I am planning to custom build a new PC for my 13 year old son, who is a big FSX fan and wants to be a pilot. I have always bought off-the-shelf systems in the past (usually Dell) but I'm ready to try building a PC. Actually, I want to build two - one for my son, where the main use is running FSX, with other simulators following, trailed by other games, surfing the net, homework, email and other typical uses, and the other one for me, where the most demanding use will be photo and video editing (Lightroom plus Photoshop and Premiere Elements), followed by other typical uses. As an aside, I am interested in sytem backups, and in media streaming, but I'm looking at using parts from the old systems we are using now to build a home server for that.From my research, it seems our needs could be met by similar systems, and I like the idea of building the same system twice - shorter learning curve and help with troubleshooting - but if there are good reasons to use different components, that's ok, too. For now, peripherals will come from existing systems, but may be upgraded in time. Both sytems will start with dual-monitor setups - the FSX system with 20" monitors (1680x1050), and mine with 24" (1920x1200). My son has CH/Saitek yoke, pedals and throttles. He has add-on scenery and a variety of planes - usually passenger jets - and other stuff I don't really understand. His favourite jet is the 737, and he is patiently waiting for the PMDG 737 to come out.The components I am considering come to about $2k in Canada. I am comfortable in that range, and can go a bit higher for enough gain, or if one or two components are out of line with the rest. With that, here's the current list:Processor: Core i7-930, overclocked to 3.6 GHz or more (~C$300)MoBo: Asus P6X58D Premium - SATA 6 GB/USB 3.0 ready (~C$300)Case: CM Storm Sniper Black (~C$150)PSU: Corsair TX750 (~C$130)SSD for OS (W7 64 bit): Intel X25-M 80 GB (~C$240)HD for FSX: Samsung 1 TB Spinpoint F3 (~C$90)HD for everything else: Samsung 1 TB Spinpoint F3 (~C$90)DVD: Samsung DVDRW 24x (~C$25)Video Card: ATI Sapphire HD 5870 1 GB (~C$400)Memory: Corsair Dominator 3x2GB DDR3-1600 CL8 (~C$250)CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus (~C$30)Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

It looks really good. The only thing I would change is the SSD. You want FSX to be on the SSD and your OS to be on the 7200rpm HDD.Some people don't like ATI cards for FSX but I say you're fine with that 5870.The CPU cooler is fine, but I might step up to something better, if you want full OC potential out of that i7 930... something such as:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...p;Tpk=megahalem(Just be sure it fits your case)!

It looks really good. The only thing I would change is the SSD. You want FSX to be on the SSD and your OS to be on the 7200rpm HDD.Some people don't like ATI cards for FSX but I say you're fine with that 5870.The CPU cooler is fine, but I might step up to something better, if you want full OC potential out of that i7 930... something such as:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...p;Tpk=megahalem(Just be sure it fits your case)!

Orrrr get two SSDs, one for Windows one for FSX. That's what I run. I don't even bother with RAID. Some say the GTX 285 is a better gpu for FSX. You might want to wait to see how the GTX 480 performs, and in a month or so there might be some better stuff coming out. ATI Eyefinity is awesome. I'm planning to add a 3rd monitor as soon as I can find a place in Thailand that actually has 25.5" monitors like the other 2 I have. I guess people in Thailand just don't like them big anymore.Def. step up the CPU cooler. If you can't do water, the Pro Megs in the link above are great. I use the Venomous X, which I was told when I bought it another step up beyond the Pro Megs. http://www.google.com/products?q=venomous+x&aq=f No matter what way you go, even with todays top of the line stuff, you STILL can't play FSX maxed and get good steady frames. I found that out the hard way. I thought I'd be rocking 20+ FPS over Manhattan X with my gear when I bought it. Not even close.Either way, you're an awesome dad for supporting your kid like this.

It looks really good. The only thing I would change is the SSD. You want FSX to be on the SSD and your OS to be on the 7200rpm HDD.Some people don't like ATI cards for FSX but I say you're fine with that 5870.The CPU cooler is fine, but I might step up to something better, if you want full OC potential out of that i7 930... something such as:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...p;Tpk=megahalem(Just be sure it fits your case)!

Thanks. I will switch the SSD/HD, and check out your recommended cooler. I suspect it will fit, because the case is bigger than it needs to be. It's going under a desk, so saving a couple of inches in any dimension won't make a big difference. But I will confirm that.As for the SSD/HD point - would only FSX go on the SSD, or FSX plus all add-ons? And is my understanding correct that when the drive gets more than 50-60% full, that performance suffers? Also, 1 TB is way more than I need for Windows. Does partitioning the drive get close to the same benefit as a stand-alone drive for the OS?

