aussie_whiskey

Thanks Is there then any reason to program the arrival runway and Star into the FMS until you are given directions/clearance by ATC. What is the normal 'protocol'. I know FSX isn't real world but I guess it's good to try and emulate as much as possible what really does happen.

Hi Kyle, Wow thanks for the detailed reply. Yes I realise that in the real world Sids and Stars may change but I wouldn't think that they would in FSX. Anyway it's just me being LAZY. If I have to insert them into the FMS then I have to. No big deal I guess. I will be printing the docs (I downloaded) and reading them before I get my B737 NGX for Christmas and will also be viewing some tutorials on Youtube which I have seen. Hopefully I will be "up to speed" before I even install it. Yes there are a few flight planners (free and payware) which display possible Sids and Stars for the airports and you choose the relevant one according to which runway you will use (wind direction). That begs another question. What happens in the real world should the wind direction change mid flight and there for the arrival runway and Star needs to be changed? I guess you just delete the existing ones and enter the new ones - would be a nuisance to pilots especially should that happen when only a few miles away which not much time left. Thanks again

Thanks guys for your replis. No I assumed it was PMDG which stripped out the Sids and Stars from how I read the article. I am now looking at Simbrief. Thanks again I have ordered PMDG B737 NGX and look forward to receiving it.

Thanks Artur, I have been researching a bit and note that FS Commander (flight planner) will also save in PMDG 'format' HOWEVER it strips any SIDS and STARS which is a pity. Could not find much information on PFPX. Do you know if it saves plans FULLY (including Sids and Stars). Also where can it be purchased and about how much is it? Thanks John

Hello, A few questions here but please be patient reading this post - thanks. I am considering purchasing this aircraft package but am not sure if I will be happy with it. Firstly and most importantly I am a casual flight simmer. I am wondering if this aircraft can be selected in a fully started condition - eg electonics on, tests completed, engines running etc so that all I need to do is program the FMC (or is it the FMS?), taxi and take off. I don't mind starting from 'cold' but at times just want to get into the air without all the 'procedures' of starting up. Also do any of the normal keyboard commands for the instruments panel have an effect on this aircraft or must some of the intrument panel control (buttons, toggle switches etc) be only done by mouse clicking the display? Also does anyone know if the SAITEK instrument 'panels' control the aircraft? Lastly. I think I remember somewhere that some 3rd party flight planners can save in a format which PMDG aircraft can load. Does this program the FMC? Thanks in advance. John

Thanks for that advice saabAs I am still running Windows XP I don't think I can upgrade to DX10.

Looks like I will have to start saving to build a system using an i5 or i7 processor.In the meantime I am getting quite reasonable fps with my Core 2 Duo 3.0Ghz (minimum 30 and up to 90) although the fps does change a lot (maybe I should start using FPS_LIMITER to keep it stable).

Thanks for the advice.I was hoping an outlay of around $120 (for Q8300) would result in a noticable fps increase.I had read that FSX doesn't make use of the number of threads a CPU has so it appears that GHZ is what I need to aim at.Maybe that is why I see some of your PC 'specs' which indicate OVERCLOCKING (4.8Ghz?).This makes me wonder why I should bother upgrading to a m/b cpu package using i5 or i7 CPUs as even the fastest ones aren't much more than 3.0Ghz.Unfortunately my E6850 isn't easy to overclock as the multiplyer cannot be increased (with my m/b from what it defaults to ie 9) and increasing the fsb results in the ram and PCIe also running faster. I did try increasing the fsb (and nothing else) by about 10% and the PC would then not boot up and the bios defaulted back to the original settings.I have read an article 'Core 2 Overclocking Guide' and it appears to be complicated. Also unless I can overclock the cpu by at least 20% I don't think I would see an improved fps.I DID notice an improvement to the ground scenery especially when flying over cities in the dark when I upgraded my video card to HD6770 (1GB).Thanks again

Thanks for your reply but you didn't answer my questions.Yeh I could save up for the best m/b and fastest cpu etc but I don't want to wait 12 months.Your PC obviously cost 'an arm and a leg' but I don't want to spend that much money.It's the law of diminishing returns - a PC costing twice as much doesn't go twice as fast!

I am currently considering upgrading the CPU on my PC with a socket 775 motherboard from a 3.0Ghz Dual core CPU to a QUAD core CPU in an attempt to get higher frames per second using Flight Simulator X.I have checked www.cpubenchmark.net for the benchmark tests for the existing CPU (E6850 3.0 Ghz 4Mb L2 cache) and also a possible quad core cup (Q8300 2.5Ghz 4Mb L2 cache) and note the following 'passmark' values -E6850 1926Q8300 3550Does this mean that the Q8300 generally is at least 50% faster than the E6850? Would I get a noticeable higher frame rate with the Q8300?Is FSX CPU intensive and it is better to spend more on the CPU than have a very fast video card (I have a Gigabyte HD6770)?One thing which I could not understand was that the figure for a E7500 2.93Ghz 3Mb L2 cache (the CPU in my other PC) was 2012 which is slightly better than the E6850 yet it is slightly slower and has a smaller L2 cache - this doesn't make sense.Can anyone give me 'the good oil'?

Recently I noticed that displayed on the top on the screen (Windows) is the following -Microsoft Flight Simulator X with WideServer waiting for clientsI haven't noticed this before and it seems to indicate that my FSX session is acting as a server.I tried 'goggling' and could not find anything.Could someone please explain what this means? What have I done?Thanks