jnorton you won't have to replace the mobo because it can handle a different video card if you feel the sim isn't performing properly.

I want to know the minimum and optimum requierments for the G3. Please someone read the box and post them.

Thank you.

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduc...150-080&depa=1

Above is the link to the 6600GT AGP bridged version of the PCI-Express card...looks schweeettt!

Charles

http://www.digitalanimators.com/arti...e.jsp?id=29185

Another link to DigitalAnimators site, with info about manufacturers who will be making this card...I gotta get me one-o-'dem!

Charles

JNorton,
Just get a stronger Video Card, Your board is fine.. Do not take my post wrong.. (above)
I was doing the M/B anyways , What I have now will work just fine..(for G3)
The Price has dropped
a lot for the New 64 Bit M/B and I was going to up-grade anyways.
5 of my friends have switched over
to this M/B and love it.. with there gaming and such, and it only takes XP to load in about
12 Min's.
Jeff

Come on Guys,
Pretty please someone post what the minumum and desired requirements for G3 are.

I looked at my motherboard and it will handle 8X AGP so I should be able to find a video card.
Thanks,
John

I've played G2 with these machine specs:

1. GeForce4 4200 64MB secondary machine, Pentium4 2.4Ghz, 512MB DDR333, WinXP, 1024 x 768

2. GF FX 5600XT 128MB (PC I built for my local hobby shop demo machine), Athlon XP 1900+, 512MB DDR333, WinXP, 1024 x 768

3. my older GF FX 5900 Ultra 256MB, Pentium4 3.0Ghz, 1GB DDR400, WinXP, 1280 x 1024

4. and my current GF 6800GT 256MB. Pentium4 3.4Ghz, 1GB DDR400, WinXP, 1600 x 1200, 8X AA


notes:
The GF 4200 was a little clunky with all features turned on. noticeable frame rate drops with multiple planes in the air or in complex airports. The GF 5600XT was decent even though the CPU used was not as fast as the first P4 - apparently G2 needs a higher-level GPU than CPU. My older 5900 Ultra ran everything great at 1280 mode with 2X AA turned on. When I upped it to 1600 though, the frame rates dropped considerably. My current 6800GT runs the game VERY fast and smooth even with all options and 8X Anti-Aliasing turned on.

Since G3 will be a DirectX 9.1 Game with some high-level features, I suspect the minimum specs will be slighty higher than G2's. The older GF4 MX series cards (420 through 480) and the GF 4200-4600 with their DX7 & 8 hardware just aren't going to cut it without turning features off and getting choppy frame rates.

I have a couple copies of RealFlight G3 coming in this morning at my local hobby shop. When I install them later tonight, I'll post more frame rate info here. I suspect the GF 5600 and 5900 series may be minimum requirement for smooth frame rates at a decent resolution.


Check www.pricewatch.com for good prices on all video cards and PC parts. I use it all the time in my job as IT Systems Admin.

I dont own G3 but I will venture to guess the minimum's based on observation.

Win XP w/ 256MB RAM
Video card that supports DirectX 8.0 and OpenGL. 64MB onboard video memory. 4x AGP.
Pentium 4 1.4Ghz processor.

That should be enough to get it going. Of course those are minium to just make it tolerable.

For optimum results I would suggest 512MB Ram. New Video card that supports DirectX 9 and OpenGL w/128MB video memory with a decent chipset made in the last 6 months. And at least a Pentium 4 2Ghz processor or equivalent.

For video card upgrades I personally like NVIDIA because of their drivers and newegg.com has quite a few video cards for under $100 that will run G3 very nicely.

REQUIRES: Minimum System Requirements:
Windows XP, 2000, ME, 98
*Local administration access required for Windows XP and 2000
Intel Pentium 1.0 GHz or equivalent
DirectX 9 (or above) compatible video and sound card
3D accelerated video card and 32 MB (or more) RAM
256 MB RAM
1.3 GB hard drive space

Optimum System Requirements:
Intel Pentium 3.0 GHz or equivalent
3D accelerated video card with 64 MB (or more) RAM
1 GB Ram

Multiplayer:
56.6 Kbps modem or LAN connection

InterLink Plus Controller:
USB Port
Compatible FM or FM-selectable transmitter (if using the interface
mode)

Thank you Rob T. for posting the requirements. I cannot believe that Realflight.com hasn't posted it yet.

Realflight.com hasn't even acknowledged that G3 is a shipping product yet, why would you expect system specifications?

Pretty retarded if you ask me.

Not to mention, no info. on Rebates for G2 owners.

