New Computer Lousy FSX Displays

I've found posts on FlightSim.com about this type of issue but, so f far, no solution.

 

Last week I bought a new Windows 8.1 PC specifically for FSX. Reason for this was to run 3 displays. The PC has 2 NVIDIA GeForce GT610 graphics cards, each with a VGA, DVI and HDMI video port. I've connected two identical displays to one of the graphics cards (these are Acer S240HL) and the other display (a DELL 1901FP) to the other graphics card. When the PC is turned on all the displays seem to work fine - they all show the Windows desktop and I can move the cursor around all the displays.

 

FSX installed smoothly, it activated when I entered the product key. The HOME window appeared on the centre display. So far so good. I then went to FREE FLIGHT and chose to FLY NOW the default Friday Harbour flight. All the displays flickered wildly for a couple of seconds and then, strangely, stabilised to

1. left one black,

2. right one a black rectangle occupying the top left hand corner with the desktop behind

3. centre display showing an FSX type image of the cockpit view in very low resolution, with no movement, a solid black arrow cursor; this centre display did not respond to mouse clicks.

I have to turn off FSX at this point using the Esc key.

I don't want to go messing about with display settings at this stage in case it makes things worse.

 

Please can anyone suggest what's going wrong and how to put things right?

 

All the best,

 

Brian

First: what is it that you want to do? Span the cockpit on all three screens? Or have the cockpit on just one screen and move some panels to the others? Both require different approaches.

 

1. Span the cockpit over three screens in fullscreen mode: this is not possible with the two GT 610s as these do not support SLI. You won't be able to activate NVidia Surround which is needed for this setup. You can try anyway, but I don't think it will work. You could try attaching all three monitors to one card if it has enough (digital) connectors for this, then NV Surround should work. But reading your post, you only have two digital connectors and one VGA, so this probably won't work either. Two display Surround will be the best this setup can offer (cockpit spanned over the two monitors that are attached to the same GPU).

 

2. Single full screen: set the resolution in FSX to the native resolution of your center monitor, activate AntiAliasing and Trilinear Optimization. You should then have a "normal" looking FSX view on the center screen and you should be able to open additional FSX views and move those windows to the other two screens.

 

3. Or try windowed mode: Alt+Enter the sim into windowed mode and try spanning the window over the three screens. You will have to set FSX to the highest possible resolution.

 

Btw. two non-SLI-capable GT 610s don't make a lot of sense. What did the salesperson say this was good for? For multi-GPU, full screen (gaming) applications 2+ GPU in SLI configuration are needed - if the game supports it - and FSX doesn't. It works, I had it running on two GTX 660s for a while. But one single 780ti blew the whole setup out of the water with ease.

I don't know if it matters much, (or if it was a typo), but he said he has 2 gt610's (not gtX).

I don't know if it matters much, (or if it was a typo), but he said he has 2 gt610's (not gtX).

Hi, you are right of course, there is no GTX 610. I will edit my post. Thanks!

Thanks folks for the responses. Yes they are GT610-1GB video cards. And I'm trying to do the 3 display surround in your 1. nuitkati.

So far I haven't made any attempt to "set anything up". Changing from full screen mode in FSX and dragging windows from display to another wasn't possible under the circumstances. And I haven't gone anywhere near NV Surround at this stage. I suppose I was just expecting it all to work from the box. FSX is important to me because I use it prior to real helicopter lessons and at the moment that's not possible.

 

Thanks again for your input so far,

 

Brian

Thanks folks for the responses. Yes they are GT610-1GB video cards. And I'm trying to do the 3 display surround in your 1. nuitkati.

So far I haven't made any attempt to "set anything up". Changing from full screen mode in FSX and dragging windows from display to another wasn't possible under the circumstances. And I haven't gone anywhere near NV Surround at this stage. I suppose I was just expecting it all to work from the box. FSX is important to me because I use it prior to real helicopter lessons and at the moment that's not possible.

 

Thanks again for your input so far,

 

Brian

 

Hi Brian,

 

as stated above, 3 display NVI Surround is not possible with the two 610's as they do not support SLI. You would have to upgrade those - and prior to doing this you need to check if your motherboard actually supports SLI GPUs. SLI is not just a software thing, but has to be supported by the mobo's chipset and the GPU cards have to be connected with a bridge cable.

