EIGHT MONITORS on one PC!!!!!!!!

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Originally Posted by MattO

Somewhat confused.... :oops: SLI not supported in FSX, so that means not supported in FS9? And, SLI only wokrs with VISTA?

Obviously, I have limited knowledge regarding SLI and how it works. Any help in some education would be appreciated :)

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I am still new to flight sims, so I can't attest to SLI working or not in FSX. SLI works in Vista and XP just fine. Frankly, I'd recommend XP over Vista use unless you need DX10. DX9 works just fine. Some games it's a matter of semantics when they say "support". It might not be supported but it will work. In other games, "not supported" actually means the client software breaks SLI functionality through certain non-standard hacks that game uses. You'll have to investigate on a case by case basis what games do and don't work with SLI. Much is the same with using a TH2G. Some games simply won't work with surround, some have -vert FOV issues, while others work perfect right out of the box. A lot of this information can be answered at WSGF. Wide screen gaming forum specializes in addressing surround and wide screen gaming issues and work arounds.

WSGF: http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/forum/

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Originally Posted by manhattan

What's a "MOBO" ? Sorry to have to ask!
Have you tried outside views on this system?
Looks good.

TONY

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Mobo is just an abbreviation for computer motherboard.

That setup is a temporary one used to see how frame rates are via 6 monitors and 1 system. I don't really like to use those CRTs for much. They're too heavy, the bezels are huge and every one of those monitors has different color settings on them no matter how much I try to get the colors right. One of them is pretty much washed out from too much use. They're just surplus monitors I have sitting around I use to test random stuff.

I'll try FSX with it before I tare that setup down again. :)

Brad, thanks for your explanations :)

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Originally Posted by MattO

Brad, thanks for your explanations :)

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No problem, I remember how hard this stuff was to learn on my own. I'm just trying to make it easier for others. :)

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Originally Posted by BHawthorne

No problem, I remember how hard this stuff was to learn on my own. I'm just trying to make it easier for others. :)

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How are the frame rates with the 6 monitor experiment? I am thinking of using a dual head PCI card for left and right views. I already use Parhelia and two other low power instrument PCI's. My system is Asus MOBO/ 3g proc/2g ram.
As you seem to experiment a lot, I thought I would ask.

TONY

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Originally Posted by manhattan

How are the frame rates with the 6 monitor experiment? I am thinking of using a dual head PCI card for left and right views. I already use Parhelia and two other low power instrument PCI's. My system is Asus MOBO/ 3g proc/2g ram.
As you seem to experiment a lot, I thought I would ask.

TONY

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The 6-monitor setup is up and running. I've just not had time to install FSX on it yet. I have a silly problem of typically trying to do too many personal projects at once and many of the projects suffer in the process. Hopefully, I can get something done about the 6-monitor testing today and see how it goes. 2 of those monitors have some color calibration problems and one of them is outright washed out/burnin age issues. They all work though, so we're good to do the testing with it at least.

With your example question: If they're only pushing instruments, I'd say it's ok. If they're pushing a main view with big pixel count, it would be too much of a slide show for my preferences. When you start stressing the machine with anything over 2 monitors you really need a modern cpu, motherboard, video cards setup or the fps gets really bad. My example is using a Phenom 9600 Black Edition (unlocked), 2 8800GTS 320's and 1 7800GTXKO. The motherboard I'm using has 4 PCIe 2.0 slots that accept 16x PCIe cards and run them in 8x PCIe 2.0 (16x PCIe 1.0) format. There are several factors there that make it so the computer can push that pixel count. Going older video cards and PCI bus will make things borderline. Ultimately, it's up to you if you can tolerate the fps achieved with the setup, I say go for it. It's certainly a lot cheaper to buy a 6-series PCI geforce card instead of a whole other slave machine. The limitation for you would be the video cards. The other hardware looks to be decent. What kind of slots are available on the motherboard? Is it AGP/PCI or PCIe/PCI?

Ok,
I thought you couldn't run more than one grafix card on 1 "Mobo"?
I see it can be done, anything special? I have my new computer coming today, and I can take my old grafix card out.. its about the same as the new one and put it in with the new computer?

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Originally Posted by btlnco

Ok,
I thought you couldn't run more than one grafix card on 1 "Mobo"?
I see it can be done, anything special? I have my new computer coming today, and I can take my old grafix card out.. its about the same as the new one and put it in with the new computer?

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That premise is based on obsolete AGP based motherboards. PCIe has been the slot standard for video cards for a few years now. You can run as many video cards as you have slots to put them in. If your old computer is AGP, that card won't work in your new PCIe computer. Ofcourse, if the card is really old, it might be PCI and that could work in one of the PCI slots. Whatever you do, don't mix up the card slot types. Each slot type is proprietary to that card type. PCI card for PCI slot, AGP card for AGP slot, PCIe card for PCIe slot.

