How to Buy the PERFECT TVs for Your Flight Sim

A look at the main factors in deciding the PERFECT TVs to buy for tour home flight simulator. Includes a strategy for buying that will allow you to try it first.
Videos referenced in video:
• x-Plane 11 Multi View ...
• MSFS MULTI VIEW SU10 F...

[@jaylusk6913]

In your opening, you note one of the joys of KZbin is interacting with users. With that in mind, I'm wondering if you might avail yourself to attend a few marriage counseling sessions to help me explain why VRR and local dimming were essential upgrades to my purchase at Costco this afternoon? LOL

[@brianharris1830]

Russ this is a TREMENDOUS video! Thank you for the organized detail efforts

[@stanvangilder9006]

Another excellent video that covers the subject in-depth and with practical examples. Thanks, Russ.

[@deryckschnee6376]

Appreciate your clear, concise, and thoughtful delivery of information. This is the first video I've run across of yours, but I'll definitely be watching more. Thanks!

[@MacsWraps]

I'm certainly glad that I subscribed, and found this video. It has answered the questions that I had from the video that introduced me to your channel. I was hoping to get some answers in the comments, but here I am. I'm eager to dive into more. Thanks for sharing!

[@TaylorSmith1962]

What a superbly well done video! Sets the bar for informational videos like this and was precisely what I was looking for. Well done!

[@rogerwilcojr]

This was fascinating. I dreamed of systems like this back when I started simming around 1987. Then I was on a Commodore 128 playing SubLogic FS on a TV and getting around 4 fps. It was good enough to learn to fly - input lag wasn't even a distant thought. Taxiing, taking off, using nav radios, gentle turns and pitch changes, using the ILS, and landing - no aerobatics though! When I took lessons the instructor never touched the controls. Anyway, after years away, I built a system in 2014 for Elite Dangerous and got a Rift. Now I can't imagine flying w/o using VR. My system is too slow for MSFS2020. It will probably be another year or two before I build a new system, and I'm hoping there will be a new real Gen 2 VR headset available, and finger tracking so you can turn knobs, push buttons, and etc. Even my experience with VR controls in NMS aren't that bad once you get used to them. The best part is it doesn't take anymore space than just sitting in a chair.

[@simflightpro]

Thank you for a very helpful and an elaborate life video Russ!

[@egcit4708]

Thank you, for doing the legwork and sharing.

[@philn2837]

Thanks Russ. Excellent advise.

[@JDRichard]

I actually love your description of how to buy these TVs for your simulator. Currently I have only one screen sitting on a desk would love to have three screens on my desk as I do use my desk for watch repair and occasionally work. I have both the alpha yolk and Bravo throttles and I also have the warthog joystick and throttles with the desk clamp mounts. So you can see I don't have much real estate in the room I use for flight simulation. I have been thinking about televisions for quite some time now and seeing whether I would get a curved screen and get rid of the two screens I currently have sitting on my desk or try to jam in a third screen and set it up so I have it like yours. As you said it's all about the Angles and the viewing perspective. If you see any mistakes in my texts because I use voice to text for adding my comments.

[@davidedel31]

Thanks Russ for the info. I am looking to expand my monitor but only need one since do not have room for any more. So will take information and look for a good quality monitor. Again thanks for the info.

[@tubecoatue]

Very helpful analysis. Thank you.

[@danielseguin913]

Your videos are extraordinary. They are sooo well made. Everything is clear and pertinent. Congratulations and thanks for sharing your experience with everyone.

[@srbarlow]

My pleasure. As a retiree I have no expectations for my channel other than sharing what I’ve learned with others.

[@AdvistaVideo]

Excellent video and information. Thanks...

[@pto200]

Very good, informative video. Thanks for sharing.

[@mick-tf7xj]

Thanks for that video Russ I found it very helpful asI shall be shopping for my 3 Tvs soon at Costco

[@wilga80]

Thanks Russ. Nice info.

[@ronloveflying]

Thanks for the informative video.

[@alternateuniverse1379]

Thanks , this is very helpful!

[@srbarlow]

You're welcome!

[@pilotpawanc]

Thanks Russ for this wonderful video.... What would say is better: 1) Two 24" screens 2) One 27" screen or 3) VR

[@assaf3852]

Thank you for all the very helpful content. I was wondering if you have come up with a short list of 55" screens that you like?

[@keithharrison1453]

Another good video Russ. A few months ago I bought a SAMSUNG AU9000 55 inch, which was well priced at Costco and on a special deal. That one is a 4K 60 Hz screen, but can handle 1080P at 120 Hz (MSFS at 4k 60 Hz and 1080P 60 Hz is OK, so that may not be an advantage). A pretty good screen, perhaps not bright enough if used in a well lit room, but fine if the lighting is otherwise subdued or when used in the evenings. At present, however, as I am still limited by my GPU, I am working with MSFS using some much older IIYAMA 27 inch 1080P. I have those in a Dual configuration, but do have a third, so will invest in a Triple Monitor Stand at some stage, and will try MSFS on the three screens. The dual screens were much better than a single, i.e. once MSFS enabled multi-monitor support, so I can see how nice triple screens will be. Indeed, I think triple screens would be optimum, and I can see that arrangement will be a good workable alternative to VR (with some advantages such as being able to see and use the physical controls, and being able to share the MSFS experience with others watching or sat with you). Additional comment: worth saying that it's worth checking how many HDMI Inputs a screen has, especially if you wish to use it for several other tasks, such as TV, Blueray, Sound and PC input and so on. The Samsung above is, for me, one HDMI Port low, as I have had to use an HDMI Switcher between the PC and Blueray Player, which is a pain. If you need to use an HDMI Switcher, just get a good one that can handle the resolutions and frequencies, that preferably has a Remote. Or, better still, buy a screen with plenty of HDMI Ports!

