Hi guys,what increase in fs9 performance would I get by going from my current machine (P4 2.4 400 FSB, 1 gig RAM, ATI Radeon 9800 pro) to this:http://secure.newegg.com/app/WishR.asp?ID=1471932The list at Newegg might not be complete and I might have picked the wrong memory or something. I just want to know what I could expect in image quality improvement, performance with heavy traffic, using planes like the LDS 767.

I really can't speculate on the performance, but FS2004 does not support SLI. Infact, I have read a few posts here and elsewhere that it actually degrades performace. I would look at either the Asus A8V-E ($148) or A8V ($117) motherboards. With the price difference, you can possibly upgrade the CPU or video card. Here is the memory selector from Asus on the A8V-E.http://usa.asus.com/products/mb/qvl/A8V-E_Deluxe.pdf

Hi, that FS9 doesn't support SLi is true AFAIK. However, the reason I write is the mention regarding Via-chipped mainboards. IMHO, one shouldn't use them when i.e. using S-ATA HDs (because of the relatively poor Via southbridge VT8237 performance). With P-ATA drives they seem fine. The latest nForces (nF3 for AGP and nF4 for PCI-e) appear to be a better choice. What I'm interested to learn, is, how does a SLi mainboard do with two PCI-e display adapters and use of 3-4 monitors? I haven't seen any reports about this so far and must admit, I didn't do my best to find them either. Hope this adds to thoughts, good luck and kind regards Jaap PS, Graig, without having checked the spec you're looking at, you should see a substantial performance increase where you're coming from. I went from a P4-3GHz to a 3200 AMD64 Clawhammer and saw a ca. 40% improvement without changing any other parts apart from the CPU and mainboard.

Hi Jaap,If I wanted to continue to use my 9800 Pro with a new mobo (AGP)/cpu combo, would I still see that performance improvement? What AMD AGP compatible mobo would you recommend? What socket type?I'm thinking of staying with the 9800 Pro because I've been told that the Geforce 6600GT even in PCI-e is more a "crossgrade" than an upgrade.Is staying AGP a waste if I'm buying a new cpu, mobo, and memory anyway in order to save on a video card? I'm new to all this stuff, so forgive me if some of what I write doesn't make any sense ;-)>Hi, that FS9 doesn't support SLi is true AFAIK. However, the>reason I write is the mention regarding Via-chipped>mainboards. IMHO, one shouldn't use them when i.e. using S-ATA>HDs (because of the relatively poor Via southbridge VT8237>performance). With P-ATA drives they seem fine. The latest>nForces (nF3 for AGP and nF4 for PCI-e) appear to be a better>choice. What I'm interested to learn, is, how does a SLi>mainboard do with two PCI-e display adapters and use of 3-4>monitors? I haven't seen any reports about this so far and>must admit, I didn't do my best to find them either. Hope this>adds to thoughts, good luck and kind regards >>Jaap >>>PS, Graig, without having checked the spec you're looking at,>you should see a substantial performance increase where you're>coming from. I went from a P4-3GHz to a 3200 AMD64 Clawhammer>and saw a ca. 40% improvement without changing any other parts>apart from the CPU and mainboard.

Can you take a look at this and tell me what you think?http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/WishLi...istTitle=Budget AMDLooking to cannibalize my current 9800 pro..Thanks

Hi Graig, no prob with questions. First fo all, yes, you should see an improvement as long as you don't incorporate new bottlenecks. I would recommend going for a socket 939 system which guarantees more flexibility over the socket 754 models. If you're happy with your 9800pro you could use a nForce3 mainboard with the AGP interface. Without knowing whether Asus offers one yet, there are various other OEMs with decent products such as Gigabyte, Epox, etc. Just make sure you get the latest chipset version. Will you be building the combo yourself? Good luck and kind regards Jaap PS, the display adapter only needs to be adapted to the display/resolution in use. Upto 1280x the 9800pro does a pretty fine job.

Hi Graig, could you please copy and paste the specifications here? I somehow can't get on to the page and it takes ages to load (I'm on dial-up). Cheers Jaap

Here you go.... thanks for looking at this. Update Rosewill TU-155 Black Steel/Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 400W Power Supply Model #: TU-155 $49.99 Update ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard Model #: A8N-SLI Deluxe $184.00 Update CHAINTECH Geforce 6600GT 128MB GDDR3 PCI-Express x16 Video Card Model #: SE6600G $169.99 Update AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Winchester Integrated into Chip FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3500DIK4BI Model #: ADA3500DIK4BI $272.00 Update PQI POWER Series 1GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) System Memory Model MD441GUOE Model #: MD441GUOE $100.50 Update MITSUMI D359M3 Beige 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Model #: D359M3 $10.50 Update SAMSUNG SpinPoint P Series SP1213C 120GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive $85.00 Update NEC ND-3520A Black IDE DVD Burner Model #: ND-3520A BK $51.99 Update Microsoft N09-00741 Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack SP1a Model #: N09-00741

Hi Graig, as far as I could judge it looks fine minus what you already guessed will maybe be a slight bottleneck (the display adapter). Pls also note that this combo will not support your 9800pro. Nevertheless, if you don't want to use high resolutions (i.e. 1280x) with high AA settings and a lot of clouds, even this GPU will do a very fine job. You will probably have noticed that you can crank AA up all the way with your 9800pro without loosing performance. Could you modify this system to your likings or is this a take it or leave it deal? If you want to continue to use your current GPU, pls check my previous reply. Feel free to ask if you have further questions. Good luck and kind regards Jaap