OT - Video Card Question(s)

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
ups.com...
[...]
Anyone got any other suppliers of complete "God Gaming Systems" that
they might recommend?

Oh, an in addition to my other post, I suppose I ought to point out...

There is not actually a need to buy a "God Gaming System". The systems I
mentioned in my other post are going to be top-of-the-line, and they will
have the performance to show for it. But as with practically everything
computer related, you pay a huge premium for that last 10% of performance.
For much less money, you can get systems that are almost as good and a much
better value for the money.

And I guess as long as I'm saying *that*, I should point out that the
high-end lines usually do include a "budget" category that is still a good
performer and while not cheap, is significantly less then the really
high-end stuff. So the vendors I mention aren't necessarily to be avoided
if you don't want to spend a lot. Just shop carefully.

Pete

If you are going to build locally, work a deal where the local shop is
allowed to plaster any advertising on the cpu case.

On 19 Nov 2006 16:33:23 -0800, Jay Honeck wrote:

What is your opinion of this system set-up? Would a system like this
make FSX fly? If not, what would you change?

INTEL CORE DUO PROCESSORS E6600 CORE 2 DUO 2.40 GHZ 4M / 1066 FSB
$416.00
INTEL CORE DUO MOTHERBOARDS INTEL DQ965GF DDR2 MOTHERBOARD
$153.39

I haven't checked the board, but I assume that a NIC is on board.

DDR2 MEMORY 2 GB DDR2 667 MEMORY $426.00

what brand of memory? nd is this before tax? $213.00 for 1 GB sounds rather
expensive to me.

IDE HARD DRIVES MAXTOR 160GB 7200RPM 8MB SATA HARD DRIVE $78.63

(with raid you need 2 drives and the controller)

CD-ROM DRIVES LITE-ON 16X DVD 52X32X52 CD-RW BLK COMBO $60.00

*whow* do they come with golden trays?

PCI-EXPRESS VIDEO CARDS EVGA 7800 GT 256MB PCI-E VIDEO CARD $348.00
SOUND CARD CREATIVE SOUND BLASTER PCI 128 $19.00

a better soundcard (dolby? these little sound systems don't cost that much)

FLOPPY DRIVES SONY 1.44 FLOPPY DRIVE WHT $13.68
MID TOWER CASES EVERCASE WITH FRONT USB2/1394 400W $68.50
POWER SUPPLY INCLUDED (UNLESS DESCRIPTION SAYS NO PS) $0.00

this case (at this price) should buy you a decent 420W PSU. For about $120
(relating to our prices) should buy you a very good case and PSU.
so: what type of PSU is included? any brand?

CASE FANS TWO EXTRA YATE LOON CASE FANS $20.00

too expensive.

OPERATING SYSTEMS MICROSOFT WINDOWS XP HOME OEM SP2 $99.00

upgrade to XP Pro
Antivirus?

WARRANTY THREE YEARS PARTS & LABOR

SYSTEM PRICE $1702.20
^^^^^^^^
good god!
--
Enemy Combatant http://itsnotallbad.com/

On Sun, 19 Nov 2006 17:13:13 -0800, Peter Duniho wrote:

Yes, a system like that would "make FSX fly". As NCJim says, it's
overkill. But hey...it's not terrible to overkill. Gives you some
breathing room for the future.

That said, the component prices for some of the stuff in that list sure look
steep to me.

ACK

For example, you can get a Lite-On dual-layer DVD burner for
under $40. Paying $60 for a "combo" drive (ie, no DVD burning capability)
isn't reasonable, especially for that brand.

ACK

And the video card, being a
mid-range for today's selection, should cost some $100 less than the price
you listed.

ACK

I did a quick check on the CPU, and that is also listed on your sheet $100
higher than the current street price.

I don't have a specific reference for the exact motherboard you've got
speced, but $150 is a pretty nice motherboard. It should have on it a
perfectly fine audio interface, obviating any need for an add-on card.

gamers will tell you that the onboard stuff will limit throughput and that
an external card will be better. But IMHO the onboard soundcard will not
let the plane crash :-)

Other things wrong with the configuration, IMHO...

The hard drive is WAY too small. For that price, you ought to be able to
get something in the 200-250GB range, which is IMHO about as small a hard

if you need the gigs, OK, but else I'll go with smaller drives (heat,
noise)

drive as anyone ought to consider these days. If you can justify the
expense, even better is to go with some 2- or 3-drive RAID configuration.
Depending on how you set it up, you can get data protection (as Martin
suggested), a significant performance boost, or both.

