I'm going to build a small cockpit panel to use as procedure trainer for PPL students in the local flight club/school.We're going for FS9, to keep computer hardware costs down. Graphics quality won't be too important for us anyway.What is important, though, is having a wide view.Three projectors would be awesome, but we don't have the space or the money, so we're going for several monitors or tv's.After discovering mainboards with several PCI-express slots, I'm looking at running everything on one computer.Two monitors will be used for instruments behind the panel.If we have four PCI Express x16 slots (ASUS P5W64 WS Pro), four identical gfx-cards with dual outputs (and a monster PSU), that would technically leave up to six monitors for views.Question is - what kind of CPU and GPU performance would be needed to run FS9 with 6 outside views (plus two instrument views)?So far all multi-monitor setups I've heard of that has more than three monitors (apart from Matrox TH2G setups) is using WideFS and several computers.My guess is that all the views will impact the CPU the most, and that I can go for cheaper graphics cards. (X1650, or maybe even as low as X1050?)I understand the second core in a Core 2 Duo / Athlon X2 won't be utilized much, so I'm thinking maybe the fastest available single core CPU would perform as well in FS9?Or will all the views simply turn FS9 into a slideshow on any CPU?

First of all the use of all those views using one monitor will be a big frame killer. You will need several computers.Check out WideView at http://www.wideview.it/Good luck,Gerry

I should have said - the use of all those views using one COMPUTER will be a big frame killer.Sorry about that,Gerry

A combination of wideview/triplehead2go would work pretty well I think. 3 computers for views, 3 th2g's, 9 monitors...that would give acceptable frames...

I have an other question.What do you think about one computer and two monitors, one for front external view and one for instrument panel view? I am thinking about making all the gauges individually (15 gauges) dockview with actual sizes and drafting them to second monitor. Does it effect frame rate badly? I checked it with my notebook with ATIx600 graphics card and I have seen some stackings on the screen. What computer configuration and graphics card do you suggest me for best result?Thanks in advance.

>I have an other question.>What do you think about one computer and two monitors, one for>front external view and one for instrument panel view? I am>thinking about making all the gauges individually (15 gauges)>dockview with actual sizes and drafting them to second>monitor. Does it effect frame rate badly? I checked it with my>notebook with ATIx600 graphics card and I have seen some>stackings on the screen. What computer configuration and>graphics card do you suggest me for best result?>Thanks in advance.There's one guy I know from another forum is currently running his 737 simulator from one computer. And this is his setup descibed to me in quotations:"My PC isn't that quick, in fact it's a bit tired at 3 years old. It is a 2.8Ghz P4, 1Ghz ram and I really need a new faster one. I bought a Matrox Parhelia 128mg Triple head video card on Ebay and I use it in "stretched" mode with 3 monitors. The resolution becomes 3072 x 768. Monitor 1 is the feed to the projector and I also have a 19" monitor to the side of my sim on a splitter displaying the same outside view, this is where I can see the pop up FMC & Radio panels etc. Monitor 2 is for the Captain's Attitude & Navigation display and this also has a splitter feeding the FO's monitor showing the same image. Monitor 3 is for the centre EICAS display. When FS starts in stretched mode, you have to grab the R/H side of the FS window and drag it left until FS is only displayed on monitor 1. (Monitors 2 & 3 go black) As you are probably aware, the displays in PMDG are "Open GL" and they pop out and become bigger. (By the way, you have to run FS in 'Window" mode, not full screen mode). Pop out the displays and drag them to the appropriate positions on monitors 2 & 3. Resize the windows until they fill the square cut-outs on the MIP. When all of the windows are sized and in the right place, save the flight. This flight has to be loaded before going anywhere else so the windows are correct on every boot up. I call my flight "737 Set Up", that's it!My frame rates aren't the best around busy scenery (10-12), and about 20 FPS in general flight. What my new plan is to buy a faster video card with a Matrox Triplehead2go and set it all up again in the same method, this should improve frame rates. The CP Flight MCP and EFIS units plug in USB and operate PMDG brilliantly after a little keystroke programming."This is what I'm gonna do. I've looked at wideview and its a really cool program and such but I think in some of the pictures shown on the website, its kinda rediculous having a bunch of computers and monitors setup when you really only need at max 2 computers or in this example 1 computer. The guy's work is really inpressive. He made his own overhead panel and the attnetion to detail is just astounding.Lee AlexanderDistant Future Cockpit Builder

Get yourself FSX. FSX SP1 released this month will take care of dual core chips and quad core for that matter. Get the latest SLI mobo with a top of the range quad core chip and 2 DX10 Video cards. Buy 2 TH2GO's and you use the 2 spare slots for the instruments.Job Done. It will run like a dream.

Why FSX over FS9 when using an Intel DuoCord Quad? I'm currently working on converting an Alphajet full motion flight simulator to run FS9 via FlightDeck Solutions, Flightlink EPIC USB and above 5 42" flatscreen plasma. None of which will be using Wideview.Main system is:Intel DuoCore Quad 2.4GHz3BG Ram(x3) Nvidia GForce 7950 GT 512MBBut looks like the additional views can only be run in windowed mode, is this true?If interested in seeing this flight sim, check out:http://home.comcast.net/~bimmer4011/- Ron