This is the new system I plan on ordering Monday. I've done a lot of research, but I would welcome any comments or suggestions. Bear in mind this configuration is the limit of my budget, so if I change to something more expensive, I need to reduce costs somewhere else.CPU: Pentium 4 2.53 Ghz, 533 Mhz FsbMB: Gigabyte GA8IHXPMemory: 512 MB RDRAM 1066 MhzVideo Card: AGP Abit GF4 TI6400 128 MBHard Drive(s): Two Western Digital 80 MB w/8 MB buffersCD: Lite-On DVD 16xCD-RW: Lite-On LTR48125Sound Card: Creative Labs AudigyCase: Lian-Li Aluminum w/340 watt power supply, 3 case fansOS: MS Windows XP Home EditionKeyboard: MS InternetA local company (5 O'Clock Computers) will provide the above, assemble and test it for $1766, which includes a 2 year warranty.I will use my existing 19 in Viewsonic G90f Monitor, my Logitech Mouse, and Yamaha speaker systems. Flight Controls will be CH Fighterstick, ProThrottle, and Pro Pedals, all USB.The primary use for the system will be FlightSim 2002, but I will also be doing quite a bit of digital photographic, hence the second drive.

Good choice of components. I can see that, indeed, you have done some homework. I do have two comments, though, which I hope you will take as constructive as they are meant to be so. Firstly, I would feel much more comfortable with a bit more capacity on the power supply. Without the full current specs it's hard to tell exactly, but I have a feeling you're pushing the limit of a 340W unit. Something in the 400-450W range would provide a comfortable capacity buffer. If the shop is warranting everything, though, this may not necessarily be a primary concern. Secondly, the T14600 is the King-of-The-Hill, but you can get 90+% of the framerate and all the same functionality from a Ti4200. As the box is to be used primarily for FS2002 you could save a few (or many) dollars here (and the digital photos will never notice the difference :-) I do a lot of that also). But whatever you finally decide to do, it sounds like one heck of a good system.TripNorthwood 2.2a at 2.72Ghz Abit TH7II-R512MB Samsung 40ns PC800Gainward 64MB GF4 Ti4200 300/57030.82's DX8.1 WinXP ProInwin case / Enermax 431W PSU3DMark2001SE = 13089http://service.madonion.com/compare?2k1=4330740

Trip,Thanks for the suggestions. The Lian Li case actually comes with a 300 watt power supply, which the shop says would be sufficient for my configuration. I have the same concern and specified a larger (340 watt) supply. They also have a 430 watt unit, but it does not have a ball bearing type fan. Northwest Falcon and Alienware both use a 340 watt unit for similar systems and the Dell 8200 gets by with a 250 watt supply. My guess is 340 is enough if it is a quality power supply - if I add additional components later, I may have to upgrade.You are correct on the video card - I just read a great review at Extremetech.com, which concluded that the TI 4200 was the best performance for the dollar. My original thinking was I wanted a system that would take me into FS2004 (I doubt if I would see much difference in FS2002). Now I'm considering changing to the TI 4200 and then upgrading in a year or so when the prices on the TI 4600, or perhaps the ATI 9700, have come down.Dale

Dale - I was surprised to learn earlier from another post that the Alienware uses a 340W supply. Maybe the newer components use a bit less current than the older stuff I'm stuck with :-) . And the Lian Li case folks certainly should know what's what - thats a really good piece of gear. That's the reason I went with the 4200 a few months back - there's a whole new crop of cards coming in the next few months (isn't there always). If the 4600 performance difference with FS2002 would have been greater (I had a chance to borrow both to try on this system before I bought either) I would have gone that way. But given the minimal performance change and the huge cost difference I just decided to wait until after the first of the year and see where the market is then. And if there's nothing better for FS2002/4 by then, the 4200's still a good performer that'll last another six months until the next batch of new cards comes out. It's a never-ending chase.....Trip

Trip,There's a good article on power supplies in Tom's Hardware http://www4.tomshardware.com/column/01q4/011012/index.htmlOne thing I always do is use a UPS between the line voltage and the PC's power supply - it smoothes out power surges and seems to help extend the life of the power supply.GF4 TI Video boards have already come down in price - the 4200 sells for $179 and the TI 4600 (ABIT) is going for $262 at my local PC shop, and there are probably even better deals on Pricewatch.com. No good deals on the ATI 9700, though - still going for around $395.Dale

Thanks for the tip over at Tom's place. I'm off to take a look.

Well, its ordered. I ended up going with the TI 4600, even though the 4200 is a better value - hoping it will carry me through FS2004. The only change was to specify round cables (better cooling?). My only disappointment is that they place a seal on the chassis and breaking that seal (opening the case) voids the warranty. I almost walked away, but they promised to install, at no charge, any internal changes in hardware that I wanted during the warranty period (Of course, I would have to buy the component from them!) It seems they had some bad experiences with people making changes without knowing what they were doing and then returning it for repair under warranty. As a small, local shop, I see their side, but it seems like I should be able add a simple PCI card or a memory chip without hauling the whole thing to the shop and waiting for them to do it.Anyway, its still much cheaper than Alienware or Falcon Northwest, and I can change drivers and optimize software to my heart's content. I will report back on it when it is up and running (Delivery is estimated to be 3-5 working days and it will take me a few days to get familar with Windows XP, and get everything loaded.

Ok, it's up and running. Delivered in 5 days as promised, everything works. The Lian Li aluminum case looks cool - wish I would have had them put some neon lights in to show through the clear side panel window. Windows XP takes some getting used to, but I was able to link my old computer through a local area network and set up my E-Mail, etc.For Flight Sim, I did a clean install of FS2002. My old flight controls were gameport, so I installed new CH Pro Fighterstick, Throttle, and pedals, all USB. (The motherboard handles 10 USB ports!) I installed FSUIPC, FSNAV 4.51, FSD Cheyenne 400, and DreamFleet Archer. I cranked all the sliders to max, except AI traffic (50%). So far, no problem holding 30 FPS, even with the Cheyenne, which brought my old sytem to it's knees near Chicago. I can force very slight hesitations by doing steep turns over high density areas, but otherwise, the sim is totally smooth. My Windows XP already had SP1 installed, so I get the distortion of the red letters showing position and frame rate. I had some problems with pull down menus, but I turned off Anti-aliasing in FS and turned it on (4X) on the TI4600, and they now work correctly.Have lots more to experiment with, but, so far, it's everything I hoped it would be.