Im would like to get an idea of what would be involved or how much money would it take to build a compi already have a tower, harddrive, cd rom, dvd rom, monitor and keyboard. So im guessing i would need a motherboard, some ram, a videocard and a cpu. I was wondering what you would recommend to have a decent running fs9 all the while trying to keep the cost down. Im not looking for the best of the best but more a happy medium between cost and performance.Thanks Gerry

Im would like to get an idea of what would be involved or how much money would it take to build a compi already have a tower, harddrive, cd rom, dvd rom, monitor and keyboard. So im guessing i would need a motherboard, some ram, a videocard and a cpu. I was wondering what you would recommend to have a decent running fs9 all the while trying to keep the cost down. Im not looking for the best of the best but more a happy medium between cost and performance.Thanks Gerry

Hi Gerry Take a look at the post I created yesterday discussing FS9 and optimizing its performance. There's a load of info on my current spec that's been built with minimum cost.Regards Danhttp://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=263154

You'd also need a power supply. What is your budget, specifically? What size monitor do you run and at what resolution?We can throw random hardware recommendations at you until everyone's dizzy but this will be much easier if you provide a bit more info.

Ya sorry, im not sure much about the nitty gritty of computers. I would be running a 17 inch monitor 1024x768. Im not sure what current prices are but i would probably like to keep it around 500$ if possible, Like I said im not even sure it is possible to keep it at 500$Thanks to both of you for your replies.P.S I also have the power supply, the pc is actrually running so there is a mobo and cpu but i would want to upgrade it as it is only 2.0ghz with 256 mbram and an on board video card.

Ya sorry, im not sure much about the nitty gritty of computers. I would be running a 17 inch monitor 1024x768. Im not sure what current prices are but i would probably like to keep it around 500$ if possible, Like I said im not even sure it is possible to keep it at 500$Thanks to both of you for your replies.P.S I also have the power supply, the pc is actrually running so there is a mobo and cpu but i would want to upgrade it as it is only 2.0ghz with 256 mbram and an on board video card.

If keeping costs low is a premium I would go the AMD route you can pick up some very nice CPU's for very low prices I'm obviously biased towards AMD as they have served me well for many years but I've also heard good stuff about Core2 Duo's as well it's personal preference at really. Do you plan on updating and buying a new monitor? LCD or standard?Are you specifically aiming at running FS9 fluidly like myself?MaxC has been a fantastic guide he's very informative and very helpful a great knowledge it's really worth taking into mind with the preferences he recommends for your price range.RegardsDan

Any power supply you now have would be unlikely to support the new hardware you wish to run.The hardware Delayskid listed would work nicely for your desired application. I'd suggest swapping out the power supply for a quality 500-600W branded unit from the likes of Corsair or PC Power & Cooling would be your best bet. This is very important:Do not skimp on the power supply. If you try to save $20 now, you'll spend $60 later for a quality power supply that actually works, as every cheap power supply on the planet will either:a ) failb ) be totally inadequate to power your devices

ya i would like to run fs9 quite fluidly, And eventually would be nice to upgrade to an lcd screen, but not really necessary as the machine in question would be kept in my basment and only used for fs'ing. I have a laptop that we use as our personal computer which runs fs9 quite well however it would be nice to have a dedicated pc for fs9.How would i go about knowing what cpu I could replace that would fit my current mobo. Is it even possible to figure that out or do i have to buy a package deal to make everything work ex: mother board and cpu packaged together

What hardware do you have now? Is it a custom-built PC or an OEM machine?

No it is just an oem machine., It is an AMD 2.0ghz I would have to open it up i guess to get model number and stuff. The tower itse;f is a cicero which I know doesnt help identifying anything.I have come to the conclusion in my few owned pc's that buying oem machines from say best buy or futureshop doesnt seem to be the best thing to do, hence the reason for my wanting to try and put a machine together myself.

No it is just an oem machine., It is an AMD 2.0ghz I would have to open it up i guess to get model number and stuff. The tower itse;f is a cicero which I know doesnt help identifying anything.I have come to the conclusion in my few owned pc's that buying oem machines from say best buy or futureshop doesnt seem to be the best thing to do, hence the reason for my wanting to try and put a machine together myself.

It being a OEM machine also running a AM2 processor I would very much doubt the motherboard would be compatible with the newer AM3 CPU's also this motherboard would not be compatible with any Intel core at all.It will probably be the case you will have to buy a new motherboard to utilize the newer CPU's on the market today. Saying that you can pick them up pretty cheap now days specially AMD boards that support AMD 3 I'm not sure how much in dollars exactly because I'm from the UK but I'd say around $80-90 you could pick up a motherboard that would run the newer CPU's like AM3 this also applies to intel I believe but you would have to ask MAXC about this.

AM3 CPUs will run on AM2/AM2+ sockets but not vice versa. That being said, I don't generally recommend re-using base equipment from OEM systems (read: PSUs, RAM, motherboards). Ancillary devices like drives and expansion cards can be re-used though.Definitely go all-new for case, PSU, RAM, and motherboard at the very least. You'll probably want a new graphics card too.

Ok thanks for the information, i will start looking into where and how much i could expect to pay, I was wondering if any of you recommend newegg.com, I see a lot of people mention that site for computer hardware.Thanks.

Newegg is good. If you have a MicroCenter store nearby I'd suggest you check there. They have the best pricing on CPUs, better even than Newegg. I picked up my Q9550 at the local MicroCenter a few weeks back for only $169.

Ok thanks for the information, i will start looking into where and how much i could expect to pay, I was wondering if any of you recommend newegg.com, I see a lot of people mention that site for computer hardware.Thanks.

Not being from the USA I can't really offer advise on websites that sell parts in the USA but I have sent you a message on here [Check your inbox] so I can share some more infomation with you about specs & my specs.