The FS-GS mystery

[Guest SuperFortress]

I know this has been discussed many many times here before during the heyday of FS9. I've read a bunch of stuff regarding this service and there always seems to be some kinda cloud of mystery surrounding it. I was never really able to get a full comprehensive answer or clear understanding of whether or not this service is actually worth the money. Furthermore, I'd like to know just how much FS-GS can do for users of FSX. I've also browsed the FS-GS support page and I do not see many current postings. Can anyone provide some deep insight into this? I am definitely willing to spend the money but first I would like to know more. I dont just wanna hear vague stuff like "Oh its great, just try it". I want details please. Thank you.

[sargeski 16]

My two cents.....If you know how to keep your drivers up to date, shutdown background applications, turn off unneeded services, properly adjust your video card and spend a little time getting to know the settings available within flight simulator and optimize them to your system....there is absolutely no need for this service. Actually all the advice you could ever want can be found in forums just like this.....and its free.If on the otherhand you do not wish to be bothered configuring your system and want to rely on someone else if things go wrong then maybe this service would be of use to you.I would suggest you visit the FS-GS forums and do alot of reading prior to deciding to pay for the service. From what I've read if you are not the computer literate type you may have a be littling experience.Again, I have not used the service nor do I personally know anyone who has. I have only read posts of those stating that they used the service and those posts were quite mixed.

[Wnuk 12]

I recall that during the heyday of discussing FSGS that Avsim promised do to a review of the service. I don't recall them ever doing so but you may want to check the review archives to find out.Jim

[bob.bernstein 0]

Sad fact...its a catch 22...The only way people could give you details is to give you the answers to the unknown questions.Customers of fs-gs are oblidged to maintain the secrecy of what actual adjustments are made. The rest of us do our own tinkering and wonder if we've accomplished the same thing as fs-gs. The only way to know is to pay...and most of us who don't feel like we've achevied good enough.I gather there is a money back guarentee if you aren't satified...those can be tricky sometime, but it seems like you should try it based on your asking the question.Best,Bob

[sargeski 16]

>I recall that during the heyday of discussing FSGS that Avsim>promised do to a review of the service. I don't recall them>ever doing so but you may want to check the review archives to>find out.>>Jim Here is the link:http://www.avsim.com/pages/0306/FSGS/fsgs.htm

[Mace 1,896]

I've never used the service...but I can say that based on what I've read I can say that M. Greenblatt (FS-GS) knows his stuff, very well in fact.Basically, he knows how to config a rig. If you are good...very good...you might do as well as he does at optimizing your FS box, and don't need the service. But most people are not that good.If you are not as good as you think you are, you might learn a thing or two. :) I think a lot of people fall into the latter category, I'm afraid. They think they know about paring down services, optimizing vid drivers, etc. but in actuality they are missing some things. And their FS computer runs poorly as a result, and they blame the software...etc. etc.In those cases, a person might benefit very well from FS-GS. That's my understanding of it all, based on what I've read about the service.RhettAMD 3700+ (@2585 mhz), eVGA 7800GT 256 (Guru3D 93.71), ASUS A8N-E, PC Power 510 SLI, 2gb Corsair XMS 3-3-3-8 (1T), WD 150 gig 10000rpm Raptor, WD 250gig 7200rpm SATA2, Seagate 120gb 5400 rpm external HD, CoolerMaster Praetorian

[Cruachan 705]

Hi Rhett,You are absolutely correct and have summed it up nicely.I have used FS-GS (May 2004) and have carried forward everything I learned to this day. No regrets here and I remain very grateful to Michael Greenblatt for all he taught me during that 6 hour session.Mike

[HUSSAR 254]

I have used FS-GS since FS2004 and agreed Michael was extremely helpful. If I remember correctly Michael advised that if I did not like the service I should not have to pay. I do not know if that is still the case but that is the way it was back then.I was charged a little over a $100 USD for the initial 6+ hours of service with a further 10+ hours in follow-up during the consecutive 15 months running FS2004. Michael has always been available for a quick chat on MSN messenger and is always just a call away depending on his workload for a given day.When FSX was released I asked Michael for a shopping list and he came through with one which was well researched and as far I was concerned was bang-on, once he finished the "service" I paid and once again he has been there for me when I have encountered problems for a combined 6 hours since the second service which took a little over 2 hours.I have learned a great deal about MS Flightsim through Michael and I have never regretted having spent what amounted to less than $200 USD for his continued service. As far as the "secrecy" thing goes I believe that he said that I was not to share the information and in reality not every tweak or adjustment may be useful to everyone else. Furthermore Michael spends considerable time researching products and is available to share his findings at anytime so I do not share the info he provides out of courtesy. I have enjoyed MS2004 and FSX a great deal more since using the service and IMO it would not have been this good had I relied on finding the info myself to make the necessary tweaks and adjustments.Just my 2 cents.

[Guest PPSFA]

The Readers Digest version is, if you listen to Mike and do exactly what he says, 2 things happen, FSX runs the best it possibly can on your system, and you will stop wasting time looking for tweaks and simply enjoy reading posts.As someone else also mentioned, it's a can't lose service. If you aren't happy, you don't pay, which is unheard on on the net. Mike takes the risk, you get the benefits.

