I recently bought an HP dv7-2043 laptop. It features a 17" LCD 1600 x 900, 1 GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650, Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 @ 2.0 GHz, 4 GB DDR2, 4 GB SDHC card for Ready-Boost, 64-bit Vista, and 2 x 250 GB 5400 RPM hard drives.It scores decent Windows Index numbers: Processor 5.0, Memory 5.3, Graphics 5.9, Gaming Graphics 5.6, and Hard Drive 5.5. I am playing FSX Deluxe & Accel. I have tweeked the settings and performance is okay I guess. At Medium to High settings it usually flutters between 18 - 20 FPS, but when landing Aerosoft's Bush Hawk on water, for example, it can dropped to 4 FPS and get very jerky. Problem is that I'd like to add GEX, UTX, FSG, plus some other addons--traffic, more advanced planes, scenery, etc. I'd also like to boost my frame rate and quality settings as much as I can.While money IS a little tight, I can switch to a better model for $600 in a couple of weeks. One reason for doing so is to get an automatic upgrade to Windows 7 when it is released. I'd also like a system with a little longer life and better FSX performance! (My wife has already vetoed keeping the original notebook for general use and a separate desktop just for games. )The new "laptop" (9 pounds, but still portable which I need) is an HP HDX18t with the following: 18.4" LCD 1920 x 1080p, Blue-Ray, 1 GB Nvidia GeForce GT 130M, Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 @ 2.53 GHz, 4 GB DDR3, 4 GB SDHC card for Ready-Boost, 64-bit Windows 7, and 2 x 320 GB 7200 RPM hard drives.All the benefits of the HDX seem well worth the extra cost. I am curious, however, what kind of performance enhancement in FSX I might expect. Any thoughts? Will I be able to install the addons and still see slightly improved frame rates at the same or better quality settings?Thanks, DAB

It will be alright, but I wouldn't spend money on a notebook. You need a desktop with a powerful CPU, and a good cooler to go with it so you can overclock the cpu.I would save your money and wait until you have about 1500 bucks, then buy parts and build a desktop yourself

Isn't it possible to just replace the CPU in your current model with a faster one? FSX loves a fast CPU.

I didnt think you could in a notebook but now that I think about it, I spose you could, if you could get to it, and it was compatible with the motherboard

I may be wrong but I think you may not be able to change the CPU anyway. A lot of manufacturers build PC's and laptops with proprietary parts which negates the possibility of upgrading. Don't know about your laptop manufacturer but you could try to find out.You need at least a dual core 3 GHz to get really decent results with FSX.Good luck