Hello to you all,

I am currently diuscussing this on an old thread and as such, because the topic is not showing up on AVSIM front page, there is extremely limited current input. I am hoping this will get a little more airplay.

As you are all probably aware, I am running 6 monitors in FS2004 (see my specs below) This is impossible on any other platform due to performance (both in my hardware and in the sim/s)

However, I was very recently reminded of connection of monitors via USB adapters. I have no idea really, of the mechanics of this system, and, I further suspect, that it is not going to make any difference to my configuration.

What I am looking at generally, is the docking/undocking of panels and moving them to a different screen. Each undocked panel moved to a different display has a rather large impact on frame rates and performance. I am, in reality, seeking a way around this frame impact.

If I connect 3 monitors, (via USB adapters) configure in the Windows Screen Resolution, and then undock them, will this in fact be any different to using the GPU for connection to the display.  If this does make a difference, I have to assume that it would only be usable for Instrument Panel displays (ie being almost a static display and therefore a slightly lower drain on resources).

I suspect that, even if using a USB connection, one is still utilising the GPU engine in much the same way. I recall dimly, a long, long time ago, seeing a youtube video showing 6 monitors using this system satisfactorily. I have to admit though, that the operator was NOT demonstrating a Flight Sim, and I have no idea why I did not pursue it at the time.

Could this actually be a remote chance of finally running P3Dv4 and XPlane 11 with my current configuration. Bring on the good news LOL

Regards to all and a happy New Year

Tony Chilcott

The short answer is NO. Using USB will be worse than your existing setup.

Using a TH2GO (for 2 or 3 screens depending on resolution used), or Nvidia's built in multi screen capability may help in that you can put your instruments all in one undocked window which will stretch across the monitors. I don't use the Nvidia option myself, just a triple head with one 3072*768 undocked window for the instruments across three 4*3 monitors. I can't really say what sort of difference there might be compared to your 3 undocked windows...its just a suggestion of something to try.

Ian

Ian,

That is, unfortunately, exactly what I expected. I will keep trying, There HAS to be a way.

The th2go is not the answer either. I tried that a long time ago to use for my VC and edxternal cockpit views and makes no difference whatsoever. However, I did not spread my views over 3 monitors and not use the undock procedure (I was using 1 large monitor and two 34inch monitors at the time and that combo created more problems than I could solve. So I kept using the triple head to go but I undocked the converted VC sideviews and that solved the problem. I then went on to a second GPU so I used the 1080ti for the VC and side views and a second for all the instrument panel views. No difference to performance or frame rates either way.

So Thank you for your very sad but expected news.

Happy New Year

Tony

Tony

I would consider adding at least a second pc if your budget so allows. Use your current pc for scenery only and a networked second lower spec pc for gauges (with all scenery sliders left). This way the aircraft cpu load is removed from the scenery pc. You would have to use Wideview to do this.

I take it you are using 1920*1080 for each of  your scenery monitors?

Happy New Year to you too!

Ian

4 hours ago, bowingic said:

Use your current pc for scenery only and a networked second lower spec pc for gauges (with all scenery sliders left). This way the aircraft cpu load is removed from the scenery pc. You would have to use Wideview to do this.

This is not how Wideview works - you have to run the scenery on the slave PC, with the gauges and simulation on the master.

Mark

Yes that's what I had in mind...the "second" pc as the master...probably should have called it an  "additional" pc to avoid confusion.

Ian

Hello again,

Guys, thank you for your responses.

I think this is probably the way to go, however, please bear in mind that I am trying to run P3Dv4  as a basic stand alone platform with NO add-ons. It is/was not the platform itself that is the problem. I can (if it was possible) attach 20 monitors  with absolutely no impact on FPS. it is only when I undock a panel and move that to another screen that the impact on FPS occurs. I was looking at the USB angle as an alternative that would negate this impact. This is not the case, nor the solution, as has been pointed out.

The answer, I believe is in finding out why this impact occurs in the undocking process. i do not believe it has anything, or at least, not much, to do with resolutions because many people are running 4k TVs on similar or lesser graphics systems. I am running roughly the equivalent of 4k into each GPU. I still do not know either, whether it is a Graphics problem or the CPU which is the most affected component.

What compounds this, is the fact that I cannot get a response from the DEVS of these platforms and that, I suspect, is largely because, there are so few of us running this or similiar configurations that further research into the problem is simply not viable.

Somebody once told me in this forum that I needed to upgrade my hardware. My response to this is that I would like to chat with anybody who is running P3Dv4 or XPlane11 with six monitors, with any hardware, and regardless of how they do it. It is, for me and immersion factor that I cannot do without. Even flying with three monitors is not really enjoyable for me.  I am guessing that the only viable alternative is the is 4K or 8K VR (Pimax). Even that is an unknown factor, particularly for me.

So guys, I hope that clears it all up ... putting what on which computer is in the future. I want to get P3Dv4 OR XPlane 11 (It may well be P3Dv55 and XPlane 423 that is relevant) running as basics before I explore that further.

Thanks again, for all your replies

Happy New Year

Tony