Hi Brian,

 

as stated above, 3 display NVI Surround is not possible with the two 610's as they do not support SLI. You would have to upgrade those - and prior to doing this you need to check if your motherboard actually supports SLI GPUs. SLI is not just a software thing, but has to be supported by the mobo's chipset and the GPU cards have to be connected with a bridge cable.

 

Thanks nuitkati. It looks as though what I expected is impossible and that's very bad news. And surprising considering I got this computer to improve what I had - a notebook that handled 3 displays perfectly but with one of them being the too-small screen on the notebook itself. If I can't get "surround FSX" on the new PC and I have to replace it, any ideas on what PC would do the job?

 

All the best

 

Brian

BDL,

You probably don't have to replace your whole PC, just a video card.

 

nuitkati hit the nail on the head:

"Btw. two non-SLI-capable GT 610s don't make a lot of sense. What did the salesperson say this was good for? For multi-GPU, full screen (gaming) applications 2+ GPU in SLI configuration are needed - if the game supports it - and FSX doesn't. It works, I had it running on two GTX 660s for a while. But one single 780ti blew the whole setup out of the water with ease."

 

Is there a chance that you could return (or sell or trade) the 2 video cards you currently have for a single card (I would go with whatever video card nuitkati recommends)?

 

If you read/search the forums, 3 screens for the VC is commonly, and very successfully, run on a single video card.

I ran 3 x 27" screens for my VC in FSX with my (now old, but still working very well) AMD 6950 using Eyefinity.

 

Good luck!

 

E-Buzz :pilot:

BDL,

You probably don't have to replace your whole PC, just a video card.

 

nuitkati hit the nail on the head:

"Btw. two non-SLI-capable GT 610s don't make a lot of sense. What did the salesperson say this was good for? For multi-GPU, full screen (gaming) applications 2+ GPU in SLI configuration are needed - if the game supports it - and FSX doesn't. It works, I had it running on two GTX 660s for a while. But one single 780ti blew the whole setup out of the water with ease."

 

Is there a chance that you could return (or sell or trade) the 2 video cards you currently have for a single card (I would go with whatever video card nuitkati recommends)?

 

If you read/search the forums, 3 screens for the VC is commonly, and very successfully, run on a single video card.

I ran 3 x 27" screens for my VC in FSX with my (now old, but still working very well) AMD 6950 using Eyefinity.

 

Good luck!

 

E-Buzz :pilot:

 

+1! Go with the one good card! You're not playing bang bang games.

Thanks E-Buzz and Rupert, these comments are encouraging. I'm talking to the supplier of the new PC about the problem and I've asked for their advice. A replacement video card seems ideal. Or, less attractive but surely possible, get a refund and start again. Another approach is go back to what I had and change things a bit. I was running FSX on a newish notebook and it supported 2 extra displays; the only trouble was the notebook's display is only 17", much smaller than the 2x24" Acers. But if I build myself a bracket to support the notebook in the right place so the screen looks the same as the Acers ..... But any further more-technical suggestions would be better, if anyone has them.

No worries - we're all here to help!

 

Does your new computer run FSX on a single screen (disconnect the other 2 monitors for now) to your liking?

Also, please post your new computer's specs.

If FSX runs good enough for you on a single screen (on a single vid card), and your computer specs (CPU speed) are good, this might not mean you have to start over or go back to your laptop. It just may mean that you pick up one decent vid card that will run FSX on 3 screens.

 

E-Buzz :pilot:

No worries - we're all here to help!

 

Does your new computer run FSX on a single screen (disconnect the other 2 monitors for now) to your liking?

Also, please post your new computer's specs.

If FSX runs good enough for you on a single screen (on a single vid card), and your computer specs (CPU speed) are good, this might not mean you have to start over or go back to your laptop. It just may mean that you pick up one decent vid card that will run FSX on 3 screens.

 

E-Buzz :pilot:

 

 

+1! And please don't leave us hanging out here. Update us on what you did and how it worked out. And yes, what your machine's specs are! That usually is the big question in curing most of these problems.

 

Your responses will almost certainly help others too.

But any further more-technical suggestions would be better, if anyone has them.

