I've been doing a bit of research on replacing my current system (Q6600 @ 3.0 and Nvidia 8800GTS 512MB). I've been doing the rounds on places like [Hard]OCP but I'd love to get some input from the gang here since one of the primary uses of the system will be MSFS.Here's my in-progress build:CPUIntel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz MainboardASUS P8P67-M PROCPU CoolingCOOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1GPU (Primary)EVGA SuperClocked 012-P3-1573-AR GeForce GTX 570 HD w/Display-Port (Fermi) 1280MB (running two primary displays at 1920x120)GPU (Secondary)ECS NGT430C-1GQR-F GeForce GT 430 (Fermi) 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Video Card (Note: This is just to run my Wacom Cintiq tablet)Power SupplyCORSAIR Professional Series AX750 750W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power SupplyCaseCorsair Graphite Series 600T Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer CaseMemoryG.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-8GBNTOptical DriveLG DVD±RW SuperMulti Drive Black SATA Model GH22NS50B - OEMStorage (OS)HITACHI Deskstar H3IK5003272SP (0S02859) 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s (Note: This will be the primary/OS/App drive - I want to keep it relatively small as my plan would be to swap it with an SSD drive after maybe 12-18 months)Storage - SecondaryHITACHI Deskstar 7K2000 HDS722020ALA330 (0F10311) 2TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive (this will be for games, including MSFS, some apps, and some dataI will also utilize one or more of my existing WD Black 1TB drives for additional storageQuestions: Anything particularly overkill or underpowered? It seems, based on my research, that 1600 memory just won't be useful. True? The timings on the memory I've selected above are 9-9-9-24.This is a work/game system. Looking for good performance in FSX, but also some other modern games and flight sims (i.e. the new A-10 sim and Rise of Flight). I am almost tempted to wait and see what happens with Microsoft Flight before upgrading, but the price/performance ratio seems really good right now, and I'm never going to spend the money on "enthusiast" level chips.

Looks pritty good. I´ll get the same CPU and MOBO in a few weeks.

Looks OK except this: RAM - go for lower timings CL 6 - or 7 if possible. Do you want to install FSX on a storage drive? Why not pay a bit extra for a VRAP 300 Gb.?

I'm in the same boat. I would like to have a new system built to replace my two year old current system I am not sure which would be the best components. FSX runs fine, but I have a friend that can't afford to buy a new system and I would like to sell him my current one at a great price. Current system is in my signature.Bob G.

Any particular reason for Asus? I've been kind of leaning towards Gigabyte.Meanwhile my WD Black 64MB drive which was only in service for about 10 months went "breasts heavenward" last week, so I put WD on time-out and replaced with a Seagate Barracuda. Don't see Hitachi or Sammy readily available here off-the-shelf.scott s..

Can you wait a few months to upgrade? Once X79 comes out, (or if you'd like to stay mid-range, Ivy Bridge) Sandy Bridge will be obsolete.

Looks OK except this: RAM - go for lower timings CL 6 - or 7 if possible. Do you want to install FSX on a storage drive? Why not pay a bit extra for a VRAP 300 Gb.?

I may or may not try to push the timings on the RAM (depending on what I get and how the overclock goes), but it really does seem like more expensive RAM is somewhat wasted on Sandy Bridge.FSX would be installed on a 1GB WD Black that I already have.As for VRAP's, my research tells me that the very marginal real-world performance improvement just doesn't justify the cost. Also, the plan is to swap out the OS drive for an SSD in a year or two.

Any particular reason for Asus? I've been kind of leaning towards Gigabyte.

Mostly because of the availability of overclock/tuning guides. It seems like the Asus line are the most popular boards for Sandy Bridge, and there are lots of resources available.

Can you wait a few months to upgrade? Once X79 comes out, (or if you'd like to stay mid-range, Ivy Bridge) Sandy Bridge will be obsolete.

The eternal question ... there's always something better around the corner. That said, I've been a bit frustrated with the lack of availability on the Asus boards and I am tempted to just put things aside for a few months. Haven't decided yet. As for X79, I just don't think I can ever justify the cost of enthusiast level chips (anything above $500 for a CPU is too much). At the moment, I'm undecided.

I'm wondering if companies like nVidia will get back into the chipset game with the Ivy Bridge platform? nVidia chipsets were always top tier in terms of features, reliability, and overclocking ability when compared to Intel. (For example Intel X48 vs nVidia's 790i Ultra)

Jimmy Angel: "but it really does seem like more expensive RAM is somewhat wasted on Sandy Bridge" Wrong! http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820231303 We need to re-program ourselves with SB... 2000$ is not needed for an awesome FSX rig anymore.JA: "As for VRAP's, my research tells me that the very marginal real-world performance improvement just doesn't justify the cost. Also, the plan is to swap out the OS drive for an SSD in a year or two." Use it for FSX, 10000 RPM is better than 7200 - Or get a 2TB Caviar Black... JA: "bit frustrated with the lack of availability on the Asus boards" Availaibility "of" or "on"? My P8P67 have everything needed for monster-overclock!