I am in the process of building a brand new computer and would like specs on what will make FS9 sizzle. At this point, I will not be using Vista and because I fly in the real world, I have no interest in completely throwing out all my add-ons and upgrading to FSX. I'd rather just stay with FS9 for a while longer. BTW, this will also be an XP machine.Because I am starting from scratch, I want to build a rig that will not stutter and give me frame rates under 20 fps. So, I need recommendations on processor, RAM size, video card and anything else you think I should know. I already know that a quad core processor will not work very well for my needs. How about a duo core? I appreciate the input.

FS9? Hm...let's see...Processor? A Core 2 Duo will be sufficient, if it has a high clock speed because FS9 only recognizes one core. I recommend the new 45nm 3.0 GHz Core 2 Duo E8400 with a 1333 MHz FSB. It's good for Vista (I know it says you won't be using it, but just saying), too. Be sure to get a motherboard which supports it.RAM? 1 GB of RAM is actually sufficient for FS9, but today's standard is 2 GB of DDR2-667 or similar. I recommend 2 GB because XP will need the extra RAM to do background tasks. Vista? 3 GB.Video Card? If you're sticking with DirectX 9 and XP, an nVidia 7800 GTX or 7900 GS is perfect. Even an nVidia 6800 is good. 256 MB of onboard RAM will do. Vista? At least an nVidia 8500 GT with 512 MB onboard RAM.Hard Disk? Size is up to you, but be sure to get at least a 7200 RPM drive, and a buffer size of 16 MB is very good, but 8 MB will do.Power Supply? A PSU which can support all your components idling and loaded. At your range, I recommend 600-700 W power supply.Let me know how else I can help, and if this is considered overkill, I will edit it to make it less expensive.BoeingGuy

For figuring PSU requirements this Power Supply Calculator is useful.

Here you go. Your requirements are virtually identical to mine. I just ordered a system similar to the one below. You can add many extras but I just wanted to give you a good start. I added a few options to mine but the basic system is the same. I ordered mine with these guys after about 6 mos of research. My experience with them, thus far, has been beyond outstanding. Lifetime tech support too. You can check them out at http://www.resellerratings.com/store/AVA_DirectA big plus for me is that while they specialize in gaming pc's they also have some serious business and DoD contracts. I'm comfortable that they will be there if/when I need them. Misha is great to work with. If you drop the Raptor drive, you'll be around $2000 sans Keyboard and monitor. They will get the 8400 up to a rock solid, 24/7 stable 3.66 Ghz. Clock speed is everything for FS9. Like you, I'm not dumping my near pro setup for FSX. Nice eye candy but...Best Regards,Jeff$2285.47 @ http://www.avadirect.com/INTEL, Core

It seems with a duo core processor, I can configure FS9 to run on one core and XP to run on the other correct?Thanks to of all of you for your input. This helps quite a bit.

You can Rob. I do run that way sometimes. My current system (not the one I posted above) gives me mixed results. That is to say that I find some aircraft do better if I leave it on both cores. My aircraft with RealityXP GPS seems to benifit from both cores though this could also have something to do with my system as well. I honestly don't believe that with the system I posted, FS9 will give you any reason to worry about it. FSX yes but FS9 should scream. When I do set affinity, I keep FS9 on core 0 and my addons run on core 1. Others recommend the opposite though, so it really comes down to what works best for YOU.Regards,Jeff