I just pulled the trigger on Sandy Bridge. My computer specs will be as follows:i7 2600KProlimatech Megahalems Rev.BMSI P67A-GD65 P67 LGA1155 R8g Mushkin Redline 1600 6-8-6-24 (speed, voltage and timings to be changed as required)Zotac 580 GTX - Core @ 900 MHzOCZ 850W2 x 120g S.Skill Pheonix SSDs in Raid 0, 3 storage drivesX-Fi Xtreme/Bose SoundCoolerMaster Storm Scout40in & 19in monitorsWindows 7-64Hopefully I can establish comparative FSX benchmarks from present overclocked 1366 system to the Sandy Bridge at maximum overclock settings in order to add to our collective knowledge base. Because the new system uses the software and components of the present system, other than CPU and Motherboard and an increase in RAM, it can establish near apple for apple benchmarks.Kind regards,

Your contribution to benchmarking FSX (remember, that is F%S*X not 3DMArk or whatever) is anticipated...allen :Big Grin:

Stephen, I'm looking forward to your high standard comparison (I read your GPU comparisons). They help a lot of people to make right decisions!

You Sir, are incorrigible! Just so long as that lil ol' dawg gets fed.

Congratulations! Prepare to be amazed! I will be looking forward to a direct comparison between it and the i7-9xx series as well.

I just pulled the trigger on Sandy Bridge. My computer specs will be as follows:i7 2600KProlimatech Megahalems Rev.BMSI P67A-GD65 P67 LGA1155 R8g Mushkin Redline 1600 6-8-6-24 (speed, voltage and timings to be changed as required)Zotac 580 GTX - Core @ 900 MHzOCZ 850W2 x 120g S.Skill Pheonix SSDs in Raid 0, 3 storage drivesX-Fi Xtreme/Bose SoundCoolerMaster Storm Scout40in & 19in monitorsWindows 7-64Hopefully I can establish comparative FSX benchmarks from present overclocked 1366 system to the Sandy Bridge at maximum overclock settings in order to add to our collective knowledge base. Because the new system uses the software and components of the present system, other than CPU and Motherboard and an increase in RAM, it can establish near apple for apple benchmarks.Kind regards,

Great news, Stephen :Applause: Looking forward on your review of SB and FSX

Thanks Stephen, any idea when your build will be complete

look forward to your benchmarks.

Cool!! Thanks Spirit. Going from a slowish 920 @ 3.8 to hopeully a pre-oc'd 2600k @4.8; so will be reading your benches too:)

Hi Stephen, same system (almost) here:Even the Megahalems rev. B. (Fan from Be Quiet 120 PWM) was my choice. The GTX 580 is from Gigabyte.The only difference is PSU, i have a Corsair HX850 and the mobo. I was tweaking and fighting during 5 days with an ASUS P8P67, and was a little erratic...didin´t like it.Now i have an Intel DP67BG. Fabolous mobo.FSX runs very fast. The best experience with FSX , ever , in my case. I don´t (didn´t )like it at all. Now i am flying every day for a while FSX. Best.Miquel.

Hi Stephen,Could you please explain your mobo choice?Thanks <_<

Your contribution to benchmarking FSX (remember, that is F%S*X not 3DMArk or whatever) is anticipated...allen :Big Grin:

Thank you Allen, I will try to establish a few Fraps monitored FSX flights as well as a number of in-game screenshot freezes for direct comparison. I might throw in some of the others too, why? Because I like them! :Big Grin:

Stephen, I'm looking forward to your high standard comparison (I read your GPU comparisons). They help a lot of people to make right decisions!

Thank you Word Not Allowed, that is very kind of you. I will do my best to give a fair unbiased comparative measurements and assessment between the two systems as it relates to FSX.

You Sir, are incorrigible! Just so long as that lil ol' dawg gets fed.

Yes, First officer Sunshine heartily agrees with you! She says that I spend too much time in front of the computer as it is and not enough rolling around on the floor playing with her.

Congratulations! Prepare to be amazed! I will be looking forward to a direct comparison between it and the i7-9xx series as well.

Looking forward to joining you on the Sandy Bridge platform! I wanted to see how you and a few others did with it in FSX before committing myself. Thanks for your courage!

Great news, Stephen :Applause: Looking forward on your review of SB and FSX

Thank you Ulf. I will try to make it worthwhile. I am expecting a somewhat modest, but definite improvement between the two systems, but we will see how the performance actually measures out objectively.

Thanks Stephen, any idea when your build will be complete

I have ordered the components from 2 different suppliers, one from Canada and the other from the USA, so it depends when the last one gets here. It should be assembled and working by early next week at the latest, I hope. I will run the tests over the following week or so and report back when complete.I am working up my test plan later today, and establish the benchmarks for the present system over the next 24 to 48 hours.

look forward to your benchmarks.

Thank you Veeray. I will make them available as soon as I can.

Cool!! Thanks Spirit. Going from a slowish 920 @ 3.8 to hopeully a pre-oc'd 2600k @4.8; so will be reading your benches too:)

Hey, this will be quite a jump for you if you follow suit (I imagine). The difference in speed alone should make it rather interesting. Thank you for your comments and encourgement.

Hi Stephen, same system (almost) here:Even the Megahalems rev. B. (Fan from Be Quiet 120 PWM) was my choice. The GTX 580 is from Gigabyte.The only difference is PSU, i have a Corsair HX850 and the mobo. I was tweaking and fighting during 5 days with an ASUS P8P67, and was a little erratic...didin´t like it.Now i have an Intel DP67BG. Fabolous mobo.FSX runs very fast. The best experience with FSX , ever , in my case. I don´t (didn´t )like it at all. Now i am flying every day for a while FSX. Best.Miquel.

Hi Miquel,What did you have before the Sandy Bridge? Did I understand you correctly that you had problems with an Asus P67 board and exchanged for the intel? How was it erratic? What is your overclock now?Kind regards to all,

Hi Stephen,Could you please explain your mobo choice?Thanks <_<

And last, but not least...Hi David,There is no real deep and significant reason behind the decision to go with the top MSI board this time around. jjjallen (of this board and FTX) bought the same board and has been able to achieve a stable 5.0 GHz OC and really praises the "Military Quality" components. There has been some problems reported with ASUS P67s and I am leery of some of the lesser players I have not had much experience with. Besides that, the MSI seems to have nearly all the features of the top Gigabyte board at almost half the cost in Canada.I hope that lightning strikes at least twice and I have as good a CPU and motherboard as the others that reach 5.0. I will know soon enough I guess. Are you thinking of making the leap?Kind regards,

Stephen, I still have an ASUS Maximus III Formula, Core i7 875K, 8 G DDR3 G Skill, and GTX 580 (before a Zotac AMP GTX480). Sandy Bridge is a step ahead , IMO.I haven´t still overclocked the CPU, but the experience is fantastic. The CPU is fast, cool and very powerful.The ASUS had some noises with the sound card, some cold boots, an annoying bluetooth driver...everything was not smooth as others ASUS i have owned.The new BIOS is really amazing, though.The Intel is a superb motherboard, finish, quality, the fan control of CPU and chassis is top notch...More to test this weekend.Best.Miquel.