I'm curious to know what people's experience has been running both FS9 and FSX on any of the Dell XPS desktop systems?My current system, about 5 years old, has an Intel 2.53 Ghz P IV, 1.5 GB ram, and a very dated GeForce TI 4400 Graphics card. When it's behaving well, I can get acceptable performance out of it, but over time it begins to suffer. I am one of the group of people who doesn't necessarily want to spend a vast majority of my time researching what components would work best, as every time I try, there's a multitude of suggestions and recommendations out there. Unless someone out there can suggest/recommend/build one, I'd rather start with a base system and start building any knowledge on that foundation.In a nutshell, what I'm looking for is a system that can handle a well stocked FS9 with little to no performance issues, as well as, have some potential for handling FSX. From what I've been reading, there are few systems out there which can handle it well. I'd at least like to have a fighting chance in the near future, ie. be able to handle first gen dx10.The thinking is that with a system per the above, at worst, I can have a near flawlessly working FS9, with the potential of an acceptable FSX experience in the near future. Yes, I could wait a couple more months to see what FSX w/ DX10 brings. But in the very possible chance there's nothing dramatic to come of it, and performance is still lacking, I've wasted that much time where I could have at least been enjoying FS9 just well I would be months from now.Finally, I won't go so far as to so money isn't an option. I'd of course like to keep the price reasonable, but if it will cost a little extra to get the requested performance, that will at least justify the extra cost.Just wondering what sort of insight people might be able to bring to these inquiries.Thanks-Joe

I have the Dell XPS 710H2C system which was their most powerful system until a couple of weeks ago when the XPS 720 was released. The 720 has the latest NVIDIA motherboard installed as well as the various Intel chipsets/processors. I am very satisfied with my system now that NVIDIA and Creative Soundblaster have updated their drivers for Vista 32 OS's. A month or two ago I would have had a totally different opinion of my system. It runs FSX extremely well but I still can't set my sliders to 100% autogen, AI traffic, land vehicles and ships. But I have Ultimate Terrrain, Ultimate Traffic, ActiveSky X, Graphics X, LevelD 767, and some MegaScenery and my FPS are always above 30 (FPS set at Unlimited) when flying, looking around, and in nasty weather. But, around major airports, like Seattle and Los Angeles, my frames drop to around 15 until I get in the air. That's still acceptable to me and I believe that will get better as the video card drivers mature and the Vista OS.I like Dell. My previous system I built myself and it worked well but I decided I had enough education putting a system together. If you haven't visited any Dell forums, they recently admitted to providing a less than advertised system to XPS 700 owners and are upgrading their motherboards and processors to the latest (what's in the XPS 720). This at NO cost as installation is free. I don't think any other computer manufacturer has gone this far to make their customers happy. They also believe people who own systems like mine had older motherboards and not the latest technology and are offering to upgrade those systems to the latest and greatest at discounted prices to be determined soon. I will probably take up their offer to upgrade my motherboard to the NVIDIA 680iSLI as I currently have the NVIDIA 590SLI installed.I guess DX10 technology will have its rough edges when it first arrives with FSX but, as the video card drivers mature and updates to DX10 software/programming, it will get much better. I can definitely assure you that there will be a massive amount of complaints when DX10 for FSX arrives later this year no matter how good it is. I believe the XPS 720 system (expensive just like mine) will provide you with the power you'll need for the future.EDIT: Forgot to mention, my sytem, the Dell XPS710H2C was the first system certified by Microsoft for FSX. Details are on the Dell site.Best regards,JimMy System:Intel Core2 Extreme processor X6800 w/Dual Core Technology and 4MB Cache (2.93GHz Overclocked by Dell at 3.46GHz)4GB DDR2 SDRAM at 667 MHz30" Dell 3007WFP MonitorDual 768MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800GTXSATA2 Hard Drives configured with RAID0Creative X-FI Extreme Music Sound Card1K Watt Power SupplyAgeia PhysX ProcessorVista Home Premium OS

Jim - Very impressive system you have there.As a result of your post I went to the Dell site and have been drooling over the XPS 720 H2C system. I was going to wait till mid 08, well after DX10 and a Vista SP - plus updated drivers for everything, to even consider a new box, but this looks pretty furure proof!! I'm getting an itchy trigger finger trying to make FXS perform properly with addons.I think the consensus would be------wait, however.Scott

If you're confident enough to build your own system then you can get an equivalent to the DELL XPS at 60% of the price. However...it will be very difficult to match the DELL for quietness....They are extremely quiet for the power they chuck out. 1KW power supply and 2 8800GTX and they're barely audible.To answer your original question..the XPS720 will run FS9 flawlessly and will give FSX a good run for the money. I have built a FS system using a top-spec XPS710 and it runs FSX really well with the sliders on 50% (some higher) 15-30 FPS at SeattleRegardsJim

Jim - I've never even looked inside the box (Okay, I peeked once)! I wouldn't have the slightest clue how to build one! Maybe just a small clue. I tried to read a *How To* on THG once-- and lost interest very quickly.Scott

Jim,Thanks a lot for the response. It was spot on to what I was looking (and hoping) for. Definitely some very positive comments on the system, more so then I would've thought.Biggest hurdle now would be to figure out if I can part with the amount of money. Actually sounds like it may be worth it. Still, that's a large chunk of change to be parting with. At least I have some good feedback to consider, though.

Ya know, I'm not sure if that's quite right...I've tried and tried through the years to price out systems on newegg vs. Dell. Dell always wins because of the OS etc. You gotta shell out around 100 bucks (ok 85) for XP. Maybe on the high end you can win with a newegg config'd system, but for mainstream stuff I've always had trouble beating their configs.but yeah, building your own is more fun hahah!

OK priced it up on the US site a DELL XPS720 with 1KW PSU, X6800, 2GB RAM, 8800GTX and 2x320GB hard drives will cost $3669.Newegg:Equivalent system with same or better components including operating system $2626... a saving of over $1000SAMSUNG 18X DVD

Jim -That looks great, cost wise, but I have neither the skills/knowledge nor the patience/desire to put it together. I certainly do admire those who do, but I would rather pay a reliable company like Dell to do it, tune it and guarantee it with in home tech service. Heck, at my age I don't even buy green bananas!Scott PS - I want the 720 H2C one for $6,800!