I am getting ready to purchase a new home computer for FS9. I already have an open account with Dell, so I'm thinking I will price a Dell machine first, but I am willing to buy any other brand based on FSimmer advice running FS9.Those of you who are already running FS 2004 successfully (good framerates), would you recommend a computure model or specs (CPU, memory, video card specs, hard drive, monitor, etc)?I already have a pretty decent ViewSonic GS790 19" CRT monitor (not a flat panel LCD), are the new flat panel LCD monitors better for FS9?Are there any good FS9 machines out ther for under $1,500 (not including monitor), or am I better off assembling my own machine from scratch and keeping my ViewSonic 19" monitor?Thank you in advance.

I bought the most expensive box I could afford with the most ram.I don't buy big name computers. I always find them much slower.I always go to my local guy, (cheaper, great quality) who builds one to my spec & if anything won't work or the sim won't run, I take it back to him & say make it work, like we agreed. Don't always chase cheap - you can end up being stuck with crap. (very expensive!)My FS2004 goes well. Full clouds - VFR scenery, full detail mesh.P4. 3.00 52.16 Nvidia drivers, GF4 Ti4200 unlimited frame rate512 ramPeter Sydney Australia

I ended up paying 2200 for my barebones system. With the cost of CPU down now and if you take away some of the very high end stuff I have you can easy get a great machine for 1500.

1) I decided in late Decemeber to buy from any company highly rated by their customers:http://www.resellerratings.com./index.pl2) Looks like Dell is in pretty darned low esteem :(3) Alienware somewhat better :/3) Monarch Computer Suuply had lots of componet choices, while I'm not saying they are best, they looked reasonable and I had them build mine :) 4) Case is important, I wanted washable filters on the intake fans, exhaust fan on top (heat rises), thin aluminum walls to radiate heat, and a non-cluttered interior to not block the air flow :) 5) AMD or Intel, who knows? For each, its easy to see which is best, probably the most expensive :(6) If doing your own building notice NewEgg.com's ratings :DAMD Athlon 64 3000 Gainward FX 5900,GoldenSampleAsus K8V Deluxe 1 GB CorsairTWINX 3200C2PTWestern Digital 250 GB SATA Sony DWU14A R/W DVD/CDAudigy LSWindows XP Home Lian-Li PC60 Enermax EG651P 550 Watt EDIT: $1830 (without monitor) but would be $1700 for identical but with XFX NVidia Geforce FX 5900XT (the same card, different brand).

Some thoughts:I have had two Dell computers and my satisfaction with them is quite good. I was able to upgrade CPUs, memory and graphics cards with no problem and I have never had a technical problem. My Dell 8100 is now three years old. The CPU was upgraded form 1.4 to 2.6, it is easilly running a Radeon 9700 Pro plus a second hard drive and 500 more megs of memory than it came with on its original power suply. It has never been down for a hardware related problem.Dell is not a bad choice if you would like a good warranty and on-site service if something breaks. But be warned, do not go for the value-priced Dells like the Optiplex that rely on integrated graphics and sound chips to keep prices low. Go for relatively high end Dimension machines with good graphics and sound cards, or the XPS. You will be disapointed with the lower priced models. Also, don't take some of the broad generalizations you read read on this forum as gospel. Do some research on benchmarks at places like PC magazine for performance to get a true sense of where Dell's computers fit vis-a-vis speed and graphics benchmarks. The new XPS line was introduced to decent reviews - at a price discount to Alienware that more than makes up for the very slight edge the Alien machines offer. My only problem with Dell is that the bios they use does not allow overclocking. If you build a system with a good motherboard, an easilly overclocked CPU and decent cooling, you can gain anywhere from 10% to 25% performance gains right out of the box. The only way to get that kind of jump with the Dell is a faster CPU. This, I think, is the real strength of building your own machine. Hope this is helpful.

I suggest you at least get a quote from this lady Cheryl. She has been bulding high performance PCs for many on this forum. She uses best parts, gives incredible service (people say they had a lot of fun buying from her) and her prices are hard to beat. She has a forum so you can get a quick personalized quote there. http://www.progresssystemsinc.com/Michael J.

HI,I always build my own pc's, not only does it keep the costs down (ebay) but if anything should go wrong i generally know whats caused the fault as i know the system.Re the monitor; i am not familiar with your display but i have a 19" dell built P991 which uses the flat screen trinitron tube and in my opinion is much better than any flat panel that i have seen in terms of colour temperature and on a par in terms of clarity.so what i suggest that you do is build your own, there are several good websites out there which will tutor you along if your not too sure. and belive me there are some great savings to be had on eBay etc. oh and keep your monitor.... :)cheersJames

How do you get it back to her, if it's got a fault, &you're 1000 miles away?It takes me 5 mins to have it back to my guy's servicebench & fixed while u wait, if that's necessary. This of course, only works if you live close to a big town.Peter Sydney Australia

Your right Peter. Best to go local. Today ,it would be hard not to find a good CP guy. Check there reputation,ECT,ECT.If alls well,Thats the way to go.Even a the sake of a few bucks extra,the "TLC" by one of these guys is worth it. Beats calling from USA to IBM in UK,and after hours waiting ,talk to a person from the moon.They speak moonese ya know! Something gets lost some where! regards VIN;)

>Are there any good FS9 machines out ther for under $1,500 (not>including monitor), or am I better off assembling my own>machine from scratch and keeping my ViewSonic 19" monitor?Top tip (for your own safety): Pay by Credit Card (and not Debit Card).I bought my PC from a company known as Multivision Computers a bit over one year ago. I learned last month that the firm went bust - and some customers still had outstanding orders with them. If a company goes under, with your money and goods, your're last in line to get the money back (if there's any left). Needless to say, your warranty would also be worthless.Under UK consumer credit laws, it's the credit card company that's liable for payment if a firm has gone bust (and not yourself). So your're protected without needing to take out extra insurance. The laws are probably different in other countries so I'd check.As for my own PC, I've done numerous functional upgrades over the last six months. Essentially I've rebuilt the guts of the machine with new motherboard, processor, graphics card and memory.My specs are below, all I want now are some non-functional upgrades like a snazzy new case, Flat Panel screen and new faceplates for the DVD and CD drives.

I went to the above http://www.progresssystemsinc.com/ website and hit the HOME link and immediately got a notice of a virus (dropper.inor..). I ran AVG and sure enough it was located in explorers temp. internet file folder. I'm not saying it was related to that site, just that it's the first time in 20 years that I got a virus and i'm curious if anyone else got the same while accessing this site.

I am there a few times a week - never got any virus.Michael J.http://www.reality-xp.com/community/nr/rsc/rxp-higher.jpg

Oh yeah, if I were in Australia I would definitely be looking locally ..Michael J.http://www.reality-xp.com/community/nr/rsc/rxp-higher.jpg