Thanks again Nick: I will simply pass on your post to him. He is as familiar with your name now as I am. I won't be going back to him for the upgrade until after Christmas, but my best recollection is that he was offering an upmarket SATA RAID controller (pricey in Australian dollars). There will be a new mobo to handle the new CPU, so I will ensure that only the best RAID controller is installed.
FSX is an addiction as bad as gambling, alcohol and illicit drugs. Why else would grown people spend so much money on computer upgrades, and sit for hours in front of their screens tracking make- believe aircraft. Sigh.