172Samsung 256MB PC1066 (x2, it's Rambus!!) = $260Remember, this is for FS2Kx, which is memory intensive. Your CPU/memory should be your first objective. The video card is less important. Finally, I like my primary system, which I think comes pretty close to the big boys, but for much less (although it would likely be beaten up pretty bad by a P4 2.53). Here is an example:AMD Athlon XP1800+ = $80ASUS A7V333 = $135Samsung 512MB PC2700 = $138I actually have Crucial memory, but I don't think that it makes that big a difference in performance relative to Samsung (the memory modules themselves, as best I can determine, are actually made by Samsung!!).I hope I've given you some food for thought. If you have any more questions, let me know.

[Guest]

Dear David,Thanks for your input here. Since I am currently anyway a little bit short on available money and have now tuned my laptop (PIII 1GIG 256 MB) to work acceptably with FS2k2 (albeit in medium settings and in 800x640 resultion) I will wait probably for a month or two before updating and then go for a 2.53 system with the specs you have described.Since I already have 512 MB of PC2100 memory I guess I will just sit it out until then.I will however upgrade my graphics card to a GF 4 TI4200, which is the best buy for FS2k2. Since FS2K2 is the onlyt "game" I am running on my system I believe that should be the way to go.Thanks again for your input and for your reply.