John, thanks for that idea. I have thought about it in the past, but I just don't have the time to figure out how to do it. Besides, I need a new monitor and I'm not sure it would be worth the hassle for me right now, but it is a good idea. For example, if I buy the ATI Radeon 9800 PRO graphics card separately, that is $250 right there, let alone a monitor that I need, etc. Also, I usually re-format my hard disk when I purchase new computers, because I know exactly what you're talking about with the pre-packaged software. Thanks,Costas

"I recently upgraded using a new Motherboard, CPU, and CPU fan. This was the first swap-out of a motherboard for me. It was easy to do and the Bios/XP improvements make it a no-brainer. I jumped to an AMD 3000+, from 1800+. I used the same video card, memory, and everything else. The cost was right at $200 from TigerDirect.The results were dramatic. Now I run from choppy (before), to quite smooth with most everything maxed out. I run 2 monitors, Ultimate Traffic at max, and FS Navigator at all times. Frame rates vary from about 10 to 25, but the main thing is I'm always smooth and can make nice landings.I did this because of the dramatic changes coming about right now. The 2 new video cards (NVidia 6800 & AMD X800), just released, double the video power of before. And AMD has is out with a 64 bit 3800+, even though I've not seen any yet. Then there's the move to PCI Express just around the corner (this month or next), and 940 pin mother boards.The upgrade is a cheap "stop-gap" until all those new major improvements sort out. It is clear, that if your into the high-end systems, this is the end of a product cycle that has been somewhat stagnant for about 18 months."What Bob said. :-) And I would ignore anything Cap Mason says... his hardware reviews are biased and self-motivated. In time advertisers will learn to stay aay from him as the informed simmer does no more than laugh at what he writes.Regards,Greg

Costas,I didn't post that...to say that Alieanware is the system to buy.. rather that article.. which explains in detail the component and its functions.Its educational.Is all.

I know you didn't say that, I was just being sarcastic. It is a good article from what I've read so far. I agree.Thanks for posting it.Costas

"PS. Intel clock frequencies are effective not absolute. A 2.2GHz Intel will probably only be clocked at 1.2Ghz. AMD's counter this by specifying their CPUs to match Intel's fake clock rates, the 2500 is meant to equal the P4 2.5Ghz and runs natively at 1.4Ghz. I have actually clocked mine up to 2.2Ghz real clock freq, so it's equivalent to an Intel P4 4Ghz,"It's true that the P4s and AMDs architectures are different and an AMD cpu at a lower true clock can perform as well or better (depending on the application) than a P4 at a higher clock. It is not true that a P4 2.2 is actually clocked lower.An AthlonXP 2500+ Barton socket A runs at 1833MHz (166fsb), overclocked to 2.2 would probably give it a rating of 3200+ just like the AthlonXP 3200+ Barton that runs at 2200MHz (200fsb). As a comparison, a Athlon64 3200+ Newcastle socket 754 runs at 2200MHz, a Athlon64 3400+ Clawhammer socket 754 runs at 2200MHz, and a Athlon64 3500+ Newcastle socket 939 runs at 2200MHz.Kurt M

http://www.progresssystemsinc.com/May I suggest you look at the link above. You get top notch parts, full gaming customization, unbeatable prices and very personal service. Go to their forum and ask for estimate.Michael J.http://www.reality-xp.com/community/nr/rsc/rxp-higher.jpg

Build your own system. This is the first one I ever built and it shreds FS9. I did it about 1 yearago and it cost under 1600.00 USD. Bought all the parts from www.newegg.com the are the best period.I have many add-on, scenery, FSGenesis mesh, landclass, PMDG, Activesky 2004, 100% AI and more.My settings are all maxed except cloud draw at 100 miles with default cloud textures. I will build all mine in the furure. Good luck. :-wave

I wouldn't know where to begin with building my own pc. I have no idea what kind of parts to get, etc. BTW, I have a laptop that I bought last year for my work and I decided to install FS9 on it today. What a difference. I actually thought my desktop had more power but I was wrong. My laptop has:AMD Athlon XP2400+ MMX, 3DNow ~1.8Ghz446 MB RAMATI Radeon IGP 320MI know it's not much, but for some reason I was able to get awesome frame rates with almost everything maxed. It was still a bit choppy in some areas with weather, but a big improvement from my desktop.Nevertheless, it just made me more anxious to get a desktop with some power, but at least I can enjoy FS9 in the meantime.CostasP.S. Which graphics processor do you guys recommend? Nvidia or ATI?

