According to the article written at this url; and 4th paragraph down.http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,130506-c,cpus/article.htmlCan one be forgiven for assuming that the "multi-threaded software" being referred to in the article is indeed, the long awaited SP1 or is there a newer version of FSX coming out as well?Either way, does anyone think MS or ACES will be recommending realistic 'Minimum Required' hardware to run FSX satisfactorily this time around?

SP1 and the multicore patch for FSX are supposed to be too seperate patches. It most certainly would be welcome if Aces made such forward strides with SP1 that dual-core efficiency is a byproduct of the patch itself. I would not put it past the Aces team since they have the in-house talent to do so.Still, unfortunately i doubt that you will see the minimum specs upgraded. The difference between running FSX and running it properly don't seem to be of concern to marketing staff and at the end of the day the developers have little to do with that.

This is indeed SP1. Unfortunately, since SP1 is a download, it does not influence the box.

Fortunatly, most know that minimum required hardware = minimum settings, and is true for nearly all the games out there.

>This is indeed SP1. >>Unfortunately, since SP1 is a download, it does not influence>the box. So the milion dollar question. What in your own personal opinion would the box specs be if FS-X SP1 where to be released in its own box.

>>Unfortunately, since SP1 is a download, it does not influence the box.<

>hahahha, so you're saying the patch won't change the words>that are printed on my FSX box? How dare you guys...A sticker, a label... SOMEthing!!! GAWSH!!! All that MONEY, and MICRO$OFT CAN"T GIVE ME A DERRRN STICKER TO COVER MY BOXXX!!! Now will the sticker be downloadable? Is the label going to be optimized for dual-core? Howzabout dual adhesive? ;) Aaah, the joys of overreaction!Keep up the great work and good spirits, ACES teams!

Why did you state that SP1 and multicore are two separate patches? I have never heard this.What has been said is that there will be an SP1 patch, which incorporates some improvements regarding multicore processors, and a separate DX10 patch to take advantage of improvements in support for visuals offered by DX10 in Vista, and ONLY in Vista. DX10 will not be supported in XP.Thomas[a href=http://www.flyingscool.com] http://www.flyingscool.com/images/Signature.jpg [/a]I like using VC's :-)N15802 KASH '73 Piper Cherokee Challenger 180

XP, RAM 256 MB, CPU 1 GHz, HD 15GB, Vid Card with 32 MB of RAM. Fortunately, nobody runs such a system any longer.

SP1 has made great strides in the use of threading and now multiple cores. See Phil's blog. They are one in the samehttp://blogs.msdn.com/ptaylor/archive/2007...ntel-quote.aspx

Thomas:Use the search button. There were originally THREE PATCHES anticipated by the Aces team:1 - Performance Patch2 - DX 10 patch3 - Multicore patch.We all know that DX10 is not supported in XP, it was not meant to be directed at those who choose to stay with XP and not migrate to Vista.The fact that SP1 incorporates multicore improvements is a pleasant surprise, however, the original patch schedule is readily available by simply using the search button and there WAS A SEPARATE MULTICORE PATCH.

I never heard about patch#3 either...but then again I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.RhettAMD 3700+ (@2310 mhz), eVGA 7800GT 256 (Guru3D 93.71), ASUS A8N-E, PC Power 510 SLI, 2 GB Corsair XMS 2.5-3-3-8 (1T), WD 250 gig 7200 rpm SATA2, CoolerMaster Praetorian case

I am pretty sure I never did that. And given I am the Aces representative who first started talking about SP1 back in Nov, I dont know who else could have discussed things that way.I couldnt find the thread with either "sp1 schedule", "sp1 multicore", or "fsx multicore".Either way, there is not a 3rd patch this year. The only "patch" releases this year are SP1 and DX10. Should DX10 be called SP2? Interesting idea and that would certainly give everything a consistent nomenclature.

Love your wry sense of humour Phil;"Should DX10 be called SP2? Interesting idea and that would certainly give everything a consistent nomenclature."How about 'SP Uno' and 'SP Duo' that should give the CPU's involved a bit of an international flavour, and remove any any confusion as to which to download.:-bigangel

I'd call the DX10 Update, ** SP2 **That's consistent nomenclature for Microsoft in general, anyway, right? :)RhettAMD 3700+ (@2310 mhz), eVGA 7800GT 256 (Guru3D 93.71), ASUS A8N-E, PC Power 510 SLI, 2 GB Corsair XMS 2.5-3-3-8 (1T), WD 250 gig 7200 rpm SATA2, CoolerMaster Praetorian case