I am thinking of changing my PC, having flown Flight sim 98 for some 10 years on my ageing Intel Pentium 733 PC. Having seen FS20004, I have decided to make the change.As this is going to be a one off, can anybody recommend a system for me, I would prefer AMD and Nvidia. As I havent changed my PC for 10 years, my good lady has given me permission to "go for it!" Although I think that might cost me in the long run.I'm not sure about these dual processors and dual GPU's, but I would like the fastest system for FS2004 that money can buy! (Oh dear I shouldnt have said that !)I probably wont be u[pgrading to FS2006.Looking forward to your kind reply.Many thanks,Chris

Hi Chris,Well, we're not quite at 4GHz yet but we're getting close! ;)I upgraded my system about 6 weeks ago to the specs below. You might want to use my system as a reference.AMD Athlon64 X2 4800+ dual-core processorASUS A8N-SLI motherboardThermalright XP-120 heatsink with Delta EFB1212L 12cm fanCorsair TWINX1024-4000PRO 1GB PC4000 RAM2x Western Digital Raptor WD360GD in RAID 0Leadtek Winfast PX7800GTXCreative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZSLite-On DVD-ROM driveLite-On CD-RW driveMicrosoft Wireless Optical Desktop ProViewsonic VP201b 20.1" LCD monitorOptiquest V75 17" CRT monitorAntec TruePower 2.0 550W power supplyCooler Master ATC-110 caseKlipsch Promedia 5.1 UltraA few notes:On CPU, I have a dual-core CPU since I don't just use my machine for gaming and I wanted to future-proof my system a bit. But in reality, FS9 and other games do not take advantage of dual-core.On a similar note, you mentioned dual GPUs (also known as SLI for NVIDIA or Crossfire for ATI) but again, it is not supported in FS9. Since you mentioned you would get the fastest machine money can buy, you could get two 7800GTX cards for an SLI set up. Just realize that in FS9 (don't know about future FS versions), you wouldn't see any difference. You might want to just get one video card for now and then get another one when a newer FS version comes out that would support SLI/Crossfire. Just make sure you get an SLI motherboard since an SLI motherboard only costs ~US$20-40 more than an equivalent non-SLI (known as nForce4 Ultra) motherboard.On RAM, you might be better off getting OCZ's PC3500 Platinum Edition Rev. 2 RAM. OCZ isn't readily available where I live (Hong Kong) so I kept the Corsair from my old rig.On motherboard, you should try to get DFI's Lanparty nF4 SLI-DR. I got the ASUS A8N-SLI as I didn't want to wait (DFI requires ordering in HK) and my heatsink may not fit in the DFI motherboard.On hard drive, there are newer Western Digital Raptors (the 73GB version as opposed to my 36GB). I use relatively little hard drive space as compared to most other users. You may want to consider the Maxtor MaxLine drives if you'd like capacity in the hundreds of gigabytes.I have no DVD burner as I have no need for one but you may want to get one. I heard good things about the Benq DW1640.Hope this helps and good luck on your purchase!Edwin

Thanks Edwin, thats realy helpful.I will probably opt for the fastest single AMD CPU I can get, I think its an AMD 4000, not sure though.Best Wishes,Chris

Hi Chris, when you get yourself a nForce mainboard, perhaps make sure you get one without the little chipset fan. I'll soon be replacing my Asus A8N-SLi for an A8N-SLi Premium (with heatpipe). After all, my case is cool enough to do without the little, noisy bugger. Replacing the chipset cooler with i.e. a Zalman wasn't an option because the display adapter's Arctic Cooler sticks out too far and I liked the heatpipe concept... Case you're planning to not upgrade again anytime soon, maybe a few additional thoughts; I believe the way one uses and the manner one displays the sim are fundamental issues. So, to start, the resolution is a central consideration. If you're not exceeding 1280x, you could do with almost any 256-bit/256Mb GPU. Personally, I would also advise to already go for 2GBs of RAM (2x1GB). Regarding the manner of use, I wonder whether a second core helps with FS-addons and/or online environments? Precisely, whether it would help to put everything on core-1 minus FS which could be mapped to core-2? My theoretical understanding would indicate something like this could make sense, but does it do so in reality too? Perhaps Edwin has first-hand experiences? Eeedddwwwiiinnn...?!? :-) Good luck and kind regards Jaap

The AMD 4000 is about the best deal going on a CPU. Its basically an FX51 or 53 so its plenty fast. The FX 57 would probably give somewhat higher fps but its about $700.00 more.If you can't build it yourself find a local shop in your area. Talk to them about what you want the system for. That way you can spend all your money on exactly what you need,not what some box builder sticks in for you. Being local you can save the shipping and get faster service if anything goes wrong.David

Thanks Gents, Ive opted for a AMD FX 57 with a Nvidia 7800 GTX card, super system ....Regarding the GTX ..Fantastic Card, I've gone for a 550 watt supply, super charged cooling fans and 78.03 Nvidia drivers guru3d.com. Super quality, very smooth, very very little stuttering for appearing scenery!, only a small increase in FPS though with evrything maxed out at 1600 x 1200 x 32.BTW I cannot over emphasize the importance of some good fans ( 4 in my system!)Best Wishes and many thanks,Chris