GRID, DiRT and FSX

Has anyone played GRID or DiRT on the same machine they use for FSX? I tried a friend's copy of both the former games and they had me bug-eyed, they looked so real. They played as good on my little system as they do on his $4,600 alienware machine. Should I put my FSX on? What's all this stuff about FSX not playing well with four-core chips? How do I get around any problems that might arise?