When reading about what components to build a machine for FSx, I have read a lot about what CPU or GPU to buy -- but what about other considerations. For example - it appears that the Core 2 Duo 6600 is marginally faster than the AMD 6000x2 (at the same price at my local computer store) - but what about considerations like noise, heat generation, suitability of stock coolers, matching of CPUs to GPUs (Eg should AMD be matched to ATI, Intel to NVidea?) What about power supplies - does Intel require less power than AMD?Any difference in RAM requirements between Intel and AMD? Any discussion on these kind of matters would be much appreciated.barry

Hi Barry,Intel's Core 2 Duo processors run cooler, faster and use less power than any of their AMD counterparts. If the price of the two are equal, Intel should be your choice, hands down. This is not just my opinion, but has been demonstrated ad nauseum in a multitude of website reviews.The stock cooler will protect your processor at it's rated speed. Any thoughts of overclocking will require a more robust aftermarketsolution. The stock cooler is relatively quiet and so are some of the aftermarket models. Most of the higher rated coolers have quiet 120mm fans with support for variable speed settings.Case ventilation is important in keeping your equipment cool, as videocards, processors and hard drives generate a lot of heat. Modern chipsets support nVidia and AMD/ATI videocards without exception. There is no reason to favor one over the other except in desired features.Power supplies for both systems are identical, will have an impact on system stability and should be chosen carefully. Power requirements of the system in its entirety should play into your decision.The Intel and AMD processors to which you refer both use DDR2 RAM. Regards,Jim KarnNOTHING is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.

Thanks for that JimBarry

But Conroe pulls way ahead of the AMD processor when they are overclocked.Best and Warn RegardsAdrian Wainer

Get the fastest cpu you can afford.Skimp on the video card, go for raw cpu power.RhettAMD 3700+ (@2310 mhz), eVGA 7800GT 256 (Guru3D 93.71), ASUS A8N-E, PC Power 510 SLI, 2 GB Corsair XMS 2.5-3-3-8 (1T), WD 250 gig 7200 rpm SATA2, CoolerMaster Praetorian case