Err no need to brag about what isn't the fastest CPU in the world. A 990X still takes that position as a retail CPU and the 3960X will smash it. i want to do a motherboard change, be like building the PC all over again. Ivy Bridge, here i come. when it comes out.

990x is such a waste

I don't usually do this but I will stand for AMD. I struggle to take credible info from you about computers after you bought yourself a 2600k for a H67, still makes me laugh. AMD is not always that good but comparing a SB Pentium to a quad core CPU with @ 3.2GHz. Not right. Pentiums are the lowest you can get with Intel and this mid range AMD CPU would actually be alright.

Well we should not compare both the Intel and AMD , one is a giant and can imagine the kind of R&D that they can do. AMD is a poor mans buy with decent performance. Like freetrack is for TrackIR. Intel always better.

Err no need to brag about what isn't the fastest CPU in the world. A 990X still takes that position as a retail CPU and the 3960X will smash it. i want to do a motherboard change, be like building the PC all over again. Ivy Bridge, here i come. when it comes out.

hey you should hang on to the i5 you have there , its a good chip.

Intel will mostly always be better when you compare quad core to a quad core both at a comparable frequency but a Pentium is what I am saying is not an apples to apples comparison. Oh and ironmaiden, I will not be going for any Sandy-E CPUs but if Ivy Bridge live up to their name, then I willl be all over them. What seems to have happened over time is the "k" CPUs are getting better at OCing. 1st gen, dont really know but I dont think many got to high 4's and the 2nd gen, well a lot are a 5GHz and so the 3rd gen, should be better. So I should be at least able to match my current clock speed or beat it.

990x is such a waste

Yes but it is still superior to your i7 2600k which you bought for the HD 3000 and then could not afford the P67/Z68 but if you were smart could have got an i5 2500k and still got HD 3000 and a P67/Z68 and all would be good.

lol, AMD is a useless brand and always wasted money of gamers, the amd quad core = one core of sandybridge (maybe), VirginAus737 said it correct, the pentium or amd and 5670 would be smashed and smoke will come out of your pc. You want to play FS9, right? Even for it both the setups are not sufficient at max settings or high settings.Seriously, i7 920 and GTS 450 at least

Mate, I'm sorry to let you know this but 4 cores can never equal one core.

naah, my previous AMD Phenom II x4 945 was a completely useless CPU, FSX totally ******** it and everytime I played it, even on low settings I get BSOD, also AMD stock coolers are ****, idling around 50-55 degree celsius, And finally when I opened the case to see whats wrong, that bloody heavy heatsink went half black and when I displaced it, an odorless smoke came out and made me blind for a while, the heatsink feel and destroyed my graphics card and that useless AM3 socket. Moreover, I tried consulting a mechanic, he said that why the heck you got an AMD CPU, they are useless, many people are having poor performance and overheating issues with that brand. Intel is the best, no issues so far with my sandybridge, runs cool and quiet and miles faster than Retard Mega Devices (other name of AMD).

If you're consulting with a computer technician I'd have to discount that opinion. AMD has always offered decent performance for a decent price with the exception of Athlon 64's at a jacked up price. It sounds like your CPU died from overheating due to an improperly seated heatsink. The stock AMD heatsinks are generally better than those from Intel with the exception of the recent ones that comes with Extreme Edition CPU's. Smoke generally doesn't come out of PC's spontaneously, there was a cause and it sounds like a poorly seated heatsink or an overclock that was far too heavy for a non-Black Edition CPU on a stock heatsink. AMD is far from useless and while their chips haven't been close to Intel's in recent years, they are very useful to the market that cannot afford the price for the performance of Intel. Do you have to be that vehement about this?

Yes but it is still superior to your i7 2600k which you bought for the HD 3000 and then could not afford the P67/Z68 but if you were smart could have got an i5 2500k and still got HD 3000 and a P67/Z68 and all would be good.

