I can see from reading that you claim the new panel to be framerate friendly. What does that mean? Would you call the dreamfleet panel framerate friendly for example?All the bestSimon

Simon-We have categorized our airplane as "frame-rate-friendly" because it does not exact such a heavy toll on frame rates that it becomes unusable. (That isn't much fun when that happens, is it?)I'm not sure how I would categorize the DF airplane, as I have not had the airplane installed in quite some time. (Once I discovered that the FMC was run as a seperate EXE, I put it away...)I just ran a test using the most current ALPHA version of the airplane on my system, and compared it to a default MSFS airplane so that you can see how we are holding up:My Machine: PIV 1.7Ghz 512MB RDRAM using a GeForce3 Ti200 (64MB?)Location: KRNT with all sliders maxed.Default 737:Fwd Cockpit View: 29 fpsFwd VC View: 27 fpsTower View: 28 fpsRight Side Spot: 24 fpsPMDG 737NG:Fwd Cockpit View: 22 fpsFwd VC View: 26 fpsTower View: 21 fpsRight Side Spot: 19 fpsSo, that should give you a good idea of where we are. I should note also that I have our panel displays turned to max update, and I could increase my FPS by reducing their update rate if I chose...SO I think things are looking pretty good!

Now that is fantastic news!

I have a PIII 866 256MB RDRAM40GB HD w/ 50% emptyand a Gforce 4 TI4600 128MB cardis there any tester running a similair system that could help me wit frames?

Jamie-that's old stuff, in today's standards. However, we have a way of turning down the frame rates for our main LCD EFIS displays so that computers like yours can run our stuff with good results...Cheers,

Jamie-At some point during testing, I am going to have all beta testers report on frame rates in a specific location with specific settings in specific views.I'll then compile their various system stats, and post the whole thing here so you can see how you compare to what the testers are getting...If there are certain systems strengths that just are not enough to get a good FPS and utiliziation out of the airplane- we'd prefer that those customers have a chance to know this BEFORE buying... It makes everyone's life much nicer!I guess my point is this: We are absolutely committed to ensuring that every customer has the appropriate information to make a good purchasing decision- as we do not want anyone to be disappointed at having purchased a PMDG product!

Now is this customer service or is this customer service :-)Alaister Kay

Alaister-I think this is customer service.:-)

Thank you so very much! That was great customer service! You guys have it nail! Ok well im on a 1.8 P4. I need to update RAM and card tho anyway.Thank you so much for your help!Above 20 suits me great!Simon

Simon-it's not really "above 20" that suits you great - it's anything that can be fluid. If you have a system where you get 80 FPS but occasional 15fps stutters, you'll notice it much more than when you have a PC with 15fps CONSTANT (where all will look fine).Edit, to add:with our current multithreaded technology, anyway, the reported FPS that MSFS displays on the top left kinda loses its meaning, as it's FPS for the thread that is responsible for counting the frames. As MS do their updates / draws in one thread, this makes sense for the plain-vanilla addon aircraft. For ours, it isn't completely accurate in displaying what really happens... that's why we have a mechanism in place to show you what your EFIS displays (which are the ones multi-threaded) will have, in terms of FPS.

wow thats not customer service, thats EXTRAORDINARY CUSTOMER SERVICE (as I am a teenager, I need to save up a ton of money to buy a new comp, but i normally fly with AI off. I get about 8-20 frames depending on the area with POSKY CRJS and PSS A320.) Now if you wanted the exact figure of a lower end system--id be MORE THAN HAPPY to take that 737 up for ya right now ;-). Im definately going to be the first one to buy this baby. If anyone has any ideas on how to upgrade, let me know. Also If I have a PIII computer, how would i consider upgrading to a PIV--do I need to change the motherboard or antyhin. Thanks a ton! I really appreciate everythin you guys have done here, and thats one more reason id love PMDG. Of course, im deadly serious about my offer to test.

I just tested the 737 at KRNT--I get- looking straight down, over 20 FPS, however when I look out, over the water, I sink to btwn 8-15.

Yes Jamie you will need to switch motherboards but the best way to go about it is to buy a *combo* deal with a MB-CPU. If you want to save some $$$ please look into a AMD CPU, it also has it's own type of MB. The good thing about AMD CPUs is that they only cost roughly half the price of the Pentiums and preform just as good in my opine. Plus you will have extra money to purchase the NG![h5]Best Wishes,Randy J. SmithSan Jose Ca[/h5][h3]" A little learning is a dangerous thing"[/h3] [h5]AMD XP 2200 |MUNCHKIN 512 DDR RAM |ECS[/b ][i] K7S5A MB[/i] |GF3 64 MEG @ 215/545|WIN XP PRO |MITSUBISHI DIAMOND PLUS 91 19"[/h5]

ook thanks a ton, really appreciate that, Imm gonna give comp USA a call tomomrrow. I have one more question for you though, would I need to buy a new power supply and cooling system for my comp then, and how necessary actually is this upgrade, im just curious because I could use the money for other things if its not going to help a lot?

Well since you will be swapping out the MB, you will need to format your hard drive which could be a pain (well it's always a pain. As to your question on the power supply, if you have a 250-400 wt power supply, it should work out fine. Your new MB/CPU will have it's own heatsink and fan, so no worries there. How much a gain in frame rates you ask? You will see a huge difference if you go with a AMD XP 2000-3000+ over your P3. You already have a good video card. Look for the best deal Jamie, I run a 2200 XP and it's pretty cheap money wise but gives me good performance. [h5]Best Wishes,Randy J. SmithSan Jose Ca[/h5][h3]" A little learning is a dangerous thing"[/h3] [h5]AMD XP 2200 |MUNCHKIN 512 DDR RAM |ECS[/b ][i] K7S5A MB[/i] |GF3 64 MEG @ 215/545|WIN XP PRO |MITSUBISHI DIAMOND PLUS 91 19"[/h5]