computer & monitor

[vman72]

Getting a new computer...what's the ultimate in terms of graphics cards...memory...pentium...etc. for flight simming without getting too carried away with cost...and does anyone have an LCD flat screen monitor that can give me advice on those? Is a 22" flat screen better than a CRT? Need some input. I have very little computer experience but want the ultimate for flight simming...thank you in advance for your help...Vman72

[Bigshot]

Here's what I was thinking about ordering. Just the components and planned to have a friend put it together for me. This is a budget system and not top of the line but decent for flight simming (this has two keyboards and two ethernet cards) From www.newegg.com .

ANTEC Performance PLUS (BLACK) Model PLUS1080- with Antec Original TRUE P4 Power Supply 430Watt
SOHO File Server ***Black Color***
Case Dimensions: 20.6" x 8.1" x 18.6"
Drive Bays 10
Front Accessible 4 x 5.25", 2 x 3.5" Internal 4 x 3.5" Expansion Slots 7(Full length), Cooling system 5 x 80mm fans - 2 rear (Standard) - 1 front (Optional) - 1 HDD (Optional) - 1 Side Panel (Standard)
430W TruePower ATX12V (P4 compliant) Weight 31.7lbs. Fits standard ATX/Xeon (PIII Core) P4, 2 Front USB, 1 Front IEEE1394 (Firewire)
Swing-out side panel with handle
Quick-release drive bays with release lever
Snap-in fan mounts
Large front panel vent with washable Air Filter
more info-> N82E16811129111 $135.00 $135.00

ANTEC 80mm SMARTFAN
Up to 80% quieter Thermally controlled 80mm case fan. - Built-in temperature sensor - Variable speed: RPM increases as the temperature rises - Double ball bearing design for extended life - Comes with a 4-pin power connector and a separate signal connector to motherboard
more info-> N82E16811129114 $15.00 $15.00

ASUS P4S533 Motherboard for Intel P4 478 OEM Specifications: Processor Socket 478 for FC-PGA2 Pentium® 4 1.4GHz to 2.2GHz+
Chipset: SiS 645DX North Bridge and SiS 961B South Bridge
ITE 8707F LPC Super I/O Chip
FSB 533/400 MHz
Memory 3 x DDR DIMM Sockets Max. 3GB unbuffered PC2700 / PC2100 /PC1600 DDR DRAM (PC 2700 Max. to 4 banks only)
Expansion Slots 1 x AGP 4X 6 x PCI
IDE Ports 2 x UltraDMA 133 /100/66
Audio C-Media CMI8738 6-chan S/PDIF-in/-out interface
SiS 961B integrated 10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet
Form Factor ATX 12.0" x 8.6" (30.5cm x 21.8cm)
FOR BUNDLES ONLY! more info-> N82E16813131306 $99.00 $99.00

Asus V8440 Geforce 4 Ti 4400 chip 128mb DDR SDRAM DVI/TV out RetailA core clock speed of 275MHz and memory clock speed of 550MHz, combined with 128MB DDR SDRAM provides exceptional performance in all the latest games and applications. Also included are revolutionary technologies such as: nFiniteFX II engine for complex geometry and animation, Accuview Antialiasing for unbeatable visual quality and frame rate, as well as nView for multiple display flexibility and user control. more info-> N82E16814121126 $262.00 $262.00

Intel Pentium 4 2.2GHz Northwood 512K Socket 478 Processor 400MHz Processor Bus Retail box
Specifications:
CPU: 2.2 GHz
Type: Pentium 4 Northwood
Cache: 512K
BUS: 400MHz
Socket: 478 Retail (box with Fan & Heatsink) (CPU ONLY NO RAMBUS RAM) more info-> N82E16819116131 $382.00 $382.00

Crucial Micron 512MB 64x64 PC2100 DDR RAM, 184-Pin, CL=2.5-Unbuffered 2.5V, 6-Layers CT6464Z265 Requires DDR supported Motherboard - Lifetime Warranty. more info-> N82E16820145005 $140.00 $140.00

SONY 1.44MB 3.5 INCH INTERNAL FDD DRIVE - OEM-BLACK Model MPF920 more info-> N82E16821103116 $15.00 $15.00

MAXTOR Quiet Drive 60GB 7200RPM Model # 6L060L3 - OEM, DRIVE ONLY DiamondMax PS D740X Plus Series Ultra ATA133/100, 2MB Cache Buffer, 3 Year Manufacturer Warranty QUIET DRIVE - "L" denotes Fluid Dynamic Bearing Motors more info-> N82E16822143110 $94.00 $94.00

MICROSOFT NATURAL KEYBOARD ELITE The Microsoft Natural Keyboard Elite is the second in a series of ergonomically designed keyboards from Microsoft. Its split, gently sloped design allows you to place your hands, wrists and forearms in a natural position for greater comfort while typing. With its improved space-saving design, the new keyboard takes up less room on your desktop and fits easily into keyboard trays. Designed for your comfort! *Must be Purchased with hardware!* more info-> N82E16823109105 $17.00 $34.00

SONY 19"CRT MONITOR Model CPD-G410R GRAY Retail The Multiscan® G410R 19" display is ideal for the demanding corporate professional.
Specifications:
CRT: 19" (18.0" viewable image size)
Aperture Grille Pitch:0.24mm (minimum)
Maximum Resolution: 1800 x 1440
Recommended Resolution: 1600 X 1200 @ 85Hz
Dimensions: (WxHxD) 17.8" x 18.5" x 18.1"
Manufacturer Limited Warranty: 3 Years - Parts, Labor and CRT more info-> N82E16824006008 $352.00 $352.00

