Hi,I'm planning to build a new system for the first time, and have some basic questions -Will any current motherboard work with a DX10 graphics card for future use of DX10?For flight sim (my only game), how fast does the memory need to be? (I'm planning on 2 gig with the ability to expand to 4 gig later)I plan on keeping my old system, so I need to purchase a new win xp home - do I need to buy the full edition or can I get an OEM version? (I may upgrade to Vista later).Thanks for any help,Dale

>Hi,>>I'm planning to build a new system for the first time, and>have some basic questions ->>Will any current motherboard work with a DX10 graphics card>for future use of DX10?response:The only currently available Directx 10 Graphics cards are PCI Express [ though there is a possability, Directx 10 will be offered on a AGP graphics card ] if the motherboard is AGP it will not support Directx 10 unless Directx 10 AGP graphics cards are made available.>>For flight sim (my only game), how fast does the memory need>to be? (I'm planning on 2 gig with the ability to expand to 4>gig later)response:This question depends on whether you are purchaseing an AMD or Intel processor based rig, since Conroe is much better than an AMD Athlon 64 AM2, I will take it, you will be going for a Conroe based rig, if so then. provided you are going to overclock your processor, go for the fastest memory you can afford, since this will give you greater flexability in overclocking. If you are not overclocking don't get anything better than regular DDR2 memory. >>I plan on keeping my old system, so I need to purchase a new>win xp home - do I need to buy the full edition or can I get>an OEM version? (I may upgrade to Vista later).response:Go for the OEM XP, it is much cheaper and does exactly the same thing. You might want to take a look at Windows XP x64 Professional, [ you will need a Conroe or Athlon 64 to run Windows Professional x64 ] this can run most 32 bit programmes e.g. FS9 and FSX but will provide you with the ability to run 64 bit programmes when they arrive. >Thanks for any help,>>DaleBest and Warm RegardsAdrian Wainer

Thanks for the response Adrian,Yes, I'm planning on the Intel Core 2 E6600, and also on a MB with PCI Express. I must confess, I'm overwhelmed by the choice of motherboards. I'm thinking of going with the 965 chipset and I don't think I need SLI. From there, the more I read, the more confused I become. Any recommendations? Please bear in mind that this is my first complete PC build.Dale

>Thanks for the response Adrian,>>Yes, I'm planning on the Intel Core 2 E6600, and also on a MB>with PCI Express. I must confess, I'm overwhelmed by the>choice of motherboards. I'm thinking of going with the 965>chipset and I don't think I need SLI. From there, the more I>read, the more confused I become. Any recommendations? Please>bear in mind that this is my first complete PC build.>>DaleIf all you are interested in games-wise is FSX, then in my opinion, do not bother with SLI. It won't benefit you enough for the money unless you are planning on running a bunch of monitors. And then I don't think you'd want to run them in SLI mode anyway.If you are buying a new case also, be warned that the 8800 video cards are long (lengthwise) and so you'll need to make sure the case you buy won't be too cramped. I'd get a full tower...no mid-tower.Motherboard brands I have had success with are DFI, Abit, ASUS, and MSI. Bad results with Gigabyte. ASUS is my preferred but you may want to read up on user-reviews of the newest ASUS boards to make sure they are up to the standards of their older boards.The key is information, so soak up all ya can so that you can make informed decisions.RhettAMD 3700+ (@2585 mhz), eVGA 7800GT 256 (Guru3D 93.71), ASUS A8N-E, PC Power 510 SLI, 2gb Corsair XMS 3-3-3-8 (1T), WD 150 gig 10000rpm Raptor, WD 250gig 7200rpm SATA2, Seagate 120gb 5400 rpm external HD, CoolerMaster Praetorian

Well, I was just about to recommend the Gigabyte motherboard that I am currently using, but it appears to be on Rhett's nogo zone list ;-) With the exception of DFI, I have used all the other brands Rhett mentions, including Gigabyte, with varying degree of success, but overall mostly very positive. I'd still recommend my current motherboard as it is quite inexpensive ($99 at the Egg), is very stable, overclocks like crazy and has a middle-of-the-road set of features.My best advice is to visit the Egg's website and read recent customer reviews for any board you are seriously thinking of purchasing. Just keep in mind that people are more inclined to write a review if something is bad rather than good, but at least it will give you an idea of what issues could occur with that board.Gary