Another one of Cap Mason's famous infomercial "reviews"...Cheers,Gosta.http://www.hifisim.com/images/as2betateam.jpg

Well, I finally placed my order on my Dell. I should have it within a couple of weeks.Here are the specs:Pentium

"I have a feeling I will be stuck in the skies from now on."Hmmm... hate to say this, but I believe you won't be happy with that X800 SE video card. See this for some specs: http://www.hardocp.com/image.html?image=MT...zFfMV8xX2wuZ2lmIf you can't afford an X800 Pro (or Dell can't get their hands on one... make sure they can before ordering) I recommend that you go with a 9800 Pro card. It will beat up on that X800 SE... and never break a sweat doing so. And the 9800 Pro can be had for less money.Regards,Greg

HiI got last week my new PC (before I had an AMD 1800+, 512MB, Gforce3):Athlon 64 3400+ CPUMainboard Abit KV8pro1024 MB of DDR-RAM 3200/400Samsung S-ATA 160 GB HDSapphire ATI Radeon X800pro 256MB with Catalyst 4.7 driverI am just at the beginning of installing some of my addons again (mesh, scenery, add-on aircraft and of course lots of AI-traffic with UT and PAI), however, right now I absolutely happy about the performance of FS2004 on this system. FS2004 is just wonderful! I have maxed out all the sliders and have not seen yet fps below 30 even at detailled default airports.I know with some addons this will come back again (Simflyers airports or massive AI-traffic), however, I am going to be very careful with adding things, because I am enjoying now an extremely fluid and nice looking FS-experience.RegardsWalter

>Hi>>I got last week my new PC (before I had an AMD 1800+, 512MB,>Gforce3):>>Athlon 64 3400+ CPU>Mainboard Abit KV8pro>1024 MB of DDR-RAM 3200/400>Samsung S-ATA 160 GB HD>Sapphire ATI Radeon X800pro 256MB with Catalyst 4.7 driver>>I am just at the beginning of installing some of my addons>again (mesh, scenery, add-on aircraft and of course lots of>AI-traffic with UT and PAI), however, right now I absolutely>happy about the performance of FS2004 on this system. FS2004>is just wonderful! >>I have maxed out all the sliders and have not seen yet fps>below 30 even at detailled default airports.>>I know with some addons this will come back again (Simflyers>airports or massive AI-traffic), however, I am going to be>very careful with adding things, because I am enjoying now an>extremely fluid and nice looking FS-experience.>>Regards>WalterWell Walter, I'll bet your having a good time with FS2004 now! I want one of those X800 Pro(or better) cards!! Note: As Greg said not with an SE moniker. Sorry to say, but from everything I've heard SE = Sucky Experience.I can't complain though. I have FS2004 running very nicely with a similar Intel type system and an ATI Radeon 9700 Pro. If I had big bucks in my pocket I would be seeking out an X800 series card right now though. As it is I am thinking about begging and pleading for one for my birthday. :-shyWalter, if you can, let us know how it performs at a Simflyers airport(other than KPHX). ;)Cheers,JimIntel 3.4C(C = Northwood) on Asus P4C800-E Deluxe, 1 GB Muskin '222' Special PC3200 RAM, NEC MultiSync FE2111SB 22" Monitor, ATI Radeon 9700 Pro Videocard with v4.7 Catalyst Drivers, DirectX 9.0b, Creative Audigy2 Soundcard, 250 GB w/8 MB Cache Western Digital HDD, WinXP Pro SP1

Well, I must ammend my previous post about the "X 800 SE". It was late last night when I wrote it, and I gave a link to the wrong card.Now that I see that the original poster has ordered a system with an X300, I must be even more emphatic about him changing his order!The X300 is a low end card for gamers... equivalent to the MX series from nVidia. While it utilizes PCI Express technology (offering UP TO twice the throughput of AGP. Note that's UP TO twice... it's not a sure thing all the time) it nevertheless is a 4 pipeline card. It utilizes slow DDR1 memory with a maximum interface of 128 bit.Specs here: http://www.ati.com/products/radeonx300/specs.htmlcgioldy... I urge you to contact Dell and change your order to remove the X300 from the system you bought. Sorry to say that you'll probably have to go with another motherboard as well (AGP vs PCI Express), but I fear you will not be happy with that video card.The 9800 Pro will run circles around it!!!Good luck,Greg

Greg, I appreciate your concern, but they don't offer another graphics card with this model. As far as I can see from this link, it looks like the X300SE model is a higher model than the 9800 PRO. So, I'm not quite sure how the 9800 would run circles around the X300SE.Here are the links:http://www.ati.com/products/gamer.htmlUPDATE TO THE ABOVE PARAGRAPH. I just called up ATI just to get their input and you are correct the X300SE is about the equivalent of the Radeon 9600 model, but he did say that I would be better off with the PCI Express, because it replaces the AGP slot and would ultimately give me more options to upgrading with the newer technology. I guess AGP is going out of style. There is also a NEW X800 PCI Express model coming out soon, which he said would blow away the 9800 PRO. Either way, I still think I will get really nice graphics with the X300 compared to the MX400 card I have right now. Costas