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Hey, So I have made a few posts about this in the past year or so, each time never actually making a buy. Now its for real. I will be getting a new computer for my birthday in the fall (September). I have about $1,200.00 USD dollars to spend, more on the lower side of $1,200.00. I know what I want, and what I need to run on this new computer, but I dont want to go overboard on things I dont need to, and skimp out on things I do need. I have a couple builds in mind. If I had my way I would build my own computer, but my parents are worried if I mess up there is no warranty or anything like that. Currently I am running the following disgusting specs on a Dell Vostro 1720: Intel Celeron @1.71Ghz 2GB RAM Integrated 500mb dedicated Motherboard Graphics 256GB Hard drive Integrated Motherboard Sound 1 55mm fan Intel Motherboard 17" screen Full keyboard Thats really all there is to it. I get an average of 4.5fps on FSX at the lowest settings, and can only run max 2-3 programs at once with the limited RAM. I own many many addons over $400.00 worth of them, but cannot use any of them because of my systems horrible capabilities. Now, which build should I get? I will show the specs of each below, but first let me tell you what I need to run on this new computer. AutoCAD Architecture 2014 Minimum Specs for 32-bit Windows: Windows® 8 Professional or Enterprise edition, Windows® 7 Enterprise, Ultimate, Professional, or Home Premium edition, or Windows® XP Professional or Home edition (SP3 or later) operating system Windows 7 or 8: Intel® Pentium® 4 processor or AMD Athlon™ dual-core processor, 3 GHz or higher with SSE2 technology Windows XP: Pentium 4 or Athlon dual-core processor, 1.6 GHz or higher with SSE2 technology 2 GB RAM (4 GB RAM recommended) 10 GB free disk space for installation 1,024 x 768 display with true color (1,600 x 1,050 or higher with true color recommended) 128 MB graphics card (256 MB or greater recommended) Pixel Shader 3.0 or greater, Microsoft® Direct3D®-capable-workstation-class 3D graphics card Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 7 or later web browser DVD drive (for installation only) Optional printer or plotter, digitizer, Internet access, and network interface card Minimum Specs for 64-bit Windows Windows 8 Standard, Enterprise, or Professional edition, Windows 7 Enterprise, Ultimate, Professional, or Home Premium edition, or Windows XP Professional (SP2 or later) AMD Athlon 64 with SSE2 technology, AMD Opteron™ processor with SSE2 technology, Intel® Xeon® processor with Intel EM64T support and SSE2 technology, or Pentium 4 with Intel EM64T support and SSE2 technology 2 GB RAM (4 GB RAM recommended) 10 GB free disk space for installation 1,024 x 768 display with true color (1,600 x 1,050 or higher with true color recommended) 128 MB graphics card (256 MB or greater recommended) Pixel Shader 3.0 or greater, Direct3D-capable-workstation-class 3D graphics card (supported graphics hardware) Internet Explorer 7 or later DVD drive (for installation only) Optional printer or plotter, Internet access, and network interface card I have been using this program for a couple years now at an office, and I have notices that it is a huge RAM and Graphics Hog. also, the files generated by it are very big usually about 20-50MB. AutoCAD Revit 2013 Minimum entry-level configuration Windows® 7 32-bit Enterprise, Ultimate, Professional, or Home Premium edition operating system[1] Single- or multi-core Intel® Pentium®, Intel® Xeon®, or i-Series processor or AMD equivalent with SSE2 technology (highest affordable CPU speed rating recommended) Multiple cores for many tasks, up to 16 cores for near-photorealistic rendering operations 4 GB RAM (Usually sufficient for a typical editing session for a single model up to approximately 100 MB on disk. This estimate is based on internal testing and customer reports. Individual models will vary in their use of computer resources and performance characteristics.) Models created in previous versions of Revit products may require more available memory for the one-time upgrade process /3GB RAM switch not recommended. Revit software and system stability can be affected by memory conflicts with video drivers when the /3GB switch is active. 