OK,Here is my system, and it is only 5 months old:Intel 2Duo Processor E6700 (2.66GHZ, 1066FSB) with 4MB Cache;4GB DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz; 1GB NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GX2 Dual-GPU Graphics Card; 500GB Serial ATA II Hard Drive (7200 RPM); X-Fi PCI Sound Card.I called Dell to see if I could upgrade to a Nvidia 8800 card, since it is a DirectX 10 card. They told me the Nividia 7950 GX2 has only one connection, and the 8800 has one to the motherboard as well (total 2); therefore, I cannot upgrade to this card.I certainly don't want to buy another computer just to be able to get DirectX 10 later this year. Do you think there will be fast cards available from Nvidia other than the 8800 that will be compatible with my system, or is this a question I should direct to someone else. It's almost impossible to get Nvidia to talk to you.ps. And I'm not always so sure the people you initially talk to at Dell have all the right answers, either. Stan

More DX10 compliant video cards should be on the scene by the time FSX has been programmed to work with DX10 later this year. You didn't mention your operating system but you will need the new Vista OS since DX10 can only work in that OS. I don't understand why you cannot upgrade to the 8800 GTX cards though. Just remove the 7950's and replace them with the 8800's in a SLI config. That will be expensive though and you might think about removing the 7950's and replacing them with one 8800 or one of the future DX10 compliant NVIDIA cards. Best regards,Jim

Hi Stan,I think what Dell's tech support thought you meant was that you wanted to add an additional card. If you are removing the GX2 and replacing it with an 8800, you should have no problem. Your motherboard may not have two PCIe slots where you can run two cards simultaneously in SLI mode. FS9/FSX isn't coded for it anyway.Get Vista in order to run DX10, either through a retail channel, or perhaps Dell will offer it to you as a free upgrade, given the length of time you've owned the computer.Regards,Jim Karn

Dell have just announced the intention to offer OEM computers loaded with Linux nistead of Windows. You bet your bibby that MS wil be trying their darndest to persuade them otherwise, so there ought to be a good chance for a bit of `negotiation` and a free or low-cost copy of Vista later in the year.But why are you thinking now about DX10? The very earliest we will be seeing the DX10 patch for FSX is the end of the year, and given the ACES track record no-one should be in a rush to spend money on hardware this side of its release (and probably a patch or two eh?). WAIT until the patch is released, Vista is not giving up any more surprises and has itself been patched to offer the degree of security all the paranoid measures in the OS were supposed to supply, but haven't, and the impact of a major manufacturer offering Linux systems starts to have an effect on market prices. At the moment, MS is buoyed by PR BS about the `success` of Vista, but it can't last. My local mega-sized hardware store is 30% below estimate on sales figures for Vista, according to a friend of mine. Vista is a lemon, and if it loses its OE impact it's in very serious trouble.Also the new 8600 cards will be established in the market by then. Based on what I have found researching so far, there is nothing in now-FSX or DX10-FSX that will push the limits of the 8800 card, the game just isn't that sophisticated, visually. Possibly the lower-prioced card might offer all the performance you will need, at the then deflated-price.In any case it will be better to wait until MS have actually delivered the package to be able to see for yourself whether the bang-per-buck is actually beneficial - you will spend more than 250 bucks on a card and Vista, thats a lot unless DX10 enahnces your FSX experience three-fold or more. And there are no, none, nada, impressions available of a real FSX/DX10 screenshot to make comparisons, nor any promises or estimations from ACES as to what it will contain, what its advantages might be, or if any new features will be implemented - the DX10 patch is still in the planning or early-development stage because the emphasis is on SP1.It is pointless and foolhardy to try to second-guess what DX10 means for FSX at this time, or to prepare for it.Allcott

Jim,I'll guess that the problem is the PSU. The 8800GTX card needs two PCI-E power connectors while the 7950 only need one. Maybe the Dell pc in question hasn't got a capable PSU. Another thing is that the 8800 card is a bit longer and doesn't fit in all cases.Ulf B :-)

Thanks for the input, everyone. I am running Vista. What I'm looking for in the future (and I can surely wait....but want to do it) is the ABILITY to upgrade the 7950 dual card to one that will be more powerful and be able to be plugged into my computer case with ease. Hopefully, there will be choices. I wonder if ATI will catch up to NVidia in this area? Stan

If Ulf is right in guessing if there is a problem with using an 8800 in your rig, it is that the 8800 needs two PCI-E power connectors and your present PSU might only have one PCI-E cable, a possability may be to upgrade your PSU, if a PSU upgrade is the issue be advised that Dell machines use propietary [ ie non standard ] to Dell PSUs.Best and Warm RegardsAdrian Wainer

First of all, you don't buy a computer off the rack. That's exactly the reason why not. But...that's my personal opinion.Anyway, your system is able to fit a 8800. There are numerous adapters out there which can supply power to the card. The 8800 needs ony one additional power line from a regular PCI-E plug from the supply, so whatever Dell told you is incorrect. Your power supply should be able to handle it, as long as it 500W+.Pat

Thanks for the info.I will check it out completely and not necessarily believe the first guy at Dell who talks to me. Stan

Most dell machines only come with a 410 watt power supply which wont cut it for an 8800gtx. My old dell xps with a 3.6ghz processor ran my 8800gts just fine so you might want to think about that instead of a gtx. It only takes one power supply plug and doesnt use nearly as much power as the gtx. It is also nearly as fast when overclocked. The 8800gtx probably wouldnt even fit in your case because the gts barely fit in my dell xps case. Personally i think the gtx is a waste of money over a gts and recommend all the time for people to go the gts route.

DEll PSU upgrade possabilitieshttp://www.hothardware.com/forum/messagevi...&threadid=25080Best and Warm RegardsAdrian Wainer