Chow:
Lee

Ahhh...the "required specs" info from Great Planes. I wish they relayed a little more detail and gave specific examples of configurations so most non-technical people would have a better idea what they need. I can get a low-end GeForce MX 4x0 / FX 5200 card with 64MB anywhere for $50-$90 but I guarantee G3 will run like a slug on it (even with a 3Ghz P4). A GeForce FX 5600 or ATi Radeon 9500 would be the minimum "optimum" graphics card I would recommend.

Bearzilla,
Thanks for the video card recommendations. The only way Real Flight would make specific brand name reqs is if their name was on the card. After owning both Real Flight Deluxe and G2 I'm well aware of how understated their recommendations are, as are most software brands.

From Newegg
ATI FGL 9500 Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, Dual DVI, 8X AGP, Model "FireGL Z1-128" -OEM $329
Prolink nVIDIA GeForce FX5600 Video Card, 256MB DDR, 128-bit, DVI/VIVO, 8X AGP, Model "PixelView GeForce FX5600(MVGA-NVG31AL)" -RETAIL $125.29

At these prices plus the $200 for G3 I think I'll wait till after Christmas. Maybe Santa will be kind.

Thanks for the help,
John

The Ati card you quoted is actually a FireGL CAD/Workstation card with specialized drivers for CAD/3D apps. That's one of the reasons it's so expensive.

here are some of my finds on pricewatch.com:

GeForce FX 5600 - $87
GeForce FX 5900 XT - $139
Geforce 6600 GT - $229

ATi Radeon 9600 Pro - $85
Radeon 9800 Pro - $133
Radeon X600 Pro AGP - $177

come on, this long thread and no screen shots or vidoes????

upgraded to 512 RAM from 128 RAM...BUT STILL HAVE THE SAME SLOW FRAMES ON G3.Could it be my video card?It is an Nvidia G force MX420,with 64 MB memory???Do I need a new card?

Unfortunately...yes. Take a look at the new nVidia 6600GT PCI-Express, bridged for AGP. It's two something right now, and AFAIK, the only PCI-E, AGP bridged card available right now.

I don't know if this will take care of your problem completely...get a card from somewhere that guarantees a return if it doesn't work to suit...good luck.

Charles

yea extra that video card is a low end card and upgrading will make a big difference

To the original poster, your video card (geforce4 MX 420) is outdated and useless for new 3D software. The Geforce4 MX is almost 4 year old technology (based on Geforce2) that Nvidia repackaged and sold to oem manufacturers to include in low end computers.

TOMORROW....I WILL BUY A NEW CARD....THANKSGIVING SALES...GOT TO LOVE THEM!!!

Man, I am loving this G3 Way better then G2.. After a few tweaks its pretty awesome!

I'm liking it a lot too. Frame Rates are very smooth on my setup (3.4GHz Pentium4, GeForce 6800GT, 1GB DDRAM, 250G SATA Boot Drive). Tried it at my local hobby shop and the 3D physics were a little off - required a click or two to restore the "default settings" at the launcher startup and changing the "physics quality" settings to "high" before it behaved more realistically. I think it may require a few bug fixes but looks pretty good so far - I'll have to continue testing through the weekend and load the other volumes on.

You guys that have G3. How is it for 3D Maneuvers compared with G2?

This is why I ordered it, everything else is secondary.

Thanks!
Lee Snover

Bearzilla:

Is your GeForce 6800GT a 128 mb or 256 mb XFX? I'm leaning toward the XFX 256MB 6800GT over the X800 ATI because of a Doom bundle and lower price than the ATI.
It's around 400 bucks with the Doom bundle. All reviews I've seen are positive about this card over the ATI. Also, XFX gets to select their nVidia processors (as does one other manufacturer) to keep things tight. Thoughts?

My system is an Athlon 64 3200+, 300 gig space (two HDs, one 200 gig, one 100 gig) and 1 gig ram, but the video card is only an FX5200 128 mb, and while I don't play video games, I feel the FX5200 will not be acceptable for G3.

Was thinking of a 6600GT AGP bridged PCI-E 128 MB card, but for twice the money, the 6800 GT looks killer...any issues with your video card?

Charles

Hi Charles,

My system specs are here: [link=http://www.bearzilla.com/BORG.pdf]SPECS[/link]

I really like the XFX cards so far. The XFX 6800GT really flies - make sure you get the new drivers put up last week to get even improved speed. Also a factor is the fact that stability of the nVIDIA unified drivers far outshines the Radeon catalyst drivers. I just put 2 of the XFX 6600GT PCI-express cards into the new Shuttle SB81P cubes in my Family room and in my shop downstairs. Those cards seem like great performance for the lower price ($200). The Sandra banchmarks I ran last weekend were excellent. Haven't tried G3 on them yet though.

- Paul