D17S

Glad it's going now. That initial upgrade I did from a 4200 to the 6600 was like magic. I run that Oil Terminal, A-10 mission that came with the game as my benchmark. I load up unlimited ammo and get the whole terminal ablaze. The 6600 gets 1-8 fps as I fly through the inferno. The 6800Gt get 1-8 fps too. Looks like my P4/2.8 CPU is the bottle neck. I was a big fan of monitoring volts to forcast a pending PS overload, but now I'm not so sure now. I was fully expecting volts to decrease as the PS became overloaded. I wanted to see volts drop off as the PS hit its limit. But it didn't happen that way. With the 6800/raid addition, the volts stayed good, (perfect actually) even as the the whole system displayed low amp symptoms. Looks like my PS was current limiting . . . capping maximum amps, but leaving the voltage within spec. I'm going to just get the baddest PS I can find and then install a halon extinguishing system in my case . . with a big red button. You say they will actually smoke? Very bad manners. The easy PS choice is the OCZ 520 powerstream. I figure for 100 bucks, I can put the PS mystery to bed . . . and move on to . . . oh let's see. . . GPU heat pipe heatsinks? It never ends, at least let's hope it won't. Good luck.

Weta, What's your powersupply? 2 months ago, I got that new Theromright heat pipe and got my little ol 2.8 up to 3.4, but needed a big time CPU volt bump up. Was runnin' smooth though that 6600GT. Just put a new 6800GT and a hardrive raid and started to get all sorts of artifacts, then bluescreens, then lockups.UGH! Dropped the CPU overvolt (and clock) back down and all's well again. Suspect that 6800 took me one volt over the line. It can happen with a Vcard upgrade. That 6800 really didn't do much though for a 2.8-3.2 rig with a 17-19" monitor at ordinary resolutions though. That 6600GT is really the trick with these non-uber systems. I think you chose well. Now to get it to run. Think PS.

With ruggbutt's old profile, the X45's still the way to go. Getting that zoom to work was a miracle. It's serving me well.

Running a P4 2.8 @ 3.2, 1 gig-O-ram, AGP vintage, 17 monitor @ 10X7. Just a normal non-Uber system that anyone might have. Vcard wise, didn't want to 'invest' in anything AGP. Just wanted a Vcard that would fully utalize my current rig till PCI-e settled in. Set up a single benchmark run. Home-made track of the 'Oil Terminal' A-10 mission with the whole terminal on fire. Smoke and blazes everywhere. Ran a 6800GT, then a 850XT, then a 800XL and then a 6600GT (4X AA and 4X AF, hi/med). Recorded a fraps set for each run and laid 'em side by side in Excel. Identical results + (-) a couple of FPS here and there. 6 months ago, saved $250 by going with the 6600. For my basic rig, the big cards made no difference. Even at an Intel 3.2 level, it seems that the 6800/850 cards driving 17" monitors at normal resolutions (at least for me) provide no benefit.

Han, He seems to be fine now. I haven't heard back so I assume he out flying. I'll keep that address handy so I can pass it along. Thanks

Thanks for your response and here's the thread. http://forums.ubi.com/groupee/forums?a=tpc&f=99610606&m=6811084863&r=7061039863#7061039863 Op sys is XP and I'll leave a message . . . . no, why don't you respond directly to him at that thread. I'm sure it would mean a lot to him and any other struggling Lock on pilots that might be browsing for solutions to similar problems. I think that a lot of new customers go to the UBI site first . . . because they are primarily gamers (We haven't converted them yet!). Simply, they know UBI. Equally, they would have never heard of a small Russian sim company called ED (even though it’s on the box.). We have to guide ‘em over here. I think that's why the UBI forum tends to pick up more folks that are having problems. Sadly though, I’m afraid we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg. Most folks will not come to a forum for help. UBI tech support is totally useless (isn’t it actually non-existent?). Most just toss that $9.99 disk in the can . . . then tell all their friends. That’s why I tend to harp on taking care of these little problems that can stop non-technophiles in their tracks. Capitalism done right can be a real PITA . . . but the rewards can be immense. Just a thought.

