I am looking at getting a new high performance gaming machine for my 88 year old father (ex RAF/RCAF WWII Bomber pilot) who needs a new computer to run FSX. He is currently running FSX on very old and slow machine so its like watching a slide show.I do not want to build my own for him. This one at Future Shop appears to do the trick. I would strip off of all the commercial stuff that is loaded onto the computer, buy a 2 Terabyte USB 3.0 HD and load FSX onto the HD.I would then buy a wide variety of the top end addons and "beef" up his flightsim experience to similar to mine. Can I please get some reviews of this computer/specs etc.? I am not familiar with CyberpowerPC.Here is the link:http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/cyberpowerpc-cyberpowerpc-gamer-infinity-intel-core-i7-960-computer-glc950-english-glc950/10170681.aspx?path=c73c90febf512cb7fb08c7db90763621en02CyberpowerPC Gamer Infinity Intel Core i7-960 Computer (GLC950)Specs:Base FeaturesProcessor Type Intel Core i7-960Processor Speed 3.2 GHzProcessor Cores 4RAM 12 GB PC10666 DDR3Hard Drive Capacity 2 TBHard Drive Speed (Revolutions Per Minut 7200 RPMOptical Drive 12X Blu-ray Player & DVDRW ComboGraphics NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570Pre-loaded Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium 64-BitGraphicsDedicated Video Memory YesShared Video Memory NoTV Tuner NoVideo Memory 1.25 GBDisplayHDCP Compliant YesNative Screen Resolution Not ApplicableScreen Size/Type Not ApplicableAudioAudio Output 3.5 mm Analogue; S/PDIFDigital Input NoDigital Output Yes - BackIntegrated Microphone NoLine Out Yes - BackLine-In input Yes - Front & BackMicrophone Input Yes - Front & BackSound Card Realtek ALC889Speaker Wattage Not ApplicableSpeakers NoNetworkingEthernet Port 10/100/1000Integrated Bluetooth NoIntegrated WiFi NoInputs/OutputsCard Reader NoComponent Output NoComposite Output NoDVI Output YesE-SATA YesFireWire (IEEE 1394) 1 BackHDMI YesKeyboard Full-Size GamingModem NoMouse OpticalRemote NoS-Video Output NoUSB 2.0 YesVGA Output NoWebcam NoComputing FeaturesAvailable AGP Slots NoneAvailable Hard Drive Bays 4 Internal 3.5" (3 Available)Available Memory Slots 6 Total (3 Available)Available Optical Bays 4 External 5.25" (3 Available)Available PCI Slots 2 PCI (2 Available)Available PCI-E Slots 3 PCI-E x16 (2 Available)Energy Star Qualified NoPower Supply 800 WattsProcessor Cache 8 MBRemovable Storage NoSystem Bus 133MHzSoftwareLoaded Software 1 Microsoft Office 2010 StarterLoaded Software 2Loaded Software 3Loaded Software 4Operating System Language EnglishProduct FeaturesTower Depth 50.80 cmTower Height 46.36 cmTower Width 20.32 cmTower Weight 16.8 kgWarranty Labour 1 Year(s)

"I do not want to build my own for him"Why not? Look around this forum, people have i7 2600K´ s / i5 2500 K´s and they are in FSX Nirvana!- and you want an i7 960 for the old man?You can do much better, try again...

You can look here and add what ever component you want, start with the 2600K and they will build it for you. http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Gamer_Infinity_8800_Pro/http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/

Yes like the other guys say you want a i7-2500k or i7-2600k either one. Cyberpower as Alain said or Newegg http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229267 I really didn't shop that hard for you, I would look at Cyberpowre on price and ensure they ship to Canada. Newegg.ca is goldern for Canada, safe reliable, I recommend them as a place to do business, but I never really shopped the PC price for you, you're on your own.

Thanks guys. I personally have built two systems previous to the Gateway gaming machine I have now. I did have a reasonable experience with them, but not issue free. The machine I have now is a Future Shop buy and I stripped it of the "crap" software they load on these things and tweaked it to perfection.I am running a non OC i7 920, 3 GHz, 12 gig RAM, GTX 260 1 Mb - 750 Watts system and my FSX is running extremely well, and unlike tons of other folks who build their own, OC and do all sorts of stuff to them I do not have CTDs or other issues.In this case, he is in PEI I am in BC, once I load it up and get it tweaked and running like clockwork I will deliver it to him. I am taking a 6 weeks 5th wheel holiday across the country and will be arriving in PEI in Sept. and I can hand deliver it then.He might need a warranty, he needs no hassle, you know, being 88 years old and all. Basically I want to apply the KISS theory, and use my time to set up the FSX properly.