[@srbarlow]

Good point I missed, My TVs are dedicated so I didn't consider the number of HDMI ports

[@mrfairycake4333]

Great video Russ and very useful...what tv's did you end up getting and do you have a link to them by any chance?

[@syrous42]

Student pilot here. I really appreciate your insight Russ, cant thank ya enough.

[@jessadonal]

Hi Russ! Great video! May I ask what TV stands you are using?

[@user-kz4ze4lv9n]

Very nice, interesting and useful video; next step for me now to understand what the impacts on the fps and overall graphic quality would be...

[@jpr7365]

Thanks Russ, I was using MSFS on VR only but you inspired me to go down the triple screens with 2 touch panels and air Manager for hands on, immersive cockpit flying. Just one more left hand screen to complete the setup.

[@rhadiem]

That's certainly an option but why not a better VR headset like the Varjo? Triple screen is a "before VR" path.

[@srbarlow]

I wouldn't abandon VR as I really think it is the future. Some people cannot overcome the motion sickness issue and until there is a better way to interact without a mouse or keyboard triple monitors is the best solution for serious flight training. I have the luxury of two sims, multi monitor and a dedicated VR sim. I'd hate to have to pick only one.... kinda like having to keep only one of your children.

[@jonbarto9146]

VR is the way to go for immersion but in my case at least I miss having access to a physical control. Using the motion controllers on my Quest 2 works but is still kind of fiddly.

[@SlovoTverdo]

@@jonbarto9146 I'm flying in VR, so building a C172 cocpit for true imersion and physical control. And VR headset save me a lo-o-o-ot of money - no more needs tons of additional screens, leds, etc...

[@Coupe420]

I have 3 34" lg 2k 120 monitors, and yes it nice, but I find I rarely fly without vr anymore. Sometimes i do while settings up, and preflight, but once everything is setup, I switch to vr. My biggest complaint is, even with 3 identical monitors, 1 is a noticeable different hue! It's so slight, that some people wouldn't even notice, but it drive s me nuts! It cost over 1k for the 3 monitors and the 300$ reverb g2 puts it all to shame in msfs. I got the reverb after using my kids quest2 1 time! If your pc can crunch 3 monitors. It can crunch vr also. One possible downside... I can make myself sick in vr occasionally. Even a simple head tracker adds more immersion than the 3 monitor setup. Either way you go, have a good pc, because you will need it! But for immersion sake and cost, I would rank them from best to worst... vr>single monitor head tracking>multiple monitors. Not only that, the 3 monitors is an absolute pain to get just the angles right, it was the most difficult to setup, costs the most, and adds virtually nothing!

[@jimhinkle7245]

Thanks Russ!!!! I'm at the point of updating my sim and I'm looking for 55" TV's.

[@donwhyte9855]

HI Russ Do you have any videos on what you did for the design and layout of your cockpit structures such as the tables that support the instrument monitors and how to mount 3 50-55" tv.s =? In my setup I have my instrument monitors and flight sim yoke sitting on a desk but it's too high and doesn't quite match the instrument and yoke positions in a real cockpit. I'm using a 58" tv but want to downsize to probably 50" as it' tends to be too tall - I'm craning my head to look up at the ceiling lol. Not being a carpenter I need some advice and/or plans of how to do those support tables etc.

[@shlomobecker3316]

Thank you Russ for all these videos. It contributes to the community and keeps you younger. It seems that 55" TV is the right geometry. Is it overwhelmed to seat about 41" away from three big TVs for long time ?. Second question is how do handle all the settings and programing with this main computer, when the screens are partially covered by the small screens panels?

[@srbarlow]

Actually I have never noticed any feeling of being closed in by the three monitors at my 60 degree FOV per degree. That pots my eye even with the back edges of the side monitors at which they are spread apart twice the width of the front monitor. In my setup almost 8 feet. it is true that the front panel does obscure view of the lower front monitor. By making the main monitor one of the side monitor most things are accessible but there are times I need to partially stand up to see the MSFS interface buttons and menus, Fortunately while flying there is no such issue as anything obscured is rightly so.

[@barendbluf]

Thank you very much

[@ScottDube1]

Russ any comments on the set ups I have seen where people are using a bigger screen up front and then mounting a smaller monitor in a door window frame arrangement giving the sensation of looking out the door windows? I'm a retired airline pilot and fascinated by this hobby. I am looking at building a 172 cockpit as a warm up for something bigger and faster. Your channel has been a big help!

