Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
Mac_Paint

Forgive me, for I have sinned.

Recommended Posts

I've just bought the components to Project Frankenstein, my attempt to assemble a PC. These are the specs: Athlon XP 2100+512 MB PC2100 DDR Ram80 GB HDDCD-RWDVD-RomSoundblaster Audigy MP3 SoundcardPny GeForce4 Ti 4400 Video CardLinksys Wirless network CardViewsonic 19" MonitorWindows XP ProPlus assorted other items(Keyboard, etc).We'll see if I can breath life into this monster.Pete

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest Allan Jones

WOW! Sounds like you sinned REALLY big, Pete!You penance is to send me all your Mac hardware! :-hahSeriously, it sounds like a heck of a good start. Been thinking about getting similar gear so my son can do a construction project for tech class. What mobo did you get?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I bought all of the gear at a local pc store called PCClub, out in Woodland Hills, CA. I purchased an Asus A7V266-E ATX board. I had bought a 2100+ Athlon CPU but when the board, CPU and memory were benched tested, the tech discovered that the board had to be flashed. Of course, Asus's web site was down so I left the board with him to flash then called back an hour later to see how things had progressed. I was then told that the 2100+ Athlon and the Asus board were not completly compatible and that I should consider going down to the 2000+, chip which I did. So far my experience with this particular pc store has been very positive and I now feel a little bit more at ease knowing if I have any problems, these guys seem more than willing to help. Pete

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest Allan Jones

Interesting -- that's the mobo I was considering for Andrew's project. Thanks.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest ftessler

Pete,Well, given the extent of what we've all been reading in the news lately about sinning, I suspect that you'll be forgiven...Seriously, would you be willing to say what all this stuff set you back (excluding the monitor)? I'm just wondering how much cheaper it is than buying a PC from the Dell dude, in case the mood strikes me.-Franklin------------------------------Franklin TesslerG4/500Fly! for Mac Forum Co-moderator

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

No problem, Franklin. I'm sitting on @ $2,000 without the monitor, that's including the Linksys wireless access router for the Mac and the PCI wireless card for Frankenstein. BTW...IT'S ALIVE!!! It powered on first time with only the front panel lights needing to be switched around later. I did not connect the front USB ports yet because the directions are a tad cryptic, but after I've thought about it a bit, it should be pretty simple to connect.It's now under going it's 72 hour burn-in period, then I'll give it it's brains (Windows XP Pro).So far so good!Pete

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest ftessler

Pete,Congratulations on your success... Dr. Frankenstein would be proud. I hope that your monster will prove more popular than his turned out to be. :) (I can imagine angry Mac users swarming toward your house carrying torches.)Seriously, I expected it to cost less than that, but I've never really priced this stuff. It sounds like you've got top-of-the-line hardware, though. I can't wait to hear how Fly! performs. Are you really gonna go over to the dark side and try that "other" flight sim?Once you're up and running, are you planning to change your forum name to "PC_Paint?" :)-Franklin------------------------------Franklin TesslerG4/500Fly! for Mac Forum Co-moderator

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Am I going to try that "other" flight sim?Yep, I want to see what all that hype is about. (No need to respond Mr. Adamson :( )Yes, it is a bit pricey but I did go whole hog on this rig thinking I don't want to have to think about upgrading again once Fly! III and IV are finally released :-sae My name will forever be Mac_Paint!Long live Mac!!!!Pete

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest ftessler

Specifically, how's Fly! II running? Any other bumps (and I don't mean turbulence) to deal with?Thanks.-Franklin------------------------------Franklin TesslerG4/500Fly! for Mac Forum Co-moderator

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

All of the bumps have been XP related. I had to re-format the drive and reinstall the system after I had set the boot-up partition as Fat32 and the Applications and Documents partition as NTSF. Found no way to enable my other users to access any of the software I had installed as Administrator so I decided to reformat into one NTSF partition, now everything runs ok. I still have to network the Mac and Frankenstein together and it looks like I'll finally be making the switch over to OS X. The wireless network works seemlessly after I finally figured out how to set-up the Mac end of it. No instructions for Mac's in the box nor was tech support helpful. It's the Linksys Etherfast Wireless Access Point Cable/DSL Router with 4-Port Switch.Hardware wise, no problems so far.Pete

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest ftessler

Pete,Yeah, but does Fly! really fly? What sort of frame rates are you getting?-Franklin------------------------------Franklin TesslerG4/500Fly! for Mac Forum Co-moderator

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Oh my!Frame rates are around 20 for cockpit view of the 747 and up to 40 on the exterior view. Max view is set to 30mi and all other sliders are maxed. No AI aiplanes, don't like the looks of them, shadows on or off depending on the aircraft.`When I first started up one of the 747-300's and saw how fast the turbine fan is supposed to turn, I was saddened that we Mac user's have not been able to enjoy the full potential of our favorite sim. It's like going from a 9" black and white TV to a 55" High Def Wide Screen TV. ( Well, not that drastic a change, but you get the idea?) If the frame rate problem can be addressed then Fly! II Mac will be a worthy sim once it's patched up to the .230 level. If not, there will be so much left out of the experiance that you seriously have to consider putting a inexpensive PC to run it.If I were to build a PC just to run Fly! II then I'd start with the fastest processor one can afford, a 128meg video card, an 80 gig HD, 512MB of RAM and a CD-ROM drive. This config could be built for around $900. An expensive upgrade to support the hobby but, if you want to see what Fly! II is really all about, AND take a peek at FS, then this is the only game in town.BTW, I just loaded FS2002. Love the exterior models of the jets, but the panels are the pits (not the Pitts Special :-) ). I have to dig deeper into this to see how I like it.Pete

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest

Pete,Thanks for the PC update. What graphics card did you end up installing? If you don't mind, could you post a couple of screenshots from your new system?Enjoy Fly! as it was meant to be! Rich@KLEWBeige G3 233 MHz DT rev.1 G4 400 MHz NewerTech upgrade OS 9.2.2 384 MB RAM ATI Radeon Mac (PCI) Thrustmaster FCS/WCS

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest

>If I were to build a PC just to run Fly! II then I'd start >with the fastest processor one can afford, a 128meg video >card, an 80 gig HD, 512MB of RAM and a CD-ROM drive. This >config could be built for around $900.Pete,Is there an effective way to share a monitor and USB input devices between a PC and a Mac? Being able to have just a PC box under the desk (hidden from sight!) using your existing monitor, keyboard, trackball, joystick, etc., would make this a bit less painful for some people.Personally, I will likely not go the PC route, at least not for quite a while. I'm hoping Fly! II will have some life breathed into it by Rich! And, in the meantime, we've got X-Plane and Fly!2k. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't envy you just a little. :-)--Mikeedit --> I found several devices that lets you do this. Dr. Bott has one for $139.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

  • Tom Allensworth,
    Founder of AVSIM Online


  • Flight Simulation's Premier Resource!

    AVSIM is a free service to the flight simulation community. AVSIM is staffed completely by volunteers and all funds donated to AVSIM go directly back to supporting the community. Your donation here helps to pay our bandwidth costs, emergency funding, and other general costs that crop up from time to time. Thank you for your support!

    Click here for more information and to see all donations year to date.
×
×
  • Create New...