I have been contemplating building my own machine for FSX and the new PDMG MD11.However I have seen the following machine available at what I think is a bargain price. I would be grateful if someone could look it over to check whether it is likely to more than adeqately run FSX and the new PDMG MD11.Intel Core2Duo E8400 LGA775 # Dual Core 3.0Ghz Processor (Overclocked to 3.6Ghz for improved system performance)6Mb Cache# 1333Mhz FSB SpeedArticCooling Freezer7pro Heatsink & Fan Motherboard Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3 ATX MotherboardIntel P45 + ICH9 Chipset Memory 4Gb DDR2 800Mhz Memory Graphics Card ATI Radeon HD4870 512Mb Case & Power Supply Gigabyte Titan 180 Black ATX Tower Case With 650w Quiet PSU Hard Disk Drive 750Gb SATA-II Hard Drive with 32Mb Data BufferMonitor: LG 22inch Black LCD TFT Panel 5ms Response John Morgan

Well overall it looks good, but you wont know untill you put it together. Only thing i would change is go for 1066 meg ram that will give you a litle boost and isnt much more expensive. Why no one has responded is simply you can have 2 identical machines by 2 different people and depending on how much effort was put in one could easily outperform the other, thats the nature of pcs.

Thanks for your help, it gives me some reassurance. I was going to build myself to a somewhat higher specification but the spec quoted seems to use quality components and is available in a retail supplied machine at a price which I could never beat by sourcing components and building myself. if it can run FSX and PMDG MD11 more than adequately then that is its main purpose>>you can have 2 identical machines by 2 different people and depending on how much effort was put in one could easily outperform the other<

That's a good system, as long as it is indeed overclocked.Be sure to get a 64bit OS, like Vista x64 or XP x64 so Windows will recognize the entire 4GB of RAM.

Thanks for the comment.I was thinking of getting XP or Vista 64 bit versions. However I was told that, in respect of XP 64 bit for sure, the availability of drivers was poor.My question is: if availability of drivers is said not to be 'very good', does this merely mean the availabilty of drivers that can make full use of the 64 bit design? John

Nah i think its more got to do with gettin the drivers to work to the vista format is more the issue. As far as my other comment it has a lot to do with what software you install, how much you maintain you machine, what drivers you have ( new isnt always best especially with video ), and what tweaks you do. There is a heap of info out there on keeping your machine lean and clean it just takes a lot of reading to sort out the trash from the truth, so get reading.

Thanks for the comments.Your point on the varying performance depending on builder has given me something of a new perspective. I built myself a high spec machine a couple of years ago and have relied very much on the hardware as I installed it with no updating of drivers or tweaking or anything else then or since. As you suggest I clearly do need to get reading, amongst other things,John