I use many applications and video editing softwares like adobe after effects, cyberlink power director 9. i7 2600k is the only processor which can satisfy my needs, my PC is not exclusively dedicated for FSX, I play many other games and use multi threaded applications, for which the 2600k performs significantly faster than 2500k. And if you have read my previous post, I have bought an ASUS P8Z68-V pro mobo and corsair h70 cooler for overclocking,

I use many applications and video editing softwares like adobe after effects, cyberlink power director 9. i7 2600k is the only processor which can satisfy my needs, my PC is not exclusively dedicated for FSX, I play many other games and use multi threaded applications, for which the 2600k performs significantly faster than 2500k. And if you have read my previous post, I have bought an ASUS P8Z68-V pro mobo and corsair h70 cooler for overclocking,

And why only 4GB of RAM then? I'm sorry but after your previous thread asking for advise where you stubbornly insisted in "the fastest processor in the world" I can't help but think that you're just making excuses for your stupid decisions.In after effects and cyberlink power director 9 you can run out of RAM very fast with only 4GB for all I knowYou're embarrasing yourself when you bash AMD for frying a CPU when it was clearly your fault. AMD is great value when you can efficiently use all the coresIf I were you I would think twice before overclocking your 2600K considering you can't even properly sit an AMD's stock cooler And can you explain what are you using the IGP for? you don't really need it to run a second monitor

Mate, I'm sorry to let you know this but 4 cores can never equal one core. If you're consulting with a computer technician I'd have to discount that opinion. AMD has always offered decent performance for a decent price with the exception of Athlon 64's at a jacked up price. It sounds like your CPU died from overheating due to an improperly seated heatsink. The stock AMD heatsinks are generally better than those from Intel with the exception of the recent ones that comes with Extreme Edition CPU's. Smoke generally doesn't come out of PC's spontaneously, there was a cause and it sounds like a poorly seated heatsink or an overclock that was far too heavy for a non-Black Edition CPU on a stock heatsink. AMD is far from useless and while their chips haven't been close to Intel's in recent years, they are very useful to the market that cannot afford the price for the performance of Intel. Do you have to be that vehement about this?

Already told him the same thing earlier. two posts back.

this guy is just digging himself in a big ditch. Wouldn't you rather have a very quick CPU at the start rather than have to wait for cash to buy a Z68. And as dazz said, 4GB of RAM for multi threaded apps, doesn't make sense.

We are off OP's topic. Have told the OP I will check fs9 on the Athlon X3 and give him the feedback. But have advised him to go for a SB if he is planning on using FSX at a later date. I think the Pentium SB he is looking at should suffice with FS9.

FS9 on stock. CPU frequency 3.3 Ghz (4 cores)Cpu Athlon X3 445 (unlocked to 4)Graphics Card HD 5450 1GB @1280x1024 FS9 Settings stock / everything on Max. No REX / GE or any other addons . FPS locked @40.

After browsing and peddling around, here is the final build I finally ordered. I gave in and also got a new HDD and upgraded to a MB with SATA III, as well as the G850 CPU over the G840.

• BIOSTAR TH67B LGA 1155 Intel H67 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
• SAPPHIRE 100287VGAL Radeon HD 5670 (Redwood) 512MB 128-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
• COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power Plus RS500-PCARD3-US 500W ATX12V v2.3 Power Supply
• G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL8D-4GBHK
• Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
• Intel Pentium G850 Sandy Bridge 2.9GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor BX80623G850

Total: $370 I think it'll do just fine for a budget FS9 build. We'll have to see!

After browsing and peddling around, here is the final build I finally ordered. I gave in and also got a new HDD and upgraded to a MB with SATA III, as well as the G850 CPU over the G840.

• BIOSTAR TH67B LGA 1155 Intel H67 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
• SAPPHIRE 100287VGAL Radeon HD 5670 (Redwood) 512MB 128-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
• COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power Plus RS500-PCARD3-US 500W ATX12V v2.3 Power Supply
• G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL8D-4GBHK
• Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
• Intel Pentium G850 Sandy Bridge 2.9GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor BX80623G850

Total: $370 I think it'll do just fine for a budget FS9 build. We'll have to see!

Have already ordered it ?. You may need to OC that CPU a bit.

Have already ordered it ?. You may need to OC that CPU a bit.

Yes, I already ordered it. I read some performance benchmarks and the G850 performed a few % points better than the G840, and being only $10 more I went ahead and got the G850.

Finally got everything built and put together (had to RMA the RAM and HDD). Still getting my FS9 game back up to speed with add-ons. Quick tests on default and Ultra High settings and 80% AI it sits around 110 FPS at KSEA (default scenery) in the C172. The PMDG MD-11 is around 80 and the PMDG 747 is around 50 FPS. I'm really loving this build so far, and it is definitely still possible to build an FS9 PC on a budget! Thanks for your help!