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Questions on monitors and video card.


Jon Coffing 1042532
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Jon Coffing 1042532
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I'm going to pick up another monitor and graphics card that will run dual monitors. I have an integrated video card now, if I add a PCIe card will I be able to use 3 monitors? (2 from the PCIe, and 1 from the integrated one)?

 

I'm looking at getting the eVGA e-GeForce 256MB 7300GT Video Card. Any opinions on it? I'd like to keep it under $100 for the card. My kids want to play Call of Duty 4 also.

 

Does a wide screen give you any benefits with FS and other games?

 

Thanks.

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Anthony Atkielski 985811
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FS2004 expects a 4:3 aspect ratio. If you use a wide screen, it will try to stretch some bitmaps to fit, causing distortion.

 

Choose your video card based on the other 3D games you play. Anything that will make them look good will be more than sufficient for MSFS. MSFS primarily puts a load on the CPU rather than the video card.

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Julien Pham 1042198
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I can just answer for widescreen. I do not play FS, but x-plane, and in x-plane a widescreen is not that useful. I mean, most of the cockpits are squared, and look good in 4:3 resolutions. If you use widescreen, then the cockpit will be middle of the screen and you'll see outside view left and right of the cockpit which is not cool.

 

BUT in xplane v9, some (and not all) planes use widescreen cockpits (in fact in this beta I think there is only ONE cockpit like that). So if you fly with such a plane then yes, widescreen is great. But otherwise, it is not. So, in most of the case, 4:3 screens are better for most of the planes, and widescreen only for some.

 

BUT if having the game full screen does not matter to you, you can play the game windowed, and use the remaining of the screen to display another window such as an external tool for the game for instance. Xplane works as smooth windowed than fullscreen (in fact on the Mac the full screen Xplane is just the windowed one with the window the size of the screen). Dunno for flight simulator though...

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Jon Coffing 1042532
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BUT if having the game full screen does not matter to you, you can play the game windowed, and use the remaining of the screen to display another window such as an external tool for the game for instance.

 

That makes sense. As long as I can use it in 4:3, I'll use the extra real estate for other stuff in MSFS. Other games may benifit from the wide screen.

 

I found a 22" WS for $229 (USD), I think I'll go with it. I don't think I'll have any regrets with it, and should not have to worry about upgrading monitors for a while.

 

Thanks for the help, and I'll see you on VATSIM!

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Anthony Atkielski 985811
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As long as I can use it in 4:3, I'll use the extra real estate for other stuff in MSFS.

 

At least in FS 9.1, if FS sees a wider screen, some panels for some aircraft will simply be stretched to fit, so you might not have extra space to use anything else, but only a distorted panel instead. The main instrument panel is usually this way. I think individual aircraft can be designed to stretch or not stretch various panels.

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Wayne Conrad 989233
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If you use the 3D cockpit, X-Plane 8.6 and 9 work fabulously in any aspect ratio you happen to have. If you use the 2D cockpit, then Julien's concerns about 2D cockpit come into play.

ZLA Pilot Certs make your eyes bright, your teeth white, and childbirth a pleasure. Get yours today!
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Julien Pham 1042198
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About MSFS stretching panels, it is not possible to tell MSFS to play windowed, and select the window size? If not, then yes there will be a problem with MSFS and widescreens.

 

About 3D cockpits, is this really doable to fly with 3D cockpits? We do not see instruments well enough in this view...

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Anthony Atkielski 985811
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About MSFS stretching panels, it is not possible to tell MSFS to play windowed, and select the window size? If not, then yes there will be a problem with MSFS and widescreens.

 

You can play with the sim in a window, but then you have to carefully size the window so that it stays at a 4:3 aspect ratio. Also, playing in a window can reduce realism (at least it does for me).

 

About 3D cockpits, is this really doable to fly with 3D cockpits? We do not see instruments well enough in this view...

 

It's a matter of personal preference. Some people like to be able to look around the cockpit, especially if they have gadgets like TrackIR. In the cockpits I use, everything in the 3D cockpit works, so you can manipulate things if you want. However, like you, I find it too difficult to click on relatively tiny instruments in a 3D cockpit, and often she instruments are much smaller on the screen, making them harder to read—and that's at 1600x1200. VCs are also slower. I usually fly only in the 2D cockpit, and I turn the 3D cockpit off (an option that most add-ons offer), so that if I switch to a 3D view, I have a nearly unrestricted view of the skies around me, which is handy for finding traffic. Indeed, with aircraft that allow it, sometimes I turn the panel off completely, and just use popup gauges around the edge of the screen, so that I don't have to peer over the instrument panel (that would be easier in real life, but it's difficult to see over it in the sim).

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James Dean 1036133
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I can just answer for widescreen. I do not play FS, but x-plane, and in x-plane a widescreen is not that useful. I mean, most of the cockpits are squared, and look good in 4:3 resolutions. If you use widescreen, then the cockpit will be middle of the screen and you'll see outside view left and right of the cockpit which is not cool....

 

Bugger - i've ordered a widescreen 22" with my comp Oh well .....

 

I would first check what you chipset can handle if it is PCI-E compatable but a good runner would be a 7900 it is about £60.00 on the internet and works a treat if you want a really good card try the 8800GT will set you back an extra £100 pound but by far best GPU for the money.

 

I was going to upgrade my old comp with a new card but the chip set can only handle x8 AGP ... which tend to be more exspensive

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Julien Pham 1042198
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You can play with the sim in a window, but then you have to carefully size the window so that it stays at a 4:3 aspect ratio. Also, playing in a window can reduce realism (at least it does for me).

Ok, I ask that because in x-plane, you select the width and height of the window. I mean, you do not stretch the window with the mouse, but you enter numbers. My computer (a Mac) is 1680x1050. If I fly a plane with a standard cockpit, I have to use 4:3 mode if I don't want my cockpit to be centered on the screen (or I can use 3D one but that is another matter). To do so, in the sim settings, I just put as height 1050, as this is my monitor height, and I put 1400 as width, then I'm sure I'm in 4:3 mode... as 1050 x 4 / 3 = 1400.

 

I do not have to guess, I do math calculations and I put the correct numbers in it...

 

I'll try to use 3D cockpits to see how I can fly with it, but to use it I'll have to desactivate mouse for 3D cockpits as by default in xplane we move in the 3D cockpit with the mouse, so it is unusable to fly as the view moves always, if we move the mouse.... it is weird and I hope I can desactivate it...

 

Track IR seems cool, what I wonder is if it works on xplane, and if it works on a mac... it is cheaper than having several monitors and it can be fine...

 

But I guess track IR is not really usable to see anywhere in the cockpit, as if you turn the head completely right, sure the monitor will show you right side of your plane, but you'll be unable to see it as your head will not be in front of your screen anymore ^^

 

About realism to play in a window, I agree... what we can do though is to put a black wallpaper, then playing in a window is like playing with a smaller monitor...

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Jon Coffing 1042532
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Well, I got my video card and new monitor. The picture is my buddy (real world pilot) trying it out.

 

[/img] >OK, that didn

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Julien Pham 1042198
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That didn't work because, I guess, you have put the ending img tag before the starting image tag ^^

 

Perhaps you can just pour the link to your picture there, without any tag, so we click on the link to view the picture...

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Jon Coffing 1042532
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Perhaps you can just pour the link to your picture there, without any tag, so we click on the link to view the picture...

 

Do I have to host the pict somewhere like photobucket before I post?

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Julien Pham 1042198
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I think so, you can try to use imageshack for example, free and easy to use... and you don't even have to register...

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