here's what I'm planning for:Motehrboard: Intel DX58SO (1366 Socket)CPU: Intel i7-920 Core (2.66GHz - 8mb Cache)RAM: 4Gb (2 x 2Gb) 1333 MHz DDR3Graphix: GeForce 9800GT 1Gb DDR3Power Supply: 550Wwhat do you think of this build? I'm looking to run FSX smoothly..does this motherboard support SLI?which O/S better to use for gaming? if XP or Vista, will it run more than 2Gb of RAM? I'm planning for 6GBswhat MHz should I get for the RAMs?I'm upgrading to i7-965 EXTREME later next year..Any Tips??

here's what I'm planning for:Motehrboard: Intel DX58SO (1366 Socket)CPU: Intel i7-920 Core (2.66GHz - 8mb Cache)RAM: 4Gb (2 x 2Gb) 1333 MHz DDR3Graphix: GeForce 9800GT 1Gb DDR3Power Supply: 550Wwhat do you think of this build? I'm looking to run FSX smoothly..does this motherboard support SLI?which O/S better to use for gaming? if XP or Vista, will it run more than 2Gb of RAM? I'm planning for 6GBswhat MHz should I get for the RAMs?I'm upgrading to i7-965 EXTREME later next year..Any Tips??

I'm not a fan of the intel reference motherboards. They aren't as flexible as similarly priced boards from eVGA, ASUS, Foxconn and Gigabyte, all of whom make good ones. This goes double if you're planning to overclock the CPU, which you'll want to do to at least the mid 3 GHz range for smooth FSX performance. And to OC beyond the low 3 GHz range you'll need an aftermarket CPU heatsink.4GB of RAM on an X58 motherboard is a poor configuration--better to have 3GB (3x 1GB DIMMs) than 4GB in two DIMMs because the X58 chipset has a triple channel memory controller--two DIMMs leaves a lot of available memory bandwidth unused. Also, the timing on the memory is as important as the frequency--1333 MHz at CAS 9 is junk, for example. Recommend you try to go with 6 GB (3x 2GB DIMMs)--1600 MHz @ CAS 7 will allow you to overclock well into the mid 3GHz range without running into a wall on memory.With any i7, I strongly recommend an nVidia 200 series graphics card rather than the 9800. A 260GTX with 896 MB is a better fit for FSX with a moderately OCed i7-920. A 550w power supply is going to be very anemic, especially if you want to overclock the CPU to anywhere near its potential. And if you plan to run multiple GPUs in SLI, 550W just will not cut it. And FWIW, SLI will not improve your FSX performance.If you're planning on an i7 965/975 EE later, buying low-end components now will make your upgrade to the EE later a pretty underwhelming experience. It's all about balance...and a system is no stronger than its weakest component, so putting a very expensive CPU on a system with skunky memory, a mediocre GPU, etc will make an investment in a high-end CPU a largely wasted effort.RegardsBob ScottColonel, USAF (ret)ATP IMEL Gulfstream II-III-IV-VColorado Springs, CO

I'm not a fan of the intel reference motherboards. They aren't as flexible as similarly priced boards from eVGA, ASUS, Foxconn and Gigabyte, all of whom make good ones. This goes double if you're planning to overclock the CPU, which you'll want to do to at least the mid 3 GHz range for smooth FSX performance. And to OC beyond the low 3 GHz range you'll need an aftermarket CPU heatsink.4GB of RAM on an X58 motherboard is a poor configuration--better to have 3GB (3x 1GB DIMMs) than 4GB in two DIMMs because the X58 chipset has a triple channel memory controller--two DIMMs leaves a lot of available memory bandwidth unused. Also, the timing on the memory is as important as the frequency--1333 MHz at CAS 9 is junk, for example. Recommend you try to go with 6 GB (3x 2GB DIMMs)--1600 MHz @ CAS 7 will allow you to overclock well into the mid 3GHz range without running into a wall on memory.With any i7, I strongly recommend an nVidia 200 series graphics card rather than the 9800. A 260GTX with 896 MB is a better fit for FSX with a moderately OCed i7-920. A 550w power supply is going to be very anemic, especially if you want to overclock the CPU to anywhere near its potential. And if you plan to run multiple GPUs in SLI, 550W just will not cut it. And FWIW, SLI will not improve your FSX performance.If you're planning on an i7 965/975 EE later, buying low-end components now will make your upgrade to the EE later a pretty underwhelming experience. It's all about balance...and a system is no stronger than its weakest component, so putting a very expensive CPU on a system with skunky memory, a mediocre GPU, etc will make an investment in a high-end CPU a largely wasted effort.RegardsBob ScottColonel, USAF (ret)ATP IMEL Gulfstream II-III-IV-VColorado Springs, CO

