I am going to buy a new PC (not laptop) and I would like to know what specs should it have to run FSX in its full glory. It must be Vista.Stelios

If you are happy to overclock, the following bang-for-buck rig will get you somewhere between 3.2-3.6GHz quad core DX10 power for around $1300:http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wishli...tNumber=6548852If you don't want to overclock, this is your best bang-for-buck, being a 3GHz dual core DX10 system weighing in at $1150:http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wishli...tNumber=6551312Of course, if money is no option, then you can up the spec on the motherboard, memory and video card a little more, but that will be lots more bucks for neglible (<5%) FSX performance gain.GaryPS. Hardware forum, here we come!

I'd start with the latest Penryn quad core processor. If that is too expensive, either wait for lower end Penryns to be released or get the fastest Conroe core 2 duo that you can afford. If going Vista (IMHO not worth the hassle, DX10 FSX is so porked) then 4 GB of the fastest DDR2 RAM you can afford (preferably a name brand like Corsair). I don't think DDR3 is worth it yet. If the system is only for FSX, then back off on the graphics card and get a new 8800GT, it should be good enough. For hard drives, 2x Western Digital Raptors at 150 GB each x 10,000 rpm will mean fastest possible loading times. The power supply needs to be more than 550 Watts, from a reputable supplier like Antec or Seasonic. The motherboard could be an Intel X38 or an nVidia 680i SLI, depending on the CPU choice. The monitor needs to be about 24 inch with a native resolution of at least 1920 x 1200, unless you buy a top end 8800GTX Ultra graphics card capable of higher resolution and spend a lot more on a 30 inch monitor. This is not such a good idea right now, as the 8800GTX cards are last generation and a refresh is due in Q1 2008. The case should be fitted with 1 or 2 big, slow fans, Antec P180 or better.By the way, this needs to go in the hardware forum, as I'm sure the moderators will tell you.Cheers,Noel.

>If you are happy to overclock, the following bang-for-buck>rig will get you somewhere between 3.2-3.6GHz quad core DX10>power for around $1300:>>http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wishli...tNumber=6548852>>If you don't want to overclock, this is your best>bang-for-buck, being a 3GHz dual core DX10 system weighing in>at $1150:>>http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wishli...tNumber=6551312>>Of course, if money is no option, then you can up the spec on>the motherboard, memory and video card a little more, but that>will be lots more bucks for neglible (<5%) FSX performance>gain.>>Gary>>PS. Hardware forum, here we come!Those look like good builds, but I think for possible future expansion such as SLI (Not for FS9 or FSX obviously, but maybe for over Games/Apps.) if he could afford it maybe a larger PSU such as 750W model would be better, and maybe a larger HD. Me I went the prebuilt route again, since I had good experience (Performance wise) with my Gateway, which unfortunately ate the big one in a lightning stike! Of course that's the one thing my accidental warranty didn't cover! This time I went with Dell since Gateway doesn't offer E6850 systems, also I'm not thrilled of Gateway being taken over by Acer!

looks good, cept I'd up the anty on the PSU....500w? A little low eh?

This is purely for an FSX optimised rig, so SLI was not a consideration and hence 500W is more than adequate to meet this rig's requirement. I use a 480W PSU myself with no issue, and really its all about how much juice the video card needs on the 12V line, so an 8800 GT, which uses less juice than the 8800 GTS that I have, would work just as well. Basically, as long as you have 26A on the 12V rail, all will be good, no matter what the wattage of the PSU.Gary

>looks good, cept I'd up the anty on the PSU....500w? A>little low eh?>In my opin, with any decent p/s, no need to go over 500 unless you are running SLI and a bunch of hard drives and overclock.For instance I feel that my PC Power 510 is overkill for my current and proposed future config.Maybe if I ran a Prescott core cpu/aka space heater I might think otherwise. :)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