I plan to run FSX on Vista64. At present I have FS9 in XP Pro on another PC and I propose transferring it onto my new machine.Initial thoughts:Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 2.40GHz guaranteed to run at 3.30GHZ A suitable Asus/Abit/Gigabyte mobo supporting Core 2 Quad and DDR3, and not too expensive! Suggestions please.Corsair 4GB RAM DDR3 Dominator (4 x 1GB) 18000Mhz, Cas 7-7-7-20(there are umpteen different variants of DDR3 RAM - is there anything to avoid)I will add two HDDs: C: 150 GB 10000 rpm in two partitions, one running FSX, the other Vista 64, D: 150 GB 10000 rpm running FS9 in one partition and XP Pro in the other.I have two ancient but very good CRTs (17in and 19in). I might be tempted to replace these but with what? Widescreen? LED? What is all this I read about FSX Acceleration? I'd be glad of advice. Price is not too much of an issue within reason - good value mid/upper range. Thanks.John

Consider waiting a few weeks and checking out the new Intel Core i7 in more detail. Fairly expensive stuff though... Current generation:As far as the CPU is concerned the Q9650 with Intel's new E0 stepping is a very good bet.I would get 2x2GB DDR3 as opposed to 4x1GB. You will likely have better stability with 2x2GB, especially when oc'ing. You will not go wrong with the Corsairs.In my opinion the partitions on your drives are not an optimal solution. Rather just have the single partition on each of the two drives, XP and FS9 on the one, Vista64 and FSX on the other.22inch widescreens are very well priced at the moment - Samsung etcPSU: PC Power & Cooling 750W is arguably the best on the market.GPU: Radeon 4870 with 1GB DDR5 or GTX260I am sure you will get more opinions!Hope this helps

Thanks a bunch for this. The i7 will be too expensive and I am happy to trade a slight loss in performance for better value.Has anyone any suggestions for mobos to support this kind of setup? i.e. Q9560/DDR3. I do not plan to o/c the CPU or mobo but you never know! Do I need to pre-plan liquid cooling for o/clocking?Does running Vista64 versus XP Pro have any implications for mobo choice?Sorry so many Q's but I cannot find answers elsewhere on the forum.John

Motherboards are a more personal issue as firstly you have to decide whether you want an Intel (X48) or an Nvidia (790i) chipset. Intel supports ATI crossfire only, Nvidia supports sli only - an important consideration if you ever want to use 2 or more graphics cards.Intel X48 DDR3 chipset:1. Asus P5E3 Premium WiFi-AP2. Intel DX48BT23. Gigabyte GA-X48T-DQ6 Nvidia 790i DDR3 chipset1. EVGA 790i ultra or EVGA 790i FTWI would go with one of the Intel chipset boards if I were you. Check out Tomshardware.com for reviews of all the above mobos - there are many other reviews online as well.> Does running Vista64 versus XP Pro have any implications for mobo choice? NoForget water cooling for now. Just make sure you get a case with good ventilation (2 x 120mm intake fans a minimum). If you get a decent aftermarket CPU Cooler (Thermalright ultra 120 for example - check out frostytech.com for more info) you will be fine.And you will want to overclock this CPU!!! Trust me on this one.Konrad

This is a great help, Konrad. Thanks again. I've used Tomshardware for recommendations for previous builds (always AMD based). I asked about mobos etc on this forum because Tomshardware does not have specific FS9/FSX recommendations. It's good to hear which hardware best meets the needs of our very demanding software. I've nearly enough now, just one last thought...If I wanted to run a three monitor setup - cockpit view spread over three screens in the style of Alex Reid's FS9 setup - would this change your recommendations in any way?Thanks againJohn

Multi monitor setups are not my thing. If you are using a splitter then stick with the single 4870. If you want to plug all 3 (or more) screens into the card itself then you will need 2 4870's in crossfire or a 4870x2 which has 4 dvi connectors. x2, gx2 cards are not generally recommended for FSX though...Perhaps start a new thread about this specific topic.Konrad

Thanks again for your help.John