Ok, what is your suggested build?here's another oneMotehrboard: Gigabyte EX58UD3RCPU: Intel i7-920 Core (2.66GHz - 8mb Cache)RAM: 6Gb (3 x 2Gb) 1600 MHz DDR3Graphix: GeForce 9800GT 1Gb DDR3Power Supply: 720WXp 64bit version..- will this be able to be OC-ed to mid 3?- Would you recommend Gigabyte over Intel for Gaming?- I can't afford the 200 Series right now, Will 9800GT run my system just fine?- my previous build: Intel 945G - Core 2 Due 2.6 2Gb of RAM DDR2 GeForce 8500GT 512Mb 128bit will I see a big difference with my new build even with this poor setup?- am I able to upgrade it further?- I'm looking for a 1000$ build (with the case) and upgradeable.. Not interested in SLI or XFire modes for now...I'm not really EXPed person in this stuff and need help in thisthanks..

Ok, what is your suggested build?here's another oneMotehrboard: Gigabyte EX58UD3RCPU: Intel i7-920 Core (2.66GHz - 8mb Cache)RAM: 6Gb (3 x 2Gb) 1600 MHz DDR3Graphix: GeForce 9800GT 1Gb DDR3Power Supply: 720WXp 64bit version..- will this be able to be OC-ed to mid 3?- Would you recommend Gigabyte over Intel for Gaming?- I can't afford the 200 Series right now, Will 9800GT run my system just fine?- my previous build: Intel 945G - Core 2 Due 2.6 2Gb of RAM DDR2 GeForce 8500GT 512Mb 128bit will I see a big difference with my new build even with this poor setup?- am I able to upgrade it further?- I'm looking for a 1000$ build (with the case) and upgradeable.. Not interested in SLI or XFire modes for now...I'm not really EXPed person in this stuff and need help in thisthanks..

This config is much better. You will want to overclock the 920 to run FSX well, and so you'll also need an aftermarket CPU heatsink fan. You can get a decent one for around $60-75. It will make a significant difference to get that 920 up from 2.66GHz to ~3.2 GHz (160 BCLK x 20 CPU mult with 10x mem multiplier), which in general is easily doable on air with the vast majority of the i7-920 version D0 chips that are on the streets now. Any faster and you'll probably be limited by that 9800GT anyway.I recommend the Gigabyte and other motherboards over the Intel ones because they are generally more flexible for overclocking. The 9800GT will work at what I consider to be the low end of acceptable with FSX, but plan on replacing it if/when you upgrade to the 965. The 9800GT is ~$110, an eVGA 260GTX was $160 at Newegg after rebate. That would be $50 well spent.Good luckBob ScottColonel, USAF (ret)ATP IMEL Gulfstream II-III-IV-VColorado Springs, CO

that's great..ok, let's forget about the CPU upgrade for at least 6 Months, will it run fine with the GTX260? even if I don't OC both of them?so I'll need the GTX260 with an aftermarket heat-sink fan for the CPU on the i7-920 OC-ed, and FSX will run smoothly...and I'll be installing Xp or Vista 64bit version, I might prefer Xp..haven't tried Win7is this mother board good or need a better one like the EXTREME version?will I need more Watts? is 720W power supply good enough to run the system, and overclocked? (1 HDD + 1 DVD-ROM + USB keyboard and Mouse)also, what manufactures is best? there is the Gigabyte GeForce GTX260 and the MSI, the eVGA? I would go for the Gigabyte as I picked the Gigabyte Motherboard.. what is your recommendation?you have been a great help...Thanks a lot..

will I need more Watts? is 720W power supply good enough to run the system, and overclocked? (1 HDD + 1 DVD-ROM + USB keyboard and Mouse)

I will add a +1 to what Bob said.I might add, regarding the power supply, as Bob indicated...it would be wise to get more than the 500-watter you were looking at. I suggest you look at the PC Power & Cooling 710 watt power supply. (It may now be sold under the OCZ moniker since PC Power is now a division of OCZ). PC Power & Cooling is OCZ's high-end power supply line. If you get one of those, you will have no power issues in overclocking, no stability problems at all. I've built with them for 12 years and highly recommend them. The OCZ switchover does not *seem* to have diminished their quality, and I hope this continues.The cost of a PC Power will not be much more than another similar brand. It will be worth it. Those p/s are "install and forget".

so 720 WATT is Ok....I found Gigabyte Power supply, ill consider PC Power..

