>Hi Noel,>>No-one seems to list the clock multipliers but I doubt it>would be different for the E8400 compared to the E6850.>>I've also decided on a change of graphics card. ATI have just>released the HD3870X2 with two GPUs and 1Gb of RAM and for

>My current FS system is now four years old and despite>changing the graphics card (to support a 24" display) and>increasing the RAM to 3Gb I feel it's taken me as far as it>can.>>I do have FSX but because of my hardware I cannot enjoy the>experience. FS9 has been transformed with Ultimate Terrain,>GE, Ultimate Traffic and FS Global and many 3rd party>airports. But I have to avoid the larger airports (EGLL, KLAX,>KORD) because the frame rate drops to single figures. I fly>the PMDG737 (80%) and Concorde (20%). The PSS Concorde is not>available for FSX but even if it were I would be reluctant to>dump FS9 as it still looks good and I have invested so much in>it.>>So, I'm looking at building a new system primarily for FS9 to>last until FSXI arrives in 2-3 years but also for occasional>FSX use.>>I've decided on the following components to run under XP:->>Antec Sonata III case 500 Watt PSU>Asus P5K Premium Wi-Fi AP mobo>2Gb Corsair XMS2-8500 RAM>BFG 8800GTX 768Mb>500Gb Hitachi Deskstar>Zalman CNPS9700LED cooler>>However, where I cannot decide is what processor to get. I'm>stuck between the Core2Duo E6850 3Ghz running at 1333FSB and>Core2 Quad Q6600 2.4Ghz running at 1066FSB. Pricewise there's>nothing between them.>>I cannot work out if the higher FSB of the E6850 will>outperform the Q6600 or whether the Quad processor will>outperform the Duo. Whilst FSX can take advantage of multiple>core processors I doubt FS9 can so in order to maximise my>frame rates and overall performance does it make sense to go>for the Core2Duo with faster FSB and clock speed?>>Finally, I run all other FS-related software on a second PC so>this one will only be running FS9 and the Project Magenta>MCP.>>Advice appreciated please.Ray,I'd go for the E6850 as well. You might also consider the E8400 45nmCraigLian Li PC 65B CaseCorsair HX Series CMPSU-620HX 620W Power SupplyPlextor PX-810SA/SW-BL DVD/CDGiagabyte GA-P35-DS3RCrucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)Arctic Freezer 7 ProIntel E6850 Core 2 Duo 3.0 GHz 4M shared L2 Cache OC @ 3.6 GHzEVGA 7950GT KO 512mb 169.21_forceware whqlSeagate Barracuda 7200.10 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATASeagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATAWinXP Pro SP2

Ray, Even with overclocking I have yet to hit 60C and that is on air. The Tjunction is 100 and it will shut itself down before letting me fry it. That's the beauty of today's procsessors. They outwit even the most ardent overclockers screw ups. CraigLian Li PC 65B CaseCorsair HX Series CMPSU-620HX 620W Power SupplyPlextor PX-810SA/SW-BL DVD/CDGiagabyte GA-P35-DS3RCrucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)Arctic Freezer 7 ProIntel E6850 Core 2 Duo 3.0GHz 4M shared L2 Cache @ 3.6 GHzEVGA 7950GT KO 512mb 169.21_forceware whqlSeagate Barracuda 7200.10 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATASeagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATAWinXP Pro SP2

Hi Noel,800 would work) you will see a clock speed of 3.6GHz.<>I have two other PCs for those and Project Magenta. All that the FS PC will be running is FS and the PM MCP. So really I'll have five cores spread over 3 PCs. :-)<

Craig,Current plans are to go with the E8400 Penryn. I hadn't appreciated how close they are to release. :-beerchug

That's comforting to know. Thanks Craig. Your case is top quality and the Arctic Freezer is a monster which probably explains why it remains so cool.Do you rate the Antec Nine Hundred/Ultimate Gamer case with a 620 watt Corsair PSU? I need something large enough to accommodate the HD3870X2.Cheers,

>I appreciate all your advice Noel. My original plans have>changed considerably in just a few days based in no small>measure to the knowledgeable folk here. :-)In the end it's always a personal decision based on our perceived needs, so I'm happy you have a sense of what you need.My typical rebuild interval has become longer and longer the further along we've come. 15 years ago it seems like you would do a pretty signficant upgrade every 2 years. Current machines do an awful lot, so I suspect I will wear this thing out just about as I did my 5 y/o past system, which went to my beloved spouse. If writing for multicore makes a breakthrough at all in the next 5 years then the higher end quad core will only have its service life extended. I'm happy they run so very cool, I think it bodes well for longevity. QX9650 @ 4.0GHz/1.285 vCore / 8GB PC-800 Mushkin (cheap!) / evga 8800GT @ 660Mhz / 2xSATA 2 drives /

I'd agree about the longevity of newer PCs. I don't have a spouse to pass old kit along to but having made the decision to network my three computers (2 desktop, 1 laptop) it helps enormously with FS addons.My oldest PC is an 8-year old Athlon 2000XP which will now be retired.

Ray, It looks like a nice case. The one criteria I had when looking for a new case was that it have a removable motherboard tray. Sure makes it a lot easier when assembling a new machine. I have had no problems with the Corsair. I would buy one again. Craig

Hi Craig,I've changed my mind (again) over the case. I'm now going for the Antec P182 reviewed here. http://www.xsreviews.co.uk/reviews/cases/antec-p182/1It gets a 10/10 score which suggests it gets most things right. It doesn't have a removeable motherboard tray but that's never been a problem so far - touch wood.:-hah