Hardware

263: Nvidia 344.65 – A Positive One

| Tom Tsui

Graphics driver is one of the components I habitually pay extra attention to since NEW doesn’t necessarily mean GOOD at the same time in this sector in particular.  After upgrading to P3Dv2.4, I’ve been using the 344.11 driver as it offers a noticeable improvement over older and even newer versions under the P3D platform.

Today, I just have it replaced by the newest 344.65 after testing the new driver for a few days.  Nvidia-344.65Frankly, I might not see measurable improvement accordingly, but overall smoothness enhancement is observable.

There are people reporting that the new driver resolved the SLI compatibility issue.   Unfortunately, it is not the case in my setup.

BTW, during the earlier installation of the P3Dv2.4, I found most induced stutters turning out to be caused by the many additional Orbx addons rather than by the simulator itself.

Sadly, the world isn’t perfect.  Neither does the virtual world.

 

262: A Hardware Fix to GPS Dragging

| Tom Tsui

After the two DVI ports and Display port on my graphics card had each been taken by a monitor, my newly added VRinsight GPS-5 was naturally connected to the remaining HDMI port on my GTX 780 via a VGA-HDMI converter in the first place.GPS5-Card-03

Surprisingly, while my FSX system continues to run smoothly, my P3Dv2 responds with serious stutters as framerates dropped momentarily under the same setup with the external GPS attached.  Feedbacks to such framerate dropping issues in the last post reveal that the phenomenon is common regardless of platform and monitor setup.

Based on the presumption Continue reading →

261: My GPS Has Finally Arrived

| Tom Tsui

A bit busy these days and still a bit stuck in the recent holiday mood.   Anyway, my long-waited GPS for my long-planned cockpit rebuilding is finally in place.  It’s the GPS-5 from VRinsight.

VRinsight GPS-5

Briefly connected it to both FSX and P3Dv2 systems last evening for integrity check and found it working best with Continue reading →

245: My Updated TrackIR 5 Setting

| Tom Tsui

Due to my new multi-monitor setup,  the TrackIR profile I’ve been using since December 2011 has been updated recently as follows:

TrackIR-140517

Basic tuning process is more or less the same as described in Post 82 for an optimized result that could minimize fatigue to the eyes.   Anyone who are interested to give it a try could download Continue reading →

241: P3D v2.2 Part 5 – Hardware

| Tom Tsui

My 4770K CPU was stably overclocked to 4.6 GHz before I moved on to the current 3-monitor setup with dual GTX 780 in SLI connection.   Since the system crashed a few times due to overheated CPU problem while running P3D (that’s right, P3D, not FSX), I have no choice but to lower the clock speed to 4.2 GHz.

Obviously, even though P3D is said to have shifted many processing works to the GPU, it is still a CPU-intensive program.   With lowered clock speed, my system’s CPU temperature lingers around 55°C, and adds another 5 to 10 degrees in general while flying over high density areas.   No more crash has encountered since.

P3Dv22-Hardware-00

Continue reading →

240: Trim Gets Down Below

| Tom Tsui

Since I bought the trim wheel about a year ago, it’s been placed next to the yoke due to its mounting holes and wiring positions.   On this holiday, just spent an hour on the drilling works to put it down below to a more logical postion.   Might need another month or so to get used to it, however.

Trim-01 Trim-02

Also, I am playing with a 60 USD, 9-inch touch monitor to see how it fits into my setup as a standalone GPS.   Connection so far is done via a VGA to HDMI converter.

Trim-03

Continue reading →

233: GPS Key Mappings

| Tom Tsui

Standalone GPS panel has always been on top of my simulation gear purchasing list.   Yet, with the three monitors in place, the on-screen GPS now looks a lot more promising than ever before.

Click me to see the full size.
Click photo to see the spread-across view of the GPS on my screen

To eliminate mouse-clicking actions associated with it, keypads on my keyboard are re-mapped according to my personal preference as shown below:
Continue reading →

201: Cessna Citation AirSpeed Update

| Tom Tsui

Citation_AirSpeed_BackgroundWThis is a quick update to the Cessna Citation AirSpeed Gauge developed three months ago in April.  Digital display and needle of True AirSpeed are now added.

I am revising other existing gauges for additional features, like this True AirSpeed and Temperature, etc.   I am expecting to have them ready for download in a couple of months.

As always, non-FSX Times subscribers’ requests will be ignored.

198: Cast the Saitek Panel Driver Out

| Tom Tsui

Earlier this month, I was trying to associate a customized EZdok camera view (as shown in picture) to the gear lever on my Saitek’s Switch Panel, so that whenever I extend or retract the gear, the view changes to the bottom of the aircraft automatically.

SPAD01

After numerous attempts, I found there was no way out.   Saitek’s original driver is so “dumb” that except the default control functions, nothing more it offers to the users.

As a last resort, Continue reading →