I have just bought a new PC system based on an Intel Conroe E6700 CPU @ 2.67GHz, Asus P5W DH (Intel 775 Chipset), Corsair 2048MB DDRII RAM @ 800MHz.You will notice that there is no graphics card listed. The reason being that I wasn't prepared to pay out almost

Based on that list you gave, eventhough the radeons will beat the 7600. I'd say still go for that 7600 it still does a good job, and will do the things you mentioned. It will be imo the better option with having a DX10 upgrade in mind.

Great question as I'm in exactly the same boad as you having decided on identical parts, except the GPU!Just out of interest, where did you buy the parts from, or did you buy it built already? I keep looking at just building it myself, but have to admit to being somewhat nervous about doing it. I'm definately a buy it and use it person and hate tweaking :-)That said, and having decided on the parts you listed, it's pretty hard to find a PC ready made the way I want!EDIT: Forgot to mention I was leaning toward a 7900GTX. Also, I'm wondering how much I'd loose by going for the E6600 CPU @ 2.4GHz instead of E6700 CPU @ 2.67GHz with Corsair 2048MB DDRII RAM @ 667MHz instead of Corsair 2048MB DDRII RAM @ 800MHz. Reducing the spec of those 2 dropped the price by around

wayupthere....Hello there!An interesting perspective. Certainly the newer technology and lower price favour the Geforce 7600. It is an option. However, I tend to favour the ATi technology as the market currently stands. Have enjoyed Nvidia all of my life but feel I might make a better investment in an inexpensive Radeon card. Having said that I still might finish with a Geforce card.

Paul....Hello to you too.This system was built for me by virtue of being cheaper than the total sum of individual components if purchased separately. A self build need not be an unmanageable task. No need to be nervous, really. If it is well planned and researched then it is well within one's grasp.With regards to setting the system up I would always prefer to have complete control over BIOS, voltages, FSB etc, which brings me to add that, aside from the pricing, I chose this sytstem as I had complete flexibility. I specified every component and found a supplier that could provide precisely what I wanted. I feel this is better than a self build as it can be checked by the vendor prior ro shipment.I find your query regarding the E6600/E6700 - PC6400/PC5300 RAM - 7900GTX an interesting one. I personally would always favour a better CPU over VGA. Not only is the FS9 engine heavily reliant on CPU cycles, but also that the multitasking power of the E6700 away from video games makes it the perfect choice for me. A 7900GTX is a very powerful unit and can easily be bottlenecked by a slower, less powerful processor. Although this is less likely to be an issue for the E6600, there are many reviews that have highlighted this problem with other fast processors. Besides, one can always change the GPU at any time, but upgrading a processor can often entail a new motherboard too; hence my reasoning. If it were my choosing then I would opt for the E6700 and faster RAM over the GPU. I plan to run Active Sky and several other application along side FS9 so value a fast CPU immensely.Additionally, I feel that a better way to upgrade is to add more RAM rather than to replace what is already there with something faster. 667 - 800MHz is a fair gap.I believe that with Conroe's overclocking capabilities there will be no need for me to upgrade (as in "to replace") anything for several years. Instead I intend to gradually wind up the FSB clock speed as the system ages, adding additional cooling along the way. The motherboard too is a fine overclocker. Any redundant components would then be set aside to rebuild a new system from old parts.The Dell machines are indeed quite solid, and are fine for many tasks, but I wouldn't personally look at one as a specialised PC. I imagine the $$$ versus performance ratio would be higher with a carefully configured system.Full spec:Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 CPUAsus P5W DH Deluxe motherboardMaxtor 250GB SATA II Hard Drive @ 7200PRM w/16MB Buffer2048MB Corsair DDR II Low latency RAMLG 16x DVD RW Dual layer - DVD RAMThermaltake Soprano ATX CaseQuad Rail 550W PSu120mm silent cooling fansEnlarged CPU heatsink

>Great question as I'm in exactly the same boad as you having>decided on identical parts, except the GPU!OK, ##### is a "boad"?

Have you considered the X1900GT? Through a rebate I was able to get mine for about $170. W/O rebates the standard price is basically equal to that of the X1800XT: $270.I'm using the connect3D model X1900GT and it is very quiet. Quieter than my older 6600GT in fact. ATi cards seem to have a superior fan throttling system whereas the fan actually is very quiet although I hear (but have not experienced) that if it really starts to cook the fan will start ramping up.Performance wise it is about equal to the X1800XT, ahead in some areas behind in others. The real kicker for me though was the fact that the X1900GT can run HDR and FSAA at the same time, whereas the X1800XT cannot. Nor can the nVidia cards either (6-series, maybe the 7-series too?) I think. This will be a kicker come FSX I think because then you'll be able to run the HDR shading alongside FSAA for the best image quality. Like you, I intend to hold on to this card until at least spring/summer next year when I build up an entire new system from scratch.Anyways- been quite happy with my X1900GT thought you might want to check it out.RuahrcPS I checked my old thread and indeed the 7-series nVidia cards also cannot render HDR + FSAA at the same time. FYI, here's my dissection on the topic I posted a while back:http://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=sho...6&mesg_id=12826

>>Great question as I'm in exactly the same boad as you>having>>decided on identical parts, except the GPU!>>OK, ##### is a "boad"?haha, go easy on yourself, will you?

I find your query regarding the E6600/E6700 - PC6400/PC5300 RAM - 7900GTX an interesting one. I personally would always favour a better CPU over VGA. Not only is the FS9 engine heavily reliant on CPU cycles, but also that the multitasking power of the E6700 away from video games makes it the perfect choice for me. A 7900GTX is a very powerful unit and can easily be bottlenecked by a slower, less powerful processor. Although this is less likely to be an issue for the E6600, there are many reviews that have highlighted this problem with other fast processors. Besides, one can always change the GPU at any time, but upgrading a processor can often entail a new motherboard too; hence my reasoning. If it were my choosing then I would opt for the E6700 and faster RAM over the GPU. I plan to run Active Sky and several other application along side FS9 so value a fast CPU immensely.I went for a E6600. Should arrive today! Odd, the reviews I have read show the the E6600 is a better overclocker than the E6700. Some say the E6600 can go safely to 4Ghz where as the E6700 can only go to 3.6Ghz. Also the one review that I've seen that included an FS2004 benchmark showed the E6600 topping the E6700 by a considerable margin! Go figure!!

Paul, have you ever tried http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/ I personaly never used them, since I build my own rig. I would also go for a better cpu, then video card so I would ethere go for the E6600 or even higher E6800.

>I have just bought a new PC system based on an Intel Conroe>E6700 CPU @ 2.67GHz, Asus P5W DH (Intel 775 Chipset), Corsair>2048MB DDRII RAM @ 800MHz.>>You will notice that there is no graphics card listed. The>reason being that I wasn't prepared to pay out almost