Hi Guys, After a bit of advice, I currently have a Intel Core 2 Duo E8600, 8800GT gfx, 2gig ram windows 7 32bit PC. I'm moving over from FS9 and i'd like to update a few of these components, probably the processor and gfx card. I don;t wanna spend more than about 300ish quid. My Mobo (Asus p5E) doesn't support the new Intel i range so what would you recommend to max out performance from my current hardware. I understand its nothing compared to some the new stuff but i'm limited a bit my funds. I want to run ASX, UTEurope, UT, REX/FE, PMDG 737NGX etc. Obviously i know i couldn;t run at full whack but at a respectable FPS Cheers Dan

Do you want to upgrade only processor and GFX (PSU also) ?

I think so yeah, unless there will be anything i could upgrade to improve performance.

I'm going to briefly hijack your thread, but maybe the answers I get will help you out a bit. I take it you're from the UK, and I've seen this a few times on here and often wondered about going this route. I do not know the answer but maybe someone on here can help out. Taking into account the relative weakness of the US dollar as compared to the Euro/Pound, would someone living in the UK benefit from buying their computer parts from a US dealer? For example, using the OP's request, he could buy an I5-2500K + an Asus Z8P68 from Newegg for about $420 which converts to ~265 pounds which is under his budget and then maybe in a few months upgrade the video card. I understand shipping might be a little more but you will still receive more bang for your buck than you would buying from a Euro dealer. There might also be compatibility issues, but since I live in the US, I really wouldn't know anything about that. Thanks.

I would not reccomend importing goods to the UK from America. It may seem like the cheap option, even when you add shipping. But then the products arrive in the UK and the shipping agent sends you a big tax bill and will not release the product until you pay. if i was you, i would buy 2 more gig of RAM, which really would be a must, and a new graphics card, maybe a 560? http://www.ebuyer.com/267865-gigabyte-gtx-560-oc-edition-1gb-dual-dvi-mini-hdmi-pci-e-graphics-gv-n56goc-1gi keep your current processor, it is still very good, but overclocking it to near 3.8 Ghz would be a real help. You might want to consider buying a H50 or H70 cooler which should make that sort of overclocking fairly easy. Hope this helps, Jack

Hi Guys, After a bit of advice, I currently have a Intel Core 2 Duo E8600, 8800GT gfx, 2gig ram windows 7 32bit PC. I'm moving over from FS9 and i'd like to update a few of these components, probably the processor and gfx card. I don;t wanna spend more than about 300ish quid. My Mobo (Asus p5E) doesn't support the new Intel i range so what would you recommend to max out performance from my current hardware. I understand its nothing compared to some the new stuff but i'm limited a bit my funds. I want to run ASX, UTEurope, UT, REX/FE, PMDG 737NGX etc. Obviously i know i couldn;t run at full whack but at a respectable FPS Cheers Dan

I agree with Jack. Keep your E8600. That's the best 775 socket dual core. You'd be greatly disappointed if you side graded to a new processor within that socket. Instead, overclock and squeeze what you can out of it until you can afford new hardware (mobo, RAM, processor, GPU). Pricing is ridiculous on old 775 processors. Since you mentioned you're very limited on funds, it would be even more foolhardy to blow cash on something that will show nearly no performance increase. If you must side grade that rig, get yourself a kit of 4GB 1066 RAM and a GTX 560 (provided your PSU is up to the task?). All of this is assuming your motherboard, PSU, and case can support the upgrades. You've given next to no info on your PC.

Hi Guys, Thanks for the advice, I posted from work and couldn't remember the detailed specs, so heres what i've got: Windows 7 32bitAsus P5E MoboIntel Core 2 Duo E8500 3.16 <-----its this not an E8600)2GB Crucial Ballistix DDR2 PC2-6400 (1066Mhz) RamEVGA nVidia 8800GT 512mb gfx750w Power supply What do you guys reckon in terms of hardware upgrades? I've never overclocked before but i'll surely give it a go. Will i need to buy some extra cooling? I've got three fans in there already. Cheers Dan

I still think overclock the e8500, as you simply will not get a better processor for your socket for a reasonable price. Get an extra 2gb of RAM and an nvdia 560. In terms of overclocking, i would recommend you down load core temp (http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/) and monitor your temps for a while. The max temp you should be looking at is 72.4C (That is the maxtemp for the E8500). Overclocking will increase your processor temp, so if you are already near that temp without overclocking then you will need to consider a new cooling solution. I use the H70 Hydro cooling system and my idle temps are around 28C, so you can see what a difference liquid cooling makes. But most people settle with a fan cooling system which works fine in most cases. To be honest, FSX was designed for single core, the updates then meant that it could utilise more cores. I do not overclock my CPU at the moment, mainly because I am too lazy, and it runs at 3.4ghz and FSX runs perfectly. Just remember to run the Bojote optimizing utility when you have installed FSX (http://www.venetubo.com/fsx.html). It transformed my set up from running FSX really badly to absoutely amazingly! Cheers, Jack

If you've got £300ish to spend, I personally would buy an i2500k, motherboard and 4gb Ram. You would get that for about £300, then get a 460 or 560 when funds allow, would be a much better upgrade than a stick of memory or new gfx card for FS.