I am building a new system. Would like opinions or experiences with latest available hardware for high end performance for both FS9 (and FSX).CPU Intel or AMD64 FX55,60, or Dual CoreHypertransportMemory - definitely will use 1 Gb, probably matched DDR Cooling (CPU)Power SupplyATI or Nvidia PCI Express x16 for video boardMotherboard - I like ASUS A8N SLI or A8N32-SLI North and Southbridge chipsetsSound cardHard Drives - SATA?OtherThanks in advance,Jay Otts

There is no telling what the best combination is going to be for FSX. Right now it looks like it's going to be a DX9 release but I wouldn't buy anything that won't support DX10 - and those boards aren't available yet. My advice? Don't do anything until at least 30 days after FSX is released.Doug

I totally agree with Doug. I have a very high end rig and I'll have to upgrade to use DX10 - wait! Regards, MichaelKDFWhttp://www.calvirair.com/mcpics/mcdcvabanner.jpgCalVirAir International

Yep, if you can wait till the end of the year or at least until the DX10 cards come out, do that... You're gonna screw yourself buying now - the CPU socket is changing soon and so is the capabilites of the video cards.If you absolutely must now though, I'd get the FX-60 (which is dual-core), 2GB of good PC3200, and a GeForce 7800 or 7900 series card. Definitely do the A8N32 over the older one too.

Thanks Doug and others for initial replies. Undeniable excellent wisdom from each. Patience still a virtue!Jay

Hey Jay,Nice, i am also building a new system... This is what is have right now:Motherboard ASUS A8N SLI2x SATA Hitachi Dekstar T7K250 160 Gig (RAID Configuration)nVidia EVGA GeForce 7800 GT CO x162 gigs TWINMOS Matched Pair (4x 512) (works pretty fine with A8N SLI)Soundcard onboardPower Suply is an Cooler Master 450 watt RS 450 ACLY(but you better take 500w or even better, 550w.The processor is alot of money so i'm thinking about the AMD 64 X2 3800+. That wil work fine to me. I'm also thinking about to buy one EVGA 7800 in the future. Dubbel fun !!Succes with buying and keep me posted.Kevin.

Don

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. The PC business is worse than buying a new car. Unlike a car which begins depreciating in value as soon as you drive it off the lot, PC electronics seem to become obsolete while you are still deciding what to build!Jay

If you buy a very good everything except for a cheaper video card (make sure it is pci express though) you will be set for FSX. You will only need to upgrade your video card when the DX10 ones come out. The difference between, say a powerful CPU somewhere around 3ghz will be perfectly fine for FSX.

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Thanks again to submitters. Keep it coming. These are excellent suggestions, all worthy of consideration. To wait or not to wait? That is the question. There are pros and cons either way. I have been saving for quite a while to build the best high end performance system - that is, marked at some given point in time. As we all know, performance and options in electronics change in a blink of an eye these days. The savings are starting to heat up my pocket.Jay

Alex-Your thoughts on cpu's? Intel, which one, or AMD, which one?Jay

Everyone's opinions are being taken seriously. Please, no one feel as if your opinion is no more or no less important.Another age old question - Nvidia or ATI video card?Jay

>Everyone's opinions are being taken seriously. Please, no>one feel as if your opinion is no more or no less important.>heh. :) Ok. In that case, I will add this: If you're building right now, get 2 gigs of ram. (In a matched pair of 1 gig sticks). You will THANK yourself next year for the 2 gigs of ram.That was mentioned earlier in this thread by someone else, but I think that it should be emphasized...>Another age old question - Nvidia or ATI video card?>>JayNow THAT is like asking paper or plastic in the grocery store. Or choosing fudge vs. chocolate. I run an eVGA 7800GT (a "co" model with a slight factory overclock). As was said, I'm not that worried about FSX. It will ship as a DX9 game. Any of today's high end cards will beat FSX like a drum. Think about what type of hardware FSX is being tested on.Rhett

personally I like AMD, its cheaper, and fast. But Intel runs a little cooler. If you have a good custom case with a few fans, and dont mind buying an addon heatsink, then stick with AMD. I went with the FX-55 a year ago and still love it. Although I hear the the fx-65 runs cooler. but prepare to spend almost a grand on a good chip. Buy a motherboard with pci-express x16 capabilities, and try not to get a mobo with too many extras. I love my epox motherboard, forgot the exact model number, something kn-ultra3Having pci-express capabilities will allow you to in the future upgrade your monitor if you want dx10 support.