Five Monitor Sim and Only a Single Computer- XP11 Vulkan Stress Test

I test my five monitor and two computer flight simulator to see if X-Plan 11 Vulkan speed increases will allow me to dump the second computer and run on a single CPU.

[@rigilchrist]

You are a mentor to many of us, Russ. Thanks so much for all this detailed work! (I liked the humour, too).

[@marknovak9310]

Great humor---and it appears that there is no end to the goal of SIM 'perfection'. May you keep sneaking in New and better products!

[@jgpyne]

Great work! You are XPlane’s leading Sim-Scientist.

[@wildgoobsid5]

I have the same setup. Took a lot of manipulating and a few frustrating moments but I got there. My system is a little older with Radeon X580 aand X480 gpus in one pc. Runs everything well including a sixth monitor for monitoring programs. I went down this same path and haven’t regretted anything for a second. Now you have to add a top notch racing sim to this. Now there’s an adrenaline rush! The only drawback right now is ZIBO 737 never works properly or never loads. Thanks Russ.

[@tombarefoot6109]

Russ...This is an exceptionally well done and informative presentation!

[@bille1136]

Great video Russ. I always enjoy your analytical approach to present the test data. It's also good to hear the comments of a former airline pilot regarding home simulators. I especially like your open-minded approach to the options available for any setup. Looking forward to more videos.

[@raymondwalters7246]

Excellent video! My wife is going to kill me when my new computer shows up this week!

[@rbarlow]

Ha ha welcome to the club

[@juanmanuelguillma3082]

Good morning from LEMD Mr. Barlow. Their videos are very instructive. With modern and optimized software, it would not be necessary to fight with fps or hardware, although we always want more ;) Thank you. By the way I also have the Yoko "The Yoke", it is wonderful. I have added a mushroom and several more buttons taking advantage of an old joystick (with a bit of wire, PVC pipes and fiberglass. Attached to the yoke shaft is like a turn signal rod and accessible with the left thumb) i7 4790k OC 4800 Mhz with RL + Titan X with RL + 32GB RAM with RAMDISK + Samsung NVMe 950 Pro 512GB + Samsung SSD 850 Pro 512Gb + HDD Toshiba 2TB + Three DELL U2414H monitors (next change 2K or 4K TV, searching with fine bezels) + TrackIR + YOKO + Throttle TQ6 + Trim Saitek + Various Saitek ........ + there is never enough. I forgot Prepar3D v4.5 which is going great + Pilot´s + ORBX + Active Sky + Rex 4+ PMDG + A2A + ........ Original in Spanish, Google translation

[@gregboone6389]

Excellent video Russ. Bravo!

[@reginaldcrudstump383]

Great analysis Russ, I found this very useful. Thank you for taking the time to share this.

[@Anastuna]

Thank you Russ! Very impressive and thorough analysis with charts & diagrams making It beautifully clear and a pleasure to watch. Nice one!

[@latorc]

Awesome video and thorough tests! This is the exact setup I have now. It seemed to me that CPU is the real bottleneck here. With RTX 2080 + 3 TVs on 4K resolution, my x-plane still runs 30+ FPS using relatively low number of objects and reflection detail. But once I tuned up the number of objects/reflection, FPS drops significantly.

[@ksp1278]

You are running 12k of screen off a single GPU? Surely GPU is the limit for that setup?

[@croberts97]

Thanks for a great video. This was the first time I heard about Vulkan. I tried it out today and WOW! Wayyyy better! Went from about 20 FPS to 30 FPS with the graphics dialed up pretty good. Now you've got me thinking about a second computer and Air Manager. I better hide my wallet...

[@Br0wnDogProductions]

Hello Russ, I too have survived the virus by spending buckets of money on building my first simulator. It seems to me that you must be running 2 or 4k monitors to be getting those low numbers. I am running 3 - 32", IPS, 1020 monitors with 3 separate views and Air Manager and get around 30 fps without Vulkan turned on. My PC is an i5 with 16 gigs, a 1660 Ti with an ssd drive. When I turn of Vulkan it jumps up to around 45-50. You are taking a huge hit for the sake of that high-end monitors if that is in fact what you have done. If the images that overlay the wireframe you are viewing are not of pixel density to match the resolution of a 2 or 4k then it is all for not. Keep up the great work Russ.

[@cjl76]

Great video Russ! I love your methodical, evidence-based approach (despite such techniques having no place on KZbin, where ignorance & baseless opinions rein supreme) :P

[@TheBaron481]

Thanks Russ ! You saved me £500 on a second pc to drive my panels ;-)

[@ksp1278]

This is a great, and very informative video! I've managed to get xplane working with 7 screens on a single PC. Five are view screens (three @2560x1440 at the front, and two side "windows" that are @1600x1200), and two 1080p touchscreens with two xplane popout panels and two air manager panels. I get 25-30FPS with world objects "high", visual effects "High", textures to "max", reflection on "low". The CPU is a Ryzen 5950X (Although xplane is hardly using the CPU, so could probably get away with less) and I have two GPUs: an RTX 3080 (driving the three 1440p screens) and a Quadro P2000 (Driving the other 4 screens).

[@hadistama]

Thanks for your ideas and research, in this pandemic time, is golden for simulation era. Looking forward for your content, maybe continue with that 737 Overhead panel? ;)

[@scorpion251075]

Great video Russ and so educational. I have a few questions if you can help me please. What's the size of each scenery monitor? What's the size of each panel monitor? Is it easy to control/adjust the knobs on the G1000 using the touch screen? Thank you.

[@simhoper8953]

This is inspiration for my current project! Thank you very much sir!

[@rbarlow]

Best of luck!

[@simhoper8953]

@@rbarlow Thanks!

[@CaptainMatthew321]

Hi ! a question please: I built the same setup as in your video (5:24) I have the main computer runing the SIM on 3 screens, but on the separate computer I have only air manager, I need the pop up windows to show GPS... at 5:24 you speaked about an other copy of x-plane to run on a second computer... how can I install it? is it a demo version or must I buy an other liscence as well as the main computer? Thanks.

[@rbarlow]

Unfortunately you need a second license for the second computer.