Orrrr get two SSDs, one for Windows one for FSX. That's what I run. I don't even bother with RAID. Some say the GTX 285 is a better gpu for FSX. You might want to wait to see how the GTX 480 performs, and in a month or so there might be some better stuff coming out. ATI Eyefinity is awesome. I'm planning to add a 3rd monitor as soon as I can find a place in Thailand that actually has 25.5" monitors like the other 2 I have. I guess people in Thailand just don't like them big anymore.Def. step up the CPU cooler. If you can't do water, the Pro Megs in the link above are great. I use the Venomous X, which I was told when I bought it another step up beyond the Pro Megs. http://www.google.com/products?q=venomous+x&aq=f No matter what way you go, even with todays top of the line stuff, you STILL can't play FSX maxed and get good steady frames. I found that out the hard way. I thought I'd be rocking 20+ FPS over Manhattan X with my gear when I bought it. Not even close.Either way, you're an awesome dad for supporting your kid like this.

I appreciate the quick and helpful replies. I considered two SSDs, but that may be a bit too pricey for now. Maybe a future upgrade, though.I am leaning to the ATI board more for non-FSX benefits, though eyefinity is a plus as well. Does the GTX do something similar? I hesitate to wait for the new GTX boards. For me, I would then want to wait for some real-world testing before committing. And my son is aware that I am looking at new computers. He is very excited about the idea - and he would like some time to fly with the new system before the weather gets too nice up here!I will add your cooler to the list to consider. Thanks.I realize that even top-of-the line stuff will not make for a perfect FSX experience, so I am trying to manage expectations here. But I do expect a better flying experience than my son has now, and I hope a much more stable experience. Flying is really his passion right now, and has been for a couple of years, so this seems a good idea. I should also mention that my son has to pay for a good portion of his system, so while I appreciate and hope I deserve a bit of the "awesome dad" comment, having an awesome son (or two) makes this all a pleasure for me.

You are an awesome dad :( And when it comes to be my turn in november, think I

You might also try Corsair CPU Cooler for the CPU. Water without the fuss. Ordered one for my 920DO should be in any day now. A good many of the O'C crowd recommend it. Good luck!

You are an awesome dad :( And when it comes to be my turn in november, think I

That's a great list of components--I gather that you've done your research.Some suggestions:1.) I'm going to go against some of the preceding posters on the cooler--stick to the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus. It is bar none the best performing cooler from a price/performance ratio, and more than adequate for a 3.6-3.8 Ghz overclock on an i7 (in fact, it'll do 4.0, but I'll get to that in a minute). I'm using one on an i5 750 with a 3.6 ghz overclock (stock voltage, turbo mode disabled) and it never even breaks 60 C under a sustained 100% load on all four cores (as it would be in FSX). If you're going to go with a more expensive cooling setup, go with water cooling (like the Corsair H50).I mentioned 4.0 Ghz--frankly, you're going to have to push the system pretty hard to run a 4.0+ Ghz overclock, and stability is not guaranteed. For one, you're certainly going to have to increase the CPU voltage, which means (at the least) more heat and significantly more power use (50+ watts). It also means you're pushing the limits of stable operation, and FSX is one of the few apps that will actually trip up an unstable overclock in fairly short order (happened to me several times on my old Core 2 Duo system). It could be very problematic even under daily use. At that point, you might as well consider water cooling, but I'd say stick to air (the Hyper 212) and a 3.6-3.8Ghz overclock.Oh, and regardless of what cooler you buy, make sure you get a quality thermal paste and apply it properly, which can make a difference of 5-10C. Arctic Silver 5 is the de facto standard in this regard.2.) Save some bucks and get Corsair XMS3 over the Dominator version. They're pretty much the same thing...the Dominator just has a more aggressive heat sink. The ASUS motherboard should allow you to configure the RAM to run at or only slightly above rated speeds even with a very aggressive CPU overclock (mine does, at least). I'm not a big fan of RAM overclocking since system memory (especially on a triple channel DDR3 X58 platform) is rarely a real bottleneck.3.) You will get rapidly diminishing returns on video cards past the $300 USD point (in fact, some would argue it begins in the $250 range). I don't think anything more than a Radeon 5850 is really necessary unless you're running extraordinary resolutions (i.e. 2560x1600).You might also consider the new nVidia GTX470 (the 480 is not a good value). The ATI drivers have a lot of issues in both FSX and FS9--I'm running a Radeon 5770 myself and I have all sorts of problems with v-sync and anti-aliasing (moreover, FSX doesn't even work in XP 32--I dual boot and have to run it in Vista 64, and I have to use a special tool and configuration file to get AA working for FS9 in XP). Frankly, if I only used this system for FSX, I would have returned the Radeon and gone with a GTX275 for now.

Akhbhaat, thanks for the suggestions.1) On cooling, I'm now leaning to the Corsair H50, but all of the air coolers mentioned have positives, too. Tough to decide. I will definitely get the Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste (I assume that is still needed with the H50). On overclocking, I've never done it, but my understanding is it's an iterative process, making small changes until the system is no longer stable, then backing off. I would be happy with 3.6 to 3.8 GHz.2) Thanks for the explanation on the memory. Paying a premium for memory heat sinks does seem unnecessary for this system. How much does latency matter? What is the benefit of 7 or 8 vs 9? Or is there a good guide to this somewhere?3) For video cards, there are features I like with the ATI cards. I read a guide to setting up FSX by NickN, who said that the 5870 is the first ATI card to match up with nVidia for FSX. I have also read elsewhere that the whole 5xxx series addresses those problems - or perhaps it is an updated driver package that did the trick? If the 5850 gets me there, that would be great. Also, we won't be running 2560x1600 anytime soon, but do lower resolutions on multiple monitors put similar demands on the video card?

