Dumb pilot needs help building computer

[jtramort]

My brother is building a computer that I plan on using only for FS2004.  He is thinking of installing a 160GB 7200RPM 8MB hard drive and is shopping for a video card. I have heard some about the FX5900XT card but it is $200. What are your reccomendations? How do people hook up other screens for the side views? I am new to this (at least in this serous of a form) and want the most effective training aid to pratice my IFR flying.....on a decent budget.

[Gixer]

Thats now an old generation graphics card.  If you can afford it get a Nvidia 6800GT, awsome card and it will overclock to Ultra speeds too  ;D

Make sure he gets 1gig of ram too if he is running Windows XP.

I dont know about multiple screen setups, though I think the 6800GT has two outputs.

[JBaymore]

jtramort,

Side views would likely require three views at the minimum....... front, right side, left side.  The only three head video card that I know of is the Matrox Parahelia.  Beautiful cards.... but expensive for the fast ones.  you need fast with all those pixes being updated in real time.

Another approach is to run multiple PC's with FSUIPC and WideFS and WideView and the sim installed on each of them run on a LAN.  Those programs are all payware....... about a total of $70 USD. for the three.  Plus the LAN hardware.

Look in the "Homebuild Cockpits" forum and the "Hardware" forum for more info on running multiple monitors.

best,

...............john

[jrpilot]

You may want to get a slightly larger Hard drive also...8 m.b. is pretty tiny..but since it is only for FS 2002...I have an ATI All-In-Wonder...it is awesome...although it did cost a few hindred..you can also watch T.V. and such stuff on it...

[Gixer]

Jrpilot he's getting a 160gb Hdd with 8mb cache  ;D

Its in there amongst all those other numbers somewhere  ;D

[4_Series_Scania]

[quote]Thats now an old generation graphics card.

[jrpilot]

[quote]Jrpilot he's getting a 160gb Hdd with 8mb cache

[Jared]

Another thing to be sure is to not scrimp on the RAM, 512MB minimum, 1GB better, adn anything over that is par for the course...especially if you're going to us eit for IFR training..:-) THose clouds sure do eat up a lot of frame rates...