Hey all - I peruse this board frequently and read up on all the performance and stutter problems and user experiences pretty religiously. So I'm hoping someone will chiime in based on their personal experience especially if similar to mine. Here's the deal...my motherboard just croaked...and I'm faced with a decision to replace it but keeping the system similar OR doing an overhaul. Here's what I have: Asus Rampage Formula L775 motherboard (the one that died)4 Gigs 5-5-5-15 DDR2 G.Skillz 1066 RAMIntel e8500 core 2 duo oc'd to 4.0 Ghz stableMSI GTX 570Vizio 42-inch LCD at 1920x1080pOCZ 750Watt PSUWindows 7 64 so I have 3 options I'm considering: a) just replace the motherboard - approx. $100 cost B) replace motherboard, add additional 4 Gb RAM, and upgrade processor to a Q9650 - approx cost $500 c) overhaul system - P67 motherboard, i2500k CPU and 8Gig DDR3 CAS 6 or 7 RAM - approx cost $500 it SEEMS like a no brainer...option a or c...BUT...with so many FSX performance issues I'm reading about on the i2500k/2600k platforms I almost am inclined to go with a or b...and only considering b IF the quad core REALLY helps in FSX and in general over the e8500. BTW I DO play FPS games and RPG's occasionally, but mostly FSX, DCS A10 and BoBII, IL-2 1946 and Falcon 4. Current system doesn't handle RoF well at all OR IL-2 Cliffs of Dover...but I don't get the feeling that an overhaul will even help with those two titles. Any thoughts? Gino

No question about it - go with option C. The performance problems you're reading about are problems with FSX, not the new processors. Performance is still much better than what you get with an LGA775 system. I know because I came from a Q9550.

thanks man! any thoughts on choosing between cas 6 vs cas 7 memory OR i2600k vs i2500k??? Have a great "air" cooling solution...megahaleth with dual 120mm fans...thanks

Do you play any other games? (think newer games like the upcoming Battlefield 3, etc) Go with 2600K... if not, stick with 2500k. The 2600k's extra four virtual cores + Hyperthreading won't do anything for FSX. It does do a few extra things that the 2500k lacks, but not worth the $100 difference to me. RAM: Lower cas the better... hard to find cas 6. You can get a decent pair of mushkin or gskill modules at 7-8-7-24. DDR3 1600mhz is fine. Air cooling, go with Noctua DH-14. Caution: really tall heatsink/unit, and watch the heat spreaders on the RAM and in between the heatsink on your CPU cooler if you do go with the Noctua. Other options, Corsair's "liquid" cooled line, H60/70/80/100. I have the H60 - great cooler, not as nice and DH14, but the space isn't an issue near the heat spreaders on the ram. And I don't have to pull the cooler off to access the RAM.

thanks man! any thoughts on choosing between cas 6 vs cas 7 memory OR i2600k vs i2500k??? Have a great "air" cooling solution...megahaleth with dual 120mm fans...thanks

As far as FSX is concerned, there's no reason to go with anything more than the 2500K. If you already have a megahalems, I wouldn't bother with anything else - that's already a very decent cooler. I would suggest 2x4GB memory so you're not populating all four RAM slots. Go with 1600 CL7 or 2133 CL9 - doesn't really matter too much. Regarding motherboards, I would recommend the ASUS P8Z68-V Pro/Deluxe boards or any of the ASRock Gen3 series boards.

Any of the GA-Z68X line will do fine as well, no double post problem. (Mine was a false alarm)

Do you play any other games? (think newer games like the upcoming Battlefield 3, etc)Go with 2600K... if not, stick with 2500k. The 2600k's extra four virtual cores + Hyperthreading won't do anything for FSX. It does do a few extra things that the 2500k lacks, but not worth the $100 difference to me.

I still believe that unless you are using a program that actually is designed for HT, dont get the 2600k. Every game I play, maxed out, Crysis 2, BFBC2, F1 2011, they all get a solid 60FPS. IMO, I think that is pretty strong and whats the point in getting a 2600k which may give you a few more, its still gonna lock at 60 and if it doesn't lock, you cant't see the difference.