At this time I have the following machine:MSI P965 NEO mainboardIntel Core 2 Duo E6600 (2.4 Ghz)4 GB SDRAM DDR2Geforce GTX 275600 Watt PSUWD Raptor 150 GB (Windows XP SP3 32 Bits, and FS9 installed)Normal 500 GB disk (Swapfile and data back-up)I would like to upgrade in order to run FS9 even better and slightly migrate to FSX (I have to get used to it).I have basically three questions:1. I have read you will need as much single core speed for FS9 as possible, so an Core I5-670 (3.4 Ghz) is the fastest option possible, with Turboboost in mind? I also know FSX benefits from more cores, but a Core I7 is lower clocked than the Core I5, so maybe a better choice for FSX, but not for FS9.2. How to make the proper use of my harddisks? I read that it is better to install FS on a dedicated drive, but since I have only two, how about the swapfile?3. Will my current PSU @ 600 Watt will be sufficient for a Core I5 (or I7)?Thanks for helping me out!

Having your pagefile on a separate partition is out-moded thinking. It really doesn't apply to modern Operating Systems, including XP. It is better to have FSX on a separate drive than the O.S., though.A Core i7 is faster than a Core i5 at the same clockspeed."600W" is enough, but only if your power supply is of decent quality and truly delivers 600W. Cheap power supplies can claim high Wattage numbers by inflating power delivery on non-essential rails. You want a PSU with good delivery on the +12V rail(s). Generally 40A or higher.

Just to add to the above. You can overclock an i7 975 extreme to well over 4.6 on air, what made you think an i5 was faster than an i7

Well, since I am mainly going to use it for FS9 it would benefit from a fast single core. The I5 can run on 3.7 Ghz and the I7 can run on 3.4 Ghz max. (I5-670 and I7-960, factory default).

Factory defaults are for noobs ;)Overclocking is so simple, really anyone can do it if you can read and follow instructions.