BrianG

Go for it. I used squawk box as of as couple years ago and never had any issues. A bit of a learning curve but that's what made it fun for me. In short time, like everything it will become very repetitive and very second nature. That's what drove me away from it unfortunately. I always used IFR when on Vatsim. It will keep your think tank full for a while, and at the same time getting very close to RL procedures to satisfy curiosity. Anyway, that's what it did for me. Take the plunge. And, you kind of get to know the controllers after a while. Much fun all around.

+1 on all the above. Also, for those who haven't already, check out Kyle's instructional video's on PMDG products on You tube when you're ready to take to the next level. Excellent delivery and teaching style that really made it for me. Hat's off to you Kyle for maintaining your spirit and enthusiasm in enriching this hobby after all these years. Your consistency and commitment are most commendable, as is your level of expertise. As an added bonus, I find your "tasteful" sarcasm (aka frustration) very entertaining. . Take that as a compliment please. All part of the fun for me.

Hi All, Been away from FS for a couple years and wondering how hardware has evolved. Specifically, what will I need in today's hardware market to meet my needs as I'm itching to get back into FS. So, in the past I ran PMDG 737, some Orbyx Scenery's, FSDT Airports . I always used freeware weather engines which were fine for me and didn't bog my old system down ( FSRealWX). I like world of AI and would like to use it again. I'll stick with FSX for right now but would like to leave my options open to jump into P3D at some point. My old system was very antiquated, even back then. I was running an I-7 870 processor and an AMD 1gb GPU. I still managed to get in the mid- high teen's FPS using the NGX landing at FSDT Airports with 30% AI and some overcast weather.. Throw in Orbyx with all that and It would bog down to an unusable level of course. With the new system it would be nice to run as described and maintain frames in the 20's. Last I checked the 4790k was popular with either the 970 or 980 ti GPU. Z28 MB's seemed to be the flavor of the day. Now I know there is a new generation of processors ( Skylake ) and the 1070 GPU seems to be the latest. I know these new hardware pieces are pricey. Is the new technology worth while investment in running today's add on's? Or does the older Generation still get the job done at less cost? Of course, getting something future proof as future proof can be would be nice. I'm not opposed to spending the big $$ if need be but Iike everyone, I don't like spending money unnecessarily. Any and all comments are welcome. Hope that gives you enough info to my objectives. Thanks much.

Thanks Will and Steve, this is very helpful to hear all of this. Anyone else, love to hear from you as well.

Thanks Will. I did get a Civa INS ( one of the many mods) to work flawlessly in the CS 727 and could fly it with VOR/NDB as well. In your estimation, the CS version has better graphics? As far as the FDE, how would you compare the two?

The 727 is my favorite of all time. I have the CS 727 and installed no less than 12 community mods and got to a fairly decent level. I never did install their latest version. For those who have both, how does this X-plane( latest release) version compare with the CS 727 in terms of FDE, graphics, night lighting and overall realism. Interested to hear any and all opinions. The version in the video above really looks nice. Looking for opinions here, not arguments. thanks

Yes- two good points mentioned above in the two replies. Here's to hoping that once released for FSX as planned, DC-6 sales will soar in hopes that PMDG will release more vintage airliners. If this happens, I hope I'm still among the living to see it.

Interesting to see the contrast in new topics that appear on Avsim between the Dc-6 and T7 a week after release. The T7 flooded the topic of conversation on Avsim for 2 years solid after it's release. Now, a week after the DC-6 was released, hard to find mention of it when you log onto Avsim. Of course, the DC-6 was never meant to be a commercial blockbuster, rather an intro for PMDG into X Plane. But personally, I find the DC-6 much more interesting an thought provoking compared with the T7. But I'm in the minority I know. Speaking of marketing on PMDG's part, as Dire Straights would say," Them guys ain't dumb." They know what sells and what doesn't. So all those who constantly cry out for a PMDG 757 or 767, the interest of the DC-6 ( or lack of) really illustrates these guys know what will turn the wheels of commerce and what won't. I'm glad this experiment turned out to be an AC that really gets me going. Lucky for me.

For anyone who's interested, that Emirates boat was a contender in in the last America's Cup held in San Francisco Bay. I watched it race during the semi finals. Didn't make it into the finals. Oracle's boat eventually won the cup. But, those boats make 50+ knots downwind and 25+ knots going upwind. Unheard of for sailing yachts. Great to see it showed up in FS. And, the animated version as seen here looks just like the real thing. Fun to see.

It's been mentioned a few times in past threads that the DC-6 will initially be a X plane release, followed up thereafter with a FSX version. Time frames? Who knows.

David, .

Hmmm - must be a recording of the real plane. Looks like Henning got the royal treatment and was given liberty's and the tools he would need to replicate the DC-6 the best it could be. At any rate- the model.sounds very real.

Thanks for the video and narrative. Curious, did PMDG record the sound of the actual plane in flight to reproduce what was heard on the video? Sounds great. When my sim died about a year ago I never replaced it and haven't been simming since. This model might win me over to get back into it once released.

