Dell XPS for Flight Sim 2004? - REQ New Computer Qdvice

On the verge of a new system, going whole hog as that's the only chance
of getting something that won't be obsolete before it's paid for. Top
in the running is a new Dell XPS w/ 3.2 gHz non-"extreme edition" P4
CPU, 2x120 gig SATA HDs in RAID 0 array, 2 gig dual-channel DDR memory,
ATI 9800 Pro XT video, FP2001 20" LCD flat panel display. Planned uses
include pro-level digital darkroom and video editing w/ Adobe Photoshop
& Premier, general MS Office uses w/ DBMS development & MS Project
(gotta pay the bills), general internet, and of course, last but
definitely not least!, looking for the most intense and accurate MS
Flight Sim 2004 experience possible (hence posting here). Any user
feedback on this system and its capabilities with Flight Sim? Pros and
cons? Other computers or options I should consider?

Thanks for your input...

Steve

"Steve House" wrote in message
...
[...] Any user
feedback on this system and its capabilities with Flight Sim? Pros and
cons?

It's more than enough for MSFS. However, for video editing, you should make
sure you at least get a Hyperthreading enabled system, if not a dual-proc
machine, to speed up video compression. Also, if you're doing anything more
than just the barest casual video editing, 240Gb isn't going to cut it. Go
for at least 400Gb total space, more if you can afford it.

I wouldn't bother with the RAID 0 array. IMHO, it just doubles the amount
of data at risk if you have a disk failure. Sure, it's nice to have one
huge disk, but for video work you'll find it useful to be able to ensure
which disk you're writing to (usually, when processing video files, you'll
want to read from one disk and write to the other).

Finally, keep in mind that some people prefer a CRT monitor for photo
editing. I personally love my LCD monitor and think it's just fine for
Photoshop stuff, but I admit that there's less color resolution and can see
why some people would rather have a huge, desk-filling CRT in front of them
instead.

Pete