I use to think I was one of the few who would love to get one of the modern sims but did not want to spend the bucks to get a new comp. with the needed power and vid cards. Several posts I have read here recently makes me think there may be more out there than I thought who are in the same boat....ie....have no other need than the sim for a new comp, dont want to spend the bucks, or are a bit behind the curve regarding comp literacy....quilty here....LOL.

I am sure the answer is simple supply/demand, dollars but I sure wish there was something out there .....or is there??? Anyone know of such a system?

Thanks,
Steve

Steve.......

Just so you know , it takes a Very , very low end computer to play around on one of these sims. I have a couple computers here , one for gaming type stuff and one for just my office stuff. Now up to about 6 months ago , i only had my office gaming computer. I built that thing 5-1/2 years ago and it cost me about $1800.00 way back then. It's not worth more than probably $200.00-$300.00 now. And that old computer pushed G 3.5 at 80-90 frames per second! My new one i have here , which isn't top of the line but does even better is getting about 120 FPS with everything set on high on the video card. here are the specs of my old computer........


AMD athlon XP 2100 cpu
MSI GeForce TI-4600 graphics card
creative audigy gamer sound card
2- WD 40 Gig HD's
2 DVD players....not even burners
MB Soyo Platnium KT 333


Now looking at those specs.....you could get on craigs list and probably pick one up for cheap. Also...if your computer is to slow to even play one of these sims......it's time for an upgrade anyways. I don't see how it could run much of anything. If you know much about gaming on computers , you know that some of the newer games out are very , very demanding on a computer. Such as Half life 2 , F.E.A.R. , Bioshock , battlefield 2142 , and i'm not going to even mention Crysis! The best gaming computers out there are the ones you build , or have built from the ground up , but just about any new "big name computer" wouldn't have a problems running a sim.


Now this is a touchy subject for some. I hear guys complain all the time about their computers bogging down when trying to run a certain game , and can't understand why it's doing it. They get pissed about it.......but the truth is......there is NO FUTURE proofing your computer. If all the developers kept the games playable for old computers......

1.) there would be no reason to upgrade

2.) we would all still be playing games on our comadore 64 machines

3.) we would all still be stuck back in the stone age without progress.


Ads far as myself......I dig upgrading my computer every few years , at a few pieces at a time. every time i do it , it opens up a whole new world for what my computer can do. For instance.....the new DX 10 upgrade with Vista compared to the DX9 in XP. The DX 9 is still out performing over the newer vista DX 10.......but it won't for long. Give it about another 6 months to a year , and DX 9 will start to fade into the distant future.


As long as your specs are even close to my old computer , you'll have no probelsm running the game. BUT...make sure you know what your buying if you decide to buy. My 6yr old crappy computer out performed my buddies new dell he just got 6 months ago. ( for playing games anyways )


hope that helps.

Jeffro,
Thanks for the info. I am not very computer literate and only use one at work for very basic stuff. I have not had my personal home computer up and running for almost four years. It is a Compac from the late 1990's that by todays standards is I suppose only good for a boat anchor. I actually purchase the GP real flight sim back then and ran it for a short time on it. It worked okay except when getting the plane directly overhead or into some very demanding aerobatics. Those would cause the picture to freeze or "lock-up".

Based upon your previous comments it sounds like I could buy almost any new "off the shelf" system and have success running the current sims? I had the impression that video and/or sound card upgrades were almost a necessity to get decent sim performance. You mentioned "Craigs list". I am not familiar with him/that co?? Is he someone that builds or sells used systems?

I am a "seasoned" sport/pattern flyer but only get out to fly a few times a month the past few years. I am a beginner/intermediate 3Der and would love to have a sim to get more stick time. Do you have any recommendations for "off the shelf" systems or what should I focus on as the most important features for sims. I will read more of this forum as time permits but if you have any more advice I surely appreciated it.

As I hinted at previously....I do not "speak computer"....so do not assume I know any technical jargon....except the very basics...proc speed, memor, etc.