Did you try the on-line stuttering patch? Here: http://www.lockonskins.co.uk/index.php?page=downloads&cat=72

Han, Had a guy over at the UBI site have a problem installing Lockon. The new customer’s program installed normally. The symptom was that the program would lockup immediately on entering the splash screen and go no further. Shut down Zonealarm and checked for add-in codecs, No help. He noticed his AA and AF were set to some manual setting in the Nvidia control panel. He reset these to "Application Controlled" and Lockon finally ran. He went back in and reset AA and AF back to his original manual settings and the game continues to run normally AA and AF in a “Manual Setting” stopped the Lockon program from running after a new customer's first install. The system was completely capable. Asus A8N / SLI Asus 6600GT (Single, PCI-e) Gig-O-PC3200 500 watt Antec PS See if you can duplicate this. This guy was a trooper and very computer literate. A normal gamer would have given up in frustration . . . .and speaking of ways to mollify a hopefully expanding customer base, how about that Zonealarm glitch. Any luck there? Also while I've got you, look at changing the box’s MEL (minimum equipment list). It’s just not working out here. We are further along in the hardware cycle and you-guys really do need to bump it up a notch. Starting to pick up mini "thread-riots" about this over at UBI. They do have a point. It’s a constant problem. But mainly, just a “Heads Up.” We support your efforts and want you to succeed. (We need more noobs in HL!)

Geeeeze, that's grrrreat! I imaging that dual core was just the ticket for rendering speed. How's that new rig handling it's new job. Sure looks good so far.

Sounds like the PCI-E version. Just got back from the computer store and saw a Sony 23" LDC monitor running at 1200X1920 on a PCI-E 6600/256. It was spectacular! I think you're gonna like that card.

True enough. One day we'll see Vcards that need all that PCI-E "room to run", but not yet. They are doing the same things with hard drive busses these days. A Western Digital (P)ATA 100 has a buss that can handle up to 100 mb/sec, but a 7200 RPM drive will only output about 50 mb/sec. This means the 100 mg/sec buss has plenty of capacity to handle the drives's output. Maxtor came out with a (P)ATA 133 buss drive. This meant that the (P)ATA 133 bus could handle 133 mg/sec output from a drive. . . . but the maxtor drive was just the same 7200 RPM machine that could output the at same 'ol rate. There was absolutely no need for a buss that could handle 133 mg/sec. The (consumer) drive that even came close to needing this much buss capaciety did not exist! But who knows how many drives Maxtor sold to folks that just obviously thought that since 133 was bigger than 100, the drive had to be faster. That's what Maxtor was counting on. Shame on them. So, PCI-E 16X has to be faster than AGP 8X? Not so. They are only referring to the data buss's capabilty . . . They are not referring to what the machine that will be using the buss is capable of. That reference is 6800, or 6800GT or 800XL, etc. They are carrying on this "tradition" with the Serial ATA hard drive buss reference now. These busses (SATA 1) can handle 150 mg/sec. . . but they are still using the same old 7200 RPM drives. The only clearly faster drive is the WD raptor at 10,000 rpm. It is using the new SATA buss . . . but even the Raptor doesn't need the the 150 mg/sec SATA buss! It's around 70 mg/sec now? So actually, it would work fine just with the old PATA 100 technology . . . (until you raid 'em!)

Sounds relatively modern. Check to see which graphics interface you have. It will be AGP or PCI-E. Performance wise, it doesn't matter. (It may someday, but not yet.) Both Nvidia cards mentioned below come in either interface. That CPU will be able to fully utilize the Nvidia 6800GT. This card is now in the $250-$300 price range. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Submit=Go&DEPA=0&type=&description=6800gt&Category=0&minPrice=&maxPrice=&Go.x=0&Go.y=0 The next step down is the Nvidia 6600GT in the $150-$200 price range. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Submit=Go&DEPA=0&type=&description=6600gt&Category=0&minPrice=&maxPrice=&Go.x=0&Go.y=0 Either of these will work for LOMAC. With your CPU, the 6800GT will give better performance with all games. If you can afford it, get it. But the 6600GT will work just fine. Make sure you get the "GT" version of either card. The non-GTs are NOT the same. Don't go any less than these. For LOMAC, it's just asking for trouble! Also, you MUST have enough Powersupply for the new card. These new cards need more power than what you are using now. When you get your card, get Mother Board Monitor (google it, it's free) and record a voltage log as you play LOMAC. Play for a couple of minutes and come out. Check the log and make sure nothing dramatic is happening to your voltage during game play. Anything above a 5% drop means your PS is not big enough. This can cause real trouble too. . . and I mean trouble: Spontaneous re-boots, lockups, fragged graphics. It can be a real mess, mainly because you'd never guess it was your PS. You can shop around for price here. http://www.pricewatch.com/ Good Luck.

Any firewalls running? If so, shut 'em down. ZoneAlarm will cause a very similar problem. LOMAC wants to "call home" (or check internet connectivity) on the first program load after a fresh system re-boot. ZoneAlarm will intercept the attempt and lock up the LOMAC program . . . requring a Ctl-Alt-Del escape. ED knows. It's is a bug. Also, shut down NVSVC32.exe in task manager. This can give the older Nvidia cards fits with LOMAC.