that's great..ok, let's forget about the CPU upgrade for at least 6 Months, will it run fine with the GTX260? even if I don't OC both of them?so I'll need the GTX260 with an aftermarket heat-sink fan for the CPU on the i7-920 OC-ed, and FSX will run smoothly...and I'll be installing Xp or Vista 64bit version, I might prefer Xp..haven't tried Win7is this mother board good or need a better one like the EXTREME version?will I need more Watts? is 720W power supply good enough to run the system, and overclocked? (1 HDD + 1 DVD-ROM + USB keyboard and Mouse)also, what manufactures is best? there is the Gigabyte GeForce GTX260 and the MSI, the eVGA? I would go for the Gigabyte as I picked the Gigabyte Motherboard.. what is your recommendation?you have been a great help...Thanks a lot..

The 260GTX at stock speed will be fine with an i7 in the low 3GHz range...actually, that's a pretty good match.You do NOT need the extreme version of any mobo--those are for die-hard overclockers pushing the max by running stuff like liquid nitrogen cooling on the CPU, not for people that want to run an app like FS fast for long periods of time.A 720W PS is enough for that 920 overclocked well up into the 4 GHz range. I don't have any first-hand experience with Gigabyte's power supplies. I switched from Antec to PC Power & Cooling a few years back and have not been disappointed. As for brands on the video card, I have been using eVGA's stuff also for 3-4 years and I will continue to stick with them, mostly because I like their support. All the cards use the same chipset, so the difference is in the quality of the board manufacturing (not a lot of difference that I can see) and the support.On the OS, I have had a good experience with Vista 64 after I dumbed down the big brother security crap. I like what I see in Win 7, too. I don't like OEM versions of Windows because they can't be transferred to another PC, and the OEM versions are all there is now for XP 64.CheersBob ScottColonel, USAF (ret)ATP IMEL Gulfstream II-III-IV-VColorado Springs, CO

Col BobI take your point re the OS and its relationship to FSX, but shouldn't we now be studying the OS in detail with the advent Win7 and the i7 and soon i9 series Intel cpu's. I am referring to this and other similar news items: Intel is closely working with Microsoft to enable Windows 7 make the best of multi-core and multi-threading supporting chip line up for faster performance." and "Windows 7 is designed to take benefits of Intel

Col BobI take your point re the OS and its relationship to FSX, but shouldn't we now be studying the OS in detail with the advent Win7 and the i7 and soon i9 series Intel cpu's. I am referring to this and other similar news items: Intel is closely working with Microsoft to enable Windows 7 make the best of multi-core and multi-threading supporting chip line up for faster performance." and "Windows 7 is designed to take benefits of Intel

If I'm looking for at least 2 way SLI, and overclock to 4GHz (i7-920), Would you recommend the Gigabyte EX58-UD3R or the EX5-UD4P?or if I get teh EXTREME version, is it the ultimate mobo I could get for now, and won't be thinking to upgrade my mobo?

has anyone used EasyTune6 on X58 boards to overclock? I just read from a review that sometimes it crashes and could go to BlueScreen state..is that true?

has anyone used EasyTune6 on X58 boards to overclock? I just read from a review that sometimes it crashes and could go to BlueScreen state..is that true?

I have my X58 Oc'd to 3.8 on an I7 920 CO stable. If your gonna make a long term OC it is better to do it through the BIOS. I have found that most OC programs are nice for small changes and testing.

Col BobThanks for that answer - more knowledge means more understanding.I have a list of parameters (HDD, cpu, RAM, OS, other software, psu, ambient temp) etc etc that I wish I knew by how much they affected the performance of FSX.Even some posters with i7's and the latest Video Cards struggle with performance and you wonder what's causing it!!I won't be rushing to move from Windows Vista 64-bit any time soon - its rock solid (SP2) on my system.Update - just read a review of Win XP Pro, Vista and Win 7 on an i7 platform and there was minimal difference betwen the 3 in the limited benchmarks undertaken, with WinXP still in the lead on a few of those tests.RegardsPeterH.

I've read reviews on EXTREME,UD4P and UD3R mobo's..I can't figure out what difference you get from the 3 mobo's, of course expect 2/3 way SLI and the RAM slots..I can't decide UD3R or the UD4P.. I'd go for the UD4P for its ability to install up to 24GBs of RAM, but read that it's not stable enough when overclocking and sometimes the EasyTune6 crashes or goes to bluescreen..BTW, when I overclock, is it going to stay @ the speed I overclocked to..? or crash after some hours? I leave the PC running 24/7..