Computer setup and video performance for PM
This is taken from an email I received and responded to. Hope others can benefit from the info. Kester
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My name is .... I'm from Indonesia. Warm regards from me.
Thank you for the warm regards, it is cold here, freezing temperatures ;-)
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I’m now in the process of gathering some information to build homecockpit and intent to make one soon.
It’s nice to see your website explaining about your cockpit. Btw, I’m downloading your 737NG-computers.pdf.
That is why I published it, happy that someone can use it!
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Quite interesting that you use multimonitor for PFD/ND and also upper EICAS with that P3 733 processor.
That multimonitor setup I first used for MF-FS and PMDG only. But it got so slow I decided to build a new computer for rendering the aircraft model and the outside view. This is how I got started into cockpit building.
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1. How about the performance if use those P3 proc??
As said before, it is not good for MS-FS with PMDG 737.
For Project Magenta it will work fine depending on the video-board. This must support OpenGL accelleration.
If it does, then you are ok. You can test it by loading the PM Demo software and this will run a OpenGL test and show the results.
The only thing slow is starting up the PC.
In my 737NGcomputers.pdf you can see that I use several P-III 733 to 800 Mhz machines for PM.
As long as the video card supports OpenGL
I had a lot of trouble with a 7000 radeon video card on the PC where I use PM Systems. eventually I replaced it for a different card which does support OpenGL and that works fine.
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2. When the first time you boot up the computer, is the eicas, let say in monitor number two, automatically
Sitting in monitor no 2?? Do you manually put into monitor no 2 everytime if you boot up?
In PM GC there is a so called "extended mode" which you select by pressing F6.
The PM GC is then spread across two screens.
It took me a while to find out how to move all the components (PFD, ND, Standby, Eicas) to the right spot. (Read the manual carefully)
And when you exit the program and you were in F6 extended mode, it will startup just like that the next time. Everything in the right spot.
Actually PM GC is started from the WideFS client (wideclient.ini option: RunReady2=C:\pmBOEING\pmInst\pmInst.exe --- this one is for Pm Instructor)
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3. I’m reading the PM software and also have tried the demo, but find no utility to put eicas into other monitor. L
Is it because of just the demo version? How do you put eicas into monitor no 2? In MS FS, there is “undock” mode.
See the above: F6 extended mode. I am not sure about the F6 capability in the demo version.
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4. What VGA card do you use?
For the MS-FS outside view read below.
For the PFD/ND/Eicas two screens on a Radeon 9000 each screen in 1024x768 and the windows desktop is extended to the second screen.
For the Overhead panel a Nvidea Gforce MX 4000 single screen 1024x768 elotouch
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5. For outside view, do you use dual monitor?? How about the performance?? How much RAM do you use? Very interesting.
Yes dual monitors, the view is in Nview 3200x1200 mode, which spreads across two screens as one window. Performance is great. 1 Gb RAM on the motherboard and 128 on the video board.
MS-FS computer:
Casing: Coolermaster Centurion 531
Powersupply: Enermax 490W
Mainboard ASUS-A8N-SLI Deluxe
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 Venice 3500
Cooler: Zalman CNPS7700-Cu
Memory: Corsair Twinx1024-3200 Mb DDR SDRAM 400Mhz matched pair
Videocard: Gigabyte GV-NX66T128VP
Harddisk: Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 10 250 GB, 7.200 rpm, 16 MB, SATA/150
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I try at home, using 1 VGA card for dual monitor, to generate wide screen from 1 AGP for 2 screen without panel, the frame rate drops.
Yes, for outside view you need a powerful CPU and video-board. I had the same effect with the old setup P-III 733 adn Radeon 9000. But for PM it is fine.
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6. I like your Overhead, ehmmm…I’m dreaming to have like that someday. Btw, is it all the gauge in OH working ? do you use magnetic switch for the Yaw Damper like demo video from jonathan Richardson of PM? It seems the demo movie in PM use 6 phidget cards instead of at least 4 from your description in that pdf file.
At present I have 2 times the 0/16/16 and need 2 more of these. And I have one LED64 which should be enough for now. Recently I saw the overhead panel of Stef "dnoize" and he has one LED64 and 4 0/16/16's > If you look at the desrciption from Gert van der Winden www.ng737sim.nl you will need more. It depends whether you want to make all things work.
I guess I will use the single phidgets board 8/8/8 for some throttle/flap controls later of with FS2Phidgets on a different PC (and not direct to PM Systems)
For the MIP I want to use the CP-Flight MIP737 board which is to be released shortly
And for the pedestal a mix of CP Flight and IO cards
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I assume PM using too much phidget card and not all of the port being used.
The outputs are not being used much for the overhead panel.
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Btw, at this time, I use 5 monitor for 1 computer. 1 AGP and 4 PCI. I don’t use PM yet. Just ordinary FS2004 and “undock” the panel.
It’s done manually to put panel into each monitor unless I save.
Yes, I had the same issue flying with the PMDG, undock, move, every time, boring.
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For 2 years I’m happy with this 5 monitor, but now, I’m not happy cause you and other cockpit builder seems to have very very very realistic home cockpit. J
Pulling a real switch is very cool, especially when you made it work yourself. When you begin it all looks very complicated, but with some help and perseverence you will get there eventually.
