Hello,At the moment I really want to update my pc. At the moment I have these PC specs:Acer Aspire M7811i7 860 2.8 GHz6GB RAM nVidia GTX320 1024MB1TB HDDMobo: Intel H57 ExpressThe performance is not terrible or something, it's ok on most occasions. But on some Aerosoft airports like EHAM, EHRD, it's really bad.The problem with this pc is, that's it's an Acer. That means that I can not overclock my CPU. I have been stupid to buy this pc last year, not knowing that I couldn't overclock it. So what I wanna do now, is buying a new motherboard and overclock my CPU.This is the motherboard I'm thinking to buy:MSI P55-GD85This motherboard has got a very useful feature named OC Genie. It's basicly a button on the motherboard you have to press, and then your CPU instantly gets overclocked to 4.2 GHz! That sounds awesome.But I'm afraid that my pc is getting too hot because of that, so that's why I want to buy the Scythe Mugen 2 Rev B CPU cooler. My questions are:Is this good choice of motherboard?Will I get a massive performance increase after overclocking to 4.2 GHz?For example in the NGX at Aerosoft Amsterdam (EHAM), I get about 12-15 fps on my current system. Is that gonna be lot better after the overclock? My basic question actually is, is it worth it?Can it also have influence on things like crashes and panel freezes?At the moment what I really like about my system, is that I'm not getting any freezes at all.

You will have to buy a new OS if you change the motherboard, as OEM OS' (what the Acer will have) is locked to the mobo

Definitely get yourself an i7 or 2600K. Since FSX is a CPU killer, overclocking your CPU is one of the best things you can do. Do invest in an aftermarket cooler. I would suggest a Noctua D14 since you are doing a full build anyway. As far as the video card, GTX580 wins hands down for FSX. Get the 3GB version if you are going to be running at ultra high resolution (like on a 30" monitor). As far as the motherboard, you should search Tom's Hardware and NewEgg for reviews. No offense to the FSX community, but I had to seek out the real hardware-philes to get a solid perspective on my ASUS purchase some years back. Trevor Edit: Also, I've never used MSI, but the overclock genie may not be the way you want to go. I'm not sure if it's any better than ASUS's TurboV Evo auto tuner, but most experienced overclockers will tell you that you should overclock via the BIOS for a fast stable OC. Edit 2: Forgot to mention. Invest in a SSD. Install FSX and your operating system (Windows 7 x64) on that drive and NOTHING ELSE. Everything else can go on your reformatted 1TB HDD.

You will have to buy a new OS if you change the motherboard, as OEM OS' (what the Acer will have) is locked to the mobo

Luckily I've got a friend who can reinstall Windows for me if necesserary. Legal or illegal, but I don't have money for buying a new OS i'm afraid.

Definitely get yourself an i7 or 2600K. Since FSX is a CPU killer, overclocking your CPU is one of the best things you can do. Do invest in an aftermarket cooler. I would suggest a Noctua D14 since you are doing a full build anyway. As far as the video card, GTX580 wins hands down for FSX. Get the 3GB version if you are going to be running at ultra high resolution (like on a 30" monitor). As far as the motherboard, you should search Tom's Hardware and NewEgg for reviews. No offense to the FSX community, but I had to seek out the real hardware-philes to get a solid perspective on my ASUS purchase some years back. Trevor Edit: Also, I've never used MSI, but the overclock genie may not be the way you want to go. I'm not sure if it's any better than ASUS's TurboV Evo auto tuner, but most experienced overclockers will tell you that you should overclock via the BIOS for a fast stable OC.

At the moment I don't have that much money (I'm only 16), so this is all I'm gonna do. I'm not gonna buy a new CPU, I'm just gonna overclock it after buying a new motherboard. I'm also not gonna buy a new GPU, as it won't make that much of difference. And I'm not running on a very big screen, (22 inch).

Luckily I've got a friend who can reinstall Windows for me if necesserary. Legal or illegal, but I don't have money for buying a new OS i'm afraid.

Careful what you say....

Luckily I've got a friend who can reinstall Windows for me if necesserary. Legal or illegal, but I don't have money for buying a new OS i'm afraid. At the moment I don't have that much money (I'm only 16), so this is all I'm gonna do. I'm not gonna buy a new CPU, I'm just gonna overclock it after buying a new motherboard. I'm also not gonna buy a new GPU, as it won't make that much of difference. And I'm not running on a very big screen, (22 inch).

If you're going to overclock, don't do it with the stock CPU cooler. If money is tight you can find a decent air cooler for a low price.

If you're going to overclock, don't do it with the stock CPU cooler. If money is tight you can find a decent air cooler for a low price.

I know, as my first post said, I'm going to get the Scythe Mugen 2 Rev B CPU Air cooler. You guys recommend me that one?

Oh ok, I missed that part.

At the moment I don't have that much money (I'm only 16), so this is all I'm gonna do. I'm not gonna buy a new CPU, I'm just gonna overclock it after buying a new motherboard. I'm also not gonna buy a new GPU, as it won't make that much of difference. And I'm not running on a very big screen, (22 inch).

Makes sense, but make sure you invest in an aftermarket cooler. Don't trust the garbage that Intel ships with its CPUs. Otherwise, you will be severely limited by temperature. 2600K isn't a bad bet. Edit: I missed your comment about the air cooler as well. Honestly, the best thing you can do is overclock the CPU as much as possible. To do that, you want the best air cooler available. Splurge and go with the Noctua.

Makes sense, but make sure you invest in an aftermarket cooler. Don't trust the garbage that Intel ships with its CPUs. Otherwise, you will be severely limited by temperature. 2600K isn't a bad bet.

I know, do you recommend me the Scythe Mugen 2 Rev B CPU cooler? It's got a gold award on the internet... Not sure whether to believe that or not. I read that your CPU only reaches 40 degrees at about 4 GHz.

I don't have any personal experience with it, but you could probably find some reviews online comparing it to other coolers.

I agree with Kenneth. The best thing you can do is read reviews. Not on Avsim, but on forums like Overclockers Club and Tom's Hardware. Those sites are an awesome resource.Trevor

Why don't you pop on over to the MOBO, RAM, CPU forum. Lots of real smart guys over there. When i started getting into upgrading, overclocking etc. that's where i went. Just a wealth of knowledge over there.