[@jaylusk6913]

Russ, somewhere in one of your vids I caught a glimpse of your floor monitor stands. Can you say which you are using? I'm mounting three 48" units. Much appreciated.

[@zsblendorio]

Another amazing video with tremendous & well thought out detail. Best SIM content & knowledge out there. Thank you for all the effort you put into posting.

[@srbarlow]

Thanks. I try to post only when I have something informative to say. I figure nobody wants to watch me just flying around in my sim.

[@researchcapt]

Please tell us which make and model TV's that you bought.

[@theaustralianconundrum]

I already had a newish 86" 4K UHD that has HDMI 2.1 and VRR. It's wall mounted and based in the living room. Immersion is an understatement. Ever seen a 5 foot wide G5000 in high res? And the latency is very low indeed for a non OLED. Even my good lady wife was amazed when I took my first flight in the 172 from a tiny black box and we know this aircraft well. That sealed. It also contained digital delights to the point that I'd swear it was 80% close to the real deal. ;-)

[@vMaxHeadroom]

Picked up a cost effect LG Nano86 55 inch on sale circa 699 4K 120Hz hdmi 2.1 and super impressed. Has VRR and works fine on my Nvidia GPU...may not be an OLED screen or the best HDR but for the price really good...Should be even cheaper as superseded by newer models..

[@tonywardle3736]

Russ, what is your graphic card setup and which scenery packages do you use ? The resolution looks great.

[@briandenley]

I bought an LG 45 inch curved monitor with 240hz refresh rate. It’s 2K but from 4 feet away, you cannot tell it from 4K anyway. Amazing experience with FS2020!

[@bluenote7086]

Russ - Rickaroo here agin. Need to buy 6 of the screens while the Xmas sales are in effect. Please give me your best selection. I'll review em of course. I had Sams and Costco in ANC but liked Costco better. Only Sam's here in muddle Ga. Great Holidays to you and yours.

[@essbe7158]

Thank you!

[@srbarlow]

You're welcome!

[@tub1965]

Russ,good video. What additional computer should I have for a 3 screen,46 inch and 2 side 36 inches...my main computer is an M1 Mac mini 16 gig, but I will need another MAC or PC ,no?Can I mix Mac and PC? Do I have to buy X plane twice?

[@richpaul8132]

Thank you very much for that very helpful information. But I must ask why you choose to go with TV screens instead of computer monitors? Is it that the TVs cost less maybe? I don't know myself but I presently have a single 2160P x 3840 x 60 Philips 328E1C 32", 16:9, Curved monitor. It offers numerous way to connect, including DP ports, which are my preference. The settings for everything you mentioned, (backlight, VRR, G-Sync, etc.) and many that you didn't mention are all included in the 328E1C. Anyway, I'm thinking of buying 3 monitors and then working out how I can change to the 3-monitor arrangement for flying and the single monitor for day to day use. But that's a problem I'll address for a different time. I build my own computers and I have a single GeForce 3080Ti GPU. I have the GPU calling the shots. As a still-life photographer and use a large format printer so I calibrate my monitor to match my printer. I recalibrate the monitor's color profile about once every month with an XRite spectrophotometer. But for the flight sim, I override the monitor's color profile with one of the built-in profile settings. Also, I have an external 5.1 sound system to handle the audio so built-in speakers aren't important. My point is that even though my GPU doesn't have any trouble with a single 2160 x 3840 monitor I think 3 monitors at 3840 would be too much for it. So, with a limited amount of room to work with, I was thinking about 3, 30" 1080P flat monitors or TVs. But I must wonder if the TVs would give the ability to be driven by my GPU rather than the TV's system. In fact, I'm not even sure there would be any differences in the basic operations just so long as the TV sets offer DP connections. I have a lot to think about but my question that I asked earlier regarding your choice to go with TVs instead of Computer Monitors remains. Would you please explain that? Thanks again for the video! Rich

[@MarKDoesKeto]

Great video as always. Hopefully the combo VR+AR goggles will come down in price, I would not today buy a VR headset that doesn't allow me to "see" my hands/keyboard/mouse, unless dirt cheap like a used headset.

[@srbarlow]

Don't be to adamant about waiting to join the party. I noticed over Black Friday HP had the Reverb G2 available for $399. Even just for visual flying VR is worth it. You just can't understand unless you try it. I haven't had a first timer user yet who tried it and said it didn't exceed their expectations.

[@baterista08]

Russ I have a rtx3080 card and I’m running three 55inch TVs plus two wimaxit touch screens all off of one computer. One of the touch screens is using the stock video card. On MSFS2020 I run the front tv at 4K and the side TVs at 1080p. I don’t use ultra graphics all around though. This allows me to run smoothly using all those monitors oj one computer and have the screen that I look directly at the most look very nice and the side ones are a little grainy. But that’s ok because they’re in my peripheral vision most of the time. This seems to be a decent solution to the 4K/1080 debate esp when using one computer.

