Hey gang! It's been over a year since I've flown, due to a dead system. I just haven't had the money to throw at a new desktop. I miss simming dearly and need to get flying again! Anyway, I'm looking to get into the best bang-for-your-buck system to run FS9. Here were my OLD system's settings (that worked very well for FS9):3ghz P4 HT2 gigs of RAMRadeon 9800XT 256mb video card.Aside from FS, I am not a gamer. It's FS and internet. That's about it. So, based on the old-school tech I had, what products are out there that would be cheap and offer a step-up in performance? Maybe some year-old + technology that is in abundance? Products to avoid? Does this all make sense?Thanks for your time!

Hi. Are you planning a rebuild or a new computer? Browsing the hardware and the OS forums here might provide you with some useful insight. My own personnel criteria would be CPU/motherboard (best performance you can afford), at least 4Gb of RAM, a 64 bit OS, and a 200 series Nvidia GPU card.( The 200's perform well, with well test drivers, and also would be lower priced than the newer versions.) I hope this (opinion) helps you on your way to FS9 nirvana!Best regards,Mel

Hi. Are you planning a rebuild or a new computer? Browsing the hardware and the OS forums here might provide you with some useful insight. My own personnel criteria would be CPU/motherboard (best performance you can afford), at least 4Gb of RAM, a 64 bit OS, and a 200 series Nvidia GPU card.( The 200's perform well, with well test drivers, and also would be lower priced than the newer versions.) I hope this (opinion) helps you on your way to FS9 nirvana!Best regards,Mel

I'm planning on a new computer. Either a cheapie off the shelf with a PCIe slot to upgrade graphics or build my own. Thanks for the reply!

The first advice I would give is to post in the hardware forum as there are lots of eager simmers waiting and willing to tell you what to buy. :(

A year ago I bought a Lenovo desktop for about 400. GREAT machine (from Newegg.com). About this time of year actually...keep an eye out for deals since we're nearing the holiday season. Basically though, its an all around beefy desktop and the only things after initial purchase that had to be done were to drop in an average (35$ ATI 1gb video card) and a monitor. Came with 6 gb ram, quad core processor and windows 7. Great for everything else I do aside from FS2004 (and a little zombie shooting action via Left4Dead I and II). In short though, keep an eye out for some good lenovo (IBM) deals on newegg. I'd aim a bit higher on the processor if you have the money (i5 or i7 intel). And Dell will likely have some great deals on monitors (got a 23" last year for 168$). happy hunting.

A year ago I bought a Lenovo desktop for about 400. GREAT machine (from Newegg.com). About this time of year actually...keep an eye out for deals since we're nearing the holiday season. Basically though, its an all around beefy desktop and the only things after initial purchase that had to be done were to drop in an average (35$ ATI 1gb video card) and a monitor. Came with 6 gb ram, quad core processor and windows 7. Great for everything else I do aside from FS2004 (and a little zombie shooting action via Left4Dead I and II). In short though, keep an eye out for some good lenovo (IBM) deals on newegg. I'd aim a bit higher on the processor if you have the money (i5 or i7 intel). And Dell will likely have some great deals on monitors (got a 23" last year for 168$). happy hunting.

Solid info! Thanks Kurosaki!