SaxTeacher

Thank you for the advice! I found someone selling his used saitek gear (yoke, throttle, and rudder pedals) on ebay. You were right that I would need to increase my budget. Ended up spending $200 for these three items, but it seemed this was the least expensive possible option. Could I get comments from experienced flight simmers about whether I should stick with FSX, or whether it will be necessary to change to something else (FSX Steam or P3D or something else) in order to get satisfactory simulation. If P3D, what is the best way to buy that? - can it be bought used? or is that against the law or a bad idea - is it available from more than one source? - are there different versions available at different prices? Perhaps I can get v3 somewhere for less now that v4 is available? thanks for any advice!

Welcome!

Jim, I am relatively new to avsim (joined a few weeks ago) and wish to post a note to the "swap meet" board. I read the rules/guidelines for that forum and I understand it's necessary to post 15 messages elsewhere first. The post I wish to make to the "swap meet" board is that I want to buy a "TPM" push-pull throttle unit to use with my simulator. I have a Saitek yoke and throttle quadrant, but the throttle quadrant doesn't mimic the throttles on the Cessna and Piper aircraft that I train students in, so I'm hoping I may find someone who has a TPM they would like to trade for the throttle quadrant; or someone who has one they no longer use. My question is: is there a particular forum where I should consider posting to get to 15 posts? I am brand new to flight simulators, so I don't have much to add to any discussions.

I too am new to avsim and am from the U.S.

Unfortunately the price on this graphics card has increased. Amazon now has it at $205. Newegg is offering it at $176 but lists it as "out of stock." B&H has it at $159: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&O=&Q=&ap=y&c3api=1876%2C{creative}%2C{keyword}&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrdf_vM2n1QIVh42zCh3xow6OEAkYAiABEgIkzfD_BwE&is=REG&m=Y&sku=1302693

Thanks so much, all, for your recommendations. I see the one recommended by Tony on Amazon at http://a.co/2uqtSqC It is titled "ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1050 Ti OC Edition 4GB GDDR5 Super Compact Gaming Graphics Card (ZT-P10510B-10L)" (There is a more expensive listing for the same item that "ships within 2 weeks" whereas this $143.77 listing "ships within 1 to 2 months.") My question now is about the "style" choice. Amazon lists three: "low profile 4TGB, Mini 4GB, and OC Edition 4GB." How can I determine which of these is (a) best and (b) will fit in one of my computers? One computer is a HP model HPE210f. The other is an Acer Aspire TC-705.

New avsim member here - last week I installed FSX for the first time on a relatively new i7 computer with 12gb ram. I have two 19" monitors (1280x1024). I am using the on-board (motherboard) video and understand that I can get improved perforrmance by installing a video card. I'm aware that serious simmers use very powerful video cards which are expensive. I am buying a yoke and throttle quadrant this week, and can realistically spend another $100 on a video card. I recognize that a card in this price range won't give the same performance as a high end video card. Still, I would be interested to know if someone has recommendations as to what card in that price range (new, used, or refurbished) would make FSX work well on my two monitors. I see dozens of different video cards available on newegg and ebay, but I don't know how to compare them. Does the manufacturer matter, or just the model (GTX 770, GTX 1050, etc.), or mostly the amount of RAM (2GB, 4GB, 8GB)? Or is the best choice some combination between the two? Or perhaps one of you has recently upgraded your video card and would like to sell his used one? Thanks for any help!

Hello - new avsim member here. Today I installed MSFS X and vPilot for the first time and am preparing to make my first flight using VATSIM. Now I need to get a yoke, throttle quadrant, and rudder pedals. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about flight sim hardware, other than that it will be difficult to do this within my budget (I need to keep my total expenditure under $100). I am hoping that I will be able to find used hardware of "good-enough" quality (perhaps buy buying it from someone who's upgrading to fancier hardware and no longer needs their "good-enough" stuff.) Background info: I am a real-world flight instructor and have a son who is beginning to learn the basics from me in the airplane. I'm installing MSFS so that he can get additional practice and use VATSIM. I've spent a few years as a VATSIM controller and feel that flying MSFS with VATSIM communications should shorten the number of (very expensive) hours we will spend on flight training the airplane once he is 15. 1. Is there an existing forum thread or article that I could reference, that gives recommendations and be-sure-to-avoid-this-one information about flight sim hardware? I know I'll be spending far less than many serious FS enthusiasts, but I don't want to get stuck with some substandard piece of hardware. 2. Is there a forum or for-sale board (on avsim.com or elsewhere) that would be a good place for me to search for used equipment? 3. Any specific recommendations on a good brand/model (one that has good value and good-enough quality) would be welcomed. Thank you!