Ssnake51

Same conclusion was reached in this review: http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/03/07/amd_radeon_hd_6990_antilles_video_card_review

Best place I've found for installations questions concerning Windows 7 is here: http://www.sevenforums.com/installation-setup/

Am sure you will be impressed by how fast Windows 7 is on an ssd.:)

I wouldn't suggest that. The main advantage of an SSD is improved OS operation. And as long as you have a large enough SSD, there is little to be gained by not puting it on the same drive as the OS.

I'll just chime in with what others have already posted here: don't expect an SSD to increase FPS in your flight sims or other games. It will certainly reduce the time it takes to open a program and make windows 7 overall much quicker. Leastways that has been my experience. I actually went and got two ssd drives: one for my os and the other for just my flight sims. I have to admit to not thoroughly testing each sim to see if my FPS increased so I can't give you any hard datat but subjectively I've not noticed any difference other than the initial loading of the sim. If you really think you need an ssd then I would suggest you get one to put your os on and most of your programs. Then put your flight sims on another mechanical drive.

Same here. Only difference being I use Cables Unlimited rather than D-Link.

Don't mind the rudder configuration and I think the fighterstick works splendidly. The one glaring defect, imho, with the current CH hotas is the throttle. I really dislike the flat slider motion and they really need to improve the button layout on it.

Good advice if only playing a modern sim. But you can also combine them if you want to use a map for an older sim. Also, depending on how many axis you need in the sim, it may be simpler setting them up as one device even for a more recent sim. That is one advantage the CH software has over the TM software. Currently in T.A.R.G.E.T you have to combine you controllers into one device.

Agree completely with you about the SSD. I have a couple in my comp and they do help with loading times and making things snappier. But if I was drawing up a list of upgrades to improve ingame performance, an SSD would be near the bottom of the list. I've not noticed that much (if any) improvement in my flight sims. And they are still too darn expenxive and unreliable for someone with a limited budget for their upgrade. Better to take a little extra time, save some money, get a decent CPU + Motherboard and then build the new system up around that.

Well, if I had tried another one, I would surely have received one of the slower drives as a replacement. I understand and agree with the point you are making: any product no matter how good is going to have some failures. What bothers me more is how OCZ changed the drives without informing customers that they were paying the same money for an inferior product.

I dunno. OCZ has lost me as a customer. Their 160 Vertex 2 died on me less than a week after I installed it. Sent it back to amazon and replaced it with a Crucial SSD that has been working without a hiccup. Also, those interested in purchasing the current version of the Vertex might do well to check out these threads: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1095121 http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1586111 I can understand why they had to switch from 34nm to 25nm, but they should have informed potential customers that the new version is slower and has less capacity.

The suggestion to set FPS to Unlimited seems to be quite popular. I actually find I get a smoother flying experience by limiting my framerate to 30.

Personally I greatly enjoy both civilian and combat flight simulators. I don't quite get why some here are so turned off or bored by civvie sims like FSX. But, to each their own, I guess.:unsure: Am glad that both types are available.