I am wondering if these specs are any good for a, 800 dollar computer.Intel core I5 at 2.9GHz quad core8gb of ramNvidia GT420 graphics card1tb of hard driveI think these are decent specs for a computer.

Sure they are, but not to run FSX well.

I have a dual core processor clocked to 4GHz512MB GTX+ 9800Nvidia GFX cardSeveral 1TB HDD4GB of RAMI get excellent performance from FSX and i do have some of the more demanding addons, PMDG MD11 Concorde X, and several scenery packages. So i would say that it is down to your own installation and the addons you intend to use. I would recommend that you overclock your CPU though.Just my own thoughts.Tom

I'm running a E5642 2.8 mac pro on boot camp 512 mb ati 38706gb stock ram600gb WD desktop drive, OS and FSX on same drive.I can run GA addon aircraft in the sf bay or ORBX PNW on above mid settings with no problem, even the PMDG j4100 with no problem. Most heavy aircraft will stutter, as will low and fast flying aircraft like jets, with one exception, the l-39. I'm very impressed with the performance I get from my 4 year old mac, I still get taken aback by the level of visuals achieved with my system, especially flying the A2A Cub out of WA79. With that being said I am going to upgrade to the i5-2500k, put in about $1200-1300 and properly set up the system.

I would knock out some RAM and spend it on a better GPU.

Okay, the problem is that my pc is the Inspiron 620, which has very poor customizing space.

That's why you need to pick up a Corsair 650D Alright, so that one is a little expensive although it's a fantastic case... But there are some solid budget friendly alternatives such as the Corsair Carbide 400R or the Fractal Design Arc Midi. Get a halfway decent case now and your next several PC upgrades will be much more enjoyable. That and you won't have to base purchasing decisions on what will fit in your case. I know it sounds like a waste of money on something that won't directly affect your FSX performance, but I promise you won't regret it!

What part of FS being"CPU intensive" is hard to understand? Knock out some ram and invest it in CPU. I have always backed off on the GPU, ie 480 instead of 580, cost and went with the CPU power and has served very well in performance and quality!

Well the point is that you still need a very decent GPU to run FSX well. If he was to upgrade the CPU to a 2500k, then he would have to also be spending money on cooling and possible better PSU and make sure he had a good motherboard to OC. An i5 at 2.9GHz, with turbo, is still a very decent CPU remember.