And why bother with the floppy drive? Martin's wrong, you don't need a
floppy anymore. When XP first came out, motherboards didn't have built-in
support for the SATA controllers, and the XP install didn't include RAID
controller drivers. But motherboards today include a lot of new
functionality, including making a SATA drive look just like any other IDE
drive as far as Windows is concerned. No need to install drivers from a
floppy.

But during INSTALL windows will need the RAID driver (_if_ you opt for RAID
system). And Windows will not recognise the driver from a USB floppy or
from a CD. You'll need a real FDD.

Besides, unless you're building the PC yourself, OS install and
configuration is someone else's problem.

YMMV. (what if he has to come on site and he has no FDD with him? pull the
PC? [1])

If they need to install drivers
from a floppy drive, they can stick one in temporarily, just to get things
going.

While discussing Jay's total price of $1700something I won't discuss the
extra $10 for a FDD.

Pete

#m

[1] check that the PC is both secured and well cooled
--
Enemy Combatant http://itsnotallbad.com/

Check the Dell website...

You can get a Dell E520 with similar options (including FSX Deluxe) for
about half the price...

"Jay Honeck" wrote in news:1163982803.277882.283880
@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:

What is your opinion of this system set-up? Would a system like this
make FSX fly? If not, what would you change?

INTEL CORE DUO PROCESSORS E6600 CORE 2 DUO 2.40 GHZ 4M / 1066 FSB
$416.00
INTEL CORE DUO MOTHERBOARDS INTEL DQ965GF DDR2 MOTHERBOARD
$153.39
DDR2 MEMORY 2 GB DDR2 667 MEMORY $426.00
IDE HARD DRIVES MAXTOR 160GB 7200RPM 8MB SATA HARD DRIVE $78.63
CD-ROM DRIVES LITE-ON 16X DVD 52X32X52 CD-RW BLK COMBO $60.00
PCI-EXPRESS VIDEO CARDS EVGA 7800 GT 256MB PCI-E VIDEO CARD $348.00
SOUND CARD CREATIVE SOUND BLASTER PCI 128 $19.00
FLOPPY DRIVES SONY 1.44 FLOPPY DRIVE WHT $13.68
MID TOWER CASES EVERCASE WITH FRONT USB2/1394 400W $68.50
POWER SUPPLY INCLUDED (UNLESS DESCRIPTION SAYS NO PS) $0.00
CASE FANS TWO EXTRA YATE LOON CASE FANS $20.00
OPERATING SYSTEMS MICROSOFT WINDOWS XP HOME OEM SP2 $99.00
WARRANTY THREE YEARS PARTS & LABOR

SYSTEM PRICE $1702.20
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay,

I may have to find time to drop in this week and see the Kiwi. I'll be
in the Iowa City area visiting relatives for the holiday. Sadly the
Pilatus will have to stay home as we're driving from Ohio. Are there
times that are better or worse to drop by on Tuesday or Wednesday?

Eric Bartsch

1959 Pilatus P-3
http://www.hometown.aol.com/bartscher/P3A848.html


On Nov 19, 8:38 am, "Jay Honeck" wrote:
Okay, this thread isn't totally off-topic, as my questions are related
to making the piloting experience more real in the sim. It's time to
upgrade the Kiwi!

(See it hehttp://alexisparkinn.com/the_kiwi_is_born.htm).

I want to add a second monitor (dedicated for the panel), and use the
104" projection screen for the "out-the-window-world-view" only. This
means that I need a video card with two video outputs. "Lesser" models
seem to have a single DVI output and a single VGA (AKA: D-Sub) output,
while "better" models have two DVI outputs.

Our flight sim PC is a Dell Optiplex GX260, Pentium 4, with a gig of
RAM -- but only an AGP slot for video card upgrade. The current card
is a Radeon 7000, with just 32 mb of on-board memory, and a single VGA
port. This Dell system "only" has a 250 watt power supply, which --
along with the AGP slot -- pretty much eliminates the "latest &
greatest" video cards, all of which need a bigger power supply and/or
require a PCI-Express expansion slot.

Compatibility with an older system like this is obviously a problem. I
tried installing an ATI X1600 today (from Worst Buy), with 512 MB
on-board, and the PC wouldn't even boot up with it installed! I
obviously had pushed my older computer past its limits.

So, I'm aiming a bit lower, and looking at the EVGA GEForce 6600LE. See
it he

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130262

It's reasonably priced, seems to have decent specs that are within the
limits of my PC, and is in-stock. Anyone have any experience with this
board? Anyone got a better idea?

I've spent five hours dinking around with this, between trips to Best
Buy and time researching on-line, and I'm starting to go cross-eyed!

Thanks,
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:
I want to add a second monitor (dedicated for the panel), and use the
104" projection screen for the "out-the-window-world-view" only. This
means that I need a video card with two video outputs.

