I'd bet FS9 will still rock the house on this PC.That said, something is amiss with any i7 975 config sporting 8GB of RAM. This tells me that they are using RAM in dual-channel config, when the X58 chipset and i7 are both designed to use triple-channel DDR3 RAM.Caveat EmptorBob ScottColonel, USAF (ret)ATP IMEL Gulfstream II-III-IV-VColorado Springs, CO

You nailed it...it's dual-channel. They do/did offer the triple-channel, but given my ignorance I declined. Now that I have been enlightened, I'll re-spec.Once again Mr. Scott as well as all the others who have provided input, I really do appreciate all the advice coming in. Getting pumped and hope to order up this weekend. :)

Thanks for pointing out this vendor - viewing their rigs ended up raising another question. I notice that the systems they have which rate top performance for FSX, rate at low performance for FS9, and of course, vice versa. That surprised me... So, here's a question for you experts...my plan had been to get what I could within my budget and hope for the best with FSX (I haven't made the leap yet from FS9 - scared of performance and having to buy all new versions of my addons). If I couldn't get past the performance , I was going to revert to FS9 (my FS9 runs silk smooth on my XPS laptop with sliders maxed out and the usual addons (UT, ASA, etc). However, it now seems I could end up shooting myself in the foot by getting something FS9 doesn't like? What I've decided on so far is (only the important components listed):i7 975 Extreme8GB DDR3 @ 1066MHzGeForce GTX 260 1.8G (I can't get a straight answer from Dell or Alienware if this is a single GPU version or a dual GPU with SLI :( , but hopefully will replace it in a few months with a GTX285 anyway)X-Fi Titanium1TB Raid 0 (2x500GB @ 7200rpm)The question: Is FS9 going to be happy with this setup if I end up staying there for a while?Thanks!Joe

Joe, let me be blunt: That configuration will run FS9 like a freakin' champ! No question about it.I STRONGLY recommend that you get a 64 bit OS. Very STRONGLY recommend.

Joe, let me be blunt: That configuration will run FS9 like a freakin' champ! No question about it.I STRONGLY recommend that you get a 64 bit OS. Very STRONGLY recommend.

Indeed, first thing that will happen on delivery is to wipe the system and install Windows 7 Ultimate x64. :)Thanks again for everyone's advice - I've just placed my order: Dell XPS 9000, i975 Extreme, 12GB Tri-Channel DDR3 @ 1066MHz, GTX 260 1.8GB (will upgrade to 285 in near future), 1TB RAID 0, SoundBlaster Titanium, and the rest is inconsequential. Now I wait like a giddy school-girl for a few weeks...All the best to all contributors,Joe