 

To give you some more advice requires us to know the specs of your system, I agree we the others that 2 GPUs simply makes no sense at all.

 

Darryl

I do not think 610's are capable of the "SPAN" option.

I'm back after some delay still seeking advice. I contacted the PC supplier with the problem. After looking into things remotely they saw the problem and advised that I have them collect the computer and sort things out. They agree that the current graphics cards aren't sufficient. They are suggesting replacing them with one GTX 750. I see from the web that this card will certainly support 3 displays digitally but there is a suggestion that resolution would be compromised. So I've told the PC supplier that I want to keep the 1920 x 1080 resolution that I have from the notebook I'm using at the moment, along with a frame rate of around 30FPS. They say that FSX is very demanding of the CPU and GPU and ask what graphics settings I want to use because upgrading the graphics card could be costly. The supplier seems to be behaving very well over all this but I don't feel easy letting them be the only ones to advise on this because the phrase "blank cheque" springs to mind. Any ideas please? The PC has an i5 processor at the moment, I can provide the full spec if needed.

 

Brian

Full Specs will certainly help. However, most agree that CPU clock speed is where FSX really loads things up. What is the clock speed of the i5? Provided you have a decent GPU capable of 3 good outputs, CPU speed may well be your biggest concern.

 

I just went to the Newegg website to look at GTX 750 GPUs. They range in price from $94 to several hundred dollars with tons of different features. If it were me, I'd demand the very specific model number and brand name of the GTX 750 they are suggesting. Then go to Newegg or another independent vendor and see what they are trying to sell you. Saying you want a GTX 750 is truly signing a blank check!

They are advising well. A 1 gtx setup is best. They think, as do you, a gtx740 may not cut it for you. They have looked into fsx and drawn the right conclusion. It's demanding. What card you want depends on resolutions you want from all 3 displays. For the extreme large res only displayport works. If you need high framerates you need a good card also.

I can't advise specifics for you.

 

They sound like they know their stuff, will advise well, and like they care about seeing you happy. These things can get expensive, it's way out of my league these cards, so I can't advise what's best for your setup. I also don't know what addons, what fsx, which i5 (speed), what ram speed, and especially what monitors you use. That would be good to know.

 

Take your time researching graphics cards online. A few more days of reading now can give years of enjoyment down the road.

For extra advice you could try the Bleeping computer help forum-

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/

 

but be warned they're hardcore geeks unable to give a simple straight answer, and you'll probably not be able to understand their longwinded replies anyway, especially when they start arguing with each other as to whose advice is the best..;)

GTX 780 Ti and an i7 CPU, at least 3770K. Maybe they sell one of those at a better price as it is no longer current. Everything below that will lead to tears with the three screen surround. You never know if you'll want some weather or texture/REX addon next, and then the 750/i5 will not suffice - again. Except you can massively overclock the i5 (= better CPU cooler is needed!) .

Rupert asked for the full spec of the PC. Here it is in case that helps any:

 

Intel i5 Multi Monitor PC

 

1 TB Seagate (1000 GB) SATA-III HDD 7200 RPM 64MB

8 GB Corsair Vengeance 1600 MHz (1x8GB) - Lifetime Warranty (DDR3)

Built & Tested CP

2 x NVIDIA GeForce GT 610 - 1 GB (4 Monitors Supported)

FREE - Bullguard Internet Security 2015 (1 Year - 1 PC License) - FREE FOR ORDERS PLACED BEFORE 11:59 PM ON 14/06/15

Samsung 24x DVD/CD Re-Writer/Reader - Black - (SATA)

FREE - 16 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive

Cooler Master Force 500

Intel i5 4690 - (4 x 3.4 GHZ) - Haswell

Microsoft Windows 8.1 Standard 64 BIT (Genuine DVD & COA Included) - FREE Windows 10 Upgrade

Corsair 350W PSU - Low Noise

1 x 1.8 Metre UK Mains Power Cable

Gigabyte Z97P-D3 (Intel Z97) - (1 - 4 Monitors Supported)

Build Time - Standard 5 Working Days

 

Thanks for all the other replies, I'll befollowing them through and won't rush anything. Strange that FSX works so well with the 12/2014 MSi notebook. That's an i5 as well but supports the 2 additional Acer S240HL monitors fine.