[@fostee1]

Wow thanks for all those details. Answered a lot of questions I had

[@colins2]

Excellent video. I've just found your channel so will start experimenting. I don't have built-in graphics so I will have to try and squeeze a 2nd video card in there.

[@rbarlow]

Onboard graphics really can’t handle x-Plane or MSFS

[@colins2]

@@rbarlow Yes, I know. I have a GTX1650 which works well with 2 monitors but I wanted to try out Airmanager so maybe another card is best for that. I have a spare 1050ti and a Quadro, it's just squeezing them in the case.

[@andyholmes9485]

Excellent vid Mike. Your explanations are so clear. Pilot training? Be good to see fps running Vulkan in your two machines.

[@abeeconstable7877]

One of the top 5 youtube presenters.

[@jeffallen3598]

Im running 7 monitors on one system… Using x-plane 10 on a dell XPS 8950, with an i7 12700K 32Gb RAM, RTX 3060 Ti 8Gb. The RTX has 4 ports and the onboard has 1 Display port and much to my surprise, you can split. So for about $80 i got a display port to HDMI 3 way splitter and have 3 monitor’s on that. Im using air manager for this and works great. Im simulating a 737 cockpit and have 3 windscreen monitors running on the RTX for obvious reasons and the others are for the system displays. Not sure about frame rates but definitely no lag or anything. very smooth and i have all the graphics settings turned up. Which i guess compared to the newer x-plane versions may not mean much. We will see when i upgrade to x-plane 12 at some point. I tried Air Manager using “Air Player” running on two Raspberry Pi’s to run some flight computer displays but those SERIOUSLY lagged. It was a Pi 2b but not doing anything heavy graphics-wise. I think it may have been just slow on receiving data over the local network. Cant really say if it was equipment related or if this is normal on Air Player. But 1 computer to drive everything really keeps everything clean. I used to have several computers running on FsXPand… No lag there over the network, but a bit more finicky. Anyway, 7 monitors on 1 computer… no special build or anything

[@aky19832001]

Sir, have seen that the new X-Plane updates using g Vulcan are very Cpu and memory heavy? Prior generations were gpu bias. When I ran X-Plane at 3.8 ghz on my i7k I got about 45 fps using single 2k 27inch. When I upgraded my memory to a faster ram speed and overlooked it to 4400mgz and my Cpu to 4.7 ghz and used a SDD I was able to achieve 65 to 70 fps. Note. I had the antialisinc to 0. And shadows to 0.

[@avproductions5184]

Extremely helpful and may help me save money on a PC Build. Can you link a PC and Macbook Xplane over the network?

[@cmonstokeST4]

Hey Russ thanks for the video, I’m not sure if I understood but I was under the impression that no pop out panels were needed if you are using air manger panels on screens 4 and 5 ? And if you are rendering them on 4 and 5 then AirManager has no purpose surely ? Edit : So I started to watch your pop weasel video and now I get it, they show through the air manager panels.

[@wildelorme4409]

Hey Rus, I did as you suggested and put together a new Computer just to run my instrument panel monitors. If you remember I had built a new system with better graphics card RTX 2070 Super, and tried to run my three panels and two instrument monitors (G1000), but it would not run the fifth monitor. So I add an additional graphics card and it worked but the frames per second were so low that I had to do something else. So as stated above the new system is just running the instruments. My master machine is identified as FltVis and the second machine is identified as FltInst. I popped the PFD and MFD out of the 3D cockpit panel and sized them into the respective PFD and MFD positions. That worked fine and it displays correctly on both machines VISUALLY. My second machine or FltInst is set to External Visuals and the master machine is FltVis is set to master. I tried both (locked View) and i(Independent View) settings but for the life of me, I can't get the knobs and buttons to work on my G1000 now. It does not matter which computer I plug the USB cable from the G1000 in to, the knobs or buttons do not work in the sim. The driver is receiving the data and the machine that it is connected to is trying to change what ever value that you are manipulating (for instance Com 1 frequency, or adjust the baro) but it will not adjust it. If I disconnect the network and allow that computer to run xplane without the network it starts working again. It changes whats on the G1000 screen and whats in the 3D cockpit screen, but as soon as I network them together it stops again. I'm not sure where to go from here. Trying both locked and Independent Views did not change anything. Is it a port issue? The two sims work fine if I fly a flight they are both doing the same thing, but I noted that the G1000's from one machine to the other are not doing the same thing. So, if it was a port setting the to machines would not communicate the plane and same flight on both computers right? This is probably not the correct way to talk about this. If you could message me on face book messenger (WIlber DeLorme) hopefully you could help me figure this out. Thanks

[@wildelorme4409]

PS: I did purchase a second license for the FltInst machine. So it not a license issue.

[@wildelorme4409]

Ok, I figured it out. Actually you figured it out Rus. I pondered over this and tried all sorts of things today. However, it never clicked until about one hour ago. I remembered that you said that your visual machine had to be the External Visual and the Instrument machine had to be the master. So I switched everything around and made it reflect, what I remember you said! Guess what, it worked now the G1000 works flawlessly!!! The only problem was for some reason the yoke and throttle and other USB device stopped working. So I switched them over to the master machine also they started working also. RUS BARLOW!!! You are the MAN!!! By the way Rus, I have been buying Simulator things and slipping them up to my man cave, and some others she new about. However, I could not hide this second computer. She asked me today, how much more money are you going to stuff into that flight simulator!!! I said honey, I am pretty much done buying for it for now. She said good!!! Then I went back upstairs, and began thinking, Gosh three 4K TV's instead of these 27" monitors sure would finalize my system. Well, I'm not saying I'm not going to do that, but it will not be for a few weeks or months:) I think I'm a Simulator addict or junky!!!! Thanks Rus!!! I'm not thank you for contributing to my addiction. I'm thanking you for you ingenious HELP and willingness to share!!! I would love to fly some where with you and get dinner and a beer! Virtually of-course!

