PMDG 737 NGX, FSX - 2 networked pc's & 6 monitors

[MrSnow 0]

I know this is an ongoing question that many people have answered.But I have yet to find someone who answered it with a new twist.I have 3 computers I am willing to put into my project.First will be the FSX machine for outside cockpit view with 2 monitors.With 2 monitors, It cant handle more than that and keep a good 25 FPS.Second to run PMDG cockpit panels, over head and gauges, using 4 monitors.Saving to buy/use 3rd party panels.Third to run any thing to spread the load off the first two.At this moment I am using saitek kit.I am wondering if any one knows of a PMDG supported software that would allow me to do this.RegardsSteve

[Turbine777 13]

Hey Steve,Basically what you're asking can be done without any additional software other than simconnect really. Wide FS could help also. There's one problem a few misconceptions though I think in what I'm reading. Allow me to explain in no specific order here.

• Multimonitoring is best to use either the newer nVidia cards (surround gaming), ATI's Eyefinity, or for older cards or just another way is with the Matrox Triplehead2go. You don't need to use any of them but less fps hit in doing what your looking for as long as you have a fairly new video card, and a good rig.
  • If you were wanting just to use one monitor for each of what you said, then you could just plug in your monitors into a new VGADVIHDMI port. But again, there are many reason why you wouldn't want to do that.

  [*]With using the 1st option, you could run in windowed mode and resize your window for say 2 monitors, then use the others to drag any indockable panels to. Note that by just plugging in your monitors to your available video card slots won't allow for actual game play on them as the 1st option and you would have to deal with the DX window. You would though still be able to drag your movable panels from one screen to the next, but by getting some results that your looking for it would require that you create a new window in FSX using the "New Window" command ( ] key I think). That would drop you fps to single digits if you were to do that for your dual monitor idea and outside view, or even if you wanted to reverse that and stretch a new view for your VC. It wouldn't be even playable.[*]Surround gaming is your best option in using either 2 new nVidia cards that support surround gaming or the other two options above.

  • I use the Matrox triplehead2go. My current set up seen
    .
  • You can actually hook up 2 of them for 6 monitors if you want with no fps hit at all, providing your video cards again, are up to the task.
    • I used #3, 26" screens with a GTX260 running a resolution of 5040x1050 with no fps hit at all. If anything, maybe 1 or 2 but never noticed anything.

  [*]Your other computers and what I would recommend you use them for in such a set up:

  • I never "multi-playered" before, but maybe one could be used for that for your wanted outside views, in theory anyway.
  • I have used networked PC's for years in simming, up until a couple years ago. I would say check your addons and see their respective "Network" sections of the manuals. Most have the ability to be networked, so a lot of addons can be run off another machine, such as weather engine, apps like kneeboards, SuperTrafficBoard, FSWidgets, etc.
    • Note that you would never want to have something like REX or AS12's textures on a networked drive, only its WX. Loading new themes would be pretty painful otherwise.

There's a fine line between gadget'ing, and a simpit. What you're looking to do is mostly very simple and very close to what I have with just a couple exceptions. Mainly your desire to have 2 monitors for your outside view. Not practical on the software side, but I understand why you might want that. I had a simpit once and was building the instructor station when I stopped. It was my only means for my exterior view but back then I wasn't looking at anything since there was nothing but outside to look at. Simpits don't have an exterior, there is no plane in other words, just simulation, see also > Project Magenta.I doubt I'll ever simpit again, but who knows. Never is a long time after all. Doing what you're asking is just two different things. Most is very simple and easy yet the outside view idea is where it will fail. Possible, yes, but only if you don't mind the fps hit, and that hit could be 90% or more.For networked computers, you will want to have some sort of monitor for them, or a KVM switch. I recommend a monitor and use "Synergy" for all networked comps. Synergy allows for moving your mouse from one comp to the other. So you could go through the screen on the left hand side of one computer and come in on the right hand side of the networked computer. You can do everything you can imagine, just not drag things from one monitor to the other. You'd need to abide by the basic "sharing" principles still.See this topic for more on Synergy.Hope this helps.