Not necessary to have a dual video card.

An option is to use WideFs and a cast-off laptop/desktop for the
instrument display portion. There are free and not-so-free standalone
instrument panels, that use widefs to communicate over a net with the
core MSFS machine.

All you need is an extra cheap machine and a router.

For non-free example, see the GA IFR panel under Software at the
Project Magenta site:

http://www.projectmagenta.com/

Regards, Kev

Sorry...I guessed I missed the part about 2 different displays when I
recommended the splitter...


On Sun, 19 Nov 2006 20:13:51 -0500, Don Byrer
wrote:

Hi Jay...
a noble cause...I hope to take advantage of it "someday" when Sara and
I get around to visiting.

Have you checked Tigerdirect(.com)? I noticed quite a few 'old tech'
video cards(some dual) a few weeks ago when I was looking for myself.
Make sure you dont get a 4x only card if your AGP is 2x..etc...FYI

Can your Dell take a standard replacement power supply? a
350-400W'er is not ridiculously priced...if a standard size one will
work

OR OR OR...
If you are happy with the video and PC you have, why not get an
amplified video splitter.

MCM Electronics
http://www.mcminone.com/product.asp?...i d=83%2D8299
or
http://www.mcminone.com/product.asp?...i d=83%2D7734
or 4-way
http://www.mcminone.com/product.asp?...i d=83%2D7733

For about $60-100 for splitter + cables you may be able to do it
without hacking into the PC.

--Don Byrer
Don Byrer
Commercial Pilot / CFI Student
Electronics Technician, RADAR/Data/Comm @ CLE
Amateur Radio KJ5KB

"I have slipped the surly bonds of earth; now if I can just land without bending the gear..."
"I know what it sounds like....when doves cry" (Bird Strike 8/29/05)

Don Byrer
Commercial Pilot / CFI Student
Electronics Technician, RADAR/Data/Comm @ CLE
Amateur Radio KJ5KB

"I have slipped the surly bonds of earth; now if I can just land without bending the gear..."
"I know what it sounds like....when doves cry" (Bird Strike 8/29/05)

I may have to find time to drop in this week and see the Kiwi. I'll be
in the Iowa City area visiting relatives for the holiday. Sadly the
Pilatus will have to stay home as we're driving from Ohio. Are there
times that are better or worse to drop by on Tuesday or Wednesday?

Hi Eric --

Mary and I are taking Wed/Thu/Fri off, so if you stop by Wednesday,
you'll get to meet my small-but-dedicated staff!

And what's this "driving from Ohio" stuff all about?

;-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Check the Dell website...

You can get a Dell E520 with similar options (including FSX Deluxe) for
about half the price...

Interesting. I just went through all the rigamarole of building a
similar system on the Dell website, and ended up at over $2100.

See it he (Only addition is Flight Simulator X)

How'd you come up with less than $1000?

XPS 700:
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E6600 (4MB L2 Cache,2.4GHz,1066 FSB)
MBE66H [222-4389] 1

Operating System:
Genuine Windows® XP Media Center 2005 Edition with re-installation CD
WMCE
[313-7222][412-0688][420-4927][420-5460][420-5476][420-5586][420-5769][420-5924]
11

Memory:
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz - 2 DIMMs 2GB62 [311-5030]
3

Hard Drive:
250GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™ 250S
[341-3666] 8

Optical Drive:
Single Drive: 16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write
capability 16DVDRW [313-4304][313-4339][420-5780][420-5791] 16

Video Card:
256MB nVidia GeForce 7900 GS 7900GS [320-4806] 6

Sound Cards:
Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ XtremeMusic (D) Sound Card XFI [313-4307]
17

SYSTEM DETAILS:
2.5MM aluminum thickness Chassis with front & back customizable LEDs
DOZER [465-3640] 147

SYSTEM DETAILS:
7-slot, BTX design motherboard MB7BTX [465-3641] 147

SYSTEM DETAILS:
750-watt Power Supply 750WPS [465-3642] 147

SYSTEM DETAILS:
Tower Six-heat pipe, Copper base Heat Sink with aluminum fans HEATSNK
[465-3644] 147

SYSTEM DETAILS:
Two 120mm x 38mm front fans FANS [465-3645] 147

Mouse:
Dell Optical USB Mouse OM [310-7966] 12

Floppy Drive and Media Reader:
No Floppy Drive Included NFD [341-3764] 10

Modem:
No Modem Requested N [313-3607] 14

Gaming Softwa
Microsoft - Flight Simulator X Deluxe 713261 [A0713261] 174

Warranty and Service:
1Yr Ltd Warranty and At-Home Service S111OS
[950-3337][950-9797][960-8700][980-8190][985-3718] 29
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"