 

Brian

For what you're trying to do it would lead me to believe your graphics cards just can't keep up.

For what you're trying to do it would lead me to believe your graphics cards just can't keep up.

 

+1 I'd try a graphics card that runs with "eyefinity." They have worked wonderfully with multiple monitors on the three most current of my computer builds.

 

And though Intel worked with Microsoft when they designed FSX, I'd think your CPU at 3.4 is a little slow for FSX as well. Though I hear they overclock nicely. If you go the overclocking route, make sure you have great cooling!

First of all let me thank everyone for their quality inputs. At this stage I'd like to explain where I am. And then ask what I hope might be the final question.

 

I've used computers from the "earliest" days (1967). I started using flight sims many years ago for interest. Then I found MS sims and my interest and enjoyment grew. My wife bought me a trial glider flight and I learned to fly real ones and went solo in 1991. During training a tremendous amount of cost and time were saved by practising on the simulator, especially for aertows. I was only using one display then. Next came powered fixed wing. Similar story, still MSFS and still one display. Now I'm starting again with helicopters. 3 displays are needed especially near the ground because peripheral vision there is important for hovering and hover-taxiing. In cruise the additional screens aren't essential but add a lot when it comes to navigation. Hence my need for 3 screens. Good visual resolution is nice but not essential. A frame rate of around 30FPS is needed to judge responses to control inputs without delay so that is essential. My real interest is in flying and not computers. I have no real desire to increase my displays beyond 3, my resolution beyond 1920 x 1080 or the frame rates above 30. My current setup is on an MSi notebook that has NVIDEA Geforce 840M graphics. The 2 Acer displays along with the resident notebook screen are giving me everything I want. Except that the setup would be much better physically with a desktop PC lacking all the visible cables/connectors and the plinth that the notebook is mounted on to make all the screens look the same size. Hence the idea of a gaming PC that would do the job without costing the earth. The PC that I got was detailed earlier and it does not do the job. It's now heading back to the supplier for upgrade. They've suggested what graphics card they should use to replace the 2 existing GTX 610s. It's a GTX 750 ti, which they say is better than the 840M in the notebook that works well.

 

The question. Can anyone out there say whether this sounds right bearing in mind my requirements for the PC? Graphic card and CPU performance seem to be developing exponentially (along with costs). But for someone in my position just wanting to fly, would the proposed i5 processor and the GTX 750 ti likely do the job?

Well for a long time I used a Matrox Triplehead2go with a single GTX250. Using nVidea Inspector (freeware) to set the card up for FSX. Framerates were stable at around 25fps and up to 30 in less populated areas with FTX global. CPU was an i7 2600k, 8gb system ram and a 650gb 7200rpm hard drive. I'd try the nVidea Inspector route first before spending any money just to see what happens.

Good post!! God knows I'd have never been able to afford all the hours of training and flying I've logged if Uncle Sam weren't paying for most if it! I'm glad there are sims today to reduce the costs!

 

I'd suggest you use a Intel CPU of around or near 4GHZ for your simming computer. And a GPU with "eyefinity" (NVIDIA) as well. The NVIDIA setup has worked best for me with three monitors. I also suggest for practice purposes you use the 2d cockpit view and arrange the outside monitors based on left and right sides or "wings" in panoramic view mode. That has worked the closest to the out the windscreen views for me.

 

Though being a RW chopper guy since the 60's, I'm not sure how much you can glean from the sim. I also have flown a ton of RW hours in fixed wing aircraft. The fixed wing flights are much more natural to me using a sim than rotary wing because once you reach takeoff speed, everything is pretty predictable and constant.

 

Due to the need for a constant source of force feedback on the sticks as well as butt feedback, I've never felt I "flew" a hover very well in a chopper using a sim. I especially miss the feel of how much rudder (tail rotor) input to give based on main rotor torque. Though once I started flying twin main rotor aircraft. (CH-46) Rudder became much less of an issue because they cancelled each other out.

 

Of course, over about 50+/- knots, a chopper and a fixed wing aircraft handle and feel a lot alike. But I just can't pull off a decent around the square hover in a single main rotor craft without the sensory feedback I am used to in a real chopper. Perhaps, going in cold you can achieve the input balance by eyesight only. If that is true, you should easily ace the RW part!