I'm in the build-up mode, and have been doing a ton of research.My conclusion - everyone has their own opion about what works best and why. Everyone seems to have had some problem at some time with some mfg. Looks like the perfect system just doesn't exist. (Pass the aspirin!) :-newburnOne thing I've noticed on several boards, is that it's best to match the capabilities of the video board to the mother board - avoid a bottle neck at all costs. Am I to guess correctly that current top (and near) top of the line components will match up?Not being married to ASUS, Abit, DFI, Gigabyte, etc. I am primarily looking for a good match between reliability and performance (duh! isn't everyone?). Logic would seem to indicate that a board that is really designed to be overclocked should be really stable when run at stock speeds. Is that correct? (I've read that DFI is really set for OC'ing, maybe more so than ASUS and Abit.)I don't have any definate plans to over clock, but that could change over time. I don't want to rule it out.For sure:AMD's 64 CPUNot decided:X2 or not X2, 3200, 3500, 3800, etc. (All but decided on AMD's 64 X2 3800)For sure:PCI ExpressWas considering Gigabyte GeoForce 7800GTX (256M), but now I'm worried about drivers, so I'm considering something on the order of a Radeon X850 XT. (The reliability question seems to surface with the video cards more than with other components.)I'll worry about the case and ps (500W or better) after I take a few more aspirin. Oh, yeah, I'll be dropping 1G ram and an Audigy in just for grins!Are the 7800GTX's a worry with FS2004?Will the dual core CPU (not necesarily the number of cores, but the architecture) give me a difference I can see (not just measureable with utilities or with labratory equipment)?Hope I didn't ramble too much.Mark D----------------------CPU ??Mobo ??RAM ??Video ??Case ??PSU ??(I'm not about to reveal the true specs of the system I'm replacing. It hurts to even think about it!)Questions - bunches

DFI boards are tailored more towards the tweaking crowd. If you wish to overclock, these are the boards to go for. They're also pretty stable, so they're good for tweakers or non tweakers. I've always stuck with Asus boards, but their new stuff is pretty expensive, so I figured I'd invest that money saved by going with DFI and buy a more powerful CPU.After reading about the problems I wouldn't go for an nVidia 7800GTX. Bear in mind if you go for the DFI board you will need a 480w+ PSU with 24 pins. I went for the Antec NeoHE 550w. It has the 24 pin, modular cables and is quite well priced.

Hi Mark,Ease up on the aspirin or I predict that choice of hardware will be the least of your worries...lolCheers and welcome!Mike

Just finished building a new system last weekend. 1st thing take four aspirin and then give up.2nd thing It is a lot of fun to do it but be ready for some time to get everything back as you like it. It will take about a week or so depending on how much time you give to the project.I got an Asrock MB because I wanted to use my almost new ATI X800XT PE. It is AGP but I wanted to built for about two years and may want to go to PCIe in the future. This Asrock DUAL 939 will take the newest AMD processors and both AGP and PCI video cards. Check it out if you want. I thought the 3500 AMD64 was the best current value. The 2x doesn't and likely will not offer anything for FS9 or FS10.I married the board and processor with a gig of Geil 3200 from the old machine and it seems pretty good.The PSU comes with the case and is enough for most any needs at 450. I did have to go out and buy a Y power cable because I needed one more power cable with 2 Optical Drives, 2 HD's, GPU and case fan. Gosh another $4. All of this stuff from Newegg.Good luck and follow directions.I got the Antech Sonata II case because I was tired of the noise from my old Barton driven system.

Great comments from all. Tnx!The last system I built for myself was an AMD 350 (yes, that old and slow) on an ASUS P2AB. Yikes!! The decisions one has to make now days!I'll toss a coin in the next day or two and live with my decision.Too much aspirin might thin my blood so much it'll make my gums bleed, so I gotta get this nailed down pretty soon!MarkD

I too am going to build a new sys. I am in the research stage. A lot of big steps for me, AMD and ATI...imagine ME doing that! Here's the scoop:CPU: I am probably going with AMD San Diego 3800+ at 2.2 ghz. The last AMD rig I built was in 1992 or 93 so it's been awhile. But Intel CPU's just don't have it for FS right now. Also the x2's dual-core,...I am pretty well leaning AGAINST an X2 as it won't do much for FS, although, I question if it might help with, say, ASV while running FS9. And for FS10? I don't know if dual-core will help that. Anyway, for now, an AMD San Diego 3800+ at 2.2 ghz. The 2.4 ghz is $100 more expensive, probably not worth it in my opinion. I can overclock a San Diego 2.2 past that.MB: DFI? DFI did not exist (or at least I didn't know about them) 4 years ago when I built my current P4 1.8 rig. I have built systems with Asus, Abit, and MSI over the years. Tentatively Abit KN8. I'm not thinking SLI or dual-core at this point, unless I can be somehow convinced to spend $500+ on video cards when SLI won't help in FS.RAM: 2 gigs (2 x 1gb sticks) of something good. OCZ, Corsair, Mushkin. Something along those lines. Something with heat spreaders. No cheap ram for me.P/S: PC Power and Cooling 510w Turbo-Cool. Don't trust Antec and won't go with OCZ unless someone can convince me they are better...HD: 200 gb WD Caviar SATA2. Should be big enough for me, for now. Consider that I presently only have 40 gigs of Ultra-2 SCSI...Vid: Looking like ATI X1800XT or something like that. And you know it's like AMD for me...I have not used an ATI card for 10+ years. But I think now's the time. Currently use a GeForce3 Ti200 with 64 mb ram and it's dated...Case: I am going to use my current case, as I have since 1998, it's a PC Power & Cooling steel mid-tower. Old rig (P4 1.8) will get put into the cheapest ATX mid-tower case I can find and be retired to web surfing and backup.Optical: whatever, but NOT Plextor. Probably Lite-On DVD/DVD-R/CD-R/CD combo or something similar.Floppy Drive: hahaha. :) Break out my old Teac 3.5" from 1991. hahaGood luck with your build.Rhett

I've ordered most of the components.DFI LanParty nF4 Ulta-DAMD 64 X2 3800 (I know the dual cores won't help now, but I haven't been convinced that they'll hurt me and I need to think future!)SonataII case with an upgraded Antec 550W PSVideo - PowerColor X800GTO16 worked within my budget and had some nice reviews.1G of Corsair RAM - if I need more, I'll stick these in my wife's computer and buy an upgrade - again, I had to watch the budget.More SATA storage than I can throw a stick at!I'm researching the monitor now. I'm hoping to go with an LCD because of my other hobby - ham radio. They're supposed to be much kinder to sensitive receivers.Pick up a Sony DVD RW today for 59 after two rebates.Hope it all comes in this week. I've got a week off between Christmas and New Years and would love to "tinker".Oh, I also ordered FS2004 (thought that would come in handy) and XP Home. I'm considering adding Xp64 to dual boot, but that will come later.MarkDSystems specs subject to change!