I would like your highly esteemed opinions on the rig I intend to build for FSX:Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R motherboardMushkin Redline 6GB CL6 kit intel core i7 930 CPUSome CPU cooler (I plan to o.c. to about 4 GHz)OCZ Vertex 2 50 Gb SSDNVidia GTX470 graphics cardAntec True Power 620 WCooler Master CM 690 Advanced II case.Windows 7 ultimate 64I already got the memory, SSD, video and mobo.Since this pc is only going to run OS + FSX I guess 50 Gb will do.i have a lot of other networked pc's that take care of other tasks such as weather, ATC, flight planning etc.Do you think the CPU is adequate in this set-up ?And the power supply ?Your thoughts on a cpu cooler ?Thanks for yopur advise.martin

PSU probably isn't enough for OCing. You want to put OS and FSX on separate HDs, not on the same or in RaID. Considering the other parts, isn't the UD3R a bit on the cheap side for a mobo?

PSU probably isn't enough for OCing. You want to put OS and FSX on separate HDs, not on the same or in RaID. Considering the other parts, isn't the UD3R a bit on the cheap side for a mobo?

I don't consider 210 euro's cheap for a motherboard, it has very good specs and reviews...

I'd recommend something like the asus p6T minimum. This is for a number of reasons. UD3R only has 4 DIMM slots, which don't support upgrading to 12GB of ram. It only has 1 PCI express slot, also limits expansion/upgradeability. Some technical specs are lower than other boards which Im not going to go into (see gigabyte site for details). Also an average mono costs about $250 US (asus p6t), a good mobo about $300 US (gig. UD5), and really good mobo around $350+ (asus P6T deluxe). Supreme mobos cost around $600US (eVGA 4-way SLI classified)

I really doubt we're looking at the same mobo : from the Gigabyte website : GA-X58A-UD3R :Memory : 6 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 24 GB of system memoryExpansion Slots : 2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x16 (PCIEX16_1/PCIEX16_2) 2 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x8 (PCIEX8_1/PCIEX8_2) (The PCIEX16_1, PCIEX16_2, PCIEX8_1 and PCIEX8_2 slots conform to PCI Express 2.0 standard.) 2 x PCI Express x1 slots 1 x PCI slot it supports crossfire and SLI both, Sata 600 and usb 3.0 which the Asus P6T doesn't, which is also considerably cheaper (168 eu vs 214 eu)The asus p6t deluxe and the ud5 are both only 20 euros more.the last one is 420 euros but I will never use SLI or Crossfire so I'm not even considering that.Don't get me wrong, I appreciate your input but maybe you were thinking of the 770 UD3 or the P55 UD3 ?cheersMartinMartin

Looks decent, I'd go with this mobo insteadhttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813131641

Sorry my mistake, I was looking at the 1156 socket UD3R. Apologies.

Depending on your number and type of add-ons, a single 50 GB SSD will most likely be insufficient. I have two 64 GB SSD's, and the OS drive has less than 10GB left over, and the FSX drive has less than 15GB available.Definitely get two separate drives for the OS and FSX, and if you go SSD, get 64GB minimum per drive. I would recommend 128GB for FSX, especially if you want to use a lot of scenery upgrades, which may even push the size requirements further. I think FS Global is 100GB, but I am not sure.For the PSU, don't go below 650 watts, and to be safe, I would look for a 700-750 watt Corsair, OCZ, or PC Power and Cooling PSU. For the cooler, go with a Venomous X + 120mm fan, Noctua NH-D14, or a Corsair H50. The rest of the build looks solid. I have a barely used GTX 470 for sale if you are interested.

Looks decent, I'd go with this mobo insteadhttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813131641

Would you mind telling me why ?thanks.Martin

Depending on your number and type of add-ons, a single 50 GB SSD will most likely be insufficient. I have two 64 GB SSD's, and the OS drive has less than 10GB left over, and the FSX drive has less than 15GB available.Definitely get two separate drives for the OS and FSX, and if you go SSD, get 64GB minimum per drive. I would recommend 128GB for FSX, especially if you want to use a lot of scenery upgrades, which may even push the size requirements further. I think FS Global is 100GB, but I am not sure.Yes. I was afraid of that I. was going to wait till they were a bit cheaper and add one.I'll use the 50 Gb for the OS and buy a second one for FSX.For the PSU, don't go below 650 watts, and to be safe, I would look for a 700-750 watt Corsair, OCZ, or PC Power and Cooling PSU. For the cooler, go with a Venomous X + 120mm fan, Noctua NH-D14, or a Corsair H50. No, I already decided on a 750W model. Thanks for the cooling advise, I'll look into it.The rest of the build looks solid. I have a barely used GTX 470 for sale if you are interested.Shame, I already ordered one.