[@rbarlow]

Glad you figured it out. I read through your first message and was about to make a response when I read your second message that you had solve the problem. Yes only the master computer will reflect the GPS changes, the slave or external visual computer can display the pop out window but it will not be changed. You’ve got it figured out now. The master needs to run the flight controls and the panels. The external visual only shows the scenery. It’s funny but if you put the 3-D cockpit on the external visual there are even a few controls that will not reflect changes made on the master computer. It seems kind of silly but the two don’t talk to each other in all respects. As for the locked or independent view, you want the independent view because if it is locked every time you change the view on the master the orientation of the visual view will be changed on the external visual. Glad you figured it out enjoy your new Sam.

[@wildelorme4409]

@@rbarlow Thanks again Rus! Wil

[@humberto367]

Very cool, Barlow! Stay safe!!

[@moglikessler2614]

Thanks for your great video. You did an amazing job. Kindest regards Phil

[@Zelig2Cents]

Thanks so much for yet another great video Russ! It was not only informative, but also suggests - in my mind anyway - the following logical question: What if, instead of 2 computers with older CPUs & GPUs, one used a single computer with a much better CPU & GPU? Heck, while we're at it, memory and solid state drives have dropped a lot in price as well. My thought is that there are some significant downsides to a 2 computer system for someone that currently has no computer at all that is good enough for flight sim work. Those downsides would be 1) The physical space required for 2 computers. 2) The added wiring and configuration complexities for creating the setup. 3) Potentially lower performance if the setup is used for other tasks, such as photo or video editing, where only 1 screen is needed and it's all about rendering speed. I first need to buy a computer that can handle the stress of flight sim work. So, if I have it built with a $200 to $300 CPU, either the RTX3080 or RTX2070 for a GPU, 64 GB of RAM, a solid state drive instead of an HDD and load X-Plane and Air Manager on that solid state drive, maybe some water cooling... might I then get 30 fps - or better - with 5 monitors off of a single computer? If so, would such a system not offer more advantages and fewer disadvantages, than a setup of 2 computers where each is using a GTX1070? I'm probably oversimplifying things, but the thought that comes to mind is, what costs more, 2 computers costing $1500 each, or 1 computer that costs $3000? I know you can't currently test that to prove it, but I would still love to hear your speculation on the matter. Thanks!!

[@rbarlow]

Short answer ... sure. A single computer is definitely better. It will definitely happen pretty soon. I remember when guys had dimes with 5 computers each with a single monitor and it’s own install of XP and all networked. Whew! Maybe when XP supports true multi threaded operation and with the RTX30xx series gpus it may be time? Only a rich man can test the theory.

[@Zelig2Cents]

@@rbarlow Hi Russ, I found myself back here watching this again a year later. I think I got even more out of it the 2nd time around! What an excellent job you did producing, editing, organizing and teaching on this topic! The system you created REALLY speaks to me because out of the 4 (I believe) most important performance levels, "good", "better", "high performance BUT being budget conscious", and "best period", you really NAILED that 3rd category. I also feel that if budget allows, that's the ideal performance level to shoot for because stopping at "better" will inevitably leave levels of performance that will eventually end up mattering unaddressed, and the "best" is a fool's errand because it's a constantly moving target and has little extra yield. The only question I have is, now that we're looking back on this 2 years after you published this really excellent video; is it possible that if you now left everything in your setup exactly the same, with the ONLY upgrade being to change from your current GPU, the "GTX 1070 Ti" to say, an "RTX 3070 Ti", is it possible that that would accomplish 2 goals: 1) Yield a very high "bang for the buck" improvement (less than $1000 for that GPU I believe), and 2) Make huge improvements to efficiencies in the form of, less physical space tied up by 2 computers, fewer directions that cables have to be run, less involved to operate, less complicated networking needs, lowered electricity usage and cost by eliminating one of the PCs, etc? In essence, would that one change alone be enough that a 2nd computer would no longer be needed? Would love to hear your thoughts on that! Either way, thanks so much for all you do and I'm looking forward to making a solid start on my own flight sim setup within a few short months!

[@andygorman858]

Thank you for this, I was thinking about adding just 3 panels for scenery as I have some sim gear parts to handle the other bits (DTA panels, Propwashsim panels etc....). Never thought of using my internal graphics card.....wasn’t sure I could allocate it to anything! I grew, I tried Vulkan not expecting much with my old GTX1050ti but when I went from 20fps to high 50 low 60fps with most of the settings turned up I was hooked...so much so I don’t use my 11.4 install anymore, I can’t stand not having smooth flights!

[@peterbury1934]

Excellent video, i adnire your attention to detail

[@jaspreetrajpoot5282]

Hi Russ... i am following your setup for my xp12 sim. My question is, how would two computers talk with each other while running two copies of xp12 on both and with air manager. I am just looking for some guidelines about hardware setup and settings on both the systems so the sim looks like 1 while running on two cpu stations. I am using one i7 with rtx3060 and the other i7 without any extra graphic card. Three 32 inch monitors for scenery view and 2 touch screens for panels. I am unable to add the 2nd touch screen on master computer as there are only 4 displays outputs unless there is a way to enable motherboard's internal hdmi port. I am thnking of using the 2nd computer for just the touch screens for air manager panels. Last question, i ordered the knobster and i tried all instructions to set up, not been able to make it work on air manager... please guide. Thanks

[@Piperdakotapilot]

Hi Russ, I really like your videos thank you. I’m possibly about to purchase the Gleim BATD simulator. Do you think I would be better off (cost wise?) building a set up like yours? Thanks!

[@skyhigh776]

"Master the art of sneaking large items into your basement sim!" ha ha, funny.

[@rbarlow]

Shhhh! Not so loud.😀

[@donrumsey]

Hello! Realizing this video is dated, is Vulkan the same as Metal driver? I am a MAC user tranisitioning back to PC for SIM only. I am also looking into the 3 monitor set-up. Front curved, sides flat. Any nuances I should be aware of? Thanks! I enjoy your channel! Don

[@elguindy]

Great explanation and charts lots of information Thanks a lot for your time is it possible to let us know which addons are working on the next xplane Vulkan specially FTX Global for x-plane .Many Thanks

[@rodpierson4444]

Hi Russ, I was curious what your results would be in you run Air Player.. it is suppose to be less demanding than Air Manager... Great video, and yes your videos did get me in trouble with my pocket book, so far wife is happier I am not burning Avgas.. I have a slower computer running 2 22 inch touch monitors running Air Player and one 37 inch IOS station. Great job thank you.

