One of my friends is about to buy a new alienware laptop with a Core i7 processor, he wanted to know if the Core i7 was a good processor to run FSX. I did not told him my opinion because I don't know anything about the Core i7 (or i5) processor running on FSX. I have the impression that the Intel Core 2 duo processors run FSX better at least from the perspective of my MacBook Pro that runs FSX very good. Anyways do you get good framerates on your i7 pc's?

As default FSX scenery max setting with REX 1024 x 1024 resolution start at KJFK flying to mahattan altitude 1500 feet , I get 22-24 fps ( lock at 24 fps ).

Right now for FSX the core i7 family is probably the best! Tell him to just get the fastest that he can afford! At a $1,000 the i7 980X is probably not the best i7 FSX value, but what the heck if you can afford it and want it why not!

Don't get a Core 2 Duo because they are Intel's last generation processors and are not as good a the new Core i5 or i7.If your on a tight budget a Core i5 750 with 4GB RAM offers the best value available at the moment. If you can afford it, a Core i7 930 with 6GB RAM is also very good value for money and will have better performance than the i5. There are better processors than these available but you will need to spend alot more money for only a small performance increase.And as always, FSX will run much better if you overclock the processor.

My opinion that follows is THEORETICALFSX performance depends too much on CPU Speed (GHz) not only cores.Be cautious, those 4-core i7 are up to 1.6GHz unless overclocked. Personally I would prefer a 'older' Intel Core 2 Quad at 2.2 or even 2.8 but seems those models are geting rare on the market now days....Only a comparison test between those i7 for Laptops and Core2 Quad for laptops would convince mewhile running FSX+Scenery+ Serious Airplane Addons + ASE + REXSamP.S.: Most laptops use 5400 rpm Hard Drives