US Robotics 2977 56K V.90 Internal PCI Modem Data/Fax Only (No Voice) - OEM more info-> N82E16825104130 $38.00 $38.00


PLEXTOR PX-W4012TA-BPS/BLACK 40x12x40 CD-RW - OEM Internal IDE Drive The PlexWriter 40/12/40A E-IDE (ATAPI) drive, with built-in BURN-Proof technology, delivers exceptionally fast performance in a professional 3-in-1 CD solution, while upholding the legendary Plextor reliability. PoweRec II, an exclusive Plextor technology, guarantees the highest quality write across a broad base of media more info-> N82E16827106215 $156.00 $156.00

AOPEN CD-956 56x CDROM - Retail Internal EIDE, with User Manual and Audio Cable BLACK The black bezel must be installed by customers more info-> N82E16827132002 $30.00 $30.00

Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy Xgamer Stunning 24-bit multi-channel playback for incredible high definition audio in games. Unmatched power of the Audigy chip delivers 4X more effects processing for high intensity gaming. Innovative EAX ADVANCED HD technology provides ultra realistic acoustics for high definition audio environments. Fully integrated SB1394 enables high speed PC-to-PC connectivity with low latency gameplay for the ultimate frag fest. Retail Box more info-> N82E16829102150 $84.00 $84.00

3COM 905CX-TXNM PCI 10/100 Network Card *No Wake-Up* - OEM Connectors: RJ-45. Bus: 32-bit, 33 MHz PCI. Operating distance (10BASE-T): Category 3, 4, 5, 5e UTP to 100 m (328 ft). Operating distance (100BASE-TX): Category 5, 5e UTP to 100 m (328 ft). IEEE compliance: 802.3, 802.3u, 802.3x, 802.1p/Q. Standards compliance: PCI 2.1/2.2, PC99/2001. more info-> N82E16833105117 $32.00 $32.00

Altec Lansing 4100 4.1 Speaker System Experience the optimum in 4-channel sound performance! 4-Channel Sound will engulf you. Bass so powerful you feel the action. Sounds so clear you experience every detail. 140 Watts Total System Power. 70 Watts RMS. High Performance Micro Drivers. Dual Mode Selector. Frequency Response: 30Hz - 20kHz. more info-> N82E16836113124 $101.00 $101.00

Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition - OEM Full Version Fast-User Switching Allows family or friends sharing a single computer to access their accounts without having to close each other's applications or reboot. Includes features such as: Windows Messenger, Windows Media Player for Windows XP, Windows Movie Maker, My Pictures, Internet Explorer 6, Network Setup Wizard, and more! This item is not refundable! Must be Purchased with Hardware!! more info-> N82E16837102008 $88.00 $88.00

Subtotal » $2,057.00

[AirBeaver]

You can get a good PC for the $$, but as far as FS2002 goes, you don't need to be extravagant.

As far as a monitor is concerned, Digital LCD flat panels are nice, but really aren't necessary. I have a nice 19" CRT that i purchased for about $290 or so. A flat panel this size would have cost me about $200 more. LCD's aren't a real necessity.

At least a pentium III system clocked at 800 Mhz will do nicely along with at least 256MB of ram. If you're on a budget, this will get you by.

A good video card helps tremendously, of course. I've heard a LOT of raves about NVIDIA's GEForce 4 with the 128MB video ram on board. I'm actually thinking of upgrading to one of those.

This is my system which will be a year old this month. FS2002 runs like a dream on mine:

Dell Dimension Pentium III - 1 Ghz
Windows Millenium Edition
256 MB SDRAM
NVIDIA TNT2 64 video card (standard on most brand-name machines)
19" CRT Monitor
Sound Blaster LIVE 5.1 Digital Sound card.

My system's final total was around $1300 or so. Today, you can get one that's almost twice as fast with all the bells and whistles at about the same price.

As long as you have an abundance of memory and a decent video card, FS2002 will be silk. Keep shopping around and you're bound to get a great deal on a nice system.

Good Luck!
--Steve

[cascadesss]

Here's mine :)

Tyan Tiger S2460 Dual Athlon Motherboard
2 - Athlon XP1800+ Processors
1 Gb 266 MHz Registered DDR Ram
4 - Seagate Cheetah X15 36LP 18.4G 15,000 RPM SCSI Drives in Raid Mode 0
2 - Western Digital 7,200 RPM 100G ATA100 Drives (Backup)
Adaptec 29160 SCSI Controller (Using a 64-bit Slot)
Adaptec 3210S SCSI Raid controller (Using a 64-bit Slot)
Sony SCSI CD Rom
Plextor SCSI CD ROM Writer
All in Wonder Pro 8500DV Video
NVIDA GeForce2 2nd Video Board
NEC 20.1" LCD Flat Panel
Viewsonic 19" Monitor (2nd Monitor)
Antec SX1440 Server Case
431W Power Supply
Windows XP Professional
Broadband Cable Modem Connection
LinkSys / Intel 11 Mb/Sec 802.11b Wireless Home Network
~140 MB/Sec Hard Drive Transfer Rate


http://www.iqthost.com/orpcax/computer/Front2.jpg

Rick - KPDX - Private Pilot
http://www.oregonpca.org/images/PSA.jpg
Dual XP1800's - 1G RAM - ATI-8500DV