Hi yall!I am going to purchase an Alienware system for flight simulation, on which I will run FS2004 only, but will be using high end addons such as the PMDG 737NG and Captainsim products. I am also considering a Koolance Exos liquid cooling system.My first question is which of the below systems would work best for flight simulation performance, as my budget is

Mark,Either one is a nice system. Based on hardware included and it's intended use, the second system is the way to go.The 2800+ will EASILY reach 3200+ speeds with the added benefit and speed of the 5900.Why the koolance kit? Besides being a LOW end water cooling solution there is really no need for it with that setup. As I said above the 2800+ will easily do 3200+ speeds with the stock HSF and the Alienware case. You also need to know that with the design of the AW case it may be difficult to get the Koolance unit to sit properly on top of the unit.My personal choice would not be an AMD CPU unless it's the new Athlon64 but for what you get at the price they are hard to beat.My advice....Ditch the Koolance unit, go with the 3200+ and upgrade the 5600Ultra to the 5900. If you could get a 9800Pro or XT with it that would be a better choice but as setup you've got yourself one hell of a system.Bobby

Considering all the benchmark performance data for the FS - I would definitely go with an Intel CPU and ATI Radeon (128 MB is enough) video card.Michael J.

Hi,Thankyou both very much for the advice.I would like to use FPSFreaks setup of getting both the 3200+ and the 5950, although I will get money after christmas for the cooling and will be getting the system before christmas. The cooling is needed as I run the system 24/7, although I suppose I could swap it in for case fans. @Michael - I would if i could afford an intel from alienware, its like an extra

Mark,As I said there is no need for you to run the Koolance system in order for you torun that system 24/7 365. It is a well designed case that offers totally adequate cooling for anything you may want to throw at it.You may want to think about taking the money you would have spent on the cooler and going with the P4 instaed of the AMD. It is a known fact that as far as gaming goes the P4 still holds an advantage over the AMD. Not to mention the ability to run at a MUCH higher clock speed all within the same case with no need for water cooling. Just a thought.Bobby

Thanks once again Bobby, i am just going to take a look at the price of all the configs I could get, and then I will post what I think is best without the Koolance system, and if need be, i will order after christmas when I have more money.Thanks for the assistance! :-) greatly appreciated