[@sgiuello]

show it on video! ;)

[@darealdjfiveo]

Love your video..your broke it down to the Tee!!!!

[@jackspratt4343]

Russ, is Air Manager efficeint do you think, with respect to frame rates ? How does it compare to competitor software? Thanks.

[@stricklandgarageaviation2864]

Hi Russ, can you give us an idea of what is required for a second computer that would run two monitors with air manager and knobster?

[@DownTheRabbit-Hole]

Russ... Vulcan and 1440p on 3 monitors, the holy grail, looks pretty awesome compared to HD? i9 9900 and 2080ti needed 40-50fps.

[@nethfellearnspiano9655]

In terms of monitor resolution, you mention HD, and in the images of the settings it was stating running at default resolution. HD is normally considered 1280x720 and FHD is 1920x1080, but I know sometimes people use HD to represent 1920x1080 so I was just curious what the actual native resolution was of all 5 screens?

[@rbarlow]

FHD

[@seanLeprechaun]

Hi Russ, apologies if this is revealed in another video but what is the model of touchscreens you're using? I'm exploring moving my cockpit to this kind of setup and reorganizing my hard switches and looking for tips on which touchscreen to buy.

[@jasonei3399]

it would be great if you could overlay the new Microsoft beta Game Bar. it will show CPU, memory and GPU usage in a percentage format and allows you to graph your usage through flight. I'd like to compare it to my own setup. I am also wondering if the GPU and not the CPU strain would be better served by bridging two 2080 cards on one computer. In theory, you could drive up to 8 monitors directly off the cards.

[@rbarlow]

Great ideas I’ll look into that for a future video

[@harpoon_bakery162]

will be interesting once FS2020 gets multiple monitor support. I will run in a "T" config with 4 monitors , three 2K & 1 1080P touchscreen. I'm guessing i will not get good frame rates on ultra with a 2080Ti and 6800K CPU 32GB. So I will need a 3090 and I might wait for Rocket-Lake-S and go with 64GB .... what would everyone recommend as far as hardware? Hard to believe we're talking about 20 tops 30 FPS. It's pretty sad. I wish hardware would catch up with FS2020...perhaps once Asobo goes to DX12.

[@mattivirta]

i has use 5 monitor sim last 10 year my MSFX computer, simple easy basic cocpit. 3 windows outide screen and 2 all gauges panel. and one tablet if need weather software and aproach chart. but better compination have if use 2 pc together one have sim soft and second have shared all gauges and others.

[@chuckstone5915]

Thanks Russ, I am very experienced pilot, but new to computer simulation. You mentioned a device called "Knobster"? Do you have a video that explains that device. I am running the latest X-plane, but still stuck using the mouse for knob changes. Sounds like the device makes using the knobs more real?

[@rbarlow]

Try kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqGWeH6sfd51hKs kzbin.info/www/bejne/qnabc614pbBlf8k kzbin.info/www/bejne/a36ooIh_lsyCb8k

[@chuckstone5915]

@@rbarlow Wow, fantastic little device! So glad you developed it for us, this is a game changer!

[@patrickmaartense7772]

I sneaked in 3 x I7700K 32 Gb each :) and a beamer was clear when I build the cockpit in wood something was going on...

[@dorianjepsen]

Please tell us... what were the three monitors that were displaying the scenery (TVs or monitors), what *specific* video card were you using to run them, and what were you using to connect them (HDMI or DisplayPort)?

[@rbarlow]

Visio HDMI TVs 4k but running at 1080p using DisplayPort to HDMI adapters for some connections.

[@meltynan7411]

Hi Russ love your video and I have a setup like yours with two computers. One running XP11 and the other running Air Manager. I cannot get the pop out window to show up on the air manager screen. I cannot drag the pop out to the air manager screen. It seems that the two computers are not talking. How do I get the two computer synced up and talking so I get the pop up to show up on the air manager acreen.

[@henryrcrawford]

Hi Mel. For the second PC to show xp popouts, that pc also needs to be running xp11 synced to the first. The popouts don’t export over network like air manager/player do.

[@huttonew100]

Nice job, great info

[@arrendaled]

That was an awesome and informative video. Do you have room for a second vid card?

[@rbarlow]

Yes I have second PCIe slot

[@WaltKingLee]

Well, The xtra plug in Wimaxit monitors to power did not change anything unfortunately other than making one lose com in device manager when it gets plugged in.

[@rbarlow]

Just to be sure are you using the HDMI and the two usb-c ports for usb to computer and the other to the power adapter plugged into an outlet?

[@WaltKingLee]

@@rbarlow Yessir. I just got off chat with Windows Tech. I followed his instructions to a T and to no avail. Windows 11 refuses to give me an option to calibrate anything but display quality. I have verified data and power ports are correct on the Wimaxits. I am now #307 in line for Windowa tech again. 1. Is your system Windows 10 or 11? 2. When you type "calibrate" in Search does it give you the option to calibrate touch input? 3. Does that option go away if monitors are unplugged. Juat curious

[@rbarlow]

@@WaltKingLee I am using Windows 10 and several people have had this problem but these solution’s usually work. One problem is that these monitors can get the video signal via HDMI OR USB-C. Some guys tried to use the USB-C video input but touch never worked. I suspect if the HDMI input was faulty it might revert to the USB? Windows 11could be the culprit but I really can’t say. All I do know is that usually connecting things correctly made the pen and touch option show up when searching calibrate. If the usb signal for the touch digitizer is missing windows doesn’t sense any need to offer the pen and touch calibration option. Found you have an old windows 10 machine you could test things on? That might rule out any hardware issues with the monitors and cables.

[@WaltKingLee]

@@rbarlow It did work fine on my Windows 10 old Alienware 1080 i7 desktop.

[@rbarlow]

@@WaltKingLee sounds like a windows 11 related issue … any new drivers for Wimaxit and Win 11?

