Hello,I have a 2nd monitor now and was wanting input as to what you can do with 2 monitors for FS. Also, impact on performance?Thanks,Noel

I have a LCD monitor sitting on my desk right behind my CH yoke. It diplays the 2d instrument panels. A 19" CRT is elevated behind the LCD and displays the 3d out-the-windscreen view. I'm in the process of redesigning the 172 main panel (making it higher, more like the real thing and more like the VC panel) to allow me to mount the radio stack on the main panel. I don't know what the performance impact is but it is not so bad as to cause me to want to give up my setup. R-

Well... lets see. For flying helicopters I set a view looking down and to the right. For most other flying I leave the ASV display on it, use it for the VoxATC dialogue box, Jeppesen SimCharts, sometimes FSNavigator. When flying the Dreamfleet 737-400 with Peter McLeland's fix I put the FMC over on it. That second monitor is also great for other times when Norton decides to place some annoying window up that always seems to want to be on top of what I am trying to work on, I simply put it on the second monitor and it can stay on top... out of MY way :).

I am using the built-in the driver with my GeForce 6800GT to display both monitors, which I have never tried before but had success with tonight. The default set up for multiple monitors is to display the desktop in normal fashion for the primary display, and then the secondary display still shows a taskbar, but nothing shows up in it until you open a window in the primary, and slide it to the right to the secondary. I'm sure there must be something in the driver to allow control in both environments (mouse pointer doesn't move into the 2nd display as it is now). I bought a very inexpensive but very nice Envision 17" LCD TV that has quite nice specs for a second PC display: 16:9, 1280x768, 400cd brightness, 500:1 contrast, and it's HDTV ready, and accomodates an analog PC input. I'm sure the response time is very slow, but for slow moving stuff I think it will be great. It looks quite good I must say. I really just wanted a TV near my PC, but this allows for both TV and 2nd PC display and only cost $349 from COSTCO. Heck of a price for an HDTV ready TV.Thank you for your replies I look forward to other insights.Noel

For FS? Undock panels and spread out your cockpit. Also good for add on windows like ASV, FS build, FS Real Time, etc. Having 3 monitors, I also surf the next and watch TV whilst flying. Performance hit using the secondary adaptor on the primary card is neglible, as long as you don't try putting 3D windows on secondary displays. Performance hit on my third monitor can be an issue, depending what I put on it, because it is an old 4M PCI card that doesn't handle java graphics too well.Gary

I mostly fly the PMDG 737 and usually put the overhead panel and fmc on the secondary monitor together with FSNavigator and Squawkbox 3.On another computer I run Activesky and FScommander that are connected to the flightsim computer using Widefs. I then also have a laptop that I use for looking up flightplans on the web, creating flightplans using FSBuild, monitoring Vatsim activity using Servinfo and finally of course displaying charts.

Currently I have a 3-across setup of 21" monitors. The middle is for the panel and front view then I use the right monitor (connected to a 2nd PC), for remote FS programs like ASV or track myself using Microsoft Mappoint. The left monitor is for odds & ends, GPS, etc., plus I can watch a little TV on either monitor with my capture cards (ya know, if I have a long flight for those in-flight movies).Plan to build a system of 3-across on top for views and 3-across below them for a stretched cockpit. But that will require a custom made desk for that. Ahhhhh.... next week ;)

I use the second monitor to display a moving map of where I am. I use FSMovingMap.

Hmmmm, I am actually in the market for another LCD, because I have 'only' a 15". I am contemplating getting another 15" to expand my VC (PIC on left, F/O on right). Would that be possible?What about TrackIR? Would that work as well?Oh my the possibilities... ;-)Pat

Heck - one of the best reasons to get is it's easier to edit all the .cfg and text files we use in FS - having two documents side by side.Like most - my primary 19" LCD is for flying and my 17" CRT is for all the other stuff.Besure to set FS to NOT Pause on Task Switch.I've found the default GPS can be FPS undocked heavy in a second monitor. Don't need it 90% of the time. I do leave my ATC undocked in the second monitor - no more trying to read through those "transparent" overlay's.With a second monitor I can do the entire flight from the 2D or VC cockpit - and NEVER have to change to another program or view the entire flight.Awesome !!! Once you fly that way - you never will be comfortable back with one screen.

Claudia Schiffer.MarkMark "Dark Moment" BeaumontVP Fleet, DC-3 AirwaysTeam Member, MAAM-SIM[a href=http://www.swiremariners.com/cathayhk.html" target="_blank]http://www.paxship.com/maamlogo2.jpg[/a]

Many thanks for those suggestions. Now what constitutes a 3D window in FS9? I guess the VC would be about it.I think two good uses for me would be the overheads with the PMDG737/747s would be real nice, plus the idea of putting the ATC window there sounds great. One more question, how can you assign a window like ATC to a second monitor? Perhaps it will become clear when I use the nView setup wizard or whatever is best. Right now I had to take it back apart as I need a slightly longer monitor cable to get to the LCD. I have an SXGA 3' extender coming in a day or two so very much looking forward to this. And very little performance hit it seems from what you say.Noel

3D window = anything showing an outside view. ATC window, like panels, needs to be undocked (right click) first, then you can move it to where you want.Gary

Krister,Why don't you run SB3 on your second computer as well? Will free up some resources from your FS one. That is how I've set it up and the SB3 installer/setup was programmed with this option in mind.To the original poster. I use my second monitor to spread my 2Dpanels out. I mostly fly airliners and ususally put the overhead, my CDUs and throttles on my second screen.I also have a second computer utilizing WideFS where I run ASV, SB3, ServInfo and FSM Moving Map.Cheers,

Mats,yes I did consider setting SB3 up on my other computer, actually the laptop. I wasn't sure if I was gonna get it working though since I besides a button on the CH yoke also use a button on a Goflight module as a PTT-button (when I have a friend with me "flying" as FO and handling RT). I don't notice any effect on the performance using SB3 on the main computer. But there might be other advantages putting it on another computer!