I am looking at getting a new high performance gaming machine for my 88 year old father (ex RAF/RCAF WWII Bomber pilot) who needs a new computer to run FSX. He is currently running FSX on very old and slow machine so its like watching a slide show.I do not want to build my own for him. This one at Future Shop appears to do the trick. I would strip off of all the commercial stuff that is loaded onto the computer, buy a 2 Terabyte USB 3.0 HD and load FSX onto the HD.I would then buy a wide variety of the top end addons and "beef" up his flightsim experience to similar to mine. Can I please get some reviews of this computer/specs etc.? I am not familiar with CyberpowerPC.Here is the link:http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/cyberpowerpc-cyberpowerpc-gamer-infinity-intel-core-i7-960-computer-glc950-english-glc950/10170681.aspx?path=c73c90febf512cb7fb08c7db90763621en02CyberpowerPC Gamer Infinity Intel Core i7-960 Computer (GLC950)Specs:Base FeaturesProcessor Type Intel Core i7-960Processor Speed 3.2 GHzProcessor Cores 4RAM 12 GB PC10666 DDR3Hard Drive Capacity 2 TBHard Drive Speed (Revolutions Per Minut 7200 RPMOptical Drive 12X Blu-ray Player & DVDRW ComboGraphics NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570Pre-loaded Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium 64-BitGraphicsDedicated Video Memory YesShared Video Memory NoTV Tuner NoVideo Memory 1.25 GBDisplayHDCP Compliant YesNative Screen Resolution Not ApplicableScreen Size/Type Not ApplicableAudioAudio Output 3.5 mm Analogue; S/PDIFDigital Input NoDigital Output Yes - BackIntegrated Microphone NoLine Out Yes - BackLine-In input Yes - Front & BackMicrophone Input Yes - Front & BackSound Card Realtek ALC889Speaker Wattage Not ApplicableSpeakers NoNetworkingEthernet Port 10/100/1000Integrated Bluetooth NoIntegrated WiFi NoInputs/OutputsCard Reader NoComponent Output NoComposite Output NoDVI Output YesE-SATA YesFireWire (IEEE 1394) 1 BackHDMI YesKeyboard Full-Size GamingModem NoMouse OpticalRemote NoS-Video Output NoUSB 2.0 YesVGA Output NoWebcam NoComputing FeaturesAvailable AGP Slots NoneAvailable Hard Drive Bays 4 Internal 3.5" (3 Available)Available Memory Slots 6 Total (3 Available)Available Optical Bays 4 External 5.25" (3 Available)Available PCI Slots 2 PCI (2 Available)Available PCI-E Slots 3 PCI-E x16 (2 Available)Energy Star Qualified NoPower Supply 800 WattsProcessor Cache 8 MBRemovable Storage NoSystem Bus 133MHzSoftwareLoaded Software 1 Microsoft Office 2010 StarterLoaded Software 2Loaded Software 3Loaded Software 4Operating System Language EnglishProduct FeaturesTower Depth 50.80 cmTower Height 46.36 cmTower Width 20.32 cmTower Weight 16.8 kgWarranty Labour 1 Year(s)

I bought from cyberpower and I had a good experience. But, be sure you don't purchase a generic, cheap psu. I made this mistake, and my motherboard ended up dying (I highly suspect it was the psu). So I had to rebuild my pc as I had to replace the motherboard, and to eliminate any future possible broken hardware, I bought a higher quality psu. So if you don't want to end up rebuilding the pc, don't cheap out on the psu. As others have said, get an I5 2500k or i7 2600k. Also get good cooler so you can overclock. I have the coolermaster hyper 212 plus. It is cheap, and offers great temps, especially with two fans in a push/pull configuration.

Yes like the other guys say you want a i7-2500k or i7-2600k either one. Cyberpower as Alain said or Newegg http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229267 I really didn't shop that hard for you, I would look at Cyberpowre on price and ensure they ship to Canada. Newegg.ca is goldern for Canada, safe reliable, I recommend them as a place to do business, but I never really shopped the PC price for you, you're on your own.