Thanks a lot,
Steve

Hey steve.......no problem! I don't mind helping people at all when it comes to airplanes or computer The computers have always been kind of like a second hobby for me. I enjoy sitting back on a crappy weather day , and maybe play some games. the computers have come along ways , and i mean a LONG ways since your last computer was built . ( check the picture below by the way......that's what we see now playing on a high end computer) Like i was saying , the sims are very easy too run , in fact , i don't probably use more than about 5-8% of my CPU or video playing a sim.....very easy on the hardware.

Now........Craigs list is kind of like ebay i guess. Well...i take that back , not really like ebay where you bid on things , it's like a HUGE ( and i mean GIGANTIC) garage sale. What is , is that there are tons of people on there that have things they want to sell or get rid of , and most of the time , they need money real fast. So you can find some deals on there that would blow your mind. In fact , my little brother just picked up a used ( 4 month old) 52" 1080i high defibition LCD TV , that cost about $2800.00 new. My brother got it from a guiy who needed money fast because of a baby coming. He got it for $1050.00.


Also..the way craigs list works is , you go to your state or near by state and city , and then type in what you are looking for. It'll show you a ton of listings for what your looking for. Don't just jump on the first good one you see. Give it a couple weeks and keep your eyes open for some really good deals that pop up. Just for instance here is the local craigs list from the portland OR area by where i live. Click on this link and you can see what's available really close to me. check these out just for an exampl>>>>>

1.) http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/sys/497624703.html

2.) http://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/sys/496090411.html

3.) http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/sys/493972219.html


Now all three of those would make a sim run really well. I would think about getting a complete system since yours is that old. I'm not sure what type of case you have , but it might be "absoulete" by now. Check out craigs list in your area. The real good thing is , that you usually write the guy and email , or call him. Go meet some where , and if you like the computer , then you buy it. I got the computer i'm typing this on right now for $625.00 from a young kid off of craigs list. He told me he had it built about 3 weeks prior , and needed money bad. I checked his receipts and he had about $1100.00 into it. I haven't built my big gaming rig yet , and needed one so i bought it.


anyways...great deals on craigs list , check em' out steve.

Jeffro,
Thanks for the additional info. I will check out Craigs list but I better do a crash course on computer basics so i know what i am looking at.

Steve

Sims should come with their own processor... and also their own computer as well as a desk and a room and a building to put them in... then it truly would be plug and play. For real. I'm assuming you would have to supply your own electricity though, hard to include that in the simulator's box.

: )

In all seriousness, any of the modern day computers will run the simulators with flying colors. You don't have to know the specs much, but anything in the $1,500 price range, from Dell all the way to Costco, will do just fine.

- K

HEY...C"mon.....LOL. I'm just not into computers and hate having to spend ~$1500 just to run a simulator. I do not use or need a computer at home...........

HOLY CRAP!!!!! Its happened....I've turned into my parents. Reluctant to change and learning new technology.......I am getting OLD!!!!

I even still BUILD planes from kits and plans......... OH man....better call the Funeral director.....LOL

Steve

Hehehe....don't feel bad steve , i'm with ya on that one. It gets harder and harder every year to keep up with some of the new tech stuff. the young kids are more apt to keep up on it , they don't work 50 hours a week.

Thats right...Kids play 50 hours a week on simulators and computers.

Hehe. I don't believe keeping up with technology is a function of age. It's just a function of priorities. Some people like doing it, some don't. My 83 year-old grandmother does instant message and webcam with her grandkids. It's not like the human beings born today are just more adept than humans 50 years ago. : )

- K

BTW, I was talking with the owner of a LHS that has both RealFlight and FSOne demo kiosks in his shop. He was talking about the cpu that "they" setup for one of them. Turns out the "they" was whomever provided the demo. Don't remember which. And I got the impression the setup is a dedicated one.

Now, chances are, the supplier did a deal with a pc mfg somewhere and had whatever is required to run his sim built in volume at a better price. So basically, at least one of the two sims IS being run on it's own special processor.

Actually, I have 3 hours of simulator time in a full-motion DC-10 simulator just like you're describing... It did indeed have it's own building, computer(s) and power supply and I'm sure it didn't run off of 110v out of a wall socket. It was a truly amazing experience.

Now, how do I get that thing in my car so I can bring it home???

-Todd