Gents,I'm knocking together a new system for gaming only. It will be my first completely homebuilt pc.I have a very limited budget for this system and I am having trouble deciding on the best configuration for FS2002/2004.It's going to go one of two ways:1)Athlon 2000+ with PC2100 & Radeon 9600 ( $235 apprx. )or2)Athlon 2500+(Barton) with PC2700 & Geforce FX 5200 ( $230 apprx. )Now, I understand that neither of these systems are bleeding edge solutions, but due to budgetary constraints, I can afford no more. Assuming no overclocking, which is better suited for MSFS ? The stronger processor (w/larger cache) or the stronger vid card ?Thanks,Roger

If your mainly playing FS, I'd pick the second system. FS2002 and FS2004 are very CPU intensive. The Geforce FX5200 is also a very good card for the price and is what I use.

Orenda635,Thanks for the reply.I pushed the numbers a little and decided on the following configuration:Antec Plus View 1000amg SOHO CaseAntec 400w "Smart Power" PSAsus A7V8X-X boardAthlon 2500+ Barton 333fsb/512 CacheMushkin 512mb PC2700ATI Radeon 9600 128mbWestern Digital 80 gig driveAsus 52x CD-RomWindows XP Home (OEM)While I don't expect that it will do backflips, it will run circles around my (current ) P3-800 w/ Geforce2 GTS 64mb system.Cheers,Roger

Hi Roger,Looks like you've got a pretty good system going... except for one part.I recommend you go with the ASUS A7N8X-X motherboard. It's approximately $15.00 more, and is a much better choice (especially for gaming) than the VIA chipset board. Another advantage with the A7N8X is that the 2500 Barton simply loves it! Plenty of folks have had great success with overclocking the 2500 to outrageous speeds... and have done so with great stability. While I don't think it's possible to O/C the 2500 like in the past (AMD has locked it since last fall), it will still offer you great upgrading capibilty in the future. Simply put, the A7N8X and 2500+ Barton were made for each other.Good luck,

Hi Greg,Thanks for the heads up on the Nvidia chipset.One conspiratorial question though, will it (nForce chip) play nice with the ATI 9600 ? ;-)I think I will take your suggestion.Cheers,Roger

The nVidia chipset boards run very well with ATI cards. I'm running a 9700 Pro on my A7N8X without any problems whatsoever. The ATI GPU/nVidia MB is a terrific set-up for AMD based systems.You'll be quite happy with your new system. I believe you've put together a purchase that will offer you great bang for the buck.Cheers,

Well, I've decided. I'm going with the A7N8X-X board and the other components listed above.Thanks for your help Gentlemen.New Egg here I come,Roger