Hi Everyone,I've decided to drop some cash on a new system to take advantage of the faster C2D processors out there. My problem though, is that I am a complete idiot when it comes to knowing the ins and outs of hardware. I've read through some of the system specs you all list in your signatures and have compiled a system component list based on that.The system I've spec'd out is for running FS9 (not planning to go to FSX anytime soon) and I would like to get input from someone more "technical" if this system will work for getting a good, fluid experience in FS9.My proposed system is as follows:- Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 Conroe 2.66 LGA 775 CPU- ASUS Striker Extreme LGA 775 Nvidia nForce 680i SLI Motherboard- 4GB Corsair Dominator DDR2 800 PC26400 Dual Channel RAM- EVGA GeForce 880GTS 640MB GDDR3 PCIe x-16 Superclocked GPU- Cooler Master Mystique RC-632 Mid-tower ATX- Cooler Master eXtreme 650W Power Supply- Thermaltake 92mm Enter CPU Cooler- 2x Western Digital Caviar 320GB SATA 7200 rpm HD's- 2x Sony 16x DVD Burners- Creative SB Audigy 7.1 PCI Sound Card- Windows XP Professional SP2I hope you'll offer any input as to the pros/cons of this system setup and where I might make changes. Also, if I've left anything important out of the list, please advise me!Many thanks in advance!!!Alex

Hi Alex, that would be a very good system for FSX too. For FS9, less should do in most cases. Out of curiousity, what are you upgrading from? Another item missing (often missing in posts!), what are you intending to achieve visually? That's what you're building/buying the FlyTendo for, or not? ;-) Kind regards Jaap

I'm upgrading from an old Sony Vaio:Pentium 4 - 2.8GHZ1.5MB RAMdual 150GB IDE drivesRadeon X1650 Series GPUIt's been adequate for FS9 for 4 years (well.. the GPU is only 4 months old), but I would like to get a more fluid experience in FS9. I'm just looking to run my add-ons and scenery in a much faster environment.. push the sliders up a little more without a huge hit in performance! :-)I bought all of the components this afternoon and the new system is setting up as I type this!We'll see how she works in a few days!- Alex :-)

Wish you heaps of fun, Alex. You'll absolutely l

>Wish you heaps of fun, Alex. You'll absolutely l

Hi Alex, great news. :-) In how many seconds does FS9 load? For FS9, you won't need the second GPU and could just as well donate the stosh to for example Unicef. Ok, unless you're runnng a '5634x2876' display or play other games which are GPU-intensive... AFAIK, FWIW & JFYI :-), GF8800s are 'only' DX10 capable cards, not DX10-compliant. Good luck and kind regards Jaap

HiI am looking to learn about the hardware options for a new system to run FSX (and FS9 too...I still have that runing too). Is there a magazine or web site that will teach me the basics and keep me up to date on new stuff as well?Thanks...Perry

Very nice setup Alex, it'll do you well. You also intending to clock it to the max? ;)ps. Jaap u got mail hehe sorry took a while

First off....Welcome to the boards Perry,http://www.anandtech.comKeep an eye on that place, it has the newest of newest things, with great but most importantly accurate test/reports and what not...AVOID "TomsHardware guide", very biased since there is only ONE combination that works in their eyes.As far as the rest, AVSIM HardWare Forum right here should provide your needs regarding FS9(X). :)