Which P4 do you have?

Schimmel, still there? You have some good background now so here’s a shot at actually answering your question. You can build your own. The old snap together, plug and play compatibility issues have come a long way. The component manufactures have pretty well got this figured out now. You can do it, end up with a major system . . . and you can do it for $1000. Here we go . . . Here’s your processor. AMD 3000+ rev E @ $150. This is your big bargain. But you must get the “Rev E” version for a 939 pin socket. You are saving $850.00 here . . . because you are going to take a shot at overclocking this 3000+ to the performance of an FX57. If this rig is for LOMAC, forget about the dual cores (but I pretty well covered that!) Hexus over clocked this “3000+ Rev E” from its stock 1.8ghz to 2.8ghz with an air cooler (2.8ghz is the clock speed of an $1000 FX57) here: http://www.hexus.net/content/reviews/review.php?dXJsX3Jldmlld19JRD0xMjU1JnVybF9wYWdlPTE= Buy it here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103537&CMP=OTC-pr1c3watch&ATT=Microprocessors+PC Here’s the CPU cooler: $60 You MUST buy an aggressive cooler. This is the best air cooler available today. Forget about water. It’s cool, but too much trouble. The cooler http://www.silentpcreview.com/article186-page1.htmlt http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835109118 and the fan: $15 http://2cooltek.com/store/product_info.php/products_id/95 Here’s you Motherboard. Abit AN8-SLI Fatality @ $200 It’s expensive yes, but this is what is going to allow you to overclock that CPU and have it A-OK for everyday use. It’s an SLI board so it will allow you to drop in a second 6800GT sometime in the future. Plus, it’s just about the best board you can buy. This is big time quality. Spend money here! http://www.abit-usa.com/products/mb/products.php?categories=1&model=246 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813127206 Here’s you power supply: @ $150 Again, big time quality. You must have top power. It all hinges on this piece. http://www.xoxide.com/enermax-600w-eg701ax-sfma2-sli.html http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817194001 Here’s your ram. PC 3200 dual channel gig-O-ram @ $70 This is fine. Low latency regular ‘ol ram. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145452&CMP=OTC-pr1c3watch&ATT=System+Memory or faster stuff. Get this FOR SURE . . You are at $925 total cost with the $70 stuff. Buy this if you can.. PC 4400 @ $180 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145550 Vcard: 6800GT @ $280 This will be plenty for your rig. The 3000+ is set at 1.8 ghz and you are going to try to overclock it to 2.8. Sounds good on paper, but you are might only going to get to 2.4-2.6 on that processor (Heck, that’s the same as an AMD 4000+/FX55. What do you want?!!). A 6800GT is a good match for that if you are going to be driving a normal monitor. If you are going to be driving a 24 inch LCD, the 7800 will be good. Display size costs. How big do you want to go?!! But, if you have a regular sized monitor, the 6800GT will be fine. (You must get the “GT” version. The plain 6800 is NOT the same.) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814135171&CMP=OTC-pr1c3watch&ATT=Video+Cards Box: Buy one that does not have a power supply included or use your old one. What else? You have hard drives already? Even with the faster ram, you are at around $1000 here. Do not get a Dell unless you have them build it to your specs. For instance, if you get a lesser video card and want to upgrade later, you will have to buy a new power supply too. Dell knows how to build a computer that is precisely configured for exactly what is in it. A new Vcard will overload the PS. So for a price comparison, compare this rig to a Dell with an Intel 3.8 ghz cpu You are going for a CPU preformance equal to an Intel 5.0 ghz processor (FX57 at 2.8) . . but Intel doesn't make this. You will almost certainly get to the same performance as an Intel 4.0 . . . but Intel doesn't even make one of these either! Use Intel's 3.8 as a comparison. It's the fastest intel makes. Use 1 gig of dual channel ram, a 800 mhz fsb, and a 6800GT Vcard. Do not worry about a sound card. Onboard sound is fine. Use the cheapest “everything else” because you already have the op system, keyboards, mice, HDs, etc. Here's Dell's answer at $2570. You are not building a little rig. This is a serious gaming machine. If you get that 3000+ to overclock to anything above about 2.3, yours will be faster than anything that Intel even makes. http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=DXPS600SAP&s=dhs Look it all over. You’ll never regret building your own . . . well not quite that . . . you’ll be ready to throw it out the window at some point, but you will get through it. You will now be your local computer guru and be able to fix anything. No more computer shops. It is a learning curve, but well worth the trouble. BTW, the arguments go on forever (see above!) that this is better than that and so on. This is a basic list that will get you started. These are all at least Very Good components that will serve you well . . . and for $1000 . . . I say, GO FOR IT! We’ll help.