Thanks for the reply, Rhett,I'm afraid that a full tower case simply won't fit under my desk, so I'll have to go with a mid-tower. Some of the more expensive mid towers are supposed to be able to handle the longer graphics cards, but I'll check the user reviews.One of the MB's I'm considering is a MSI P965 Platinum. I'm assuming I can add a PCI card to give additional usb 2.0 ports?As far as graphic cards go, I may go with something like a Nvidia 7600 for now, and upgrade later when we see how the FSX/D10/Vista combination works out.Dale

I agree with Rhett over SLI, I have an as ASUS mobo for the 939 socket Athlon 64 and could not see any difference in performance between having 2 7600GT cards in SLI as opposed to just one single 7600GT card, that said I doubt if there is actually any performance overhead in haveing SLI slots on the mobo so if a particular board which happens to have SLI appeals to you for some other reason than its an SLI mobo, I would not go as far as excluding a board just because it is an SLI mobo, carrying on in that theme even if the board you end with is an SLI board, better buy a single Graphics card for one of the sockets than two cards for SLI.you might find this review of mobos usefulhttp://www.tomshardware.co.uk/2006/05/22/s...w_uk/page2.htmlBest and Warm RegardsAdrian Wainer

Thanks to everyone who has given me some advice. I read all the reviews on the pc hardware sites, but it's good to hear from folks who are using their systems for FS9 or FSX.I'm still comparing a few motherboards, but it looks like I can build a really nice system for about $1300 (plus shipping), based on Newegg prices. I'll give a report back when it all together.Dale

>Thanks for the response Adrian,>>Yes, I'm planning on the Intel Core 2 E6600, and also on a MB>with PCI Express. I must confess, I'm overwhelmed by the>choice of motherboards. I'm thinking of going with the 965>chipset and I don't think I need SLI. From there, the more I>read, the more confused I become. Any recommendations? Please>bear in mind that this is my first complete PC build.>>DaleThe 965 chipset is a good choice, in that the 680iSLI chipset is way over-priced for what it is,some suggestions:in the 965 chipsetAsus P5B Deluxe WiFi-AP http://www.asus.com/products4.aspx?l1=3&l2...179&modelmenu=1http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardware/Reviews/asus_p5b/and And with the 650i SLI chipset Abit Fatal1ty FP-IN 9SLIhttp://www.abit-usa.com/products/mb/produc...ies=1&model=338and just in case you might get caught-out on this one, the ECS 965PLT-A despite its name, does not have a 965 chipset but though inferior to a 965 board is at a low price point.Best and Warm RegardsAdrian Wainer

>Thanks for the reply, Rhett,>>I'm afraid that a full tower case simply won't fit under my>desk, Get a bigger desk! hahaha>so I'll have to go with a mid-tower. Some of the more>expensive mid towers are supposed to be able to handle the>longer graphics cards, but I'll check the user reviews.>You can go with a mid-tower. I run one and it could hold an 8800 card. It's just that if I had to do it over, I would probably get a full-size tower case, but that's just because I like a lot of room in a case (helps for fiddling).>One of the MB's I'm considering is a MSI P965 Platinum. I'm>assuming I can add a PCI card to give additional usb 2.0>ports?>Sure, or one of those inexpensive plug-in expanders. I have one that I am not even using right now.>As far as graphic cards go, I may go with something like a>Nvidia 7600 for now, and upgrade later when we see how the>FSX/D10/Vista combination works out.>Might not be a bad idea. It's up to you. I would probably be tempted to do the same if I were building right now, especially if the 7600 with 512 ram could be had for <$200.RhettAMD 3700+ (@2585 mhz), eVGA 7800GT 256 (Guru3D 93.71), ASUS A8N-E, PC Power 510 SLI, 2gb Corsair XMS 3-3-3-8 (1T), WD 150 gig 10000rpm Raptor, WD 250gig 7200rpm SATA2, Seagate 120gb 5400 rpm external HD, CoolerMaster Praetorian