This is my first post! I was a hard core flight sim user in the 90's but had to take an extended leave due to life. Now wanting to get back into it. I've read extensively on the computer requirements for FSX and am planning to build my own system. I know zero about computers so this will be a great and challenging learning experience (and I won't be doing it solo, FYI). Anyway, here's the system I plan to build. Comments are much appreciated.Case: Antec 300 IllusionCPU: Core i7 2600kMotherboard: ASUS P8P67 ProMemory: Mushkin ENhanced Redline 4GB (2x2GB) 1600 mHzPower: Corsair Professional series AX750 750WOptical drive: ASUS SATA 24x DVD BurnerHDD: 2 x Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB 7200 rpm\Cooling: Noctua NH-D14 CPU coolerVideo: EVGA GTX 570Monitor: ASUS 23" Widescreen HD 1080pOS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bitAm I missing anything? Will use the computer primarily for FSX, Microsoft office, internet.What should I do for internet access?How do I overclock the CPU to over 4 Ghz?How do I check temperatures to avoid overheating?

Looks great. The only thing you could improve is your disk performance, and that only helps with loading times. As for overclocking, you'll want to wait until others here have posted their own experiences with that chip and that board, then you'll be able to follow their lead. I wouldn't worry about temperatures with that cooler, you'd need to run some borderline dangerous voltage to push temps up above what that heatsink can handle. Internet access is up to you, it won't have a thing to do with your FSX performance so get whatever you like.

I highly doubt the 2 extra MB of L3 cache will make a difference, so you might as well save some cash and get the 2500K

<br />Looks great.  The only thing you could improve is your disk performance, and that only helps with loading times.  As for overclocking, you'll want to wait until others here have posted their own experiences with that chip and that board, then you'll be able to follow their lead. I wouldn't worry about temperatures with that cooler, you'd need to run some borderline dangerous voltage to push temps up above what that heatsink can handle.  Internet access is up to you, it won't have a thing to do with your FSX performance so get whatever you like.<br />

<br /><br /><br />What do you mean by disk performance? Is there a better hard drive option I should consider? With the current hard drives I've selected, how can I get max performance?Regarding internet access, is there another component that I need to purchase?Thanks for the input.

<br /><br /><br />What do you mean by disk performance? Is there a better hard drive option I should consider? With the current hard drives I've selected, how can I get max performance?

You could buy a Solid State Drive (SSD) or several even. They are much faster than traditional magnetic hard drives. They're also much smaller and much more expensive, so you have to decide if the increased performance (decreased load times) is worth it.

Regarding internet access, is there another component that I need to purchase?Thanks for the input.

Only if you're using dial-up or can't connect directly to your broadband gateway, for instance if your computer is in one room and your modem/router are in another and you don't want to run an ethernet cable, then you could use wireless instead. If you do need/want to use wireless, I would suggest using a USB wireless adapter, I find signal strength to be better with these than with cards because you can actually put the adapter/antenna up on your desk whereas most cards are positioned on the ground inside your computer case.