[@oldRighty1]

I think someone else did a video where they ran a similar setup but did 2K on the side panels, had decent framerates, and were happy with the picture quality. When you say you're running one of the touch screens of of the stock video card, do you mean the CPU based graphics, using one of the mobo ports?

[@baterista08]

@@oldRighty1 yes I turned in the onboard graphics card to run my fifth monitor which is a 15”wimaxit touch screen from Amazon. The three 55”tvs and the first 15” touchscreen are run off of the 3080. I would like to be able to have some higher settings because the rendering is sometimes a bit slow but overall it’s a pretty solid setup that allows for nice graphics especially on the main screen and pretty smooth performance

[@wildgoobsid5]

Hate to nit pick but you should add an addendum. Gaming monitors are very different from TV’s. I’m not an expert and don’t know all of the numbers. gamers and sim racers almost always use 27” monitors at max 1440 p. BTW great video as usual!

[@user-yl4lf9mh1w]

i got an lg oled that is made for gaming and its insanely amazing.

[@THESHADOW97139]

Merci!!

[@philipsiou6258]

Hi Russ, very informative video. I like to know if you have tried 3 monitors with PMDG 737 running on 4K? I spent most of my time flying the 737 and is not sure if the Nvidia 3080 Gpu can support 3 monitors with this airplane. Many thanks for your advise.

[@flyvr3054]

I have 3 x 58 4K cheapo TVs --- RTX 3060Ti drives them just fine at 30 - want a RTX4K to do 60 --- you will NOT regret the setup -- LOVE the PMDG 737 -- fly it almost everyday

[@pilotbsinthesky3443]

I'm looking int the U7H or R646 at 55" in a pretty dark gaming room for 1 screen setup. Thoughts? Really want to find a cheaper 4k 120hz model. I'm seeing some TV's with 144hz or more may come next year.

[@ekakoll]

Great Video. Now with all that said, can you please tell us what TVs, brand and model you got for your sim? Thanks

[@srbarlow]

Mine are Vizio and purchased about 6 years ago. Even the cheapest TVs today are superior to mine in most aspects.I am due for an upgrade but have been enamored with VR lately and am holding off on replacing them as I watch the VR tech rapidly evolve.

[@rogersheth404]

Great video. I just had a new computer with the latest nvidia 4090 card and 13900k CPU. So I can definately get 120 fps. I currently i use a Samsung 4K UHD 40" TV, (model UN40KU6300FXZA, but refresh rate is only 60 Hertz. I can't find the fill rate here. This is however a perfect size. Does it pay to buy the same size at120 Hertz? Will I even notice the difference.

[@davejones542]

Great video. Regarding curved or very wide screens - I recall I read somewhere that nvidia cards (or xplane or both) prefer to drive one wider screen, compare to three, not so wide screens (interms of frame rate that can be achieved every else being the same). Did you get time to look into that?

[@coloradocruzer]

The three screens use different camera angles, this is not possible with one screen. He has a video on this.

[@srbarlow]

Watch this to see the difference between a single wide screeen vs. true multiview. suround is better FPS but there is no comparison kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5STmICEbtZjqNk

[@SlyverKnight]

Hi, dont you still need a power display port adapter for the 3rd TV? I remember the LCD Tv's required power for the 3rd TV.

[@fireloks6362]

Is this the Roseville Costco? (Where you were showing the TV's)

[@removebeforeflight7365]

I have a single 42 inch 1080p TV and it really enhances immersion compared to any computer monitor. The switches and screens look real as they are about the same size as in real life. On some aircraft like the A320, the numbers on the EADI are hard to read but to fix this I would need a 4k TV which my current PC can’t drive.

[@DownTheRabbit-Hole]

Large TV's at 1080p are always blurry if you do a lot of G1000 instrument flying. I believe that with 3090+ and 4090 that 3 wide at 1440p will be the go to res. I use 3 32" in lg nano 1ms at hd on 2080ti

[@BC21084]

RIP pixels

[@donehler1022]

The video was help full. I am using 2 x 27 inch monitors and a 32 inch TV for the main monitor. My mouse will not work on the TV on the instrument panel? If I move the monitor to the pc monitor it works fine. The TV is set on game mode any suggestions.

[@Cluanar]

So in a 3 55inch monitor set up for a say cessna 172 i see some conflicting positions in one, where do you position the left yoke in the front monitor and two, where do you put the pilot seat in regard to front monitor. I sit slightly to the left of center so i am closer to the left monitor

[@Aj-vg7fp]

Can you do the same setup using VR monitors or 180 degrees vr monitor?

[@christianweber9003]

HI. Is there a way to be able to see all the instument panel in the field of view, like in a real airplane or will it be allways cut by the screen?

[@Ginuwine-kx2iv]

Hey Russ, thanks for the video very informative. During the last minute of the video you have what appears two displays one with the instrument cluster and the second with 6 images is this correct? So that would mean your system is pushing 5 displays all set up in MSFS?

