Hi AllI was hoping to get some help from the guru's.My wife has given me carte blanche on a new system and I need your help. If I could list what I think I want as far as technology goes, I hoped you all may be able to help me with which brand is the best and of course any other items you think I may be missing.This is what I think I want.SLI Motheboard and CPU. I do prefer AMD. Maybe the FX series?Dual nvidia 7800's - 256 or 512 - not sure if the price performance ratio is worth it between the 256 and 512mb versions.1gig or 2 gig of memory - again not sure if 2 really offers that much and is one manufacturer better than another?A nice box with great cooling.Power supply rating - 400,500,600 watt - dunnoI do use a laptop and wideFS but not sure if a high powered lan card is worth it.A DVD +RW -RW recommendation. I think thats it but if you think I need any other adds that help performance please let me know what you think. It's been 18 months since my last MB and Video card so Im ready.Thanks a bunchBob G

Hi Bob,Take a look at dutton's thread here:http://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=sho...11566&mode=fullHe's made a few changes to his picks along the way and what he ended up with would pretty much be my dream system. I would also read through the previous posts on this forum as many things you touched on has already been asked numerous times. Now to your specific component questions:CPU - read my comments on dual-core vs. single-core. If you decide to go single-core and you have an unlimited budget, then go Athlon64 FX-57 (~US$1,000). I have a pretty big budget when it comes to computer hardware already but I wouldn't get the Athlon64 FX series. I got the dual-core Athlon64 X2 4800+ instead - slightly cheaper (mind you, it's still US$800+) and better for the future.Motherboard - ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe. See previous posts for comments there.Video card - Note well that FS9 doesn't take advantage of SLI. But if you play other games, then yes SLI of two 256MB 7800GTXs would be good. If unlimited budget, then two 512MB 7800GTXs but that would be US$1,500 on the graphics cards alone. Again, I have a big hardware budget but I still wouldn't go that far.RAM - if you're building a brand new machine now, then it makes sense to get 2GB RAM. I asked the question on this forum a while back regarding whether 1GB users should upgrade to 2GB and I think where we came out was that in most gaming scenarios, 2GB won't yield a substantial benefit over 1GB. Search for the previous post.Case - check out the Antec P180. I read that it takes some getting used to (the layout is a bit strange) but the cooling is actually really good. Of course, you may want something more flashy - personal choice.PSU - I have said time and time again that wattage is important but brand name is probably even more so. Stick with the big names e.g. Enermax, PC Power & Cooling, Zalman, Antec etc. Then, pick wattage. I'd go with at least 400W. 550W would be safer especially with the high-end CPU and SLI solution you are considering. Antec's new NeoHE series looks good.DVD writers - I know very little about these. Plextor has always been a big name here (I remember buying their 8x CD-ROM drive - they were the first to pioneer 8X) but they charge a crazy premium. Pioneer has also been a solid choice for a long time. NEC was good with the ND3500A and 3520A but I'm not sure about their latest drives. Also heard great things about the BenQ 1640.Hope this helps.Edwin

Hi EdwinThanks for the reply. I got lazy and posted these questions before I browsed through some of these, and did find my questions had already been answered. The suprising thing to me is you are on almost on every thread! You are either retired, or, you just love the forum so much that you cant stay away. Well, for whatever reason you do this, I truly commend you for your enthusiasm. It is indeed folks like you that deserve the award. Thanks again and I will certainly consider your advice.RegardsBob G