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Midwestboi

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About Midwestboi

  • Birthday May 24

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    Florida
  1. Thanks for that! ;-) Actually, a 23" WS 1900x1080 monitor can be had for less than $150- so it really isn't too expensive. I actually created a cockpit out of PVC pipe, and have made the front 2nd monitor stand adjustable. The 42" HDTV sits right in front, about 3' away, the 2nd monitor will sit down lower- just so the top edge of the 2nd monitor is even with the bottom edge of the TV (at viewing angle). Thanks for the point about the viewing angle and tilting though, I may need to take that into consideration as well. Forgot to mention, my PVC cockpit does dual duty between racing games and flight sims; it is designed to be quite adjustable in that regard. The monitor shelf can be moved back closer and longer pipes added to become the wheel stand. I bought the design off someone on E-bay and altered the design. The design has the flight sim throttle on the left and the joystick on the right- but I prefer the joystick between the legs- so I changed it and added the center placement for the joystick... I now use the right-hand area for the mouse. Since I had a stand on the right next to where the chair sits, I created a nice keyboard stand at a 45 degree angle for easy access as well. :lol: Quite a simple, versatile, and inexpensive multi-purpose solution.
  2. Thank you! Yes, that is exactly what I was looking for. I had been looking into a 23"-24" 1900x1080 monitor because I thought that size might be what was needed, but I wanted to ask for input first. I am glad that Helios works with the mouse; I've read in the forums that Helios is a bit more user friendly than HT as well, although I haven't had the chance to work with either yet.
  3. I am looking to get a second monitor for use with either Helios or Hawgtouch for displaying the MFD's and the main flight instruments for the A-10C. I plan to use Cougar MFD's stuck to the 2nd monitor as an overlay since I cannot afford a touch screen and I prefer the feel of actual buttons anyway. I just don't know what a good size would be for having additional flight instruments displayed, taking into consideration the amount of screen space taken up by the MFD's. I suppose I should also state that I do not own this sim yet, which is why I am unfamiliar with the sizes of the MFD's and flight instrument panels. However, I am planning in advance since I know the type of setup that I want and what I can afford. Thanks for the help.
  4. I take it the developer is no longer updating this app; his last log-in here was in April. A shame really, this app has a LOT of potential and I am sure there are members who would be willing to pay for an even more polished version, I know I would. I guess until that happens, I'll just have to keep creating my own pdf files for use on the iPad.
  5. Those in the U.S. might check out this company "Best Value Copy"; so far they've been the least expensive that I've found and there is no minimum charge for small orders- however, the shipping is around $11 even on a small order. There is also a charge for more than one pdf file- $3 per each additional file- so it is best to combine everything into one file if you can. They also offering finishing services fairly inexpensively. I am not sure how their service actually is, but when I get ready to print the manual and other misc documents, I plan to use them. Color printing for about .10 a copy... not bad at all. https://www.bestvaluecopy.com/ UPDATE: I have to retract my support for this company based upon my recent experience. I created an account and uploaded a file to print, had everything set but didn't have my CC with me to place the order. I came back later and tried to access my account, but it told me the password was invalid. I clicked the link to request the password be sent, and I received an e-mail and it said, "Your password is..." but the space was completely blank! I contacted their customer support for a resolution, and their response was, "Please use a different e-mail address to create a new account." WTH?? I wrote back and told them that was an unacceptable response, after all, are customers supposed to use a new e-mail address every time they place an order?? Perhaps their IT department should be involved in this. Overall, the fact that they came back with such a lame response demonstrates to me that this is NOT a professional organization; instead of addressing the apparent problem, they would rather inconvenience their customers. NOT GOOD!
  6. I can't wait... I am building the system and need to make a selection by Tuesday... I've already purchased the motherboard and memory (both on sale earlier this week), so I need to make sure they work before the 30-day return policy is up. :cry: I don't even have an older graphics card that I can use, as I've been sitting without a gaming system for almost two years now since the last one died and I sold all the working components. I did notice that the 670 can be oc'd to virtually match the 680... but again, for my purposes, it would be overkill. I don't game that much, and when I do, it tends to be older flight sim/racing games... I expect the A10C will be the most taxing sim that I use on it. But since the A10 is my favorite aircraft, the expense that I'm putting into it will be worth it. If I didn't have so many other components left to buy, I'd probably just spend the extra $150 just to have the latest and greatest. But, since the reality is that I probably wouldn't ever come close to pushing the 670 with what I play, I think it would be a waste. Update 7/31/12: Decision was made... I ordered the MSI GTX 570 Twin Frozr today. ;-)