[@srbarlow]

Yes I have a RTX2080ti with only 4 ports so I use a device called a Pluggable that is usb and can drive two monitors

[@Mikinct]

What size TV would get you closer to a real life (1 to 1) ratio? When you fly close by The Statue of Liberty you actual sense the size & height of the 3D objects. Or what setup or trick might help? I had a large projector with 150 or 200ft stance but it wasn't 4k and image detail suffered greatly but even at that size objects were better but still no where near 1 to 1 ratios. Any input & experience with that would be great.

[@KarelKist]

Thanks Russ for sharing your thoughts. They are very useful since buying TV's for my sim is one of the next things on my to-do list. You mention that the position of the pilot has to be dead centre. What if that is difficult due to the set up of the cockpit (pedestal, TQ)? My seat is about 10 - 15" to the left. Which would also mean left of the centre of the middle screen. Is the only way enlarging the angle of the right hand monitor?

[@srbarlow]

I have been in sims with the pilot's eye position not centered and the effect is that the plane is moving in a crab, It is terrible. The left and right monitors need to be symmetrical and rotated at the angle equal to the center monitor FOV. Obviously the second seat in a two seat sim is NOT going to have an accurate view. You can reduce the angle of BOTH side monitors and reduce the FOV of all monitors to match the reduced angle. This will move the eye position further back away from the monitors and reduce the total FOV. The other alternative is to get larger monitors if your room will allow that. Watch these videos for more details kzbin.info/www/bejne/hpvHmIJ4f5qrobM kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3yZoaGJZatqndU

[@KarelKist]

@@srbarlow Thanks. I wonder if this effect can't be alleviated by creating a camera position that is moved sideways to the right (more towards the centre of the cockpit like e.g. a pedestal or the jump seat). Problem then is of course that with a VC cockpit, the centre strut comes into play. I do not know if this can be helped by removing the VC.

[@supra2800]

@@KarelKist Did you ever find a way to alleviate the "crab"-effect when sitting in the left side of the cockpit (MSFS)? I feel like it would be easier and more realistic to build a cockpit where the pilot position is in the left, rather than the middle.

[@KarelKist]

​@@supra2800 No, because I do not have MSFS. I understand their multi-monitor utility is experimental and does not function as expected. Viewgroups in P3D seems to work much better, albeit fixing 'crab'-effect comes at a cost.

[@ButchNackley]

49" UltraWide panels are extremely nice.

[@ColinDyckes]

Only one choice in my opinion : LG OLED. Your choice of 48,55 or 65. 4K, 120Hz VRR HDR and no noticeable lag for MSFS. I use a single LG48C1 at arm and finger tip length, plus a Reverb G2. They would be stunning in a triple monitor setup if that's your thing. Single 48 plus TrackIR works great for me. 4090 helps!

[@JetlinerX]

You just need a small fortune to spend $1k on each TV 😅

[@ryanp6999]

Man, I love my LG C1 OLED. I bought it knowing I wouldn't have to upgrade for 4-5 years.

[@stricklandgarageaviation2864]

I bought 3 LG 55" TVs and they work great with XP. I tried to add a 22" monitor and the knobster. My problem is I can't calibrate the 22" touch screen monitor (it says touchscreen not available) so I can utilize the touch screen and knobster. I can only use the mouse to highlight the switch or knob to operate the knobster. Any ideas?

[@777FreakyD]

I debated multi screen vs single ultra wide curved. I went with the curved option and love it. Gaming monitors like those have low latency built in, high refresh rates (144Hz), and VA panels have great contrast ratios. The distortion you referred to only comes into play at low zoom levels I found.

[@dabneyoffermein595]

i totally agree, you have to get used to the left and right side perspectives but it's actually not so different than in real life as i discovered the other day. while driving i decided to watch the left and right side of my vision and it did the same thing as the ultra-wide. i only have a 120Hz however, yours is obviously much more expensive at 144Hz and much more snappy.

[@adaml5716]

Hi Russ, hope you're doing good. I was wondering if you had any thoughts or experience about using a larger front screen compared to the side screens (In my case am planning a 75" TV at the front and 2 x 55" TV's for the side views) All TV's will be from the same manufacturer and from the same product range. I'm using XP11. Would this setup work or would the side screen distort? Many thanks for your help

[@srbarlow]

For X-Plane you can make it work since you can control each view more precisely (Field of view and offsets) but currently I don’t recommend it for MSFS since there is no way I know to adjust the extra monitors to accommodate different sizes .

[@joeglennaz]

Ross I just found your channel thanks for the great video. Could you do a video on what type of PC set up I should have for flight Sim? Day-to-day I use a MacBook Pro it’s a newer M1 with a 2 TB SSD drive and 64 gigs of RAM. It’s a super powerful machine but I never hear anyone talking about flight Sim on the Mac. I haven’t played flight SIM for 30 years. I am a private pilot. I was thinking about getting a PC as a back up for my Mac because I use my Mac for work and do zoom calls every day but also to do flight Sim but I’m wondering what graphics card do I need what kind of processor do I need in Intel or AMD how much ram do I need etc. I would love to hear your thoughts. Thank you.