[@RonVF]

Hello Russ! Alway great information Just got done watching this video again, it’s been a while since the last time I viewed it. I’m not sure if it helped or hurt.. I’m getting prepped and ready for when my 2 Wimaxit 15.6 touch screens arrive 12/8 and the stuff I bought to build a knobster (web site said they were listed as out of stock.) I was thinking I would use my old PC for the AirManager and second copy of XPlane but it’s a really old Core 2 duo and only 4 gb ram with 2 graphics cards that can only run Direct X11. I’m gonna give a try to using the 1 PC with 2 graphics cards. I just built it this summer for MSFS. I9900, 32GB ram, 1tb ssd, GeForce 2080ti. I hope it will to what I need. No I just need to look around for a reasonable graphic card, the 2080ti was a small fortune itself.. so what would a good secondary card be, to run AirManager? Thanks

[@rbarlow]

As I discussed in the video if you dumb down the graphics on the master unit which is also running your panel and air manager the computer needs are far reduced. That being said, I’m not sure the machine you have will meet the test but why not try it before you consider an upgrade. The real horse is really needed to drive the visuals. Sounds like a fun project. Keep me posted on your progress

[@RonVF]

@@rbarlow yes, it might be worth the try. Actually I might just try it both ways. I either pay for more software for the old computer plus a couple of dvi to hdmi adaptors for the old machine or another graphics card for the new PC. The best would be to just build a lower end secondary/master machine but that’s pushing the budget.. thanks again for the reply. I,m sure you must be getting overwhelmed with people asking you these questions..as for questions, here is one more. How are you connecting the wimaxit’s to your PC, one HDMI-C?. I will ask this over on you other touch panel video as will. Thanks again.

[@dorianjepsen]

How were you able to run 5 monitors from a single PC? I've tried in vain to replicate what you've done. I've got an RTX 3060 Ti which has three DPs and one HDMI. The DP monitors do my scenery. The HDMI monitor does an instrument panel. I need the CPUs HDMI port to do the other instrument panel and simply can not figure it out. PLEASE HELP! Please.

[@rockyrowlands3652]

Great vid. What size tv’s ? And if you utilised 2 x iPads for air manager would this improve frame rates further?

[@rbarlow]

David Rowlands they are 2+ year old Visio M49 49” LCD and don’t handle rapid motion well like newer TVs. Check out Ratings.com for gaming TV reviews. iPads running standalone with Air Manager will not slow your visual computer but neither does a networked PC. The main reason I use the second computer is so that I can put X plane pop out windows on the panel screens.

[@rockyrowlands3652]

Thank for replying Russ, I am currently re-building my own home cockpit and now wish to add surround screens. I have followed your advice and reviewed large tv screens on Ratings.com, however all the large tv’s reviewed are 4K only. Although I have a robust spec PC with video memory card of 12 Gb, my concern is that 3 x 4K 50ins tv’s running from one PC will over burden my system. Therefore, looking out for 3x reasonable HD 50INS TV’’s that may give me decent outside visuals. I would welcome your feed back before I commit myself to any purchases. I do have a 49 ins HD widescreen monitor, and wondering whether an extra 2 x 27 ins monitor may suffice for the left and right outside views, or would the fact that these are different to the 49 ins monitor that the mix and match visuals will not look right?

[@mihalyfreeman5928]

Why are you only getting like 30fps? Hell i run pretty much the same config as you do, rtx370 not ti and my frames are over 60fps and over 80 at night. I suspect you did not take the time to DECRAPIFY your win 10 which is the first thing i did when i built the computer and installed windows 10. It always surprises me how much crap everyone displays on their pcs after installing win 10. If you took the time to remove the bloatware from win 10 and optimize that computer you may actually double your fps. And did you bother to optimize your nvidea settings?

[@maartenblokdijk]

Great vlog!

[@quecksilber457]

And what do think now? Now that FS2020 is out and blows all expectations in terms of performance?

[@marc9244]

I'd like to know if you have migrated (or are testing out) MSFS2020? I am waiting to engage on purchases. Desktop or a laptop with possibly an external GPU independently powered to easily drive multiple monitors. I know I need a new 50'' TV (or monitor (as I don't really watch TV)) for the scenery display.

[@rbarlow]

Marc the only multi monitor support available for FS2020 now is using Nvidia surround that effectively make the three monitors into a virtual wide single monitor. Problem is that it stretches the image badly on the outer half of the side monitor making things look wider that reality and closer. Objects that move by you ( like runway lights on takeoff) on the side seem too fast. Hopefully a future upgrade will allow for individual views for each monitor so it is geometrically correct when viewed. Of course VR will solve all of this.

[@henryrcrawford]

@@rbarlow but fortunately the cost of an xp license is one of the least expensive and most productive investments in this “game”

[@johnorr7386]

Hi Russ, I love your videos! I have built a sim based on your design but I have a problem with the 15.6" monitors in that my Windows 10 wants touchscreen monitors to be the primary monitor. I have tried all standard tablet /touch screen setup methods and nothing works. Is there any secret to setting up these touchscreen monitors? I am using GTX1080.

[@rbarlow]

It sounds like you need to calibrate your monitors. Go to window settings and search the word calibrate. It should offer a choice for calibrate pen and touch inputs. A dialogue should appear with a couple choices to click. I think you select set up but I know the other choices advanced calibration. Select set up and it should provide a white screen on each of your monitors one at a time with a message to touch it if it is a touch monitor. If not it will tell you to hit return to move to the next monitor. Once you’ve stepped through all the monitors windows will know which touch input grid is connected to which monitor. Then the inputs will be associated with the correct monitor when you make them. If not no matter which monitor you touch the input will be sent to your main monitor and you can probably see it move even though you’re touching a non-main monitor. Hope this is clear if not let me know and I’ll try to go into it further.

[@johnorr7386]

@@rbarlow Thanks for your reply Russ. I have been through all that you have suggested. The real problem is that the "setup" button does absolutely nothing. Not sure if it's a Windows 10 problem or an NVIDIA problem. I'm using three 24" HD monitors (setup in Surround) for the scenery and the plan is to use my two 15.6" touch screen monitors for Air Manager. I may have to get an IT technician in to try and sort it out for me. There are many people with this same problem on forums and no-one seems to have come up with a successful fix. Even Microsoft only suggest the standard setup procedure which doesn't work. Thanks again for your input Russ. Keep making your videos!

