Well in anticipation of FS2004, I picked up my new machine last night.Here's hoping that it will see me through at least until the next version of MSFS post 2004. :-)Here it is...Intel Pentium IV 3.0GHz (800FSB) Socket 478 pins CPU w/Hyper-Thread Technology MSI 875P NEO FIS2R, AGP 8X, i875P ICH5R Chipset with Gigiabit LanKingmax 512MB PC3200 Double Data Rate (DDR) RAM CAS-2.5- 400MHz Rated x 2 (1 stick per channel)BUILT By ATI (Original) Radeon 9800PRO w/TV Out & DVI 128Meg DDRTEAC DV-W50E, 4x DVD-R/ 2x RW, 16xCD-R, 8xCD-RW, 16xDVD, 32x CD-ROM Internal Drive Only Western Digital Raptor 36.0GB HDD IDE, 8MB Cache, 5.2ms, 10,000rpm , S-ATA, w/DataLifeguard WD 40Gig 7,200rpm HD for dataATX 470W Pentium IV Power Supply CESkyhawk Jupiter Aluminum CaseHyundai -ImageQuest P910 , 19" Multi-Scan Digital MonitorHercules Game Theater XP, 6.1 speakers Dolby

Hi Chris,Yes, that should just about do the job, but judging from past releases of FS, the system to run it properly with all the add-ons you like hasn't been designed yet :).Cheers,Gosta.http://hifi.avsim.net/activesky/images/wxrebeta.jpg

ChrisYou have splashed out :-)Oh well what we do for this hobby:-)I updated to a Dell with an Intel Pentium 3.1 and a 9700 Pro.I went for a Ultrasharp flat screen monitor which im delighted with.You can bet that by six-nine months after release we will be mid power machines.Peter

I joined the club too. Now have a 3.0 ghz/800 FSB P4 with hyperthreading, 120 Gb Serial ATA harddisk and 1 GB PC3200 RAM and a Gforce 4 Ti4400. I only need to upgrade my 15.4" TFT, since it's getting a bit too small. I'm still wrestling with framerates though. I loaded the AFCAD schiphol files and was shocked that I can't get any higher than 15 fps on this machine.

> but judging from past releases of FS, the system to run it properly with all the add-ons you like hasn't been designed yet :).

Hi Peter, all,Yes, I pretty much did this before FS2002 and FLY1 and Sierra Pro pilot and FS5 I think. It all part of the hobby I guess :-)How are you doing Peter, well I hope. I will possibly be in Farnborough aroung July next year for about 6 weeks. Maybe we can catch up :-). I have a relative living about 5 miles from the front gate whose neighbour is a retired BA 747 skipper. He is going to get me into the trade days if I can make it over there.Cheers mate,Chris Porter:-outtaPerthWestern AustraliaMy temporary sig :-) :-) :-)Intel Pentium IV 3.0GHz (800FSB) Socket 478 pins CPU w/Hyper-Thread Technology MSI 875P NEO FIS2R, AGP 8X, i875P ICH5R Chipset with Gigiabit LanKingmax 512MB PC3200 Double Data Rate (DDR) RAM CAS-2.5- 400MHz Rated x 2BUILT By ATI (Original) Radeon 9800PRO w/TV Out & DVI 128Meg DDRTEAC DV-W50E, 4x DVD-R/ 2x RW, 16xCD-R, 8xCD-RW, 16xDVD, 32x CD-ROM Internal Drive Only Western Digital Raptor 36.0GB HDD IDE, 8MB Cache, 5.2ms, 10,000rpm , S-ATA, w/DataLifeguard WD 40Gig HD for dataATX 470W Pentium IV Power Supply CESkyhawk Jupiter Aluminum CaseHyundai -ImageQuest P910 , 19" Multi-Scan Digital MonitorHercules Game Theater XP, 6.1 speakers Dolby

I decided to wait. I'm driving a 2.6 gig P4 on an dell 8100 case and motherboard (using a powerleap adapter to allow the 423 pin socket to take the northwood chips) with about 700 or so megs of fast RAMBUS and a Ti 4200. I just can't see the extra 400 mghz + hyperthreading being that significant - especially since there is no performance gain with the DDR over my expensive RAMBUS (its a good value in terms of speed/price - that's why the computer makers like it). With a lot of AI installed running at 40% and FS Genesis Mesh - I'm still in the mid teens at busy airports, and down in nearly single digits in the clouds. And this is FS2002 - before we even to go the volumetric clouds and active weather in the new version.I'll sit tight until the next generation of Intel chips and probably buy a box with a very good water or compressor cooler for overclocking. Tom's Hardware has taken a 3.06 gigs up to 4.1 gigs with a compressor cooler - and its stable. I'm done with Dells though. You can't overclock them through the bios and I plan on stretching my next machine for as long as it will go. Colin