Gary,Consider the system below. Will make mincemeat out of the XP system you speak of at a cheaper price.BobbyANTEC Performance PLUS Model PLUS1080AMG- with Antec Original TRUE 430W P4 Power Supply ATX12V Retail Lite On Black 48x24x48x16 CDROM/CDRW/DVD Combo Drive LTC-48161H WD WESTERN DIGITAL "SPECIAL EDITION" 120GB 7200RPM EIDE HARD DRIVE MODEL # WD1200JBCORSAIR MEMORY XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series, Low Latency (Twin Pack) 512MB(2 x 256MB) 2x(32MX64) PC-3200LLPT With Platinum - Silver Heat SpreaderABIT IC7, Intel 875P chipset for Socket 478 P4 Canterwood ATX motherboard Intel Pentium 4 / 2.8CGHz 512k socket 478 Hyper Threading Technology 800 MHz FSB Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS PCI Internal Sound CardATI RADEON 9800 PRO 128MB DVI/TV 8X AGP $ 1,286.99 Just built one for a customer. Very Very Nice setup that will do 3Ghz all day long 100% stable w stock HS and fan.No comparing the XP to this.Bobby

Just to add to this debate, I want to replace my mobo and 2.4ghz P4.I was waiting until a good Dual mobo came out with 800mhz front side bus and then will plonk a couple of 3ghz p4's on it.Anyone think this is not a good idea?Speed.

First, I think you misread what I said. You and I both agree that he can buy a sub $1000 computer for FS9 and get great frames.I am all for getting the most bang for my buck, as are you.I am not normally an "out of the box" buyer. I have traditionally built every machine I own.But given that I was giving my current machine to my kids, (monitor and all), a base Compaq was a good starting point, as it included a complete system. Was it Ready for Primetime? No, but with about a total investment of about $800.00 including the new joystick I am very happy with it.I was actually busting on people who spend $3000.00 machines for something as intangible as having an extra 200Mhz on their 3 gig proc, or extra this or that.The distinction between a $3000.00 system and a $1000.00 is not as big as it was in the past.I'm sorry if you felt that my posting was a slam. It was really meant to show the guy that he would be plenty happy with dropping a cool G or less. Anything more than that, and he is throwing good money after bad.Plus, the proprietary nature of Compaq machines has lessened to an extent, as the after market memory and video card were third party items and I have had no issues with them thus far.Again, I hope my post wasn't a slam towards everyone, it was just meant to highlight that after $1000.00 additional investment is close to reaching a point of diminishing returns.For between $750.00 and $1000.00 he can get a GREAT system that has fantastic performance. But I would never pay another $500.00 or $1000.00 to be able to run say 8XAA vs 4XAA.Does that make sense?

Hi Gary,You can save yourself some cash and just pick up an $80(OEM)$100(retail) XP2500-barton, every single one that I have setup (6) has done 2.2 with the original HS&F stable and that was 11X200 which is XP3200, these where all recent build dates, including two that were purchased at CompUSA ($150) because the shop ran out of inventory.Still you might be happier with what Bobby suggest for a bit more leg.

"I was actually busting on people who spend $3000.00 machines for something as intangible as having an extra 200Mhz on their 3 gig proc, or extra this or that."I think you earn that right as soon as the money they are spending comes from you. Otherwise, it's their own choice.Personally, I own my machine for much more than just flight sim. FS is a very small portion of what I do. I also do:* Digital video editing and DVD creation* Music composition and arrangement* Software development* Graphic designMy decision was to buy the fastest processor I could get at the time. Money was not the concern with me, and I know it's not for many others as well.There seems to be a common thread here these days. That is that people are constantly being "busted on" for their personal choices that affect no one but themselves, whether it's the choice of a video card, the choice of a processor, or even in your case, the choice of a particular computer brand.I say if it works for your needs, get it! Why everyone thinks they have the right to pass judgement on others for their personal decisions escapes me.Jim

Will and Jim, you are both right. Will is happy with his $800 Compaq and Jim, you are happy with whatever you spent on your system. With all of the intense stuff that you do on your system, I probably would have went that way too.It's my own personal taste and not to put anyone down, but I have never much cared for Compaq or IBM for a home PC. Just as I don't care for the Intel side of the house...I like AMD. Why? I don't know, I just do. It is my perception (no benchmarks whatsoever) that the AMD's seem faster. Just my perception. I like the Orioles. Why? I don't know. I don't live anywhere near Baltimore and they aren't a good team, but when I was a little kid, that was the team I picked.Anyway, I have done some shopping and found that I can get the above AMD system with the 9800 Pro for $1100-1200...so not much above the "cool grand" and much less than the $3000...not that I care how much anyone spends on their system! I once spent $3000 on an old POS Acer laptop that had 16MB RAM and could do 256 colors on about a 9 inch screen...now that was a waste!!!Enjoy your weekends everyone, thanks again for all the comments...didn't mean to start a war and...to each his own!!!Gary J.