I am about to get my new system, which i have carfully configured on a budget.What i have so far isAMD Athlon64 3200+512MB PC3200 *upgrade to 1GB will be done within a month or two when my budget is better*80GB Seagate SATA 7200RPMNVidia 5900Ultra 128MBThose are the basics to my system. At first glance, what will performance be?If you want the full specs on my system, let me know.Just curious on what i can expect on FS9.:-wave

Hi Chase, thanks for the infos. Gigabyte often ships with nForce chipsets AFAIK. Therefore it shouldn't make much of a difference whether you pick a P-ATA or S-ATA drive. Again, perhaps try to specify a tad bigger as they're quicker. The best (normal) 80GB S-ATA drives are Hitachi or Maxtor and more or less in this order. Seagate is joint 3rd with WesternDigital. WD's S-ATA Raptors are a class apart... and cost alike! Is it a socket 754 or 939 system? In any case, just avoid 2x256MB PC3200 RAM as they're often so called 'single-sided' modules. On dual-channel systems such RAM would signify using half the FSB-speed. Parallely, IMHO it's not a good idea to buy single RAM modules --> try to get pairs. Upgrading RAM often signifies having to replace everything. If you don't use applications which require a Nvidia Geforce (i.e. 3D-glasses), I'ld recommend Ati display adapters for FS since they struggle less with FS' clouds and allow higher AA-values which make FS look nicer. Since you have a CRT, you could play with resolutions for now and choose a lesser card. For your 19" monitor, I'ld ultimately recommend a 9800pro as somebody already mentioned. Compressed; try to get the full Houdini with regard to RAM first and perhaps reserve the upgrade part for your display adpater. Like this only one component will require upgrading. If you go for the 5900, there might be a risk of still wanting to upgrade two categories? AFAIK, the 5-9-er will fold at 1280x @4xAA and with mucho weather. The case you chose is great! Multiple fans to keep the FlyTendo cool is a fantastic idea. Usually a 350W PSU should suffice. Just make sure it specfies at least 20-24A on the 12V lead. Most quality 350W-PSUs do so. Hope this adds to thoughts again, good luck and kind regards Jaap FlyTendo: AMD64-3200 Clawhammer(s-754); Abit KV8-pro v.1.0; 9800pro @1280x; 2x1GB-CL3 Apacer w/ Samsung chips; Hitachi P-ATA HDs; 350W PSU; 5 case fans; Audigy2; win2000sp4

i am getting my sytem from a company called altex, which has been in texas for 20 yrs now. When it comes to vid cards, they dont have the largest selection, i am going to see if it is possible that they can get me the 6600GT. They have the 6600GT in the PCIE version, but not AGP. My system is on a budget also, im trying my hardest to stay under the 1500$. Upgrades are going to be done later on, such as ram, HD, etc, but my main concern is getting the basics and being set with the card.Would the 9600XT provide good detail and nice frames?Thanks :-wave

http://www.altex.com

Hi Chase, I surfed around the Altex site but couldn't find the mainboard/CPU you mentioned. Did I miss something? Is the price you mention including the monitor? Which components are included all in all? Are you buying the bits and pieces and assembling yourself? Yes, a 9600XT could be a very good compromise (limiting the FS-resolution to 1024x for now). Are you into games like Doom and Halflife? If FS is the main aim, IMHO PCIe or a 6600GT wouldn't offer anything extra. I hope you're not in a rush... My remarks about upgrading RAM are valid for most modern mainboards/chipsets. However, I'm not too familiar with socket 939-systems (yet). On a 754-system, you couldn't upgrade your RAM just like that. You'ld have to replace everything. Case you're not in a hurry, I could download the manuals and read it up with you and probably make a more solid recommendation. AIM, the case you're getting is very good and significantly more expensive than an 'El Cheapo'. Within the concept of getting a good basic system, a good case is very important IMHO. I'll round up what I could get here in Euroland for roughly 1500$: Mainboard: 120-140$ AMD64-3200 CPU: 190-210$ 1GB RAM (2x512MB): 200$ max Display adapter: 100-140$ 80GB HD: 70-80$ Optical drive: 40-80$ Case + PSU: I.e. Xaser + 350W PSU: 140-170$ Floppy, keyboard, mouse: 50-60$ Monitor: 19" CRT: 240-270$ OEM OS: ~100$ (or more?) Total: 1250-1450$ (incl. the 'astronimical' European VAT) Case you have a copy of windows 2000, you could save something on the OS. If you have other components you could take along, further savings could be possible. Good luck and kind regards for now Jaap