If your son wants to use it just for playing FSX then the Nvidia GTX 285 is the best graphics card available.If your son wants to play other games on it as well then the ATI 5870 is a better graphics card.I use an ATI 5850 which is virtually identical to the 5870 and it runs FSX very well. The only problem is that most people (myself included) report that it's unable to Vsync in FSX which occasionally causes a minor screen tearing effect. However it is better than the Nvidia GTX 285 with other games because it's faster and has DirectX 11 support which means it will have better graphics in the next generation of games that are coming out later this year.

Got sidetracked with a few things, but I'm back on track for a system purchase this week. My planned system is now as follows:Processor: Core i7-930, overclocked to 3.6 GHz or more (~C$300)MoBo: Asus P6X58D E - SATA 6 GB/USB 3.0 ready (~C$250) change from Premium boardCase: CM Storm Sniper Black (~C$150)PSU: Corsair TX850 (~C$160) change from 750wSSD for FSX (W7 64 bit): Intel X25-M 80 GB (~C$240) Moved OS to other HDHD for OS: Samsung 1 TB Spinpoint F3 (~C$90)HD for everything else: Samsung 1 TB Spinpoint F3 (~C$90)DVD: Samsung DVDRW 24x (~C$25)Video Card: ATI Sapphire HD 5870 1 GB (~C$400)Memory: Corsair XMS 3x2GB DDR3-1600 CL8 (~C$250) change from DominatorCPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus (~C$30)I made a few changes based on the comments here, and I'm still unsure about the CPU cooler. I'm planning to start with the Hyper 212 Plus, but if it doesn't perform as I expect, I will go with another solution. I'm also curious whether there would be any benefit to a sound card.I had planned to assemble the system myself, but a local store, Infonec, may have all the components I'm looking for. They can assemble the system for $25, and offer a three year labour warranty. They will do assembly, but not installation of any software, including the operating system. The obvious upside is the low cost and having a fully assembled and tested system. So my question is - is there any downside? I like the idea of assembling the system, but not thaaaat much. But is there anything that has to be done during assembly to optimize the system for FSX, or anything that they might do that I can't undo? If there are choices to make during system assembly, can I just tell them how I want it done? What do you think?

Got sidetracked with a few things, but I'm back on track for a system purchase this week. My planned system is now as follows:Processor: Core i7-930, overclocked to 3.6 GHz or more (~C$300)MoBo: Asus P6X58D E - SATA 6 GB/USB 3.0 ready (~C$250) change from Premium boardCase: CM Storm Sniper Black (~C$150)PSU: Corsair TX850 (~C$160) change from 750wSSD for FSX (W7 64 bit): Intel X25-M 80 GB (~C$240) Moved OS to other HDHD for OS: Samsung 1 TB Spinpoint F3 (~C$90)HD for everything else: Samsung 1 TB Spinpoint F3 (~C$90)DVD: Samsung DVDRW 24x (~C$25)Video Card: ATI Sapphire HD 5870 1 GB (~C$400)Memory: Corsair XMS 3x2GB DDR3-1600 CL8 (~C$250) change from DominatorCPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus (~C$30)I made a few changes based on the comments here, and I'm still unsure about the CPU cooler. I'm planning to start with the Hyper 212 Plus, but if it doesn't perform as I expect, I will go with another solution. I'm also curious whether there would be any benefit to a sound card.I had planned to assemble the system myself, but a local store, Infonec, may have all the components I'm looking for. They can assemble the system for $25, and offer a three year labour warranty. They will do assembly, but not installation of any software, including the operating system. The obvious upside is the low cost and having a fully assembled and tested system. So my question is - is there any downside? I like the idea of assembling the system, but not thaaaat much. But is there anything that has to be done during assembly to optimize the system for FSX, or anything that they might do that I can't undo? If there are choices to make during system assembly, can I just tell them how I want it done? What do you think?

DO NOT get a 5870 or 5850- if you are running Windows 7. Vsync doesn't work, and it will cause you nothing but trouble. I just had to return my 5870, and now a 480SC is on its way.

You will kick yourself if you dont put the OS on the SSD. I have the X25M and it takes 30seconds for the PC to boot from being off and 10seconds to shut off. When your doing your overclocking and the board wont post, clear the cmos and 30seconds later you can change your bios settings. Same process on a Standard hd is measured in minutes.. If your running FSX on its own 160GB X25m and the OS on another SSD great, but the speed of the SSD for the OS is something to behold. My FSX is on its own 640GB WD Black and OS on the SSD have no issues with the speed for FSX. Buy the X25M for your OS....thats the heart of your system. 1) X25M for OS2) Fast HD for FSX only3) Corsair H50 is awsome with Dual Fans!!4) GTX285 1GB is a beast for FSX.

Buy the X25M for your OS....thats the heart of your system.

That's completely bass-ackwards!You want FSX on the SSD and the OS and other programs can run off the 7200rpm drives...