Hi allI realise this is a hardware-oriented post but am hoping the mods will leave it here (rather than move it to the hardware section) to ensure that as many people as are interested get a chance to read.Intel's new Core 2 Duos are due out in the next month or so and will run with a 1333mhz FSB. X-Bit Labs have a performance preview at the following link:http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/print...2duo-e6850.htmlThey don't benchmark FSX but they do test a bunch of 3d games (along with synthetics and productivity apps) so you can get an idea of the sort of performance differences you might expect. The results are disappointing - about a 3% improvement on the current 1067mhz FSB CPUs. The CPUs do, however, look even more capable of overclocking than the current CPUs if you are that way inclined.Anyway, if you're interested, read the article - it's not too bad for a preview.Andrew

You missed the most important part. No one was expecting a big performance jump (that will come with Penryn later this year). You can't be all that disappointed with something that wasn't promising anything more.But look at the prices:"According to the preliminary data, Core 2 Duo E6850 will sell for $266, Core 2 Duo E6750 - for $183, and Core 2 Duo E6550

Point taken - I guess my view has always been that when it comes to hardware, price is pretty much irrelevant but I recognise that not everyone has the luxury of being able to think that way (I own my own company so it pays for everything plus it's tax free). I've just gotten used to thinking that way, I suppose and, yes, I tend to forget that things may not be so convenient for everyone.I would have expected a better outcome for the higher FSB but this may just be ignorance on my part when it comes to CPU performance.Andrew

>I would have expected a better outcome for the higher FSB but>this may just be ignorance on my part when it comes to CPU>performance.When you buy a CPU you have to consider the Overclock as well. These chips seems to easily overclock 1,000MHz or more on stock voltage. Firingsquad got thier E6750 up from 2.66GHz to 3.96GHZ on air cooling, which is a substantial performance increase, not the mention the FSB is at an effective 2.0GHz. I didn't think we would see a 4GHz C2D until the 45nm chips. http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/e6750_...rmance_preview/