So I've read dozens of posts about Intel vs AMD most of them have at least one thing in common. They're filled with lots of emotion.Filtering out the relevant information, I finally came to the following conclusion: In absolute (fps) sense, the Core i7 is the best processor I can get. However, looking at my wallet (monthly robbed by wife and kids :( ) and unless Intel and the X58 mainboard manufactors significantly lower their prices, I can not afford a Core i7 (eventhough I really, really want to!).But also another fact plays a role... I am not yet ready to give up on my 1100+ (!!) addon-airports and custom scenery in FS2004. FSX makes me drewl, especialy flying VFR, but truth is that the majority of my FS flights are IFR flying heavy metal from A to B. As I can name dozens and dozens airports I frequently fly to and have been customized in FS2004, they are unfortunaly uncovered grounds by the developers in the FSX world.So looking at my wallet and taking my current FS2004 world into consideration my plan is the following:Mainly continue flying FS2004 and for VFR fun fly FSX. For this I will upgrade my current system (AMD FX60, Asus A8n Premium, 4Gb DDR dual-channel, Asus EN8800GT 512 MB DDR3) to an AMD Phenom II X4 955BE, 4Gb DDR3 dual-channel, Mobo TBD and keep my EN8800GT.Now my specific question (so PLEASE do not start another Intel vs AMD discussion) is: What FPS can I expect with my new envisioned setup?Because I know fps can differ dramatically depending on installed addons; this is what I have installed and use as a reference:FS2004 (v9.1)Ultimate Terrain USAFSDreamTeam KORD and KJFKActiveSky AdvancedPMDG MD-11Lot's of AI (pretty much installed everything WoAI ever made)All sliders to the right, except for clouds draw which I keep at 90nm.Can some people with a similar AMD setup please inform me of their fps during takeoff and landing at mentioned airports?Thanks.Best regards,Frank

I was all set to buy a (cheap) AMD setup yesterday, to finally move beyond 2 cores. I went to the local MicroCenter and was planning on purchasing a 790GX board and an X4 810 or 940, depending on price. Unfortunately when I arrived I found that the only AMD quad-core chip in stock that was not an original Phenom (and thus not worth purchasing) was the $199 X4 955. Simply not in my budget. So instead I ended up with a Core 2 Quad 9550 and a Gigabyte P45 UD3L board.The performance difference more than justifies the slight cost increase, for me at least.

I'll tell you this...I have the e8500 overclocked to around 3.6 with 2 gigs memory and a 8800gts 512 with all the add-ons in the world (lots and lots of AI) and can pretty much expect over 20-25 fps in the worst possible case (taking off at JFK with PMDG or similar with 250 commercial planes int he air combined with 200+ GA and 2 overcast layers). Having said that, not sure why too much more is needed.

firstly you can buy a amd 955 for 150 quid now, and there cheaper than the 945 and tonnes faster.i have the phenom 2 dual core 550 3.7ghz. with my add ons i can get around 60 fps max. i only run at 1280 x 1024 with 8800gtx. ultiamte terrainwater fxactive skyfselementalreal environment3d lightsfscenemany airports from fly tampa fsdreamteam and aerosoft.soon ill be buying a 790fx board and the phenom 955 or maybe the 965 (stock 3.4) whne its out soon. at kjfk with my amd system i get around 40 fps. ultiamte terrain had the biggest impact on my fps but im still happy. 'original Phenom (and thus not worth purchasing) was the $199 X4 955. Simply not in my budget.' lol dude build your own pc and buy the parts online. like i said the 955 is much faster than the 940 and is much cheaper too. will be even cheaper soon when the 965 comes out.

lol dude build your own pc and buy the parts online. like i said the 955 is much faster than the 940 and is much cheaper too. will be even cheaper soon when the 965 comes out.

What do you think I was doing? Shopping for parts generally means building... MicroCenter had the Q9550 @ $169, and the X4 955 @ $199. The two chips are pretty even in benchmarks so I figured I'd pay for the extra overclockability of the Intel chip. Since you assume buying parts online would be cheaper, obviously you've never heard of MicroCenter. They have the i7 920 for $199. Find me anything close to that online.