Hi, as a real rank newby I have been very confused by the simulator thing. Given the season we are approaching and time to build my plane, I can see I may have some time to do the simulator thing.
However after reading many past posts on simulators I am really confused. some say a new computer is needed, some say only one is any good and it is pretty expensive.
Looking at past posts and doing some searches tends to leave me even more confused. I realize that I am asking a group and everybody has an opinion. but I guess bottom line do I need the high dollar simulator or will a lesser expensive machine work for me? I do not plan to fly helicopters
just planes.
I do have a three year old windows xp
On dsl

Thank you in advance
Dee

You don't need the greatest, most expensive computer to use the sim. I am currently using G3.5 an old computer. AMD Athlon XP 2000+ , 166 mhz processor and 512 mb of RAM. I paid $500 for it 3-4 years ago. I did however have to upgrade the RAM from 256 to 512, and had to get a DirectX 9.0 compatable video card. In my case, an ATI Radeon 9550 (was about $80 at Staples a year ago).

I am limited somewhat on the fields. I get about 27fps on the 3d fields, but around 60 to 90 fps on the photo fields, so I usually stick with the photo fields.

I like G3. Yeah, it costs $200, but I believe it has saved me many times that price in repairs (planes and heli's).

There are good, cheaper sims out their (FSone, AFP, etc.)

Spend a few bucks to upgrade your ram and video card then, download the free G3 trial version to see if it runs to your satisfaction.

Good luck!

if i can use the downloadable version without any trouble, would i still have upgrade the video card and such to make it work? i downloaded the version and had fun flying with the keyboard and i would like to get the whole setup. im a newbie to flying and i would like to practice with the G3.5.

I also have a G-3 and had to upgrade my vid card to a Gforce 6600 a little more than I needed, but I will second the motion for a new beginniner the sim, any sim, is a great tool and will give you a head start in your learning progression a good card like stated will cost 100$$ although you may not need one if your comp is only 3 yrs old.

I bought Real Flight G2 used from Ebay (usually available for around $100, make sure it comes with the controller)
I use it on my 1 year old XP desktop and on my 3 year old XP laptop with no problems at all and no upgrades required.

I have flown G2, G3, G3.5, AFPD, FMS, FS One and Reflex. Spend the money and get G3.5. FS One is a disappointment, G2 will not hover or fly in a stalled condition, FMS is a toy, AFPD is too easy to really teach a beginner, (IMHO...I'm a beginner too, sorta), Reflex is better for helis, and not as good as G3.5 or AFPD.

Fly your sim A LOT! Look up the Hardware requirements for the various programs and decide when you have the info.

ALL sims can teach you something...

FMS does a fine job at teaching you orientation, etc.

The more advanced (and more expensive) sims can take you much farther.

As their physics gets more accurate (on the more expensive sims), you can do the same things in the sim that you do in real life and observe the same quirks and characteristics that a real plane of a particular type will have.

Each plane flies differently. In G3 for instance, this is unmistakeable. A properly modeled plane in the sim can be used as a predictive tool for real life.

The sim will pay for itself in parts... and over again in training and routines you can practice w/o crashing.

So why invest in a cheaper one, buy the requisit cords & controller, etc. only to kick yourself later for not having purchased a more accurate sim that includes all of this?

Yeah this stuff is not cheap, but there are some areas where it doesn't pay to be penny wise... such as with the SIM or your TX...

e.g. buy ONE higher priced TX, and that may be the last one you every need or want to buy for a LONG time... since it can handle anything you throw at it. The more experienced flyers tell this to the newbies over and over again, but the newbies rarely listen as they only see the short term costs.