[@srbarlow]

Windows is the best option for flight sim as it has touch screen support natively, MSFS only works on Windows, and they are cheaper to boot. I suggest am nVidia graphics card of at least RTX3070 speed (see gpu.userbenchmark.com (look at average bench values to compare). Really depends on how many monitors you want to use and if you want to use VR. The faster the better. Same wit CPUs. Since sims are mostly single thread the clock speed is more important than the number of cores. check our cpu.userbenchmark.com . RAM of 16Gig is usually enough. I think buying a preassembled computer is best. The best value is usually to buy a second tier computer with performance equal to the top of the line two years ago. Don't go too cheap or you will probably regret it as your simming progresses.

[@joeglennaz]

@@srbarlow thanks Russ if anything I would probably go a little bit overboard buying it because I’m always thinking about future proofing myself. Will you answer almost all my questions like gives me a really good idea. I’d love to build a mini cockpit in my house that’s fully enclosed so I could get the fully immersive experience but I need to go one step at a time I always think about doing flights and yet I never actually sit down and do it don’t even on the program at this point. Well I own the old program from 1988. Thanks again Russ!

[@supergazell7]

Your video is very interesting. I want to buy one for my simulator and use it with my new yoke. I was thinking about a 40 to 43 inch but I see that most 4k tvs still come with only 60 hrz, will that affect my simulation? I'll only use 1 screen.

[@mapsmaps2215]

Probably depends on if your gpu can handle 4k at more than 60hz. Ive heard some people say that even with a 4070 they chunk at 4k 144hz. Imo it just makes things a little less smooth but it doesnt make it bad. God bless

[@henrikolsen5]

I'm just dipping my feet in multi monitor setups recently. I have no dedicated cockpit setup, just a work desk with a 27" in front of me, and a 24" on my left, on a double monitor arm. Have a few questions, if anyone can help answer those. When will MSFS support different sized monitors in a multi monitor setup? Is it correct, that the my eyes _have_ to be absolutely level with the center/front screen? Else I cannot get the perspective to line up with the second monitor, no matter the settings used. It seems annoyingly high, compared to normal usage. At current version SU10/11, can the same setup/alignment be used across different airplanes when the seating position and default view angle is different? I was noticing than when aligning things for the Cessna 152, then going the the A320 (A32NX), things didn't line up so well anymore, perhaps because default view is pointing slightly downwards - and if I level the view, I cannot see the instruments...

[@fbhombal]

Genius !!!!

[@jeanpierre-hy2bl]

I have a saitek pro flight sim and 58 inches Hisense Roku Tv can you tell me how can I connect the saitek flight sim to the tv or do a you tube video about it

[@krewetki]

What computer's configuration do you have? (graphics card and processor)

[@w.justinbobko8876]

Russ, great stuff! I’m embarking on reproducing you VR Mighty Mouse and could use your input on Arduino Sketch, Nano Setup(s)? And use of audio. Do you have an offline method to communicate? I’ve exhausted all means to contact. Maybe through third party. W. Justin

[@srbarlow]

you can email me at a gmail dot com domain @ the email prefix barlow320

[@DannyColica]

Brand new to Flt Sim. (actually first day of real research) I learned to fly many years ago starting with a J Cub with Pontoons and then on to 150's, 172's then Cherokee 6. So this is like learning to fly all over again. I would like to know what your recommendation is for a VR set and do you like using them for this system. It appears that this would be a bit more cost effective then the purchase of three 55" monitors and related setup ie; desk, mounts, overall space required?

[@srbarlow]

Yes VR is easy to set up but interacting with the switches and knobs is not realistic either. It is coming though see my video kzbin.info/www/bejne/fHPOk4ellNWGjsk

[@SteveMacLaren-nw8ck]

Hi Russ, what brand triple monitor floor stand are you using?

[@srbarlow]

It was purchased on Amazon a while back. There are many similar there now. I suggest with wheels so you can move and vary the sweep back angle on side monitors. Also the height needs to be adjustable so you can be sure monitors are correct for your sitting height. I had to reverse the base feet and add weight to the base ( so the feet didn’t clash or interfere with my sim base) so it was stable with the shorter front legs. I attached a shelf on the longer feet( toward back now) and placed landscape bricks on to assure they didn’t tip forward toward the now shorter front feet. Hope that makes sense.

[@MadMoses56]

What stands do you use?

[@dogfightdiary5712]

Is a Four-Monitor Array doable? I fly open cockpit WW1 aviation sims and I've seen three-monitor setups where a center monitor shows the view ahead and a second and third monitors angled back on the sides show the view to either side; blended to merge when you rotate your head to look around with a head tracker like Track IR. I've also seen four-monitor setups with one at top center, but only used to display the desktop; not the sim. QUESTIONS Is it possible to assign a fourth monitor (above the center monitor and angled back) to show an overhead view of the sky in an "open cockpit" aviation simulation? Will the "wrap around" setting for three multiple monitors also see a fourth one (atop center) as "extra real estate" on which the range of the game image can be extended? I'd like to build an array that will do that. Any info?