  7. Yes, that is why I mentioned the 3570k oc'd to 4.4Ghz, which is equal to a Sandy Bridge oc'd at 4.8Ghz... so I shouldn't have any problems with a CPU bottleneck. Well, since I still need to buy the second monitor, TrackIR, DCS A10C sim, AND the Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS flight system... a savings of $150 would be very helpful. :music_whistling: I currently have the Thrustmaster T.Flight HOTAS-X stick, but absolutely love the Warthog HOTAS (I've used one before and it is incredible!). Is there any specific reason that the 670 would be better than the 570 in the A10C sim with the two monitor setup I described?
  8. That's exactly the type of setup I am going for... using the secondary monitor with Helios for cockpit gauges and MFD display. So basically it sounds like the 670 would be overkill for my purposes- since I usually run older flight or racing sims anyway. I just didn't want to scrimp on the graphics card, only to be disappointed with A10C performance. But it sounds like the GTX 570 would work- especially with the 3570K oc'd to 4.4Ghz and 8GB RAM. ;-) I've heard that CPU performance can be more of a factor than GPU with the A10C.
  9. Are you running dual monitors? That is my concern... running the A10C with a dual monitor setup both running 1900x1080 res- how much of a hit would that cause the single GTX 570 on the A10C's fps? I am leaning back towards the GTX 570 Twin Frozr, as long as I can get a positive response to this question. I cannot see spending an additional $150+ if the 570 will do the job; I don't play a lot of graphically intensive games, but mainly want a card that can run the A10C without having to lower the settings or at least not lower them drastically.
  10. No, the PCIE 3.0 isn't a deciding factor, but in terms of future capability, at least it is there. The MSI GTX 570 Twin Frozr was the best from the research that I did, and is going for $250 right now. The GTX 670 I am considering is the Galaxy GTX 670 GC (standard, not the twin fan version). I've seen that several people are having problems with the major brand 670 cards, but none of the reviews on the Galaxy have expressed any problems with them... plus, the Galaxy GC comes already overclocked. From the benchmarks I've seen, the Galaxy GC 670 is right on par with the 680. Right now Newegg has a 7% discount on the Galaxy card which expires at midnight PST on 7/31; it roughly comes out to being $150 more than the 570. The other pluses for the 670; it uses less power and also supports 3+1 monitors versus the 2 monitor only for the 570. So if I should ever want to add another, at least the 670 is all ready to go. UPDATE: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127685 I am thinking about spending an extra $60 and going with the MSI Twin Frozr IV version. Better cooling and better support. The Galaxy card, however, currently has a $20 rebate and free shipping, so that would bring the overall cost down to $380 vs $440 (incl shipping) for the MSI. Any thoughts between the Galaxy and MSI cards??
  11. The MSI N570GTX Twin Frozr II comes with two DVI and one mini-HDMI- I don't need support for older monitors, since both of the ones I have are HDMI and I already have DVI to HDMI cables. :thumbup: However, one of my concerns about the 570 is that it is older technology, whereas the 670 just came out around May and is PCI-E 3.0 x16 which the Ivy Bridge processor and ASUS motherboard both support. It also has 2GB RAM and has two DVI, one HDMI, and one Display Port. From the comparisons I've seen, the 670 runs about 34% or more faster than the 570. May be worth the extra $150 to go with the 670.
  12. I am in the process of building a new system, and my choices are either a GTX 570 or 670- the 670 being $150 more expensive... which I could always use towards a TrackIR system IF the 570 would be as effective with the DCS A10C sim. I plan to connect my 42" TV and an addition 24" TV running at 1900x1080- the second monitor for displaying gauges and MFD panels. Since I only plan to use two monitors, I think the 570 would work... but... I also want to make sure I can run the A10C sim without any bottlenecks. The processor will be an Ivy Bridge 3570K OC'd to 4.4Ghz with 8GB G.Skill RAM on a ASUS P8Z77-V MB. So the 570 or 670?? Thanks.
  13. Correct, the CPU is fine... only the chipset on the motherboard is affected... but this is a lot of problems for not only computer manufacturers, but especially for all the motherboard manufacturers. :-(
  14. Well, I'm not sure I'd like to have a chipset that is 'defective' on my board- because 'so far' that is the only degradation they've found- but who knows what can still develop over time. Even with a three year warranty, I've found that it is much easier to return to a retailer within 30 days then to jump through the hoops of a company warranty RMA down the road... I also don't like the feeling of wondering every time I turn the computer on whether it is going to work this time or not. I'm sure there is going to be a ton of RMA's back to retailers in the next few days... which sucks because they don't expect replacement boards out until probably April. :-( What further sucks is that once I got this new system stable- I sold my old components on E-bay- so no gaming rig for me for a couple of months. *sigh* In my case with my Gigabyte board, one of the two 6Gb/s ports wasn't working anyway, so I only have 1 other 6Gb/s port and 4 3Gb/s ports for use... which I have my DVD drives on the 3Gb ports- so I definitely need to have this board replaced. :-(
  15. So basically anyone who has a Sandy Bridge processor is affected because every SB motherboard will have this chipset. :cry: As the article says, "Intel's Steve Smith, vice president and director of PC client operations and enabling at Intel, says that the specific problem occurs over time, and is affected by temperature and voltage." Which I take it to mean that anyone overclocking their machine is in more danger of having this failure than someone running it stock.... and how many people run their SB's stock?? Not many. This news is frustrating because I run all 3 Gb/s drives and OC my SB to 4.8Ghz- although my voltage isn't 'high' at only 1.356... but still higher than stock.
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