[@adishere12]

Russ, Which brand TV's/Monitors are you using? Are these regular TVs? and any particular reason for using 49 inch, why not 55 inch?

[@rbarlow]

Check out www.rtings.com/tv to learn about TV selection. Look for the section on gaming TVs. Most modern LCD TVs work quite well for gaming now. The thing to be aware of is that some earlier TVs had bad input lag which was unacceptable. Also if you intend to have two side monitors in a three monitor set up be sure that the side viewing angle is good....not too washed out with about 30 degrees off center side view.

[@Br0wnDogProductions]

I should have mentioned that my setting are running at medium. I could crank them up but not sure if it would make much of a difference other then a little frame rate.

[@SimPilot-dl8zy]

Love it. Sneaking large items into the house. My wife just grins. I also wonder if a person can use dual graphics cards now that Vulcan is out?

[@rbarlow]

Yes Another card could be used but it really won’t help a lot because the actual video processing is all done in the XP the main video card so it would only take the pixels and push them to the other monitor. Much better than onboard video

[@SimPilot-dl8zy]

Russ Barlow ok thank you

[@randellriley795]

I have gone through a similar experience to that which Russ is currently going through. I run two video cards rather than the onboard graphics with effectively six monitors, two RealsimGear Units and an Air Manager panel. The latter three are all resolution limited due to size and design, but are more than adequate to keep me flying and that was with OpenGL. Vulkan significantly improved the situation. Why not use the onboard video instead of another graphics card? I found that the onboard Intel graphics at the time on a Z370 chipset were pulling my FPS down to 8 to 10 which is not something anyone could live with in a flight sim. I am slightly overclocked on a system similar to that which Russ was describing albeit with a 1080TI. I tried an older Radeon HD5770 I had laying around (unhealthy computer parts obsession) and plugged that in. Worked well, but found a Nvidia 1060 OC on clearance at the big box store up the street. Decided to keep all the cards using the same driver, bought that and things worked better with a generally acceptable level even with OpenGL. Be advised there is one catch currently with this setup at least on my system. EVERY driver update resets the Nvidia Physx setting to the 1060 OC rather than the 1080 TI. I have not checked the BIOS to see if this is a setting in there to prioritize slots for the graphics card which might be able to control this. Had the same problem with the onboard Intel graphics before I abandoned that idea. I do note that EGPU selection is one of the items on LR's to-do list which would probably solve that issue. Whether Vulkan could work for me with the onboard Intel graphics I do not know, though I have thought about adding a seventh display as a moving map on another spare monitor that I have. I have enough video ports now to add two through Intel and one each through the Nvidia units. I did find that a fourth monitor off the 1080 TI did drag down performance a little but was still acceptable till I added the RealSimGear units, hence the second GPU addition. BTW, Russ did not say what resolution he was running his big screens at. I'm running three 27-inch 2K monitors for scenery and prior to Vulkan I was not able to run them with an acceptable FPS at resolution beyond 1920 x 1080. With Vulkan I now run at a full 2k on each with little to no perceptible difference on the latest 11.5b3 between the resolutions. Vulkan IS amazing. Russ, keep up the good work as what you have been doing is what got me this far! And kudos to LR for being able to dramatically improve the cost-effectiveness of two-year old hardware. Now, about that I9 I have been thinking about? ;-)

[@WayneHermanproject]

How do you 'Sync' both computers? Is this something only X - Plane has?

[@backintheairagain9803]

Hi Russ, question... I just bought the new Garmin G5 panels and they look great, but I can’t figure out how to use the Knobster to switch modes (I.e. course, heading, bearing)... any thoughts? Thx... Joey

[@rbarlow]

I have to admit I haven’t tried out the new G5 yet and I’m not sure exactly how the actual unit switches modes. Unfortunately unless the knob also serves a pushbutton function to change mode it would require special programming of the G5 unit because it is programmed to operate like the real thing. On the other hand you could easily get an Arduino nano and a push button and encoder and with Air Manager easily make a unit dedicated to the G5 work however you like. I could advise you if you like

[@backintheairagain9803]

@@rbarlow Thank you, Russ, I'll look into that.

[@backintheairagain9803]

My mistake Russ, you CAN in fact push-click the Knobster and it allows you to change the heading/OBS/bearing modes... sorry for the misunderstanding... thx again!... Joey

[@jw6191]

I’ve watched your Air Manager and related videos enough times to know I don’t understand. My plan is to download and use whatever panels that are already designed. My sim system will be one PC, 44” HDTV, 22” touchscreen, Knobster, Alpha yoke, Logitech Throttles.

[@rbarlow]

Good plan. Easily expandable in the future if you want to.

[@speedbird8326]

Hi Russ. What resolution are your scenery monitors set to and also the resolution of your two Air Manager monitors?

[@rbarlow]

Speed Bird all 5 screens are FullHD 1939 z1080

[@h.chinski4348]

Russ, what is Vulcan?

[@steinbergum2152]

Thanks for all info, just got 3 58" monitors in the house, have 2 ipads (9.7), but is looking at some 21,5 "touch screens, to setup my 737 cockpit via Air Manager, 21,5 is good... or do I need bigger ?

[@rbarlow]

21-23” is fine. Stick with capacitive touch if possible.

