My price range is 600-800. If you can give me specs. or a specific computer model with Windows 7 only. What's your opinion on a refurbished computer? I've been looking on line at The Micro Center. Is there another company that is reasonable? Thanks for any ideas you might have.

I've been using a refurbished Dell for three years, Have had no problems. The problem with them is that many, if not most, can't be overclocked. You might check out their Alienware line. Prices vary.

My price range is 600-800. If you can give me specs. or a specific computer model with Windows 7 only. What's your opinion on a refurbished computer? I've been looking on line at The Micro Center. Is there another company that is reasonable? Thanks for any ideas you might have.

One thing you should note is that FSX is more Processor intensive than Graphics card intensive. You should definitely get a great processor on the PC. Preferably an i5 with 3.5GHZ or above. 

There is a nice guide here by NickN that explains in great detail how to pick the best components for an FSX PC and how to set it up. It's a long read, and sometimes there's more information than what you need overall, but it's an informative read. I found it useful when picking my new rig. 

The others are right- put your money in a good processor. However, don't completely skimp out on the GPU. Nvidia pairs best with Intel, specifically for rendering clouds in FSX. 

 

Good luck with your new rig, it will be worth the time spent researching.

A mid-range Nvidia graphics card with a bare minimum of 512 MB memory, Intel CPU as close to 4 GHz as possible (or overclock it to 4 GHz or more), 4 GB of RAM for 32 bit Windows, 6 or 8 GB for 64 bit versions of Windows.

600-800 what?

Since his profile indicates he lives in Ohio I would assume US$.

 

Steve

600-800 what?

Fils.

Just as well it's not Vietnamese Dong.   At 33,400 to 1UKP he might just about have enough for a mouse!

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In the past I have had great success with used PC part. There is of course some risk!

Not sure what you would get for $800 but spend it on core components CPU, MB, RAM, GPU

For example you might be able to use the PSU you already have. The case you already have Etc.

You have to be creative to get the most out of a limited budget.

What do  you have now for a PC? Recycle as much as you can. 

I wouldn't even go near those preloaded packages from the likes of Dell, HP etc. they usually have a locked motherboard that you can't do a darn thing with and an operating system preloaded which often doesn't come with the OS DVD, making any kind of upgrading either difficult or impossible.

 

Building your own rig gives you the freedom of choosing what goes into your case, what case you put it in and total control over future upgrades and how you do it, not to mention the most bang for your buck.

My price range is 600-800. If you can give me specs. or a specific computer model with Windows 7 only. What's your opinion on a refurbished computer? I've been looking on line at The Micro Center. Is there another company that is reasonable? Thanks for any ideas you might have.

For $800 you can build a rig that will blow any Dell out of the water!

I'll be happy to put a build list together for you if you like.

Well no more Windows 8 for me. Just got back from Micro Center. They're building a new computer for me with Windows 7, 64 bit . An i7-4790k , 1 TB. Whatever I get in three days when it's built has to be better than what I had.He seemed to be familiar with FSX. Below is a list of parts. If anyone sees an improvement to be made, let me know so it can be changed.
intel core i7-4790k
crucial 16 GB 8x2 D3 1600 DIMM
ASUS z97 -AR ATX 1150
WD 1 TB 3.5 Mainstrm HD 7200
Thermalta Versa H22 SE BLK MT
MS OEM WIN 7 Home PR 64 BIT SP1
TPLINK 300 MBPS WRLS N PCIE AD
EVGA 500 W 80 + B ATX PSU
IPSG LG 24X DVDRW SATA OEM
ASUS COMP GTX7600C 2 GB DDHDP P
BSC ASY Computer Assembly

Total cost a little over $ 1,200.  Thanks for the ideas guys, like i said, if there's something in the list that is wrong , letr me know.