HiLooks like I posted this in the wrong forum so here it is aain...I've started accumulating components for a new system to replace my current PC and I've reached the point where the next items risk introducing incompatibilities.I have already got:- a Superflower case- a Thermaltake 420W PSU- a Maxtor Diamondmax 10 200GB SATA NCQ disk- a Samsung Spinpoint 160GB SATA disk- a Sony DRU720A DVD writerThe PC is going to be used for more than gaming, and it is not going to be used for hard-out RPG like Doom, but it is going to do a lot of flight simulation (with a lot of scenery add-ons). Plus some video.I don't think I can afford to buy the complete package of the latest greatest 64bit chips, an SLI Mobo, 4GB RAM and two state of the art graphics cards right now, but I'd like to leave the door as wide open as I can for future upgrades.What recommendations would you make?ThanksTrevor

Well First it would be nice to know your budget, I managed to build a nice comp for 1100, in stores woulda cost 3500-4000 so

I don't have a fixed budget figure in mind, but I would find it hard to justify spending thousands on a video card by itself. Bear in mind that I'm in NZ so (a) prices are highre than USA (:( what's available is a bit diminished.The PC will not be a hardcore gaming machine so I'm tending P4 over Athlon. But FS is a big factor as that's the major leisure activity it will be used for. What's more important - CPU? Graphics? Onboard memory?The buzz is about SLI at the moment, is that a big deal for FS? Or might it be for FS 2006?Should I hang out for a 64bit P4 or is that not so important?Then I am led to believe that certain MB/CPU/video/memory combinations leverage each other far better than others. I obviously don't want to end up buying expensive components that don't work well together.ThanksTrevor

My recommendation is for a PCI-E Socket 939 motherboard, 1G dual channel RAM (2 x 512M), an ATI X8x0 graphics card (fastest you can afford) and a 3200+ (or 3500+ if you can afford it) Athlon 64. Rationale: FS is primarily CPU bound and Athlon 64's kick major butt in the gaming arena, especially for the $$ outlaid. Also, a socket 939 motherboard will give you an upgrade path in future should the next version of FS support dual core (or at the very least you can run addons on one core and FS dedicated to the other). The X8x0 will give you max FPS at the penalty of some shimmer vs nVidia offerings. SLI is a non-event for FS2004 and IMO will probably also be a non-event for FS10 given the primarily CPU bound nature of this game. 1G RAM is plenty for FS, even with a bunch of add-ons.Gary