I think the water cooling is a free upgrade on cyberpower systems now. That looks a good build. I would go the extra and get a 570. Also, I'd change to a corsair or similar PSU. Even if it's a 750W PSU, that's still plenty.

Thanks for all the input, I'll look into the 2nd HD and the 570! I was trying to keep the whole thing under $2000 with shipping, ....but shipping alone is $160!

That shipping charge is unreal. U might wanna check out ibuypower and build a system there and see what it costs. Very similiar website.

Way. Too. Expensive. Besides, most of us here enjoy the building process. True nerds we are!

NCIX.com http://www.ncixus.com/ just put all the parts in the basket and then add the build option for $50. you get to choose any parts you want from the entire range

That shipping charge is unreal. U might wanna check out ibuypower and build a system there and see what it costs. Very similiar website.

Put together an identical system there for $1653.00 ...but shipping is via FedEx and standard saver rate is $159.00, so it appears the shipping is going to be expensive no matter who I order it from.

NCIX.com http://www.ncixus.com/ just put all the parts in the basket and then add the build option for $50. you get to choose any parts you want from the entire range

Try clicking on the link, it gives me an error, says I'm not authorized to look at the website...

U sure u dont wanna build one? Try pricing what u want on new egg just to see the difference in price. I built mine and I couldnt believe how easy it was.

Here's what I just put together on Newegg. Prices are current as of 5 minutes ago and all items had free shipping ($160 saved right there!). Don't forget to figure in the cost of Windows 7 x64 unless you already have a license. Notice the build below includes both the GTX580 and a 120GB SSD. You could downgrade either of those with minimal impact on FSX relative to the savings, but I purposely designed the build below to be on the high-end to make a point. ...Geez, and memory prices continue to drop. I can't believe it! Anyway, these systems really are a cinch to build and overclock. It would be a shame to spend hundreds of dollars extra for lesser parts just to have someone else do the fun part for you. I would highly recommend an Asus board if only because everyone and their mother has one around here, so you would certainly have plenty of able people around to assist you with overclocking... not to mention the BIOS settings thread that already exists! ASRock would be my next suggestion if you don't want an Asus. In that case, take a look at the ASRock Extreme4 Gen3.

Hi Jacoba,I am not sure if you have placed your order as yet, but I am just like you. I have no confidence in building my own machine and over clocking etc. I have gone out on a limb here and ordered an over clocked machine from Digital Storm. The company has fabulous reviews and it is costing me a bomb to have one shipped to me here in India. I am expecting the delivery some time next week. I don't mind spending the premium as long as I get a machine that works FSX solidly straight out of the box for me. You might want to check out their systems as well.Cheers,Dinshaw.

I just found building my system so easy for the first time. The only real precautions you need to take are no static and don't touch anything that looks sensitive like CPU pins. The OS and software can be a little tricky but honestly, it is very, very simple if you just take a look at a few guides.

Yeah, I tried building a system once and literally wasted just over a thousand bucks and all I had in return was a crippled machine, which died in less than one month and a bunch of unreturnable parts. So, I'm going to buy one already built, with a warranty...

personal choice

OS and software are the easy bits? You stick in a disk.

Sometimes can be a little tricky, trust me.

If you struggle to insert a disk into a drive then I don't think you should be building computers. I've never had any trouble installing software. My very first build, i did without a guide and I had zero issues with software. The hardest part is overclocking, and if not doing that, the actual build.