[Guest SuperFortress]

Thank you everyone for your input. I guess my primary concern is this. I am an IT professional. I do not claim to know everything there is to know about computers or computer optimization but I do feel that I have a deep understanding of what I am doing when it comes to my PC. I guess what I'm saying is that I don't want to pay over $100 only to find out that I need updated drivers, a defragged drive, stopping useless services, etc etc. I know all of this and more already and not counting FSX, my PC runs very well in general and is quite clean. I want to know that my money is buying something unique. Something that I dont already know and something that will make me say "Hey you know what, I just learned something new and very useful and FSX is significantly running much better than before.".My other question is this. If this service is as good as it claims to be then why do so many people here spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on hardware upgrades (upgrades which many times provide no major advantages for FSX) instead of just spending a fraction of that money for this service?Thank you.

[David Roch 1,953]

"If this service is as good as it claims to be then why do so many people here spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on hardware upgrades (upgrades which many times provide no major advantages for FSX) instead of just spending a fraction of that money for this service?"Why?Because if you want to make a healthy and tasty soup you need fresh and nice vegetables even if you're the best Chef in the world :--)FS-GS service is called "optimization". Meaning that your PC has to reach FS's requirements (*) in order to take benefit of Mickael's knowledge.(*) not the one on the box!! ;-)

[Guest PPSFA]

"I want to know that my money is buying something unique. Something that I dont already know and something that will make me say "Hey you know what, I just learned something new and very useful and FSX is significantly running much better than before.It wont cost you a dime to talk to him and ask. :-)

[Ted Striker 338]

I used the FS-GS service with FS2004 and agree with all the positive posts on this thread made by the others that have used it. I intend to use the service again after I build a new system for FSX.Michael is constantly testing different hardware and FS software. Not only does he recommend what drivers and software to install, but he also walks you through configuring them, windows and your other FS and non FS software to work together efficiently. You may be able to figure this out by yourself by reading the forums and doing your own testing, but what is your time worth? I also like the fact that I had a live person on the line to ask questions and just shoot the bull with while I was setting up my computer. I swirled beers and he walked me through the whole setup. Not only did he improve my computer and FS performance, but I learned a lot more about how FS and Windows function and interact. I think $100 for 6+ hours of computer consulting of this caliber is a bargain.Being an IT professional, the sevice may not have as much value to you as it does for me, however I'm sure you would learn something from it just because Micheal has done so much testing of different hardware and FS software.One other thing, Michael has strong opinions and is very particular about the way he wants to do things. You two may professionally disagree in some areas. I think that technical disagreements has been the reason for the negative posts you may have read on other threads. I suggest you contact him, discuss your knowledge, your system, what improvements he could offer, and specifically what you expect to achieve from the service. He'll answer most of the questions that you are asking here and won't charge you for that. If you are still interested and come to an agreement, then you start. If you get the results you agreed on, then you pay him. That's the way it works.Also please post back here your decision and how things worked out if you do end up using FS-GS. He improved my FS9 performance, I haven't read any reports on his service in FSX.Hope this helps,Ted

[Guest PPSFA]

Tks Ted, you just saved me a LOT of typing! :-)I was going to expand on my earlier post, but you just beat me to most of it. A few points need clarifying though. He charges a base rate of $85, but its not just for '6 hours', its for as long as it takes him to complete the service, and heres the 'kicker'. It's pretty much a lifetime service. I have gone back to him many times for help and advice and he's always there to provide it. And if you aren't satisfied, you don't pay, period.The one thing that must be said again, and clearly, it's his way or nothing, and that needs to be understood going in. I understand his reasons, so it doesn't bother me at all, and my FSX runs perfectly without a single 'tweak' to the cfg's.I am an 'expert' in many things, but FSX isnt one of them. I cant begin to tell you how much time I have saved by Mike doing all the work and me just following along.I also know quite a few 'IT experts' who thought the same as others, did the service, and came away amazed at what they didn't know about FSX, and how much better it ran after Mike did his thing.FSX, with all it's problems and options, is a beast, and the only one I trust to tame it for me, is Mike. My time is simply much better spent flying FSX, than constantly trying to fix or optimize it, thats what I paid Mike for. :-)

[Guest Rick Baldwin]

I'll just briefly add my comments. I used Michael's services when I had FS9 and he did a good job. He knew exactly what was needed, told me step-by-step what to do. As others have stated, he is very opinionated and essentially tells you going in that it's my way or the highway. But I have no problem with that, because he tells you this ahead of time. If you don't like it, you can alway choose not to use his service. You've lost nothing.As I said though, I decided to give the service a try. After spending several hours with him talking back and forth on MS Messenger (no phone call expense), I did everything he requested and after all was said and done, I could run FS9 with all sliders to the right, including full traffic. It was only AFTER I was satisfied with the results that I was asked to pay, and I think that's more than a fair deal. I paid gladly and do not regret it at all. As I recall, cost was approximately $70 or $80.Michael did warn me that some add-ons (not merely FS add-ons mind you, but a whole range including most notoriously in his opinion Norton Antivirus) are not well written and WILL slow one's system down if they are installed. I wish that Michael would supply his clients with a checklist of things to do if our systems slowed down in the future. I hope he will consider including this information for future clients.In summary, in my opinion FS-GS is a no risk proposition for the client. I would venture a guess that the vast majority of his clients are happy. I am, and will probably use his services again for FSX.Why don't more people use FS-GS? Like you, most people are cautious and skeptical. Nothing works for everyone. But based on my experience and apparently the experience of many others, it is a valuable service. I hope that in the future Michael will be able to do a better job of marketing FS-GS. Some intelligent and informative advertising would go a long way in addressing consumer doubts and questions.-Rick