Folks,It has been a long time since I partook in the flight sim world. FS9 was just too much for my old machine and I got frustrated and PIC was all I flew. When I saw that LDS was coming out with a new version for FS9 I finally broke down and got the new laptop I needed (I knew there was some compromise here but I did not think much). So it

I can't imagine playing this game on a laptop :-hmmm Anyhow, you need to go through and really tweak your system. I'd first apply the FS9 update (READ THE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST) from Microsoft. http://www.microsoft.com/games/flightsimulator/downloads.aspThen check the forums here: http://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=177Read the READ ME FIRST thread at top about all the tweaks to get the sim to run better. Also, you'll need to probably replace the clouds with smaller textures one. The default 3D clouds and even the replacement clouds here on Avsim are a memory killer. The replacement clouds do help though and everyone uses them. Just follow the advice on that thread. Good Luck!

That was a huge help Chris - thanks. BTW, the Laptop is not so bad (I needed it for work) and I plan to try multi screens.Cheers Bart

Okay, I hope it helps. It takes a lot to get this game running good. You'll spend some time tweaking before you get it how you want it. Some recommendations work and other don't, so it's hit or miss on a lot of computers.Yeah, I have a laptop, but couldn't imagine using it for FS, LOL. Whatever works though! ;)

Bart,Hey man. I'm getting some decent frames with a P1.7 and GeForce 3. But I use medium to low settings. The second I bring the ceiling or vis down my frames die a horrible death. I have a couple of MegaScenery packs installed and some AI action donated from a VA.I just purchased a ATI AIW 9600 and I'm hoping that will help out a little. I too am concerned about LDS FPS and figure I will pretty much need a new mobo and CPU. Overall, I think that the complete system will ultimately affect what kind of performance you get from FS. I'm going to follow the links also and we'll just see what we can do.What's VERY interesting in your message is the multi screen angle. My neighbor just donated a 21" CRT and with my AIW I'm in for at least 2 monitors. I'm trying to decide whether to just add a third by adding a cheap PCI card or use a laptop. Either way, my next monitor must be a flat panel due to space constraints.Couple of things I think I am starting to understand. Apparently, ATI chips are not compatible with what's called "surround gaming." So, if you go ATI you will pretty much be limited to ONLY using all the monitors with FS. That's good enough for me. However, I understand that to "spread," FS out you may have to undock the different views each in it's own window.The result is apparently it looks GREAT when the view is spreaqd out accross the monitors. However, I understand that FS2004 has no way of saving a multi-monitor configuration. So, with each start of FS you have to start the whole process from scratch.In addition, apparently spreading out the views really affects your performance. So, that's kind of leading me back to a new mobo and chip.Anyway, I'm actively looking into setting up a multi-monitor config. I think this would be really nice with a real airline type sim like LDS. So, anyway you can let us know what you find out? I'll do the same too.

HiI've ran multiple monitors for years now and there's nothing really that special about it in a negative way.I don't know about saving the visual part accross many monitors, that sounds really weird. However, saving other instrument panels to different monitors is supported totally, and it works really well.Currently our 757 sim project has 5 monitors connected to one PC.Tero

Tero, that sounds very nice. If I may ask, did you notice any kind of drop in FPS when going to widescreen? And, what kind of system specs are you running with the five screens? I was kind of thinking about a mid range Nvidia or ATI 9200 256MB PCI for the third monitor.Any advice? And, any special advice for setting up with PIC?

Hmm...I can fly default aircraft in FS9 with sliders about the middle on my lowly Pentium-M 1.4, 512MB RAM, 32MB ATI Radeon Mobility 7500 running at 1024x768x32 and get my frame lock of 20. (No ActiveSky though.)(I do think I've read that a Pentium-M is comparable to a P-4 at about double the clock rate, and in my experience that is about right.)Lee Hetherington, PP-ASEL (KBED)

Thanks for your help guys, I have made some good progress. I am pushing 20 fps most of the time (except on cloudy days!!) but have yet to force the issue with V2 for obvious reasons. As far as the muti montitors go, I thought I could make something work with MaxiVita but with little success. Also, now that I think about it, it probably will require more computing power. WS (Bart)