as a training tool, MS Flt Sim is a farce!!!

I'm running 2.8 P4 (not 800 MHz FSB though), 1 GB RAM and a GeForce 4
MX video card. oh yeah, the HDs are 7200 rpm and big. My next
"upgrade" is an Nvidia FX 5600 Ultra from Gainward. I'm debating the
one with the heat sink versus the cooling fan. There's like 4
different 5600 ultra models depending on this and memory. I'll
probably realistically settle on the one with a fan on it. You can
never have your stuff too cool!

I'm not an ATI Radeon fan. I've been with Nvidia systems ever since
the 2 series came out. I wanted to upgrade my Ultra 2 to a nice
ti4600 but I got the MX because it was still faster than the Ultra 2
and the FX was coming out at any time.


On Sat, 15 Nov 2003 17:06:40 -0500, "Dr. Anthony J. Lomenzo"
wrote:

Question is, George, will it fly for that ATI 9800 Pro? Although, just
for those reading, there are some good deals floating around on a more
reasonable alternative and I got the Nvidia GeForce FX5600 AGP 8X
w/256megs of on-board DDR video and thus far it's worked well. Caveat:
The 'secret' to that Nvidia card, and I'll put this out to, is the
Nvidia DRIVER! Free at the Nvidia website but the latest drivers will
prevent that color 'smearing' effect in the gauges of the sims that the
earlier drivers caused. Not a bad card at least in terms of the
discounted price. Sure, I'd like that ATI Radeon 9800 Pro but the tag
for same [$375-$400 is the lowest I've seen] is right up there! But
then, like everything else, I just jumped from PC2100 DDR to PC3200 DDR
memory and the prices are excellent! Brand stuff to boot and 2.5 CAS!!

Doc Tony

PS-- FYI--- saw a debate between a few sim enthusiast folks and it was
the old classic..IN ORDER..what would give the [alleged] best 'overall'
[viz., visual, minimize the jumps and stalls or temp freeze frames, etc.
etc.] sim effect and the discussion came down to...and in order of
importance...[subject to debate to be sure].... 1. Machine memory [Note:
that's 'machine' memory and 'not' video card memory although the
presumed 'standard' for 'video card' memory was 128 megs on-board !]
--and-- the machine memory associated CAS timing with 2.5 CAS
recommended and 2.0 the best CAS...if you can even get 2.0] 2. Overall
CPU speed and FSB size 3. HD speed with 7200RPM spin considered a
'must' 4. The video card ENGINE.

And yet to think back...the then Commodore folks and their now classic
C-64, the 'daddy' to the equaly classic VIC-20 and Commodore says, "The
new C-64 will provide enough on-board memory for 'all' [sic!] the needs
which an average family [as opposed to bizz use machines] 'will ever
need' [sic!] in a home computer." Right. Sort of like when we were told
that 9600K/BPS was the 'end of the line' for dial-up phone speeds as the
wires [without moving to ISDN set-ups] 'simply will not handle anything
faster than 9600' ... ."

There you have it. And I'm told a 4 'GIG' CPU is 'just around the bend!'


Doc Tony




George Lewis wrote:
My response to most computer upgrades is "hey, it could be a major
overhaul on a real airplane engine - this video card is only a couple
hundred bucks!"

new sound card and speakers - "hey, do you know much a set of david
clark headsets go for? this is a steal!"

so far so good...


On Sat, 15 Nov 2003 11:59:35 -0500, "Dr. Anthony J. Lomenzo"
wrote:



George Lewis wrote:

Yeah they like to eat, and my wife likes to buy shoes too! I know
I can't afford to buy an airplane that will carry THAT kind of a
payload! (shoes are heavy!)



;-) ... Well, I still recall my wife saying some moons ago something
along the lines of ... ".... why would you want to have a hand-held
radio that 'only' gets the air band?" Hey! Maybe our friends at Sporty's
heard her and 'that' is why, inter alia, they came out with their air
band hand-held that 'also' gets AM/FM but then will cut to the action
when it's show time in the air! This way, the old line... ehhhh ....make
that 'reasoning' to one's wife can be the benefits of a 'multi-band'
hand-held for those emergency times when house power is lost in re
storms or whatever cause ... or any related excuse that is handy...and
at least plausible! ;-)

Doc Tony
;-)


Of course, selling the purchase of a classic [read: old] C-172 or Piper
'cousin' so to speak becomes somewhat more difficult!

But then, the pitch becomes the proverbial duck soup thing when you
announce you'll hold on the real McCoy for practical [read: economic]
reasons and for a mere fraction of what a decent set of plugs would cost
[forget the labor charge for installation!] on the real thing, hey,
there's this great new sim..... ! Cue the 'do the math' bit! ;-)





On Fri, 14 Nov 2003 12:33:53 -0500, "Dr. Anthony J. Lomenzo"
wrote:



Need I mention additional ad hoc SIM practice with avoiding 'needle
chasing' or simply shooting precision landings. I can't see where it
hurts or detracts from the real thing. And finally---bottom line--- in
the absence of the BIG bucks for one's own plane and the associated BIG
costs to maintain same or those high rental fees, hey, for some folks,
the sim is the closest 'feasible' reality due to pure economics! What's
the old joke or indeed av enthusiast [for the real thong] lament, to
wit, ".... my family has a very bad habit...they like to eat!" ;-)

Doc Tony
[Cessna 150/152/172 vintage]