hey jaap, thanks for your advice. Im not shure, but i do believe it is poosibly 754-socket system. I was told by one of the techs at the store is that i could upgrade ram later in time. Could i just throw a stickd of 512 in when i get the money?I looked at the site my self, they do have some items not listed. My motherboard is being put in with the processor allready on it. My case, motherboard, and a few others that i found in the store, arent listed online. sadly.They do carry the 6600GT but in PCIE only.Maybe when i get my new system in a few days, we can do a flight? :-)thanks alot! :-wave

You're welcome Chase! To update you and as a matter of fact, I just finished reading some bad news about 6600GT series cards. There seems to be some serious quality problems... Of the three cards discussed here - the 5900, 6600 and the 9600XT- I'ld pick the 9600XT. Getting one 512MB RAM module is technically fine as it will be double-sided. It's just better to buy in pairs to avoid getting differently chipped modules and thus potentially face incompatibilities. Maybe Altex can put a second module aside and on call for you? Like this you'll at least assure getting two 100% identical modules. Mixing modules, even of the same brand and type but different batches, can be problematic. Buying pairs is just my fool-proof way to handle and hopefully avoid 'evil things'. Hehe You'll definitely l

Hey jaap,buddy, i wanna say thanks so much for the advice you have given me while i have been trying to get the finals in on my system. Its been about 3 years since ive had to do this. Again, thanks so much, i really appreciate your assistance.Maybe one day after the holiday, if you have some time, we can get together online and do a flight? :-waveSend me a email at [email protected] and or if you have msn messenger.talk to you soon. :-wave

Hi Chase, mucho thanks for your kind words. I've never endeavoured getting into online flying ...hmmm, should say, I never found it easy to do and gave up. I sincerely hope future online environments will be easier to use... I'm also a low and slow, 'strictly VFR-guy' and afraid my presence won't be appreciated online. Hehe Nevertheless, I hope I'll be able to give it a try again in the future. Are there environments without rules and/or i.e. formation flight? Also, believe it or not, forums are my only form of online communication right now. About six months ago and after 8 years of being spam-free, I got totally spammed. Consequently, I hooked up the good ol' fax machine again and informed my friends... Sometime nexteryear, I intend to go broadband and hide behind a decent firewall and NAT. Maybe then the online idea will become viable option? In case you spot a crazy Dutchman crossing your path one day, it's me!! Hehe Good luck and kind regards, talk to you soon too Jaap

hehe.. jaap, last jan, i came from a 26.8k dial up to cable. I have always enjoyed flying online because of the people you can meet and the flying you can do.Not all online enviroments are strict. Many free flight servers are avalible, and no1 cares if you fly a j3 cub out of LAX and stack up 747s behind you, or if you fly the speedy concorde and blast right between them all. If you are on a dial up, thats fine, but i could set up a server and we could maybe fly some cessna's if you would like. im not a strict person when it comes to online unless i fly IFR with online ATC.hehe.. contact me if you would like to give it a shot.Happy Holidays! :-wave

hey guysi wanna say thanks to every one that helped me and gave me advice while i was picking out my new system. I have and im installing fs now. I have allready played Delta Force: Black Hawk Down and the graphics where set by the game to the highest res, and highest detail on everything.Cant wait to see fs!Thanks again to every one who helped meI wish you all a very merry christmas.Bless you all and merry christmas! :-wave