another 'new pc' question

[RickG]

Hi all. My regular pc seems to have bitten the dust, so I was wondering what's a good recommendation for a new one. About all I could really tell my computer guy was that FSX is very cpu intensive, but after that, I am lost. I am pretty sure I will go to a 3. something cpu, but what about the rest? Also, that pc has a fairly new Nvidia 9600GT 512mb vid card. Is that worth keeping, or would you suggest upgrading that too? The pc guy figures a good game pc would be around $800-$900 Canadian, but I'm willing to go higher. I'm not looking for any kind of super-computer, mostly a very good FSX one, and have no plans for any 2nd drive, or overclocking or anything fancy--I like (or need) to keep it simple. Suggestions would be very much appreciated. Thanks for your time. Rick

[Slotback]

I would scrap the videocard, the 9600GT is fairly old. You can sell it on ebay to get a small amount of cash if you wish. Gigahertz doesn't matter unless you consider the number of cores, hyperthreading, cache, and the design of the chip itself... for example, a 2.8ghz Core i5 will beat a 3.4ghz AMD Phenom II. Anyway, here are the best CPU, RAM, graphics combinations in order of performance (and you get what you pay for). All should run FSX quiet well, and even better with updated cooling and a nice overclock.

Core i7 930
6 gigabytes DDR3-1600 with latency of 6, 7 or 8. Lower is better.
Nvidia GTX 470
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1tb

Core i7 930
6 gigabytes DDR3-1600 with latency of 6, 7 or 8. Lower is better.
Nvidia GTX 460 256 bit factory overclock
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1tb

Core i5 760 or Core i7 870
4 gigabytes DDR3-1600 with latency of 6, 7 or 8. Lower is better.
Nvidia GTX 460 256 bit factory overclock
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1tb

Core i5 760
4 gigabytes DDR3-1600 with latency of 6, 7 or 8. Lower is better.
Nvidia GTX 460 192 bit factory overclock
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1tb

Factory overclock = non-standards speeds guaranteed with full warranty by manufacturer. Standard GTX 460 is 675mhz, you can buy them at >725mhz with updated quieter cooling for like 20$ extra. Worth it IMO.

Any decent case for all of them.

21.5 inch or larger LCD screen for all of them. MUST run 1920*1080, or 1920*1200, or above.

Corsair, enermax, seasonic power supply for all of them as long as they're 80+ BRONZE, SILVER, GOLD, or PLATINUM certified and have two PCI-E connectors. I recommend Seasonic M12-II series, and Corsair HX series.

Any motherboard that can run everything, I'm sure your computer tech can work that out though.

Here is an example:
Intel Core i5-760 Lynnfield

[RickG]

Hi, and thanks for the repy. In the example you listed with the prices, what are your thoughts on going to an i-7, rather than the i-5,and if so, which one? I assume that would be somewhat better, but then I really dont know. And yes, I did figure to go Windows 7, 64 bit.

[Slotback]

FSX is so CPU dependent, if you have the money to and get the fastest CPU possible. There's Core i7 870 which is a good deal........ it's the same as the Core i5 760, but with an extra 133mhz and hyperthreading. There's also the Core i7 950 and beyond which are even faster but require a different motherboard / RAM compared to the one I listed....

[RickG]

Hi again.  Man this stuff confuses the crap out of me. So, going with the system you listed, can I go with that, with an i-7? I figure if I am going to upgrade, I might as spend a few extra bucks and get some bang.  Thanks again

[Slotback]

Yes, the Core i7 870 should work fine in that system.

[RickG]

Ok, sounds like a plan---many, many thanks for your input. I'd hate to think what I would have ended up with if I was picking my own parts   :D

[Mr._Ryan]

There's also the Core i7 950 and beyond which are even faster but require a different motherboard / RAM compared to the one I listed....

If it wouldn't be too much to ask, what would you pair this 950 with in terms of all the parts and goodies? I'm looking at spending $1,200-1,500, and I was pretty impressed with what you came up with for $900. I'd really appreciate any input you might have. Thanks!

[chrisadam2]

You