[@philip1065]

do you use nvidia surround for the 3 monitors? I am on a gtx 1080 with 4 monitor outputs hooked up, 3 monitors run through nvidia surround and the 4th smaller monitor for my instrument displays..... for some reason I can't get the 4th monitor to appear in game, it displays fine on desktop screen and appears in the settings but not in game

[@rbarlow]

I do not use surround as it badly stretches the image toward the outer edges of the surround view. I use separate views for each monitor as well as any panel view. There is a performance FPS hit but it is worth it to get a geometrically accurate view. I did a video on this kzbin.info/www/bejne/l2ivl4unpc5gf5o

[@citysim7375]

Thx Russ, very entertaining! My next video has to be closer to your standards :-) I am going to cover projection and screen in my next one. Could be a great add, but your wife will see it lol

[@rbarlow]

Excellent! I am subscribed and looking forward to it. I live in Cincinnati, Ohio which is PartnerStadt von München where I think you live. I love München but was stationed in Ramstein AB from 1978-1981. Tschüss

[@ksp1278]

Have you considered virtual machines amd two GPUs? You could use unraid to run the VMs and pass through 3 cores/6 threads and a GPU to each VM. This way you would probably make better use of the cores on your CPU. Michael Brown did a video that showed that xplane only really uses 3 cores, yet you have 6.

[@rbarlow]

Sounds interesting but am I running two instances of XP11, one on each VM?

[@ksp1278]

@@rbarlow yes, basically you would run two copies of Windows and two copies of Xplane on one PC. Here is an example of what it can do: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y37Kn6qkadmqkKc . That said, I haven't personally tried this yet. I am currently building an AMD-based system and considering trying out unraid on it. Another alternative is to run two copies of xplane on your PC in the single instance of Windows. Both will be using your main GPU but if the limit on your framerate is your CPU then two copies of xplane may use the threads/cores better than a single instance of xplane.

[@ksp1278]

Ok. So I have managed to get two copies of xplane working on single install of Windows. Each instance of xplane is rendering on a different GPU. The weaker GPU is running at about 50% load, and the stronger one is running at 15% load. They each currently have one 1080p screen attached and I have set vsync. The instances of xplane are sharing the same files for scenery etc so almost no extra storage required. I made each instance use a different GPU using nvidia settings for the GPU to use for open gl (which also seems to control vulkan). Both screens are currently running at 50fps with visual effects, texture quality and world objects set to max. I need to add some more screens to see how it scales, but currently I am optimistic

[@experimental_av]

Apparently you can also connect external monitors via USB, slow frame rate but maybe it's enough for panels. Not tried it yet.

[@rbarlow]

I have used the iPad as an external monitor via USB but it wasn’t great. A dedicated USB monitor especially USB 3.0 it would probably be pretty good.

[@experimental_av]

@@rbarlow it's just hard to beat TVs on pricing. Just seen a small 4K TV for around $100. Can always use a Raspberry Pi to take load off your system. The latest gen is quite powerful. But i guess no touch screen with a Pi.

[@MrMontanaNights]

I'm using a cheap (50$ if I remember right) 7" touchscreen LCD screen that was designed for Rasberrypi stuff as a GTN750 screen. Basically just an external monitor. Works great for those smaller screens like GPS and such. It included an HDMI cable to plug directly into my PC (though I only have one HDMI port and 4 DisplayPorts, so had to get an adpater). I haven't noticed the framerate being an issue at all as far as just running the 750 or 650 on it.

[@wildelorme4409]

Russ, I have a question. I am running a three flat panel in xplane 11, and I am adding a G1000 hardware upgrade that uses the pop-outs from xplane. However my GPU only has four video ports no onboard video on the motherboard. Can I hub the one DisplayPort, or use to GPU’s in one system, or do I have to run a separate computer to drive the g1000 display. I would love to chat with you about my problem. Can I contact you via Facebook messenger?

[@rbarlow]

I know certain DisplayPort displays can be daisy chained but I doubt it could work with the G1000s. Option two is to add a second video card but the first card will still be doing all the XP work and the second just supples a screen buffer and more ports. There will be a frames hit. If you go the second computer route it is best and a last generation gaming computer can easily handle it for a reasonable price... but you need a second XP license and have to keep two computers updated. It is the best route still imho

[@wildelorme4409]

Russ Barlow Thanks Russ. I truly appreciate your opinion!

[@robertf863]

I am running a i9 with 32 ram and 1080ti.. will my 1080 be decent enough to sim with a touchscreen and one monitor setup for now with Xplane and MS?

[@henryrcrawford]

Way more than enough, Robert. I run xp and msfs on 3 screens at 1440 and medium settings with a touchscreen for air manager and it looks good on i9 and 1080 (not ti).

[@robertf863]

@@henryrcrawford thanks!

[@scotkelly9880]

in your last video you said the wife was gonna cut your hair??? or may we call you "Curly" Barlow, thanks for the video, very informative as always, stay safe and healthy and keep them coming!!!!

[@rbarlow]

:) still need a haircut where I cannot see myself.

[@sgiuello]

Could you tell us the angle of the monitors and the visual configuration for all 3? Thankss!

[@rigilchrist]

Russ has another video showing this in detail - have a look!

[@rbarlow]

Yes it was quite an old video on setting up a multi view sim but it is still valid. I have the side monitors back at 60 degrees for a 180 total field of view. Here is the video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hpvHmIJ4f5qrobM

[@sgiuello]

@@rbarlow Thanksssss!!!

[@In0vat0r]

Any thoughts on running one computer with *two* video cards? My setup has dual 2.66 GHz 6 core XEONs, 48 GB RAM, an AMD 5770 with 1 GB VRAM and an NVIDIA Titan X with 12 GB VRAM. Both video cards are vulcan/metal compatible and have at least one DVI, one Display port and one HDMI port.

[@rbarlow]

Currently X plane 11 really only supports a single graphics card to do the actual graphics. You can use a second graphics card to provide more ports but really you don’t gain that much performance only the ability to connect more monitors. Of course the CPU can also be a limiting factor.The second GPU could run Air Manager and other supporting apps.

[@In0vat0r]

@@rbarlow - Do you know what the video software architecture looks like on 11.50 for a Mac?

[@In0vat0r]

@@rbarlow - After my research from yesterday I’m fairly sure that the capability is there in the Mac hardware and the OSX Window Manager but I’m not sure Laminar has taken advantage if it yet.

[@AnthonyDigi1205]

How about pc run x plane with 4 monitors and a iPad for the fifth

[@rbarlow]

Yes that would work fine although you cannot display external windows from X plane on the iPad because unless you’re using it as an external monitor (via duet display or some other software and a cable) it is on a different computer so it has no access to any windows from X-Plane. Of course if you’re only going to display area manager instruments on the iPad it would work great.