OK so I think what you are saying is go to the company directly, piece the specs I want in the system, like video card, RAM, power supply etc and order and have delivered. But generally the i7-2500 or better would be a good machine!

I bought from cyberpower and I had a good experience. But, be sure you don't purchase a generic, cheap psu. I made this mistake, and my motherboard ended up dying (I highly suspect it was the psu). So I had to rebuild my pc as I had to replace the motherboard, and to eliminate any future possible broken hardware, I bought a higher quality psu. So if you don't want to end up rebuilding the pc, don't cheap out on the psu. As others have said, get an I5 2500k or i7 2600k. Also get good cooler so you can overclock. I have the coolermaster hyper 212 plus. It is cheap, and offers great temps, especially with two fans in a push/pull configuration.

OK good advice on the PSU, I don't think I will want to overclock, just not into tinkering esp if the computer is powerful enough to give him the experience he would like, good point on the fans, thanks.

OK so I think what you are saying is go to the company directly, piece the specs I want in the system, like video card, RAM, power supply etc and order and have delivered. But generally the i7-2500 or better would be a good machine!

Yes 2500k or 2600k is better than the 9xx series. You can either order from Cyberpower or Newegg. If you go to Newegg via the link I posted you can buy it blind, it comes pre-built and send it off to your dad. Futureshop is generally high priced, but if you insist on buying from them look for a 2500k or 2600k. Cyberpower you have to piece the system together the Newegg one I linked tois ready to go.Only bit of a hassle with Newegg is if something does go wrong you have tosship it back to them where Futureshop likely has a store out East. Not sure if that matters to you or not your call.

If you are not overclocking get a I5 2500 and a H61 or H67 board.

buy a 2 Terabyte USB 3.0 HD and load FSX onto the HD

What do you mean here? intall FSX in an external drive? many 1366 boards have no USB 3.0 ports for what I know so chances are that CyberpowerPC rig won't

Yes 2500k or 2600k is better than the 9xx series. You can either order from Cyberpower or Newegg. If you go to Newegg via the link I posted you can buy it blind, it comes pre-built and send it off to your dad. Futureshop is generally high priced, but if you insist on buying from them look for a 2500k or 2600k. Cyberpower you have to piece the system together the Newegg one I linked tois ready to go.Only bit of a hassle with Newegg is if something does go wrong you have tosship it back to them where Futureshop likely has a store out East. Not sure if that matters to you or not your call.

Thanks Gary, for me perhaps I could go with the Newegg approach when I want to upgrade but for dad, its more about keeping it simple, money is not an object for him so if we pay a bit more but he can take it to a store just down the road if there is ever a problem, AND I can phone them and talk to them about what to do and not do.Most of the nearby relatives are computer neophytes and don't know much about computers except turning them on and off and running MS Word.

This one looks good if you don't want to build it yourself:http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229262

If you are not overclocking get a I5 2500 and a H61 or H67 board.What do you mean here? intall FSX in an external drive? many 1366 boards have no USB 3.0 ports for what I know so chances are that CyberpowerPC rig won't

Yes upon looking at the specs it only has USB 2.0. So what if I buy a something like this? Is there any advantage? Or do I just buy a USB 2.0 external drive?http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/seagate-seagate-goflex-desk-3tb-external-hard-drive-stac3000101-stac3000101/10158177.aspx?path=1565220c3e9342b162819dc755ed430cen02

This one looks good if you don't want to build it yourself:http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229262

Dario, have I got this correct?The Core i5 2500K(3.30GHz)CPU is faster than the i7 920 some good margin and the i7 2600 is even better? And, your recommendation above is actually faster than the i7-920?

If you don't have a USB 3.0 port available the external drive will work at USB 2.0 speeds obviously. Getting a more current Sandy Bridge system, among other advantages, will make it easier to find boards with USB 3.0 ports.But whatever you do, don't install FSX in an external drive

If you don't have a USB 3.0 port available the external drive will work at USB 2.0 speeds obviously. Getting a more current Sandy Bridge system, among other advantages, will make it easier to find boards with USB 3.0 ports.But whatever you do, don't install FSX in an external drive

"But whatever you do, don't install FSX in an external drive" - Dario, I don't understand why not? I have seen so many issues arise from other users that had corrupted their boot drive or had to undertake a recovery or their C drive failed and they lost everything had to do complete reinstall etc. I understand there may be some lose of speed perhaps but....what insight can you provide me please.