Hi,First post so go easy I currently have bought an imac 27" only a few days ago. Its my first mac computer and getting used to it but i have a problem.I always used FSX in the past but took a break from simming and having tried x-plane recently i just dont like it at all. So... i have decided to take this back and build myself a computer (built a few in the past so confident i can) as i dont want to use bootcamp and having to restart to access windows all the time.My budget is £1500 maximum but would prefer to keep it around the £1200-£1300 mark.Just a few questions about hardware...

1. Best processor to get for full detail on FSX? Was going to get AMD 1090t 6 core but did have an i5 750 oin the past which ran fsx good but not amazing i might add (was clocked at 4ghz)
2. I was going to get an Nvidia GTX460 , are they good? Will it allow me to get full everything running smoothly?
3. Was going to get 8gb ram but would there be any noticeable benefit over having 4gb?
4. With all the tweaks you can do now , am i better spending the money on an awesome cpu and lighter graphics card? the other eway round or a combination of both?

Thanks alot,Matt

Go to Overclockers UK. If you're not up to building, look at their prebuilt systems. There are many options to choose from. Choose the best Intel system that's in your budget. Report back here with what you choose. If you want to build it using every component, we can give you help on that. The two best online stores in the UK for service/low prices is Overclockers UK and Scan UK. I can whip up a spreadsheet with specs, prices and components to fit your budget.

Hi Chris,Thanks for the reply. I wont use ocuk as had major problems in the past but would use scan. I am budgeting £250 for my monitor so could you spec me a pc for approx £1000=£1250?Matt

I found ebuyer generally higher priced than scan and OCuk. However it's been a while. Things have probably changed. Ive never had problems with OCuk either, but last time I bought from them was close to 6 years ago. I'll see what I can do between £1000-1250 without using OCuk. I'll get a spreadsheet made up and get it to you within 48 hours.

Cheers Chris

Hi,First post so go easy I currently have bought an imac 27" only a few days ago. Its my first mac computer and getting used to it but i have a problem.I always used FSX in the past but took a break from simming and having tried x-plane recently i just dont like it at all. So... i have decided to take this back and build myself a computer (built a few in the past so confident i can) as i dont want to use bootcamp and having to restart to access windows all the time.My budget is £1500 maximum but would prefer to keep it around the £1200-£1300 mark.Just a few questions about hardware...

1. Best processor to get for full detail on FSX? Was going to get AMD 1090t 6 core but did have an i5 750 oin the past which ran fsx good but not amazing i might add (was clocked at 4ghz)
2. I was going to get an Nvidia GTX460 , are they good? Will it allow me to get full everything running smoothly?
3. Was going to get 8gb ram but would there be any noticeable benefit over having 4gb?
4. With all the tweaks you can do now , am i better spending the money on an awesome cpu and lighter graphics card? the other eway round or a combination of both?

Thanks alot,Matt

My advice would be check out the review and recommendations for a budget to luxury system just put out by TechSpot guru's - http://www.techspot.com/guides/buying/ . I personally like the Sandy Bridge luxury system recommendation. I already have the 30" monitor so I could subtract the $1300 or so bucks from the final price. But then, I'm not going to get a new Sandy Bridge system and wait for the Ivy Bridge late this year or early next.Best regard,Jim

Chris just beware,look at the link. Very heavy handed appproach to this incident.http://forums.overcl....php?t=18218529

Thanks for the heads up Dez! However I generally tend to avoid these bundles for reasons like this. Whereas buying a CPU, mobo and ram separate, means that the box has never been opened since delivery from intel to their warehouses.

Here you go:System Spreadsheet

Hi,Thanks for taking the time in doing that. I've had a bit of a change of heart tbh and am thinking of keeping the 27" imacDop you think FSX would run good on this under bootcamp? The spec is ..Intel Core i3 3.2ghz4GB DDR3 Ram ATI Radeon 5670 HD 512mb27" 2560x1440 DisplayI cant obviously overclock this as its an imac and would probably overheatMatt

To be honest, no. It wont. Apple computers are overpriced for the hardware thats in them. You'd be much better off getting one of the systems I provided.

Hi,I used to run FSX on my older computer and that was intel core 2 duo 5300 and 4gb ram with a 5770 card and it run nice? The 5670 is only slightly slower but the processor is much faster so cant understand why it wont run good?Matt

Maybe you were running it at lower settings. To get good performance at mid-high settings, a 3.2GHz dual core wont cut it. FSX relies on brute CPU power, hence the reason why many here have i7's, i5's or SB's OCd to 4GHz+. The prices of those 2 systems could come down yet, i just got what was best for 1250 quid.

Hi,Yeah maybe was running it at settings?These prices are from OCUK so will be able to shave £50 or so off by going elsewhere.Right , what do you think about this spec? I already have Windows 7 Ultimate Retail so dont need an os...

Get a cheaper case. That's a really expensive one. Get like the Antec 902 or Coolermaster HAF 922/932. Save some money there. Graphics card is lacking, I believe I suggested a GTX570 in my spreadsheet? Don't bother with these hybrid drives. Waste of time and money. Get a 640GB caviar black 64mb 7200rpm drive for the OS & data, and a 150GB VRap for FSX. Stay away from wireless keyboards and mice. Get a USB keyboard and mouse, unless it's a mouse like a microsoft sidewinder X8, which has better wireless capabilities. What's the voltage on that ram? Probably 1.65v which some are saying is too high for Sandy Bridge. Stick with the ram I suggested, it's 1.5v. Also, get 8GBs. You don't want any OOMs when using heavy addons. Is a speaker system necessary? That monitor probably has inbuilt speakers. I know they're not great, but if youre on a tight budget, don't go throwing money to pointless things, Including yokes and pedals. They're really expensive. I think a Logitech G940 set is less about £120. You could put that £200 into a better GFX card. The price difference between a 2600k and a 2500k is quite a bit. I'd save money and get the 2500k. It's the same but without HT and 2MB less cache. OCs the same.Personal opinion is to stick with either the 1366 or 1155 systems I suggested. You also forgot the OS.Considering the monitors only £156, you could spend that extra £100 on a better upgrade to my system, like the Logitech G940 set.

So i could install just fsx on a second hard drive? Would it not have to be installed on the main drive?Also what footprint is a standard fsx gold plus the most important add ons? is 150gb enough? is 120gb enough as i could probably buy 2x120gb ocz ssd's , one for main os , one for fsx and then have the 2 1tb for my storage?Matt