I panel.cfg I comment out all gauge entries for 2D panels. So when I load the plane in 2D view there is only an empty front panel BMP there. I did this to decrease work load so to get better performance in VC. First it doesn't work with every plane. I did it successfully to Aeroworx B200 and PMDG 737. I believe that makes some difference but it's nothing like night and day. So unless you are as sick and obsessed with performance and smoothness as I am, I don't really suggest this. :)I feel FS is all about compromises. Bottom line for me is if I want to keep my smoothness I have to either give up VC or addon airports. Well I gave up the later.Jason

A CPU doesn't do anything regarding video these days. Firstly its considered I/O, and secondly stuff like that is offloaded from the CPU (as are network cards etc) so the CPU does little or no calculations for it. This is why you've seen the move to GPU's in the last 6 years or so.There are new CPU designs, from Sun Microsystems, that would encourage stuff to be put back on the CPU. This is because their new architecture reduces CPU stalls.MSFS would probably run amazing on it...however its doubtful you'll see Windows run on it.

>A CPU doesn't do anything regarding video these days. Firstly>its considered I/O, and secondly stuff like that is offloaded>from the CPU (as are network cards etc) so the CPU does little>or no calculations for it. This is why you've seen the move to>GPU's in the last 6 years or so.Neil, This is only partially true for MSFS. It's not really designed to offload a whole lot of the work on the GPU. It's a CPU-driven engine, not GPU. The next version, I'm sure, will be GPU-driven. As it stands now, a huge video card upgrade will only yield minor improvements. In any other game, when you upgrade substantially, you notice the change more.

This discussion about "VC or not VC" is recurrent in simmers fora.What I found curious was that, some time ago, a real life pilot argued in a post that he preferred the use of the 2D panel, as it would look much more like the real panel than what he could get in a VC.

This is interesting. I just put FS on my much slower laptop (Pentium M, 1.8GHz, Intel something or other video card, 1 GB Memory), andthere is no problem. Perhaps it is related to the overall workload. I will try to lower the scenery complexity on my desktop to see if ti makes a difference.Earl

Whether or not the graphics are more "GPU driven", there are still LOTS of calculations that will be done by the CPU. Flight simulation is a major calculation hog.Thomas

I am running the system with most sliders to the right, and at 1920x1200.The sound stutter seems to have gone away. The throbbing also depends on the plane. It is very noticeable with the Dreamfleet Archer. The Carenado Cherokees seem much smoother.Thomas

I prefer to fly in the VC, but the only drawback for me is the slow speed of the views, when I click the 'hat' button on my joystick in a given direction. This is a bit off-topic, but does anyone know of a FS9.cfg setting (or any other method) for speeding up the views?

If you are talking about the panning rate using your hat switch in VC mode then you can change this line in your FS(.cfg file (Backup the file first)PAN_RATE=600 Change the number to a higher number until you get a rate you like. Some people like 800 or 900. Bud

Hi,I love the VC, and use it every chance I get. Really adds to the immersion factor for me.Unfortunately, I also love doing IFR procedure practice with FS and as mentioned when workload is high and especially radios need to be tuned, it is a bit much to handle.I have done the 2-monitor configuration (vc on main, 2D main controls on the other) but even then on more complex add-on aircraft with many panels it is hard to manage.Track IR does a great job and making this more managable but also has its limitations (clicking on things is hard when the view is always changing, so you need to "pause" the tracking with keyboard/joystick button mapping very often, sort of ruining the immersion).Now, if we had that huge desk-sized screen that Mr. Gates showed us at CES, it would make things much easier :) For simulation we need lots more screen real-estate. Put the VC into that and there would almost be no need to "change" your view... Just zoom out appropriately and almost every cockpit item will be visible.Then we just need some "touch screen" magic to be able to flip switches and rotate knobs realistically :) Just imagine what things will be like in 5-10 years??? Best,