I want to build my own conputer and was looking at these two chips.1. Intel Pentium 4 540 3.2Ghz / 1MB Cache / 800 FSB / Socket 775 / HyperThreading / Processor = Price: $319.99 vs2. Pentium 4 3.4G EXTREME Hyper Threading = Price: $1049.99 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/se...=CP2-P4-3400EECThe difference apart from that extra .2 G is the EXTREME version.Have any of you used this "EXTREME" version? and if so..is it worth the difference of that $700 bucks for the "EXTREME" performance for Flight Sim?

For flightsim i think you money would be better spent on the following configP4 3.2 or 3.4 NORTHWOOD NOT PRESCOTT (Revision C) processorOR Amd Athlon 64 3200 or Athlon 64 3500The intel Extreme while nice .. does not in my opinion give any substantially tangible increase in fs2k4 performance. The price performance ratio is quite bad.. INSTEAD... your money should be better invested in getting a Geforce 6800GT or ultra or the ATI equivalent

Hi Maxis,Thanks for your response. I currently have a DELL Pentium 4 2.00 GHz with a Geforce 6800 Ultra.But My system has dropped to like 7 sometimes 4 fps. I have the Megascenary, PMDG and Manhatten and stuff. and then I saw this... and started salivating.http://www.flightsim.com/cgi/kds?$=main/review/alien.htm But then I cannot afford that 4 grand.. and I calculated..that If I build a system I can get it down to 2 Grand. and I can move my geForce card from my current machine and I also have a spare wireless keyboard and mouse that I could use. I don't need to buy another sound system or anything.I just need the following for the new machine.-------------------------------------------------- CPU $1000 or $300- Mother Board/chipset $200- Dual Channel DDR RAM (1 MB) $250- SATA 10K rpm X2 HD $400- a suitable power and case. $150------------------------------------------------

I agree with Maxis... stay away from the "E" (Prescott) CPU's. This is an excellant choice: http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc....-116-164&DEPA=0Here is a motherboard that offers great performance for the price:http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc....-131-484&DEPA=0I don't know that a RAID config is worth the price (others might comment on this). For me it isn't. At any rate here is a great price on the WD 74 Gig Raptor. http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc....-144-160&DEPA=0 I have the smaller Raptor and like it alot. Doesn't make the sim perform any better, but all applications load 25%-30% faster.With regard to memory, spend the extra and buy fast... PC3700 or faster. You'll then be able to easily overclock the FSB for more performance... somewhere in the neighborhood of 3.4-3.7 on air cooling is a piece of cake with the faster memory.When deciding on a case and PSU, don't go cheap. There are alot of cases available that look radical and come with a power supply, but I stay away from them. The case should have a removable M/B tray for ease of install and maintenance, and the PSU should be 400W minimum and above all else quality. Antec, Enermax, and Zalman are good choices. Figure to spend $100-$150 on PSU alone... that will insure that you get a good one that will last quite some time and deliver clean, stable power to your system. The case should have a number of fans, the larger the better (most have 80mm fans, but 92's and even 120's move more air with less noise).Finally, build in good system cooling. The stock CPU heatsink and fans are barely good enough. Budget $75 for a good heatsink and fan. Thermalright, Swiftech, and Zalman offer great cooling options for the P4. Whatever you choose make sure it uses a 92mm fan (quieter and moves more air).Good luck and let us know what you build,Greg

I second the "dont Go cheap on the Case and MEM" suggestion... I skimped on those and im paying the "heat and crash" price :( Ive already ordered a Corsair 1 gig kit to replace the 1 gig of generic memory i baought and the present 1 gig kit im using will be going on ebay for the next "unwitting" buyer.. hehe As for the case ... ill have to wait .. ive been salivating on a Lian Li case for months but its too bloody expensive

I know what you mean about the cost of Lian-Li cases. But you don't have to go for the high end jobs. I recently saw mine advertised at Newegg for a little over $100US (I bought it retail at CompUSA 18 months ago).I plan on using this case for a few more years. It offers a great build, ease of use, and very good cooling. It's simple, and that's one of the things that make it work so well. Isn't as frilly as some of the less expensive cases, but I bought it to house my high $ computer components and keep them as cool as possible on air cooling. To that end I'm more than satisfied.It ain't cheap, but amortize the cost over the years I'll own it and it looks very nice. Especially considering that I have a case that does a very good job of making life as easy as possible for the stuff inside.Good luck,Greg

The Extreme version isn't a Prescott. The 3.4EE has a 2MB second level cache.. Prescotts have a 1MB cache, but run a lot hotter.The EE has a little extra performance, but its not really worth the extra $$.