As well, I had similar problems ( unexpected shutdowns) . Tuns out I had quite a bit of dust in the fins of the CPU heat sink. As well, the old thermal paste had become dry and brittle. Cleaned everything up and applied fresh thermal paste. No more shut downs. Blue and black screens went away and frame rates drastically improved. Heat can reek havoc. Easy thing to check for. Hope this helps. Best, Brian

Starting today, I have never seen Avsim load up and running so fast and efficient. A thanks to all who stuck with it through recent technical and emotionally challenging times. Although maybe not spoken, the efforts and resources put forth to bring this site to the level its operating now have really paid off. Taking a break from actually simming now, but I still enjoy keeping up with what's happening within the hobby. Avsim has always been my go-to source. Nice to finally see everything working so well and fast. Best, Brian

If you want a big jet but don't want to deal with the FMC for now, try the Coolsky DC-9. System depth is right up there with PMDG. FDE is great as are the graphics. It's complex but relies on VOR and ADF navigation rather than the FMC. It has interactive tutorials that are superb. As far as I'm concerned its the whole package.If you like classics, theres not a better one out there.

Thanks Mike. Have fun.

It's working now. Watching it as I type. looks great. Update: that is so immersive just watching it. I would definitely need Dramamine I were sitting in front of it. How do the flight surface controls feel in comparison to your old set up when flying the PMDG model. Heavier ? Less responsive? And what flight control devices were you using before this. Be interested to hear.

Hey Mike, The link you sent indicates a private youtube video. Can you make it public? Would love to check it out. Congrats on the new rig. Cheers, Brian

+1 on the above. I knew nothing on how to use an FMC before going through the PMDG 737 tutorial #1. In less than 30 minutes I knew 90% of what I need to know to get me up and going from t/o to touchdown with the FMC. The other 10% I learned through more advanced youtube videos on the subject. From a very broad perspective the FMC manages routes, altitudes and A/C performance data, all designed to reduce workload and increase operation cost efficiency. Good to understand a few key concepts ( SIDS, STARS and waypoint's in between) if you haven't already. The PMDG tutorials will give you a solid understanding from which you can build upon and make sense of the whole thing. Kyle from PMDG support has some great supplementary videos on the more advanced level when the time comes. Go for it. MUCH easier than you might think. And I only have a BS degree in marketing from San Jose State University Have fun.

Thanks for sharing Kyle. The DC-6 really looks great as does your XP scenery. I know the intent of the DC-6 project was not that of a real money maker, but I hope it does inspire the community at large to take an interest in these classics, especially the way only PMDG can do. Hope to see more classics the future but I'm not holding my breath. Fresh set of new learning skills will be inherent in this model which for me, helps keep my interest in this hobby. So nice to see PMDG doing something other than glass, if only for a brief time. I hope it will continue. I understand later model glass cockpit planes keep the wheels of commerce rolling, but this is such a refreshing and welcome change. Congrats and well done. Looks superb. I'm sure it will be just that. Best, Brian

It's called the "Gamer Paladin D897" from Ibuypower. I customized the parts to my liking. I plan on just running the processor at 4.4 ghz. Hopefully the H60i is sufficient cooling at that speed. The H80I was not an option in the package.

Thanks all for your comments. I thought the 4790k was 4.0 out of the box and could be boosted to 4.4 by making a couple changes in the Bios. Then OCed further if one is interested. Is that not correct? For me its worth it to have it built and the part sourced. That was its on them if something doesn't work properly and I don't have to deal with it. The OS is included in the price. I just what to be sure Ibuypower is a reputable organization before I do business with them. I know nothing about them.

HI All, MB and GPU quit on my 4 year old system so I'm ready for a new one. Came across IBUY and can get a great FSX rig built for $1800-$1900. That would include: 1) Case- NZXT Phantom 410 Gaming Case ( not sure about this one) 2) Mother Board - ASRock Fatal 1TY Z97 LGA 1150 3) CPU - I7 4790k ( they will OC it to 4.4 GHZ) 4) Cooling - Corsair Hydro Series H60i Liquid cooling 5) GPU - Nvidia Geforce GTX 970 4GB PCI express 3.0 6) Ram - 8 GB (4GBx2) Corsair DDR3 2133 MHz 7) PSU - 750 W Corsair RM series power supply 8) Sound card - 7.1 High Definition integrated audio 9) Primary HD - 500 GB Samsung Evo SSD 10) Secondary HD - 500 GD WD Black 7200 RPM Sata 6.0 GB/S 11) Optical Drive - DVD/CD Burner Drive 24X 12) Media Drive - 12 in 1 Media card reader 13) OS- Windows 7 64 bit 3 year labor and 1 year parts. Any comments on the company and specs would be much appreciated. Has anyone every dealt with this company? If so, how has the experience been? Thanks for your help. Cheers, Brian

Thanks everyone. These posts are a big help. I didn't realize you can pop into the bios and merely set the CPU to turbo boost (4.4 ghz) by checking a box, thus avoiding all the overclocking drama. Is this true? .For those running at 4.4, would you consider liquid cooling to be essential. In a earlier post, it was recommended leaving the CPU at 4.0 would not require liquid cooling. Cheers, Brian