Shouldn't be too difficult to do using 1 AGP dual head card and 2 PCI dual head cards along with the matrox 3togo. That's what I'll be using shortly with 7 monitors. 3 projectors for outside view, 2 for PFD and MIP,1 for the FMC or GPS, and the last for the overhead. Need to have a system with a GOOD power supply 500+ watts, and plenty of cooling. Won't comment of how it will work with FSX. FSX doesn't work well with my system. But then I like everything maxed out with the sliders so that's MY problem not FSX!
Regards,
Brian

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Originally Posted by PDT 200

Shouldn't be too difficult to do using 1 AGP dual head card and 2 PCI dual head cards along with the matrox 3togo. That's what I'll be using shortly with 7 monitors. 3 projectors for outside view, 2 for PFD and MIP,1 for the FMC or GPS, and the last for the overhead. Need to have a system with a GOOD power supply 500+ watts, and plenty of cooling. Won't comment of how it will work with FSX. FSX doesn't work well with my system. But then I like everything maxed out with the sliders so that's MY problem not FSX!
Regards,
Brian

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Hi Bri.

Any chance of explaining what monitors are going to go where? If you are using an AGP dual head for two monitors, how will you run your 3togo? From a PCI card? Can this be done? If you could explain exactly what cards are to receive what (view/ instrument/ 3togo) it would be a help.
Good luck with the idea.

TONY

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Originally Posted by manhattan

Hi Bri.

Any chance of explaining what monitors are going to go where? If you are using an AGP dual head for two monitors, how will you run your 3togo? From a PCI card? Can this be done? If you could explain exactly what cards are to receive what (view/ instrument/ 3togo) it would be a help.
Good luck with the idea.

TONY

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AGP+PCI sounds like a recipe for a slide show setup if it's going to push outside display. You not going to get that good of a FPS output on that. If it was just going to do instruments it might not be so bad though.

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Originally Posted by BHawthorne

AGP+PCI sounds like a recipe for a slide show setup if it's going to push outside display. You not going to get that good of a FPS output on that. If it was just going to do instruments it might not be so bad though.

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Still confused - but hoping for some info from Bri'

TONY

So far I've been running 1 AGP and a PCI card running 3 monitors with no hit on frame rates in the upper 20's. My overhead projector runs off the VGA output and my MIP, 26" HDTV/Monitor, is connected to the DVI output. The other card only has 1 VGA output that I use for the overhead panel and other popups. When I get back to NC and get the sim rebuilt, the triple head will come off the DVI outpit of the AGP card with the MIP monitor coming off the standard monitor output. The view on the triple head will be the forward VC view without cockpit or the normal view of the outside windowed away from the instrument panel. I'll see which one shows the widest view. I'm adding a third PCI card for the MFD and overhead panel. The older PCI card will be for the FMC/GPS or other popups as needed for the aircraft I'm flying. I don't need the radio stacks or autopilot because I have the GoFlight mods for them. If I have to, after putting all this together and coming up with lousy rates, I can network 4 more computers to up the rates. Just trying to keep it simple for now.
Regards,
Brian

Hello there folks, just arrived both at the forum and at the simworld.
Just up and running FS9 w/3 scenery, 1 flight instrument and 1 radio/GPS flat monitors (5 tot). 1 agp, 2 pci on 3000 Intel 4 mobo. Just want to stay a small plane simmer.
Adding the second PCI card made the rate drop below acceptance.
Aiming for 7 monitors or 6 w/overhead projector of poor quality.

I was going to order th2go digital but realized I had a server Athlon 64 bit board with 2x2 prosessors, 2xpci-e that perhaps can be used. I already have 2 x 2 graphic adapters on that board, RX550 under Linux Fedora core 8.
Will this board do the trick outlined above or will I still need to run computers in a LAN configuration to get a flickerfree and smooth (read realistic) scenery?
What Windows operating system/FS version can make me benefit from 2 by 2 64 bit prosessor mobo?

Could I ask anyone of you how I get the FS to remember each monitors unlocked windows when I start the FS the next time.
Thanks for the info about graphic cards on this thread. Very informative.
Knut Michalsen

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Originally Posted by AndyT

1.21 Gigawatts!

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Does he get stuttering if the flux capacitor overheats? ;)

best,

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

PS: The "distributed computing" thing is an atempt to get decent smooth framerates with scads of images and interfaces all running. And to run aircraft instrumentation / simulation software that is NOT available directly within the MS sim itself (say like Ellie Systems or Project Magenta, etc.)

PPS: I just watched that video link with a very careful critical eye. There is stuttering there that I would find unacceptable. Maybe I am too critical about such things.... but....... I think all the rough camera handling in the video is helping to hide the lack of smoothness. And it is REALLY hard to tell how high the details setting is. The complexity might be set pretty low to get even that performance.

hahahahhaahaha a window lol you guys kill me. best person to talk to is probably Nic he seems to have the overall situation well under hand and investigated. Me im more or less doing the same thing as Nic. Sometimes I think we forget we are still abit limited by something called NOT REAL! lol Have fun guys but I could never go back to moniors with the frame seperations between windows it makes me feel like Im in a spaceship control tower or something. to me projectors are the way to go.JMO

Tim
A340
Canada