You're right , John, it's a Northwood. But it has 512Kb of L2 and 2Mb of L3! What's that about? Not sure how much advantage there is in having that much L3 (someone please enlighten me).http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?...e=2&listStyle=2At any rate, I agree... seems too much money for a little extra performance.Greg

Greg,How about this case: http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductdesc....-129-144&depa=1And this power :http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductdesc....-103-447&depa=1or this one which is almost half price of the prev ones for the same 550W. I don't get it.http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc....-103-918&depa=1Motherboard:http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc....-127-180&depa=0Guys,About the Extreme edition. This is what Alienware says...CPU: A tale of two PentiumsThe Area-51 Extreme is powered by a next generation, Intel

Case Selection is GoodAny of the two power supplies are good ... Although Antec has the edge.HOWEVER... That Motherboard is for a Prescott CPU .. with a new interface (CPU socket)... So Unless you are going with the prescott .. Which we have all agreed is a NO GO.. That mainboard has to Go.You Need to Find a Mainboard that Supports the SPRINGDALE 865PE or CANTERWOOD 875 Chipset.. thats Socket 478Suggest Asus P4P800 Deluxe or Asus P4C800 Deluxe or ABIT AS8 or IC7 or MSI NEO2 ... One more thing ... STAY AWAY from the intel 865PE or 875 Reference Boards if you plan to Overclock... they dont like it.I also still Suggest getting a 3.2 or 3.4 NORTHWOOD CPU... Unless of course you have money to burn to get the Extreme Edition... Which I dont think its worth it Price/Performance wise.(If i saw an fs9 benchmarked review on Toms hardware, Hard OCP or Anandtech then the flightsim review would be more credible but It looks more a bit like marketing to me.

The Antec case looks alright. My only concern would be that hard drive cage at the bottom front. My Lian-Li had the same type of rack, but I removed it in favor of more airflow. My hard drive lives in one of the slots at the top front (under the CD-RW). I'm sure that cage is removable on the Antec (unless you plan on stuffing the case full of peripherals).That Enermax PSU is nice... are you planning on powering yours and your neighbor's computer? :-) Seriously, I can't see why you need that much power in the system. This is another option for a little more than 1/2 the price: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc....-103-451&depa=0Like the one you linked to it has Active PFC, not a bad feature. It's 470W, but that should be plenty to run even a complex system.I have an Antec 430 TruePower in my case and an Enermax in my wife's. I've studied both carefully using MBM, and I have to admit the Enermax is my choice. Just seems to offer more stable power, though my TruePower has caused me not one single problem in the 16 months I've owned it. Can't really go wrong with either brand of quality PSU.I'll have to defer on the motherboard. I'm an AMD guy, and I'm not all that familiar with the 925 chipset. DDR2 is what we'll all be using in the near future... some specs and info here: http://www.crucial.com/store/listmodule.as...Package&cat=RAM You do not need ECC Registered unless you'll be using your system as a mission critical server.Cheers,GregEdit: Just read Maxis' previous post, and what he writes sounds great to me.One thing to keep in mind is all the new technology we'll be seeing late this year. I'm pretty much done with updating my current system... I'll be making a major upgrade late this year or early next year. I'd caution you about spending too much money at this time on technology that doesn't offer alot of bang for the buck. That bang for the buck will be coming in a few months.

Greg,The Enermax I posted...seem to have short cables.. atleast thats what the review says. They all seem to agree that its good for mini tower but not for a full tower.. Hmmmmm.....The only motherboard that supports the DDR2 are the 925 Chipset http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?...property&DEPA=1I am with you on the value for money concept. What would be your AMD based system from Case, power, motherboard, Processor, Memory , HD (Assuming SATA 0) if you were shopping at newegg?Maxis,The Antec link I had on my earlier post is not an ATX power system. it has 24 pins and the ATX needs 20 pins..as I understand..and that ain't much. :). so here is the latest antec http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc....-103-922&depa=0If you think..the power is an overkill ...pleast suggest a good power system..well why not the whole shabang...What would be your INTEL based system from Case, power, motherboard, Processor, Memory , HD (Assuming SATA 0) if you were shopping at newegg?

Forget the 925 Chipset and DDR2 for now. DDR2 timings are so loose right now that the performance isn't terribly good. You're paying preimium for new technology that barely cuts it with the current 865/875 chipset and some quality PC3200. That and the fact you'll need a PCI-X card.I suggest you go with a Asus P4P800-E Deluxe, some quality PC3200 Memory - Dual Channel sticks, obviously. Corsair make some top notch stuff. Take a read of rewviews of the Corsair PC3200XL sticks, awesome stuff. Chuck in a 3.2Ghz or 3.4Ghz and you're smokin' :-hah

John,I can't seem to find XMS XL 512MB 3200 memory anywhere.. not even newegg.do you know someplace where I can get these?Manny.:)

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc....-145-520&depa=0Ka-Ching!!Greg