Hi everyone.I'm having the same performance issues as most people using FSX, and am looking to upgrade my video card. I was going to go all out and get a PCI Express 1950XTX until I found out that my A8V Deluxe motherboard didn't support PCI Express cards. So, now I'm looking for the top of the line AGP card and am hoping to get some suggestions. To me the X850 256MB and the X1600 512MB look good, but I'm not sure which one to pick.My current specs are:Asus A8V Deluxe with WiFiAMD FX-53 @ 2.4 gHz2 GB dual channel RAM (I forget the brand, sorry)ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MBI'm averaging around 10-15 fps with all the tweaks, but I find all of my textures are ALWAYS blurry. I think it could be from the small amount of memory on the card.What does everyone think? Thanks!Jeff

Jeff,I have a P4 3.0 with 2GB and the same video card you have now. I also want to wait to upgrade my system. Next year I plan to replace the whole thing.After much research, I decided on an X800 XT (similar specs to the X850 XT). In fact, I found that you can get the All In Wonder version, which has the same 3D specs as the non-AIW version, for $160 online. I plan to use this card later in a PVR.Why this card? The 512 VRAM just didn't seem to be necessary yet. While I couldn't find any specific figures on FSX memory utilization(anyone konw of a good memory utility for DirectX that shows utilized/available VRAM?), every post I find on 256 vs 512 doesn't show a significant performance difference, even with massive texture games running full AA/AF at very high resolutions. On the other hand, I/O to the video card is very much tied to performance. FSX makes MANY calls to the video card (try using Windows performance monitor and see), so improving I/O was a priority. The X800 has excellent I/O for an AGP card with 16 pipelines. It also has a fast GPU and processor, and can be overclocked easily.For the money, and sticking with ATI, this looked like my best bet. Just my 2 cents.Glenn

"The X800 has excellent I/O for an AGP card with 16 pipelines. It also has a fast GPU and processorYup, I can vouch for that :)MikeASRock 939Dual-SATA2, AMD Athlon 64X2 3800+ (2000MHz)(K8 Manchester), 2GB Crucial PC3200 DDR400 Ram 1CMD (Dual Channel), (AGP 8X) Saphire ATI Radeon X800 XL (R430) 256MB (Omega 3.8.273 (Catalyst 6.7), Hyundai ImageQuest Q17 17" TFT LCD 20ms Monitor (1280x1024x32), SB Audigy2 ZS (Drivers version 5.12.0001.1164 WHQL), WD Caviar SE16 250GB (WD2500KS) SATA2 + Hitachi Deskstar 7K80 UDMA133 (80 GB), ASUS DRW-1608P2S Optical Drive, Antec P150 case with NeoHE 430W PSU, CH Products USB Yoke, Pedals and Fighterstick, Plantronics Headset and Mike combo, TrackIR Pro ver. 4.1 (build 28), Logitech MX1000 Laser Mouse, Windows XP Home Edition (SP2), DirectX 9.0c, AGP Aperture = 128MB

Thanks for the replies guys. Gives me a good idea what to look for.Jeff

OK so how would the 256MB All in Wonder X800 compare to the 512MB X1600. Just looking around, and it seems pretty hard to find an X800 with a reputable name attached to it. Is anyone still making them? Thanks!Jeff

Jeff,For FS, either FS9 or FSX, absolutely 100% go for the higher memory card. 512 mb card.RhettAMD 3700+ (@2.5 ghz), eVGA 7800GT 256 (94.47), ASUS A8N-E, PC Power 510 SLI, 2 GB Corsair XMS 3-3-3-8, WD 250 gig 7200 rpm SATA2, CoolerMaster Praetorian