So after 4+ years I have a new system, just finished the build last night. Here are the specs.Intel Core i5 2300ASUS P8P67(b3) mobo4GB Corsair DDR3 1333Mhz Dual Channel RAM ASUS GTS450 1GB DDR5 810Mhz(O.C.)Seagate Baracuda 1.5TB 7200RPM HDDASUS DVD+/-RW BurnerCoolerMaster Hyper 212 Plus cpu coolerCoolerMaster Extreem Power Plus 700W PSUAntec 300 case w/ 1x 140mm Antec TriCool and 4x 120mm Antec TriCool fansWindows 7 Ultimate (64bit)ASUS VE228 LED 1080p 21.5" Monitor(I know that there may be better things for this build to really get a rocking machine but this is within the budget set forth by She Who Must Be Obeyed! And yes the 1st upgrade will be to 8GB RAM)So my Questions are two fold1. Before I install FSX and all my various addons, is there a list of thing(s) I should do to make sure FSX runs smoothly, like display driver tweaks, etc, or should I just install and hope nothing goes wrong?2. Aside from the PMDG 737 NGX (which I hope comes out really, really soon as the NGX was the reason for the new build) what add-ons for FSX would you all recomend to get the most out of FSX with the new system? Here is what I currently have.UT2Aerosoft MegaBudapestPMDG J41PMDG 744LDS 767Wilco E-Jets E170/190F1 Pilatus PC-12F1 ATR-72Carenado C206ASEFSCommanderThanks for everyone's help.

Ouch! Shoulda gone with the 2500k. The 2300 is essentially non-overclockable. The 2500k is really affordable. Anyway, out of all of those addons, I don't see REX. It is definitely something worth getting. It improves the ground, runway/taxiway, water, sky, sun, clouds, waves, etc. The realism increases 10 fold! When you get it, be sure to download the overdrive textures as well. They are available for free once you get REX.

I agree with Ethan but if you get the 747-400 get the extension 747-8 wow it is awesome after you get it you will see what I mean, also one thing to think about is Flight Environment Extreme from flight1, found it easier on fps with the 747, good luck.Regards, Rich

I highly recommend the PMDG MD-11. It is simply fantastic.

Biggest thing you should have done is get a 2500K instead of the 2300 - the 2300 (and any other Sandy Bridge chip without the "K" suffix) is a multiplier locked CPU, you can't overclock it and that will severely limit the potential performance you could see. If wherever you bought it will allow a return/exchange I would most definitely do it and get the 2500K. It is more than worth the extra $50. You're looking at being locked at 2.8GHz vs. easily getting 4.5+ with the 2500K.

+1 for the i5-2500k+1 MD-11+1 for REX (and overdrive)I also recommend GEX and UTX if you fly Europe, ORBX for Austrialia and Pacific North West. also consider a GA twin such as Carenado C340 or RealAir Duke B60B.

or RealAir Duke B60B.

Ooo, yes. That is a very nice choice indeed. Very fun aircraft to fly, and superbly modeled.

A really must-have add-on is: ENB Series. IT'S FREE.ENB Series is free to download, two simple small files that you've to put into your FSX root folder and there you go. ENB changes the colors of FSX into more realistic colors. Some parts will be brighter and some parts become darker because of shadow and some more. If you are interested, I can make some screenshots for you if you want?

i5 2500k and GTX480 or 5XX will be MUCH BETTER for FSX ...

Thanks for the input will definitely get REX. I have been eyeing the PMDG MD-11 for a while but haven't pulled the trigger as I always hated that plane (and all tri-jets for that matter) as a passenger. I guess i should get over my issues huh?I live near KSEA so is ORBX PacNW really worth it? It certainly looked nice on the NGX preview shots.Any other software suggestions?On the hardware side I did not have a choice on the CPU it was obtained for free from a good friend and I didn't want to stare a gift horse in the mouth. I do plan on upgrading the GPU too but probably not until Christmas. As I said the hardware side was on a budget.

Thanks for the input will definitely get REX. I have been eyeing the PMDG MD-11 for a while but haven't pulled the trigger as I always hated that plane (and all tri-jets for that matter) as a passenger. I guess i should get over my issues huh?I live near KSEA so is ORBX PacNW really worth it? It certainly looked nice on the NGX preview shots.Any other software suggestions?On the hardware side I did not have a choice on the CPU it was obtained for free from a good friend and I didn't want to stare a gift horse in the mouth. I do plan on upgrading the GPU too but probably not until Christmas. As I said the hardware side was on a budget.

As far as I know ORBX can't be beat for the PNW. I'm also sure your experience with the MD-11 will be much better sitting in the very front row.

I got the 2500k + 480 and Im telling ya I can fly to ORBX YBBN and get 28 FPS in the JS41. CANNOT BEAT THAT

I got the 2500k + 480 and Im telling ya I can fly to ORBX YBBN and get 28 FPS in the JS41. CANNOT BEAT THAT

28FPS!!!! How are you getting that? I can only get 13-18 in cockpit and i dont even have sliders up to full! Ive got a 2600k oced to 4.6ghz with a gtx580.....

28FPS!!!! How are you getting that? I can only get 13-18 in cockpit and i dont even have sliders up to full! Ive got a 2600k oced to 4.6ghz with a gtx580.....

Sorry Ron, I can! :( I get 38 in VC on the J41 no kidding! REX, 100% UT2, the whole shabang. Texture resolution set as high as it will go in the sim (7cm I think) and I manually set Texture_Max_Load to 4096x4096 in the fsx.cfg. I love FSX now. It looks great and I have no complaints! My specs are in the sig. Silky smooth! Crosswind landings in the little Carenado Saratoga are much more enjoyable when your frames are good lol! Hardware has finally caught up to FSX....

As far as I know ORBX can't be beat for the PNW. I'm also sure your experience with the MD-11 will be much better sitting in the very front row.

I've sat in the front passenger row on may a/c which is always nice but yeah nothing beats the VERY front row. I guess I'll pick up the MD-11 after the NGX is released.

I got the 2500k + 480 and Im telling ya I can fly to ORBX YBBN and get 28 FPS in the JS41. CANNOT BEAT THAT

So assuming I've got approx $350US to do some upgrades around Christmas time would you upgrade the CPU or GPU and to what?Thanks again everyone for all the pointers.