Best use of Multiple PCs

[Guest rvroman]

I have gotten permission to build a new machine :) since 5 monitors (3 external views and 2 for instruments etc) are killing my frame rates.Here is what I am planning using Wideview, but I wondered if anyone had other thoughts, or if this is the best use of multiple PCs.PC #1 - Server, 1 monitor for front view, 2 for panels etcPC #2 - Client, 1 monitor for front right viewPC #3 - Client, 1 monitor for front left viewLaptop - WideFS for other applications (squawkbox, etc)Does this seem like a good use of what I have? None of these are super high end machines, with the exception of the laptop they are between 1GHz and 3 GHz with 1 - 2 mb of ram. Video cards are Nivdia 5500s.Thanks,Robert

[npbosch 0]

Did you think of a parhelia card? 3 monitors on 1 pc. Then you can use the instuments on a second pc running FS and wideview. Or use a fsclient program to display the instruments on the second pc.Matrox recently released an external box to which you can connect 3 monitors as an alternative for the parhelia card.regardsNorberthttp://home.wanadoo.nl/norbert.bosch/

[Guest rvroman]

I have heard of the parhelia, but did not think of it as an option. This is simply because I had all the parts to build another machine sitting on a shelf short of the mother board, and cheap was the goal. Also since all 3 monitors are on the same PC does it cause the framehit as I had before with everything on the same PC?I had not heard of the matrox box until today. I saw it at the IFC convention in Denver and it looked good. There was a frame rate associated with that however. If I did not already have the stuff I do I would probably have considered it. The setup they had was pretty nice, the virtual cockpit spanned from the left front to the right front across the 3 monitors, along with an IR tracking device worked well.Robert

[fvapres 7]

Basically, the TripleHead2Go uses a custom resolution, lets say 3072x768 (which is 1024x768 + 1024x768 + 1024x768) output resolution from your video card. It then takes that information and splits it up between 3 monitor outputs on the box. It used to be they had a card that would do the same thing, using two video outputs on a single card (as there was no room for a third) and a VGA splitter for the 3rd output. The card was not as powerful as some of the higher-market video cards of the same price range. This box would allow you to use your high-end video card and still get 3 vide outputs on it. Plus, my video card has dual support, so technically, one "monitor" is 3072x768 and the second monitor could be my 21" CRT at 1600x1200 resolution, so 4 monitors from a dual-headed video card.I am saving up for it. It is $300 and then you have to think of the monitors to go with, but #### it is a nice idea. Imagine having 3 projectors 1024x768 resolution around your pit coming from one computer instead of having to use wideview for the front-left and front-right views. You could then use those PCs for instrument displays or even flight instructor station. This would cut your computer requirements for your pit down by 2.I love it. Now to make it work.

[Magic Man 2]

I'm also looking at the TH2Go box. Was thinking about multi-pc via WideView for each (3) external views but, to be honest, I don't spend all my time playing FS and so didn't want to go to the expense of getting extra monitors and another client or two just for that.With the TH2Go you can use it with other software and my money would be spent keeping the main box bang up to date rather than thinking about spending some on that and some on the clients which would start to age like the rest of the system.I'd probably still end up using WideView for the server flight and guages on my current machine via a couple of monitors but use three displays together with the TH2Go in a new setup once the Core 2 Duo chips start rolling. Something along the lines of a 6700 together with 2GB and, currently, a 7950GX2.Plus, you can use the virtual pit over the three monitors on a TH2Go setup and combine it with a TrackIR unit. WideView scenery clients would be limited to individual views.

[tigert 0]

Triplehead2go RULES. It's everything Parhelia was, but lets you use a kick a55 Nvidia videocard. Very very wise move from matrox to focus on this kind of stuff.We have it on our Cessna sim that ran parhelia before - we upgraded the machine and installed a Geforce monster + Triplehead2Go and it rocks.There are reports ATI didnt give out enough specs to Matrox, thus on ati cards you will have only 800x600x3, while on NVidias you can run 1024x768 x 3 or 1280x1024 x 3 at 75 Hz if I remember correctly.We are very happy with it.//Tuomas

[Garys 212]

Tuomas, are you able to have a FWD LEFT / FWD / FWD RIGHT setup with one triplehead2go or does it just expand your FWD view across the 3 monitors?Gary

[tigert 0]

>Tuomas, are you able to have a FWD LEFT / FWD / FWD RIGHT>setup with one triplehead2go or does it just expand your FWD>view across the 3 monitors?>>GaryIt's like Parhelia - it stretches it. But it's good enough for a 135 degrees approx field of view (we have 3 45 deg collimator units) - one has to zoom out fully, and it's just enough. Sure, it distorts the perspective on the far edges a bit, but in practice it does not hurt that badly. The experience is very good anyway, and the wide view gives a lot of sense for motion, the distortion is a lot smaller problem than what it gains.For our budget and for the mainteinance workload, this was a clear winner, since it can be done using one PC and one FS installation. Perhaps 3 "real" perspective views would be even better, but the extra work, hardware cost and added complexity ruled that approach out of the game for us. I dont even notice the distortion when actually flying in the sim, it's working very nicely.A simulator is always a combination of each part, and this works very nicely. Perfection is extremely hard to achieve, but a balanced setup can work very nicely, even with some issues one chooses to live with. The brain is extremely adaptive when everything is in balance.//Tuomas