Sorry my mistake, I was looking at the 1156 socket UD3R. Apologies.

No apologies necessary mate

I would like your highly esteemed opinions on the rig I intend to build for FSX:Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R motherboardMushkin Redline 6GB CL6 kit intel core i7 930 CPUSome CPU cooler (I plan to o.c. to about 4 GHz)OCZ Vertex 2 50 Gb SSDNVidia GTX470 graphics cardAntec True Power 620 WCooler Master CM 690 Advanced II case.Windows 7 ultimate 64I already got the memory, SSD, video and mobo.Since this pc is only going to run OS + FSX I guess 50 Gb will do.i have a lot of other networked pc's that take care of other tasks such as weather, ATC, flight planning etc.Do you think the CPU is adequate in this set-up ?And the power supply ?Your thoughts on a cpu cooler ?Thanks for yopur advise.martin

I was sitting minding my own business flying joyfully in and around St. Maarten with the kids all tucked in nice when there was a deafening gun shot sound approx. 3 feet in front of me. Seconds later I smelt the dreaded smell of fried electronics. Yes, you are correct. It was my PSU. The thought of losing the expensive parts in my rig was not enjoyable. Fortunatly, the damage was limited to the PSU. So if/when you read my sig, you will see my replacement PSU. BTW an overclocked i7-950 at 4Ghz draws 300 watts! And, if you want to run multiple graphics cards you need juice. Granted the 1500 watt is a bit overkill but then again it was I that "got shot" and for an extra hundred or so buys me a bit of peace of mind plus some head room to add in the future.How often do we have the money to do it twice rather than right the first time. Also, I would go the 480 route. Wait a bit if bucks are tight.

I was sitting minding my own business flying joyfully in and around St. Maarten with the kids all tucked in nice when there was a deafening gun shot sound approx. 3 feet in front of me. Seconds later I smelt the dreaded smell of fried electronics. Yes, you are correct. It was my PSU. The thought of losing the expensive parts in my rig was not enjoyable. Fortunatly, the damage was limited to the PSU. So if/when you read my sig, you will see my replacement PSU. BTW an overclocked i7-950 at 4Ghz draws 300 watts! And, if you want to run multiple graphics cards you need juice. Granted the 1500 watt is a bit overkill but then again it was I that "got shot" and for an extra hundred or so buys me a bit of peace of mind plus some head room to add in the future.How often do we have the money to do it twice rather than right the first time. Also, I would go the 480 route. Wait a bit if bucks are tight.

Yikes. Using the calculator here, i f I calculate it at 100% peak load, it says I need 708 watts, and I have a 700 watt peak power PSU, so I think that I am probably perfectly matched considering that my computer shouldn't ever be at 100% peak load.

Yikes. Using the calculator here, i f I calculate it at 100% peak load, it says I need 708 watts, and I have a 700 watt peak power PSU, so I think that I am probably perfectly matched considering that my computer shouldn't ever be at 100% peak load.

you need to derate capacity for aging of componets over time. Plus, there is a sweet spot for the PSU to deliver watts at a greater efficiency. You do not want to be on the "edge". I can only tell you but you have to experience a PSU dying, the sound and smell. It truely is a heart stopper. As this "sport" has recently taken a turn for the better (Hey-sus tweaks), more GPU(s) might make things much much better. That means more watts! The difference between a Ok PSU and a high watt/future proof PSU is not that great. Pay once - go big.

A couple things:PSU calculators drastically over-rate power consumption in an attempt to make sure people purchase power supplies which will definitely handle any load they throw at it. Case-in-point, an overclocked i7 @ 4GHz doesn't come close to 300W power consumption. Were this true, traditional air cooling methods wouldn't be able to dissipate the heat generated by such a device, we'd all have to use water cooling.

A couple things:PSU calculators drastically over-rate power consumption in an attempt to make sure people purchase power supplies which will definitely handle any load they throw at it. Case-in-point, an overclocked i7 @ 4GHz doesn't come close to 300W power consumption. Were this true, traditional air cooling methods wouldn't be able to dissipate the heat generated by such a device, we'd all have to use water cooling.

I figured as much, they don't want to under rate the power draw when people are using their calculator to select a power supply.