[@cyromartins3200]

Hello Friend. How are you?? I hope it's okay. Can you help me? I'm using two identical machines to run the x plane, but when configuring there is a very long delay from one screen to another. how you connect your machines. help me please friend! Thank you very much

[@drewfliesbikes]

are both of your monitors plugged into your video card? Meaning there isn't one plugged into your main computer (mother board).

[@darryljude55]

awesome!

[@thekman1096]

Instead of using the internal graphics which typically are not very good for the pop outs add a second graphics card and you should get even better results

[@rbarlow]

Kevin yes I just didn’t have one readily available and always wondered about using the onboard video as a fifth port. I don’t even think the video card would have to be that strong since it is running all 2D windows in XP pop outs and Air Manager

[@person2351]

This isn’t a real flight sim without motion. Have you heard of DOF reality?

[@rbarlow]

My experience as an airline pilot in multi-million dollar state of the art simulators is that the motion systems offer a diminishing return for the investment. If done wrong they can actually detract from realism. Studies have shown actual pilot training in fixed base trainers had no appreciable difference in outcome than full motion systems. That being said I will try to get a trial of the DOF Reality System to prove myself wrong.

[@person2351]

Russ Barlow interesting, please do. I’m just an A&P mechanic myself so I’ve only ever worked on the avionics in a few of these sims, but never got to use one. In the process of building my own sim!

[@BimmerItaly]

Russ, try using 2nd video card to drive instrument panels ;)

[@rbarlow]

definately a good idea but I don't have one sitting around. XP still does all it's processing on the main card but Air manager can use the second card.

[@drewfliesbikes]

my second video card didn't help in this scenario. A second entire computer (7 years old with a 1050Ti) to drive the instrument panels did make an improvement.

[@nickorozco4301]

5950x and 3090?

[@rbarlow]

I wish. I have a 2080ti but on my VR sim. I wanted this to reflect a more middle of the road setup.

[@nickorozco4301]

@@rbarlow Russ, thanks for your reply. I’m considering a 5950X with 64GB ram and potentially 1 or 2 3090’s (NVlink) for a 1440p or 4k 60 triple setup. Given that the 5950X has 16 cores maybe it could work. Though I’m not sure, like you said, about just 1 3090.

[@pertevdural4513]

What happens if overclock your CPU's ?

[@rbarlow]

They go faster :) Seriously if the CPU is the limiting factor the fps will improve. If the graphics card is limiting, it will not increase fps.

[@hansholland5300]

I run xlife and vulkan but xlife will not work?

[@rbarlow]

Run in OpenGL mode until X-Life is compatible. You will miss the high FPS of Vulkan. Sorry.

[@stevealoia]

Lol I picked up 2 32 “ tv as I was walking in my garage to go to the basement. My wife opens the door and said what the hell . Lol

[@tomatosoupwoo]

Amazing, Though what did you tell her when she said what the hell?

[@stevealoia]

@@tomatosoupwoo I said I work and I just spent $400.00 on her Jeep

[@sigbauer9782]

My SO blamed me for the money spent on my flight sim, but I wouldn't blame you, Russ. Nope, instead, I got rid of the wife. #TrueStory

[@69GeneralLee01]

Briefly....whats Vulkan?

[@rbarlow]

Vulkan is an updated graphical rendering system that is replacing OpenGL. It offers more granular control of the rendering process and lets programmers avoid bottlenecks that lead to stutters i freezes in X-Plane. So far it seems to have done wonders for XP.

[@emanuelamezquita5192]

Russ please help me out to hook 5 monitors to my super computer please!

[@TheNewHaunter]

Thanks for another great video! Do you have room in you basement when the wives kick us out for following the “guy in KZbin’s” advice? 😂

[@rbarlow]

Andrew Reich glad someone got the humor! Thanks.

[@stephenalberts6873]

@@rbarlow I also thought it was funny....I'm a Russ Barlow "follower" and have been getting all my ideas on your channel. Since being in lockdown I've watched almost all your videos and my "minister of war, peace and finance (aka, THE WIFE)" was generous to buy me a new flight sim PC this week (waiting for it to be delivered today), man I love my wife, and THEN the minster's war abilities kicked in, at the very moment yesterday when I said "now I need to spend about $500 on the actual software, planes and knobster (she knows everything about the knobster, it's been the gospel from my mouth for the last three days), to keep it short, I lost the battle for software and the knobster, my credit card was confiscated and I am writing this from the deep down darkness of the basement...at least I have a basement (soon with a good gaming pc, with no flight sim on it), wish me luck ;-)

[@shop-skyyi]

great Flight simulation is a life. enjoy life. You need a force feedback yoke. All small aircraft yoke positions are wrong. This is caused by trim. Using force feedback yoke trim is easier and more realistic.

[@rbarlow]

Thanks. I have not found a truly realistic force feedback yoke yet...including in airline sims I have flown. They genrally act nice but occasionally the feel like they are a machine fighting with me. That is more distracting that just not have FF...my opinion after 23000 flight hours for General Aviation, to fighters, to Airlines. I appreciate your comment.

[@shop-skyyi]

@@rbarlow Appropriate products will appear in the future. Just like a mobile phone, the current mobile phone has the same capabilities as the previous pc. Flight simulation allows me to travel around the world.

[@ComdrStew]

If you put reflective tape on the bezels it will blend the screens together. Lets see what else can I tell you to sneak into the basement. Oh yeah a Buttkicker Gamer 2 if you don't have one lol.

[@rbarlow]

yes looking at a butt kicker. Seat mount or floor mount?

[@ComdrStew]

@@rbarlow Mine is on the seat. I use mine for DCS. At Kobuleti airport the taxi way is separated by cement sections. I can feel the bumps in the taxi way between the sections. You will be able to feel a stall before it gets bad. I had it turned up too much when I first got it and when I landed on the carrier, it knocked the picture off the wall in the room next to me, lol.

[@TheDWZemke]

Lol I have an over head projector it's 119" 9 × 16 ratio.

[@TheDWZemke]

I get it...