I started a thread a while back, but I can't find it anymore, so I decided to start a new one.OK, it's December, so I must now choose parts for my computer. (This will be a entire new system, not an upgrade)I'm doing most of my shopping on Newegg, and this is what I have so far:To run up on that, I will have a Cooler Master HAF912 (which, IMO, is big enough; I'm worried about case sizes because I don't want to return a GFX because it didn't fit like I did with my current Dell. Also, how will I know if it will fit my pwoer supply, below? I saw the newegg review of it and it doesnt seem like a big space for a power supply.)a Seagate Barracuda (Just FYI, it must be a 1TB so if you find a cheaper one or a Western Digital Blue or Black cheap please tell me) hard driveIntellinet Network Solutions PCI Wireless Card (Must be 802.11 N/G/B, again, if you find a cheaper one with those 3 802.11s please tell me)a CoolMax 750 Watt power supply (Must have 2 or more 6-pin PCI-E connectors, I don't care if they are 6+2 pins and again, if you find a cheaper one please tell me)CORSAIR Venegeance 4GB DDR3 memory (I will buy 2, in order to make 8 GB, also, is DDR3 compatible with my motherboard? Below?)MSI P67A-G45 LGA1155 ATX Intel Motherboard (Great for the price, no?)Intel Core i7-2600k (I'm a little skeptical about buying the "k" version. I don't think I will ever overclock, anyway. What do you think? Also, if I buy the 2600 do I have to apply thermal paste or does it already come with it? And 1 more question, do you recommend the 2500 or 2700 also or are they bad?)Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bits OEM (I decided to go for the OEM instead of full version)Thanks for your help!******EDIT********:Sorry guys I forgot the DVD drive, here it is: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106276Total price now: $895.90

Edited December 14, 201114 yr by linux731

"In thrust we trust."Precious! :Big Grin:Cheers,- jahman.

I would drop the 2600K and get the 2500K instead. Use that money to upgrade your case. Also, buy paired memory as it has been tested to work well together.I'm not familiar at all with CoolMax PSUs, but just make sure you don't cheap out on the PSU. It's responsible for supplying clean and steady power to your system and can affect your computer's stability. I always recommend Corsair and Seasonic PSUs - not because they're the only good brands, but because I know I can recommend them without worrying that they may disappoint.650W is all you need with a single GPU. The Corsair TX650W is a good option on a tight budget (and it's on sale right now). Seasonic's X650 offers better efficiency as well as modular cables, but at a higher price.I would probably choose an ASRock board over MSI. Their boards are fully PCI-E 3.0 compatible and I've heard a lot of complaints about MSI motherboards (not so much with their Sandy Bridge boards, but older sockets). Take a look at the ASRock Extreme3 Gen3.

I would drop the 2600K and get the 2500K instead. Use that money to upgrade your case. Also, buy paired memory as it has been tested to work well together.I'm not familiar at all with CoolMax PSUs, but just make sure you don't cheap out on the PSU. It's responsible for supplying clean and steady power to your system and can affect your computer's stability. I always recommend Corsair and Seasonic PSUs - not because they're the only good brands, but because I know I can recommend them without worrying that they may disappoint.650W is all you need with a single GPU. The Corsair TX650W is a good option on a tight budget (and it's on sale right now). Seasonic's X650 offers better efficiency as well as modular cables, but at a higher price.I would probably choose an ASRock board over MSI. Their boards are fully PCI-E 3.0 compatible and I've heard a lot of complaints about MSI motherboards (not so much with their Sandy Bridge boards, but older sockets). Take a look at the ASRock Extreme3 Gen3.

Hi Corey,I think I'm going with the P67. I like MSI's "military grade" parts, and I think their products are top-notch.About the CPU, "k" version or just regular?

"In thrust we trust."Precious! :Big Grin:Cheers,- jahman.

Yeaaah man!

Oh and I also need a graphics card which I havn't chosen.

Hi Diego,Nice to meet you. If you are not going to overclock your processor a 560 or 570 will work really well. However, I hope you do realize that these K models Sandy Bridge CPUs were built to be highly overclocked, and 4.5Ghz+ can't hurt anything whatsoever when you keep it cool. The performance difference in FSX is huge, massive actually, and very safe. You are surrounded in here by some of the best experienced FSX people to help you. It's seems to me to be a fairly good opportunity for you to get a whole lot more than what you actually pay for, isn't it?Kind regards,

Hi Diego,Nice to meet you. If you are not going to overclock your processor a 560 or 570 will work really well. However, I hope you do realize that these K models Sandy Bridge CPUs were built to be highly overclocked, and 4.5Ghz+ can't hurt anything whatsoever when you keep it cool. The performance difference in FSX is huge, massive actually, and very safe. You are surrounded in here by some of the best experienced FSX people to help you. It's seems to me to be a fairly good opportunity for you to get a whole lot more than what you actually pay for, isn't it?Kind regards,

Hi StephenI heard the 3 digit series are not good for FSX. Is overclocking hard? You have to use the BIOS, right? The problem with OCing is that I heard you need a separate fan (not the included fan) which in turn would cost me $1,000 + whereas I'm trying to keep below $1k because I only have $1,200 to spend.

In that case i'd keep it stock untill you have the money for a nice cooler.I like the corsair H50/H100 coolers, the 100 on newegg is $119.The 50 is out of stock.

Thanks Luke.Do you guys recommend any graphics card? There are so many options! I'm going with an Nvidia this time. In looking for one that's 1GB, and that is at or below $120.

The GTX 460 is the cheapest GPU I would recommend for FSX - and it actually performs rather well.

+1 on the GTX 460.This is the one I have, and I can certainly say it runs very well on my system running FSX - note however I am overclocked to app 4.1 ghz.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130571This particular card is a little higher than what you mentioned, you can probably find a non overclocked one or another brand a little cheaper. I am just a big fan of EVGA cards...