chicagorandy

For once anyway dumb luck last week saw me getting a new budget gaming PC (HP p590-0056) that for once will meet the Recommended spec list. I'm usually the poor soul struggling to get my ancient machine to run a new game at bare minimum - Ever try to run FS on a Commodore 64? It ain't pretty - LOL

Finally got the new PC installed and updated, new 31.5" Acer HD curved screen up and running to replace my former 23" flatscreen and the Thrustmaster rudder pedals properly assigned and directionally correct in FSX settings. Confusing at first go, but I 'figgered' it all out two cups of coffee later and trial and error later. Here's a pic of each version of my simming - OLD NEW ..... I like new better - lol The faster PC, better graphics card and of course the monitor and rudder pedals really enhance my flight sim experience. And meet MY realistic needs and budget.

The only thing better than the anticipatory delight knowing your new PC is coming tomorrow, is having it appear a day early. Of course it took a mini eternity to get Windows and other apps updated and running, but the 32" curved HD monitor provides a simply amazing view out the cockpit windows. Not glad this upgrade started with a self-inflicted CPU upgrade wound, but mighty pleased with the resulting new HP desktop. Once I have everything brought over from my old system I'll get the whole flight sim shebang assembled and post a pic in a new thread.

Located a bunch of them on e-bay, picked the one from a highly rated seller and giddy-up, $40 later one will arrive Thursday. With luck and a tail-wind a final update will be made by the weekend indicating my ultimate success at desktop resurrection.

Mini hardware update of sorts. After a few days of 'calm reflection' and 'serenity' - lol - I've decided to locate an appropriate refurb motherboard on e-bay and install the original i3 processor on it to get the old Dell back up and functional. After wiping the hard drive of my personal files and software, the whole desktop rig, including the 23'' flat screen monitor, will make for a nice donation to the worthy cause of my choice. Assuming that sometime in the future I am again free to roam the wilds of the Tri-State region, post Covid lockdown constraints. I have learned by my aggressive failing at it and shall not bugger up this install...……..all forms of future buggering up will just have to wait till the next brand new thing I try - LOL

I found a pretty good deal on an Acer 32" HD 16:1 ratio curved screen on sale at Amazon. Some gamers prefer an Ultra-Wide one with a 21:9 aspect ratio, but I wanted the taller view. I don't play any 1st person shooter type games. The price was $125USD lower when I bought it on April 5th, but here is the unit - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DR5PG8S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Fantastic! Congrats on the self-rescue. I sometimes marvel at how often PC problems turn out to be created by something stupid simple..... once you finally find it that is -lol. Glad you're back in the air with the ground you wanted beneath you.

If FS2020 is on your wish list, a number of websites detail the recommended system requirements or it. It is a bit demanding. It starts with an i7 core processor if memory serves. I'm quite satisfied with FSX -Steam Edition, and having just fried my old desktop, went out and bought this budget rig- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WNXRP4D/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It MORE than meets FSX demands and will pair nicely with the new Acer 32" HD curved screen monitor that replaces my 23" flat screen. I recently wanted to enhance my sim experience so a Logitech yoke and throttle quadrant and Thrustmaster rudder pedals are anxiously waiting in the 'hangar' for the PC to get here and up and running - lol Happy shopping.

Like they say - "Sometimes the bear gets YOU." New i5 processor to upgrade from my Dell i3? Check. New Geoforce graphics card? Check. New 32" curved HD monitor to enjoy those upgrades? Check. I am now happy? UNcheck please. It would appear that letting a sausage fingered retired geezer use a broad-axe as a pinpoint tech tool is the wrong combination. I managed to bugger up several of the CPU socket pins beyond hope of resurrection so my Dell is toast and the i5 and Geoforce have been returned through Amazon for credit. A new HP i5 gaming computer has been purchased and should arrive next week. DOH! Proof positive that while an old dog may well learn 'how' to do a new trick or two, it doesn't necessarily mean they 'can' do it successfully on the first try - lol Oh well, at least when the HP arrives there is a yoke, quadrant and rudder pedals awaiting it. Can't wait to see what this monitor looks like in action.

DOH! Just reread my post, I can spell and organize my thoughts at the same time, I just can't type fer diddly-squat. My new curved screen gaming monitor arrived today. Lest you think I have Jeff Bezos $$$, it is a 32 INCH monitor, not 32 FEET as I typed - LOL

Had to Google the name to find out who the person referenced in this thread was. A baseball player it seems? I admit I stopped following baseball back whenever it was that the 1st player got paid $100,000, which I thought was an obscene amount of money for catching a ball or hitting it with a stick.