5 GB free disk space 1,280 x 1,024 monitor with true color Display adapter capable of 24-bit color for basic graphics, 256 MB DirectX® 11-capable graphics card with Shader Model 3 as recommended by Autodesk Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 7 (or later) MS-Mouse or 3Dconnexion®-compliant device Download or installation from DVD9 or USB key Internet connectivity for license registration and prerequisite component download Value: Balanced performance Windows® 8 64-bit Enterprise or Professional edition, or Windows 7 64-bit Enterprise, Ultimate, Professional, or Home Premium edition operating system Multicore Xeon or i-Series processor or AMD equivalent with SSE2 technology (highest affordable CPU speed rating recommended) Multiple cores for many tasks, up to 16 cores for near-photorealistic rendering operations 8 GB RAM (Usually sufficient for a typical editing session for a single model up to approximately 300 MB on disk. This estimate is based on internal testing and customer reports. Individual models will vary in their use of computer resources and performance characteristics.) Models created in previous versions of Revit software products may require more available memory for the one-time upgrade process 5 GB free disk space 1,680 x 1,050 monitor with true color DirectX 11 capable graphics card with Shader Model 3 asrecommended by Autodesk Internet Explorer 7 (or later) MS-Mouse or 3Dconnexion-compliant device Download or installation from DVD9 or USB key Internet connectivity for license registration and prerequisite component download Performance: Large, complex models Windows 8 64-bit Enterprise or Professional edition, or Windows 7 64-bit Enterprise, Ultimate, Professional, or Home Premium edition Multicore Xeon or i-Series processor or AMD equivalent with SSE2 technology (highest affordable CPU speed rating recommended) Multiple cores for many tasks, up to 16 cores for near-photorealistic rendering operations 16 GB RAM (Usually sufficient for a typical editing session for a single model up to approximately 700 MB on disk. This estimate is based on internal testing and customer reports. Individual models will vary in their use of computer resources and performance characteristics.) Models created in previous versions of Revit software products may require more available memory for the one-time upgrade process 5 GB free disk space; 10,000+ RPM for Point Cloud interactions 1,920 x 1,200 monitor with true color DirectX 10 capable graphics card with Shader Model 3 asrecommended by Autodesk Internet Explorer 7 (or later) MS-Mouse or 3Dconnexion-compliant device Download or installation from DVD9 or USB key Internet connectivity for license registration and prerequisite component download This program, Revit, is a huge Graphics hog. It is used to make extremely detailed and complex renderings, and 3D models with everything to the last wire connection. The files generated by Revit are bigger than AutoDesk, sometimes up to 1GB each Last but not least Flight Simulator X.: Minimum System Requirements Microsoft Windows XP SP2 / Vista PC with 1 GHz equivalent or higher processor 256 MB of system RAM for Windows XP SP2 / 512 MB Vista 14 GB available hard disk space DVD-ROM drive - the faster, the better 32 MB DirectX 9 compatible video card required Sound card, speakers, or headphones required for audio Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device 56.6 Kbps or better modem for online play Everybody here probably knows alot about what FSX needs and wants. Other Programs, besides the basic Word processor and Internet, etc are: Google Earth Google Sketchup zwCAD (very infrequently) FSCommander (latest version) VRC Teamspeak Skype Ok, I know alot of info, but the gist is, that I want to be able to get at least an average of 30 or more FPS in FSX with the settings at least halfway or more. I also want to be able to run all the addons I have. In AutoCAD I want to be able to render and do complex 3D operations smoothly, and I want to be able to run more the 2 programs simultaneously!!!! I need a serious Upgrade. Here are the builds I have found, lemme know which one I should take, or if I should modify anything: 1st one: Its from Bestbuy, right in my price range. Only thing I really dont like about it is that it has Windows 8. My friend has an unused copy of Windows 7 Ultimate that he is giving to me. Here is the link to it (the word link) It does not have a monitor, I would have to get one. 2nd one: Its from iBuyPower. Has good specs, again I would have to get a monitor and get