Hi All, Im looking to upgrade my CPU and i've got my eye on the intel core i7 950 ( 3.08GHZ quad core if i recall correctly). I have been reviewing the forums for a while now and I learnt among other things that the processor is the single most important factor as far as framerates are concerned. I also noticed that much emphasis is placed on overclocking intel i7 processors to reap out maximum performance. I personally don't know much about computers but my technician advised against overclocking. What I'm hoping to find out is: 1. how much more benefits/risks would one expect form an overclocked i7 over the standard cpu?2. my present cpu is an AMD phenom II x2 (3.1ghz). How much better is the standard ( non-overclocked) i7 950 over this configuration, all other things remaining unchanged.Thanks, Nanjul

Nanjul;I'm running a Dell computer with an i7 870, rated at 2.93 GHZ I believe...NOT overclocked. It has "turbo boost" function...and from this little monitor gadget that I downloaded it shows that the Dell automatically boosts the speed to 3.5GHZ+ as needed when FSX is running.I get good frame rates in high-density areas without stuttering etc...so I think you could run an i7 without OC, with good results. Just one man's opinion...

Nanjul, I have a 920 that I ramped up to 3.4. I got it stable there now and the incresae in frames from the stock 2.6 is noticable. I want to get it up to 3.8 or 4.0, but the last time I tried to get it to 4 it didn't like it so I scaled back to 3.4. Need to try 3.8 again, but I've been busy.To state the obvious: do not attempt with a stock cooler unless you happen to own Intel.

Thanks alot Matt and Doug. I realized I posted this in the wrong section only after I had clicked "post". You guys are probably here on some 747 business but you took the time to give me advice. Thanks!! Matt, I was Initially saving up with the i7 950 in mind, then I dropped my sights to the 920. The truth is the upgrade is going to be quite expensive for me. As my present system is AMD based I would have to change alot ( motherboard, maybe new powerpack and a cooling tower I suppose). I don't plan on getting a new GPU with the upgrade. Ill use my Nvidia 9500gt for a while until my wounds heal then I'll upgrade that. I notuce you said you'r using an i7 870 with good results. How low down the i7 ladder do you think I can go and still enjoy smooth frames with my current graphics card?

I am running the 920 with a Noctua after market heatsink and fan. I am running stable as a rock at 3.25 and could go farther if need be. If I had it to do over, I would have gotten the Corsair H50 or H70 all in one water cooling systems. It is very true that the sweet spot kicks in at 3.0 GHz. Running stock 2.66 it was no better than my old Core 2 Duo at 2.18. Once I passed 3.0 GHz, it was like someone flipped a switch. On water cooling, I'd lay odds at a stable 4.0 but I like to leave my system on so I throttle back a bit.Cheers and good luck!ChuckCYXU