ps. sorry for another 'hijacking' post, but I thought I'd add my different point of view to the discussion. Few seem to agree with me, but, whatever, I can but try.
Try what? - That's the question....
Opinions and point of views are always welcome when they are given with arguments and details

I can perfectly understand your frustration. Of course fr normal users, seeing a new sim with top graphics like FSX, without being able to run it at full settings is quite difficult to accept, but what's the problem ?
I mean, now a normal user has a choice:
- either he buys FS2004, plays at full graphics and enjoys the FS2004 + FS2002 addons already available,
- either he buys FSX, cannot run it at full graphics but still can enjoy all the new features.
When it comes to the payware addons that already brought to FS2004 a big part of the FSX new features, well, you are basically saying that thanks to microsoft, we are now getting for just 70 bucks exactely the same than what a guy got on FS2004 for more than 300 bucks:
- some payware quality planes: a payware plane cost at least 20 bucks, right ? I talk about small props, not liners, because FSX liners are not complete enough to deserve the "payware quality" title.
- some "best freeware" / payware quality scenery: not everywhere, of course, but some cities are beautifull, and the rest of the world has quite a good mesh I would say, and the new forests and new autgen radically transformed the look of jungles, cities, and even whole continents that were almot inexistent in FS9.
- a lot of payware quality airports (moving vehicules are only offered by payware addons, excepted one freeware addon for a single German airport if I remember well)
- a real multiplayer flight, allowing close formation flying: this, no payware could offer it to you. Only freeware IBNet Player, known by only a few users, and still very much beta stage, would allow it.
- and so on....
If you want an FS2004 that is as complete as default FSX is, you would have to spend a lot of money, so even if you cannot get the top-notch graphics immediately, you are still getting a lot of stuff to enjoy out of the box, and for a quite limited amount of money, don't you think ?
That's my point of view. The performance problem is always the same with all the games:
- X-Plane is even more heavy than FSX
- LOMAC was running a 2 FPS on my GeForce Ti4400 long after it went out
- IL-2 didn't allow me to play at max settings for a long while, and even max settings were not looking that good anyway
- FS2004 is juste running well today, just like you stated it.
Nevertheless, (excepted for LOMAC), I have been enjoying what those games offered since the beginning.