Windows 7 from my friend. Specs: 1 x Case ( Rosewill Thor V2 Gaming Case - Black ) 0 x Case Lighting ( None ) 0 x iBUYPOWER Labs - Noise Reduction ( None ) 0 x iBUYPOWER Labs - Internal Expansion ( None ) 1 x Processor ( Intel® Core™ i7-4770 Processor (4x 3.40GHz/8MB L3 Cache) ) 1 x Processor Cooling ( Corsair Hydro Series H55 Liquid CPU Cooling System - Standard 120mm Fan *FREE Upgrade from Default CPU Cooling System* ) 1 x Memory ( 16 GB [8 GB x2] DDR3-1600 Memory Module - Corsair Vengeance ) 1 x Video Card ( NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti - 2GB ) 1 x Motherboard ( ASRock Z87 Pro3 -- 1x PCIe 3.0 x16, 4x SATA 6Gb/s, 4x USB 3.0 ) 1 x Power Supply ( 650 Watt -- NZXT HALE82N-SI / 80+ Bronze ) 1 x Primary Hard Drive ( 2 TB HARD DRIVE -- 64M Cache, 7200rpm, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive ) 1 x Data Hard Drive ( 500 GB HARD DRIVE -- 16M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive ) 1 x Optical Drive ( 24x Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive - Black *Independence Day Sale* FREE Upgrade to BLU-RAY Reader Combo Drive for Primary Optical Drive ) 0 x 2nd Optical Drive ( None ) 0 x Flash Media Reader / Writer ( None ) 0 x Meter Display ( None ) 1 x Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard ) 1 x Network Card ( Intel Pro 10/100/1000 Network Card ) 1 x Operating System ( None- Pre-formatted Hard Drive Only ) 1 x Keyboard ( iBUYPOWER Standard Gaming Keyboard - FREE Upgrade to A4Tech LED Backlit Gaming Keyboard ($19 value) ) 1 x Mouse ( iBUYPOWER Precision Gaming Mouse - Midnight Black ) 0 x Monitor ( None ) 0 x 2nd Monitor ( None ) 0 x Speaker System ( None ) 0 x Video Camera ( None ) 0 x Case Engraving Service ( None ) 1 x Warranty ( 3 Year Standard Warranty Service ) 1 x Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) - No Rush Service, Estimate Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days Pretty good I think, now the Next one, from CyberPowerPC, again I would have the same deal with the monitor and Windows 7. *BASE_PRICE: [+1110] BLUETOOTH: None CAS: CFI Boreallight Full-Tower Gaming Case w/ 1x 140 & 2x 120mm Fans, Front USB 3.0, HDD Easy Swap Bays & Side-Panel Window (Black Color) CASUPGRADE: None CD: LG 12X Internal Blu-ray Drive & DVDRW, 3D Playback Combo Drive (BLACK COLOR) CD2: None COOLANT: Standard Coolant CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-4770K 3.50 GHz 8MB Intel Smart Cache LGA1150 (All Venom OC Certified) [+106] CS_FAN: Default case fans ENGRAVING: None ENGRAVING_MSG: FA_HDD: None FAN: Cooler Master Seidon 120M Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator (Single Standard 120MM Fan) FLASHMEDIA: None FREEBIE_MB: None FREEBIE_VC: None FREEBIE_VC2: None GLASSES: None HDD: 2TB (2TBx1) SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 64MB Cache 7200RPM HDD (Single Drive) HDD2: None IEEE_CARD: None IUSB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports KEYBOARD1: AZZA Multimedia USB Gaming Keyboard [+5] MB_SRT: None MEMORY: 16GB (8GBx2) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (Corsair or Major Brand) MONITOR: None MONITOR2: None MONITOR3: None MOTHERBOARD: [CrossFireX] GIGABYTE Z87-HD3 Intel Z87 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ Ultra Durable 4 Plus, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, 2 PCIe x16 (1 Gen3, 1 Gen2), 2 PCIe x1 & 2 PCI (Pro OC Certified) MOUSE1: AZZA Optical 1600dpi Gaming Mouse with Weight Adjustable Cartridge [+4] NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network OS: Microsoft® Windows 8 (64-bit Edition) OVERCLOCK: Extreme OC (Extreme Overclock 20% or more) POWERSUPPLY: 500 Watts - Corsair CX500 V2 80 Plus Certified Power Supply RESERVOIR: None RUSH: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO SPEAKERS: None TABLET: None TEMP: None TUNING: None TVRC: None USB: None USBFLASH: None USBHD: None USBX: None VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 2GB 16X PCIe 3.0 Video Card (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA) VIDEO2: None VIDEO3: None WNC: PCI Wireless 802.11n 150Mbps Network Interface Card [+19] _PRICE: (+1244) A little more expensive, but I think still doable. Those are the only ones I have found, that I like that are in my price range. I really do not want to have to have AMD processors. Basically I want the best possible computer I can get for under ~$1,200.00 USD. Thanks! I know, its a long post!