[@srbarlow]

Your question doesn’t mention which sim you’re using but on XP what you want is possible as it allows each monitor view to be precisely defined as to vertical, lateral and roll offset. Unfortunately MSFS2020 doesn’t allow such granular control. It can generate an acceptable multi view setup with three side by side similar sized monitors. The current multi monitor controls are in the experimental menu so hopefully Asobo has a better plan for the future

[@jaylusk4590]

Outstanding guidance, though I'm reading (on RTINGS) many of the $250-300 choices you noted @ Costco do not include Local Dimming (Hisense A6H/LG UQ8000/Samsung TU700D), and the Sammy and LG at that price point do not include VRR (Variable Refresh Rate). Deal killers, despite the fact all three are rated with very low lag times?

[@jaylusk4590]

Quickly running down the 50"-55" Sammy selection at my regional Costco, I'm seeing you have to drop $800 before you get VRR and 'sub-par' Dimming (per RTINGS). Looking at LGs next. Samsung TU700D - NO VRR, NO LOCAL DIM Samsung AU8000 - NO VRR, NO LOCAL DIM Samsung TU8000 - NO VRR, NO LOCAL DIM Samsung Q60/Q60A - NO VRR, NO LOCAL DIM Samsung Q60B - NO VRR, NO LOCAL DIM --- Samsung Q7 QLED 55" $799 (member only price) - VRR, SUB-PAR LOCAL DIM

[@jefflampe9725]

@@jaylusk4590 I would be very interested what you land on with Black Friday stuff coming up

[@jaylusk4590]

@@jefflampe9725 Honestly, after watching this vid (a couple times now) I'm more uncertain, to the point I may not pull the trigger by this weekend. I was originally aiming towards Costco's 50-55" 4K LCD LED 60Hz lineup in the $300-350 range - Sammy & LG primarily. I appreciate the checklist that Russ defined, but based on his input, it appears my target price point is missing key features, such as the Variable Refresh and Local Dimming. I mean, who goes to the expense of building a triple monitor pit but doesn't want to fly at night? Dimming seems a must. I believe Russ implied there's a $300-ish perTV solution that takes VRR and Dimming into account, but I'm not seeing it at my regional Costco in the 50-55" range. Rather, if I want, errr, if I NEED VRR/Dimming, looks like I would have to spend upwards of $800 x3. Not what I was budgeting for, so I'm stuck at the hold-short line for the moment. Russ, am I way behind the airplane here and misinterpreting something?

[@jaylusk6913]

@@jefflampe9725 and the winner is... LG OLED48C2AUA

[@BuildTimeMC]

6:28 Why does the cockpit have to be closer to the right side? In Microsoft flight sim its possible to change the camera position so the view is in the middle Will that work?

[@EbonySeraphim]

I think this is simple: an OLED 120hz VRR is the spot for flight sim and will be for over 10 years if you're not doing VR. Pick the right size, and if it's over 32" 4K resolution is going to be better and be done with it. There is so much 1 - input lag doesn't matter for flight sim. I fly combat sim (Digital Combat Simulator) and input latency isn't even a thing I care about. With GA, this is even more true. Stuff doesn't sneak up on us that survival is about observing something milliseconds sooner and reacting. 2 - High refresh rate doesn't matter, but 120Hz VRR is still helpful. #1 is also why high refresh rate doesn't matter; at 120hz, you have an 8ms advantage presentation time. You didn't survive or die because you saw something potentially 8s sooner. Further, flight simulators are super demanding both in graphics and CPU. No one has a GPU that runs 4k 120hz smoothly with 1% lows of 80 fps or so; and further basically every modern flight sim (DCS, XPlane12, MSFS) still make all current top of the line CPUs with the fastest DDR5 memory run slower than 120hz, and in MSFS (which I hate) slower than 60hz a lot. The only reason I suggest 120hz is with VRR so that when/if you are averaging maybe 80-90fps on really high end hardware, you aren't v-sync'd down to 60hz because of your monitor's limits. You can observe the extra FPS you are getting, it's also better if you're less than 60hz as you don't have to decide if you prefer to vsync to lose further performance versus avoiding screen tearing.

[@Glasairman]

My YT-Icon was my ultimate sim (see pic) until one day after 35 years the FlightDoctor got me with too much sugar. Good and bad in one, I hadn't known. It's a Glasair IIS-RG D-EDSW that I built myself over 10 years. I saw it at the Reno Races on a visit to the USA to do my IFR in 1992 and couldn't resist

[@JohnVanderbeck]

Would 4 monitors be better for larger aircraft, IE airliner sims? I guess the center could be one monitor but then it would have to be quite large to be wide enough for a Captain and FO

[@srbarlow]

For sure or even 5

[@peterbaek9059]

One important thing to keep in mind if you're going to run triple monitors. Almost all the latest Nvidia Geforce RTX 30 and 40 series cards have only 1 HDMI input and 3 DP inputs. So, that limits your option of buying dedicated computer monitors and not TVs since the vast majority of TV's have only HDMI (and no DP).

[@ryanbrancel]

It's not a problem to use DP to HDMI adapters on the video card

[@coloradocruzer]

Is it possible to get the correct geometry by setting up your physical 2 person cockpit centered on the front screen, and shifting the camera over?