For most things beyond the obvious crapola, most items are made reasonably well. That said, no matter WHAT the product might be, you can rely upon the interwebs to have a plethora of totally contrary reviews on that product - lol I try to always buy what fits MY realistic needs and budget and 'get a hunch, bet a bunch'. With Amazon Prime, must all purchases have a pretty liberal return policy, even after initial use, so all I have lost on a VERY occasions has been the time and hassle of returning a dud.

Never had pedals before and trying to choose among Thrustmaster, Logitech and MFG products was daunting. A couple weeks ago I went with the Logotech yoke/quadrant to move the sim reality level up from many decades of various budget joysticks. Knowing how much of my retirement time will 'realistically' be spent in a flight sim, I decided to save a Benjamin and went with the Thrustmaster pedals. That extra hundo has already been diverted to ordering an upgraded graphics card for my desktop PC. Might soon upgrade my Dell desktop's CPU and OF COURSE, soon to arrive stimulus $$ meant an order for a 32' curved monitor to step up from my 23" flat screen - LOL So many possible toys, so little time and fortune - LOL

I confess... I have almost NO idea what this thread is about - LOL. And I've been playing an MS flight sim product starting WAY back when the only airplane in the library was the Wright Flyer, cuz that WAS the only airplane that had taken to the skies at that point. Does it reference online play? Never done that, and with social distancing I'm sure not gonna start interacting with some strangers and catch a virus.

I 'may' have self-resolved my situation? In the FSX Setting panel my scenery settings were all set to Medium, don't know why. Hit the reset to default button which set everything to Ultra-High and Voila! Chicago, Like Brigadoon, has again appeared.

I purchased from the Steam Store the FSX Steam Edition: US Cities X: Chicago Add-On .. Since I live on Chicago it seemed a wise choice? The airports are all there but the city and all our buildings have vanished and been replaced by the generic few houses and flat empty land scenes? Anyone ever run into this? All help greatly appreciated.

Looks like my "down the road" comment was actually a quick walk across the street -lol. It took less than 72 hours from opening the box to my jumping on Amazon to purchase a new 32" curved screen gaming monitor to replace my 23" flat screen. The combination of a few extra bucks at the end of a month with my total lack of will power or patience has been keeping the economy going for most of my 71 years - LOL I will try to post pics and a brief review of my rookie setup once the new gizmo arrives and endures the disinfected quarantine I give everything that comes into my home these days.

And THAT my friend, is substantially more practical, concise information than available to mere mortals the dandy thing and tried to follow the company's not-included or on their website's instructions. A techno-dope like me would think that there were enough character spaces in the Settings/Controls line to read "Saitek Yoke & Quadrant", rather than only Saitek Yoke? But I ain't no fancy gaming programmer ner nuthin'. LOL

This flight yoke system is a terrific upgrade and enhanced flight experience flying FSX over my former Cyborg joystick adventures. I'm running a Windows 10, 64 bit Dell desktop with just a 23" monitor.... for now. IMHO it's a quite sturdy product and was dead simple to assemble and attach to my PC desk keyboard tray. Warning - be sure to watch for the TINY packet containing the 4 screws needed to mount the clamp to the quadrant - or you theoretically 'could' spend a half hour needlessly upset and frustrated with your new neat gizmo until you saw the durn screw pack at your feet on the carpet under your dining room table- LOL NOT a fan of the rubbish, outdated manual I needed to first find online and then download and print, created it seems before Windows 10 even existed? FINALLY figured out through frustrating trial and error how to assign functions to the throttle quadrant levers and buttons, since the "manual" and website "support" all seemed to want me to try and download and install drivers that failed to fully install and as it turned out are NOT needed to be added to my PC. As it is the throttle quadrant remains invisible to the FSX setting controls screen. Is this normal? I so, it sure would be nice for Logitech to let buyers know that little detail? FSX isn't exactly a new-to-the-sim world product. One would think that a clear and concise single sheet of up-to-date instructions should at the very least be available in PDF format on the company site? I mean, c'mon, this ain't rocket surgery ner nuthin'. I realize that we retired geezers can sometimes be a bit "unenlightened" with regards technology, but we can and will follow simple instructions - lol I fully expect these realistic yoke controls to provide me with hours and hours of flying fun, and I likely WILL want to expand my home "cockpit" with some rudder pedals and a much larger monitor down the road. So far The Pro Yoke System gets a big thumbs-up from me.