Hi guys,I'm sure something like that has been discussed somewhere,but I can't really find anything that helps me(and I have spent a long time looking).First my RigPentium D 2.8 ghz(almost 4 years old)GeForce 7800 GT 2 GB RAMWindows XP 32325 gb HDI'm looking to upgrade,but am wondering what are my options.Is my CPU really a bottleneck compare to a E8500 dual core?I'm only using FS9,so I guess the extra core doesn't really make that big difference.If the CPU is OK I guess I could boost up my power supply to put in a better card.What do you guys think?Thanks a lot for the inputRichard

Hi guys,I'm sure something like that has been discussed somewhere,but I can't really find anything that helps me(and I have spent a long time looking).First my RigPentium D 2.8 ghz(almost 4 years old)GeForce 7800 GT 2 GB RAMWindows XP 32325 gb HDI'm looking to upgrade,but am wondering what are my options.Is my CPU really a bottleneck compare to a E8500 dual core?I'm only using FS9,so I guess the extra core doesn't really make that big difference.If the CPU is OK I guess I could boost up my power supply to put in a better card.What do you guys think?Thanks a lot for the inputRichard

It depends on what your motherboard can handle.. the Core2Duo line is way faster than the Pentium line,this is not just a function of more cores..For starters, $100 will buy you a nice 9600GT card, which is all you need for FS9.A good mainstream system would include a Core2Duo or Quad at 3 GHz or better,2GB of fast RAM on a suitable motherboard and a 9600GT card or better.400 W power supply will run it. This is assuming WinXP - Vista requires another 2 GB RAM.

It depends on what your motherboard can handle.. the Core2Duo line is way faster than the Pentium line,this is not just a function of more cores..For starters, $100 will buy you a nice 9600GT card, which is all you need for FS9.A good mainstream system would include a Core2Duo or Quad at 3 GHz or better,2GB of fast RAM on a suitable motherboard and a 9600GT card or better.400 W power supply will run it. This is assuming WinXP - Vista requires another 2 GB RAM.

Thanks a lot,just looking at such systems and I'm happy to see that it's within my budget.RegardsRichard

Thanks a lot,just looking at such systems and I'm happy to see that it's within my budget.RegardsRichard

Actually, if you picked up a new lower end socket 775 MB and a C2 processor and overclocked, I think your 7800GT would be just fine for FS9. This would end up about a couple hundred, provided your ram ported, but I think it would give you much more bang than just a VC upgrade. JMHO.