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I hate it when I'm wrong. Ask virtually anyone who knows me, and they'll tell you of their surprise that I am not accustomed to the sensation by now. But for all my utterances contrary to Flight Simulator X, I am finding myself being progressively drawn to it.
I really hate that.
Now, to be sure, if your rig 'aint got the cojones, FSX will give you nothing but dissatisfaction (he said, being terribly proper and avoiding controversy). I suspect Webster may well be placing a picture of the FSX box beneath the definition of "slide show" (and if you keep on skipping down, you'll also likely see it listed under "stutter"), because let's face it, it is a resource hog that was apparently built for machines that those fortunate Microsoft guys always seem to have, and assume that we do, too. You know, bleeding edge beasts that snort fire and will bite your leg if you put the CPU tower too close.
But ...
Well, I was gonna keep this under my hat, but I suppose I may as well prematurely release the feline from the sack: Santa came early (easy now, Mrs. Santa had nothing to do with this, you perverts!) this year. I am now sporting what I fondly refer to as The Beast. Really. Got the gnaw marks on my leg and everything.
Now, this was not an easy task. I shall refrain from naming the company that provided my first attempt at procuring a Beast. Let's just say that, upon turning on your brand spanking new computer for the very first time, seeing the Blue Screen of Death which leads to some gobbleygoop about "dumping physical memory" bodes ill for the longevity of said PC. After I saw that, I was quite impressed with my self control, and after I removed my urine-soaked trousers, I proceeded to try again, and this time, the little booger behaved. It was simply toying with me.
To make a long story short, I took advantage of the 21 day 'return for no good reason whatsoever' program, and back it went, with the imprint of the bottom of my shoe displayed prominently on the outside of the box. I included a nasty note to the engineers, suggesting among other things that they lubricate the tower before attempting what I suggested they do with it. Mr. Compassionate, that's me.
During this entire magilla, I had made the acquaintance with Greg Sanderson over at Jetline Systems (http://jetlinesystems.com). He suggested I contact him in the future, and we'd discuss my computing needs at that time. Little did either of us know just how soon that would be! But one thing I did know: This guy Greg is a good guy who sees things in pretty much the same way I do. We both share a love and devotion to flight simulation (and sports, and politics ...). His sense of humor is pretty much warped, just like mine. And without a doubt, he knows computers. Needless to say, it wasn't long before we were shaking hands (electronically) on a new deal for my next Beast.
For perhaps 30 years, I've been going to the same pharmacy. I know everyone there, and they know me. It is comfortable, sort of like an old pair of jeans that are broken in just so. Despite the proliferation of the big chain stores in the area, this little "Mom & Pop" store has remained resolute in its desire to not be absorbed by the super stores. If there is one thing I like to do, it is to do business with "the little guy", the retailers who still take the time to care about their customers. The point of all this is quite simple: Jetline Systems is (at least to this twisted little mind) a Mom 'n Pop type of operation. Do you think that Joe Dell has after-hours technical support be routed to his cell phone? Not bloody likely! But such is the approach of the owner and staff of Jetline Systems. Not only do they put together high end systems developed and created specifically for flight simulation programs, but they are small enough (for the moment, anyway) to respond to their customers in a fashion similar to my pharmacy. Of course, Jetline sells computers, not Compazine, but you get the idea.
So, let me tell you about The Beast. My baby is a Jetline Xjett 750, running XP Pro SP3 (who says you can't get it anymore?), an nForce 750 SLI Chipset (has a ring to it, no?), an Intel Q9650 Quad Core Processor, 3.0 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB (I have no idea what any of this means, but Greg tells me it is good), 4GB Corsair XMS DDR2 SDRAM @ 1066 MHz (it even sounds fast, don'tcha think?), a 896 Nvidia GeForce GTX 260 Graphics card, 500GB Primary SATA Performand HDD w/32MB Cache, a 500GB Secondary SATA HDD, 16MB Cache (and even some cache left in my pocket, believe it or not) and Realtek High Definition Audio. It is a fast machine. Quite fast, actually. I played "30 Questions" with Greg, to give him a feel for what it was that I wished to accomplish with a new desktop. It was more than just "Make it fast as Hell with unlimited FPS in FSX (and I'd like it PDQ)!!" Greg and his staff know their business, and they know flight simulation. They are entirely qualified to give you what you need, and within your budget, what you want. Judging by The Beast, they are very, very good at what they do.
How fast, you ask? Well, while running FS2004, just for giggles I jacked up the FPS limit to "Unlimited". It averaged around 180, but was peaking at 250 fps. This with every option enabled and pinned to maximum, running all sorts of payware mesh, scenery and aircraft. With FSX, I am a little bit more circumspect. But, with all sliders to the right, 40% traffic (air, land and sea) but using only default birds and scenery, with FPS locked to 24, I am getting an average of 23.8. FSX the way it is meant to be run.
Remember how I always said I am a die-hard FS2004 fan, and how I was not a fan of FSX? Well, we're rethinking that around here. I'm finding that, with adequate hardware, FSX is really quite attractive, even comparing it to FS2004 with all the add on stuff I've managed to successfully tack to it. And what is really killing me, the default birds are not ... offensive. The fact is, I rather like them. Yeeeeech, I can't believe I said that (as I reach for a Molson to rinse the awful taste from my mouth). But, you see, they are not really all that complex (unless you are new to the hobby, in which case I believe they are quite capable of intimidating a rookie sim pilot). They do the job. The scenery, when viewed the way it is meant to be viewed, really is a draw. Now that I've gotten the hang of using 'Shift' and 'Shift + O' as a substitute for Active Camera, and all the other screwy button assignments, I am really starting to dig this FSX gig!
At the moment, I am doing a flight from KISP to KBWI. Now, this is FSX pristine, with only the first patch applied. Knowing Long Island as I do (having lived here nearly all my life), I can tell you all major and most minor roadways are placed correctly, with major buildings, stadiums, parks and golf courses all more or less placed accurately. Out-of-the-box. So, with all this cool stuff to look at from a variety of altitudes, I'm happy to not have to be busting a gut messing with cabin pressures and monitoring a wonky N2 gauge.
28.3 FPS set on 'Unlimited'. Not shockingly high, but the performance is smoooooth regardless of location! |
I don't know how well it will come through, but with FPS set on "Unlimited", I am getting anywhere from 27 to 33 FPS. I also wanted you to see that The Beast is doing this with all that crap running in the background. Translation: I could improve the FPS if I'd close all those programs, but with smooth-as-glass performance, why bother?
 FPS would improve if I'd close some of these. |
And now, much to the delight of the Visa people, I can't help but wonder just how good FSX will look with some payware scenery and stuff. Fortunately, at least for the moment, I am having a blast flitting about in the default 738, and so I'm not too interested in SuperSim aircraft and payware scenery. Yeah, like that'll last for long...
But I think what is happening is that I'm getting a renewed sense of awe, and of respect for the developers who have put together what I now consider a completely worthy successor to FS2004. It is no longer, for me, a hobby focused on only a handful of things such as checklists, protocols and procedures. It is that, sure, but there is so much more to behold! Dear God, I've become an FSX convert!
So, please pass the salt and mayo. Crow may taste like chicken, but like flight simulation, it takes the right combination of things to really bring out all the best it has to offer!
Three Green!
Chip Barber
rfbarber2@verizon.net
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