Hi folks -I know this is a common question, but I'd really appreciate your advice on what harware I should buy to upgrade my system.I've just bought a 20' TFT which runs at 1600x1200.I now want to upgrade my system, and have approx

Hi and welcome to the forums.Your question is an issue that is in a state of limbo right now. While dual core and SLI offer great promise, there are very few apps (and even fewer games) that take advantage of the new technology.FS9 will not take advantage of dual core or (Nvidia) SLI. Both are simply wasted on this sim. Now, the question is will the next generation of sim utilize these technologies? No one has the answer at this time.At this time the Athlon +64 4000 San Diego offers great bang for the buck. And it will run most games on the shelf today extremely well (given that the rest of the system is up to the task... more on that in a minute). It offers basically the same performance of the original FX-53 for much less money. And the Sandy's overclclock well.With regard to a video card, certainly the priority should be buying one that can adequately feed your new monitor. At this time that means something on the order of an nVidia 6800 (or, even better, the 7800) or the ATI 850XT or better. These top of the line cards can better handle the high resolution of your monitor.A final word about the system... a great gaming system is all about balance. Having a fast CPU bundled with a medicore video card is money wasted. The priorities (not in any given order) should be motherboard, CPU, memory (stay away from the "Value" stuff), video card. Coupling these four components in a way that compliment each other is the best path toward success (certainly there are other important pieces to the puzzel, but these four top my list). The final most important component on my list is the PSU. Putting well balanced components into the case and then trying to making them all work together happily driven from a cheapo power supply will lead to much frustration and grey hair (or loss of hair).Generally speaking, a great gaming rig is a collection of great components.Hope this helps,Greg

Thanks Greg - really appreciate you taking the time to offer such a comprehensive response.