HI,I'm planning to upgrade my rig soon and need some advice. First, my system specs right now:Quad 2 Q8400 @ 2.66ghzGeforce GTX280 (1024mb)4gb ramWin7 (64)FSX Sp2I'm flying solely in Australia and have most of the bigger FTX airports. My planes are PMDG JS41, 747 and the LevelD 767. With most detail options disabled I get around 10-14 fps at YMML or YBCS, a little bit less at YBBN. (I also use REX2, UT2, ASE, EZDOK,...)Now, I have around 500-600 € (around $720) to boost these fps-numbers and experience some more details. I guess my GTX280 should be sufficient, but i need to upgrade my processor (motherboard). So I think I will choose a i7, but which one? Maybe you guys could give me some advice how to improve my flying experience in australia and still stay within the budget!thank you very much!christopher

If you go i7 with new motherboard, you'll also need new DDR3 RAM, running in triple channel - such as 3x2GBAnyway you might want to wait just a few more weeks for the newer CPU's to come out but if you must buy now, an i7 950 with a good cooler (to overclock to 4+ GHz), X58-based motherboard, and 6gb of ram...Examples:UD3R (I'd personally go with the UD5 - but $80 more)http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128423Mushkin LL ram:http://mushkin.com/Memory/Radioactive/998958.aspxGood aftermarket cooler:http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=34&lng=enJust make sure your power supply is up to the task...At a minimum 700w by a quality brand (Corsair/Seasonic/Coolermaster)... a good one would be this:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171057

If you can't get the i7 cpu/1366 socket motherboard within your budget, you could look at an i7 cpu/1156 socket motherboard (less expensive). This will still allow overclocking to 4 GHz, and if your existing 4 GB memory is correct (you did not specify), it could be reused. If your Windows 7 is a retail version, it can be reused. If it's OEM, the operating system is another expense when changing the motherboard. As mentioned, adequate cooling and PSU are further considerations.

Is the need for a new OS a licensing issue?

Is the need for a new OS a licensing issue?

Yes. OEM is good for only the current computer. I have had no issues with upgrading the CPU and memory. Imaging Windows to a new larger hard drive worked with reactivation by Microsoft. It is my understanding that an OEM version of Windows cannot be reactivated when the motherboard is changed, since this is essentially a new computer.

Yes. OEM is good for only the current computer. I have had no issues with upgrading the CPU and memory. Imaging Windows to a new larger hard drive worked with reactivation by Microsoft. It is my understanding that an OEM version of Windows cannot be reactivated when the motherboard is changed, since this is essentially a new computer.

I know Microsoft takes that position. Hmmm... What would MacGuyver do?

Yes. OEM is good for only the current computer. I have had no issues with upgrading the CPU and memory. Imaging Windows to a new larger hard drive worked with reactivation by Microsoft. It is my understanding that an OEM version of Windows cannot be reactivated when the motherboard is changed, since this is essentially a new computer.

Hi Art_PJust letting you know i recently swapped out my motherboard, as I was having overclocking issues with my old one, and I wasn't quite sure what would happen with the Windows 7 OEM I had, but when I put everything together it still validated and activated ok, and it seems to work fine.Michael