[@supra2800]

Did you have any luck with this?

[@coloradocruzer]

@@supra2800 X-Plane supports this, it is a feature intended for a wall of monitors but works in this situation. MSFS doesn't have complete multi monitor support yet, hopefully they will add this soon. I haven't figured out if this makes landing much harder or not yet. The nose is visible on some airplanes and it is definitely off. Probably less of an issue on airliners since the distance is further.

[@supra2800]

@@coloradocruzer yes let’s hope MSFS improves their multi monitor support in coming versions! Until then, I guess I just have to live with being a bit off center. It’s too weird for me to sit in the middle of the cockpit 😀

[@ronkiripolsky258]

Russ I’m Ron from San Diego again. Got a 21 inch tv to use with air manager and knobster. I believe it is not touch screen. How do I use knobster without the touch screen. As always. Thanks and all the best. Ron

[@srbarlow]

You just enable knobster in the panel settings and instead of touching a knob to select it you just click it with the mouse. It hilighgts yellow and the knobster controls the selected knob on the panel

[@callum2277]

The LG OLEDs are great for image quality but they can burn in if you display the same content. this is particularly important if you use a fixed view for your sim setup some of the bright elements on the gauges or the auto pilot panel on commercial jets can burn in. I have the external view gauges from MSFS faintly burned into my CX oled after messing around with the dark star in external view. the red bars from the engine and fuel gauges are faintly visible on a pure red scree.

[@srbarlow]

Sorry to hear that. I mentioned it in my video but I didn’t emphasize it as some OLEDs are worse than others.

[@johngisbourne7197]

Run the pixel refresh program of the TV, takes an hour. Fixed all my dead pixels and burn ins.

[@srbarlow]

@@johngisbourne7197 interesting! Confirm that is an OLED and not QLED?

[@DownTheRabbit-Hole]

Be advised that large tv's at 1080p, scenery looks good but instruments can be blurry. Notice that Russ has his instruments displayed on home cockpit and tv's are mostly scenery, top of glareshield only etc.

[@srbarlow]

True. I use Air Manager for the cockpit instrument panel and in X-Plane have scenery only on the monitors(or align the top of the glareshield on the sim with the displayed cockpit on the monitors. I can read the instruments but for me the problem is that to get a proper view out the front cuts off a lot of the instrument panel. Of course you can back off from the panel with your view but that creates a non-lifesized view (when the physical angle and the displayed angles are not equal) . When the world is less than life sized the runways look narrow. Also you can use track IR or a hat switch to glance down at the panel but this is not as realistic as having a panel you can just quickly and effortlessly glance down at with your eyes.

[@MatthewHolevinski]

The first time I hooked up a bunch of monitors side by side was the difference in colors, brightness, contrast, all at the same time from the exact same model. I can't get them all to match up close enough by hand to not drive me insane, so back to 1 monitor with a bunch turned off for me :)

[@srbarlow]

try a factory reset and then stand back and adjust them all with a single remote to get identical settings. That worked for me and lots of others.

[@Glasairman]

@@srbarlow ..and also make sure they are using the same color space setting en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_space

[@srbarlow]

@@Glasairman good point

[@neosyoshiranquake6160]

You buy size tv?

[@Cloudybox12]

I did. I purchased the 48in LG C2 OLED. Once you go OLED you can’t go back!

[@chicharonbuyakyak]

Hi Russ! Just built a PC with 3 monitors and a touch screen monitor over the weekend but don't know where to start. Do you have a guide on how to set it up in windows, x-plane 12 and air manager?

[@chicharonbuyakyak]

So lost on where to start

[@srbarlow]

Take it a little at a time. First set up XP12 with your yoke and rudders on a single monitor. When you get comfortable with that I’d add the other two TVs. That is pretty easy. Then I’d add Air Manager and the touch monitor. Trying to do it all at once is overwhelming. I will consider such a tutorial.

[@chicharonbuyakyak]

@@srbarlow Thanks Russ!

[@dabneyoffermein595]

@@chicharonbuyakyak don't forget to try DCS as well. It's amazing with 3 to 4 monitors. (4th monitor if using Helios)

[@chicharonbuyakyak]

@@dabneyoffermein595 what is DCS? Sorry I’m computer illiterate. This is a big jump for me. From just simple laptop stuff then building a PC with all the peripherals

[@DownTheRabbit-Hole]

I use 32"x3 lg nano 1ms ips monitors. 1 touchscreen and knobster. Works great. Much better than vr for training, youtube,

[@THESHADOW97139]

Hi Monitor 1920 x 1080 ??

[@corneliuslam8277]

Does adding a 4th TV above the front one add much to the triple setup? If it does, which planes would benefit the most?

[@srbarlow]

Not sure I understand what you mean by this … to look up ?

[@corneliuslam8277]

@@srbarlow Yes that is correct. Sorry for not being clear.

[@srbarlow]

@@corneliuslam8277 possibly for a fighter airplane with a canopy but for most General Aviation airplanes wouldn’t that be mostly the ceiling of the cockpit?

[@essbe7158]

Sorry to ask questions, but I'd hate to make mistakes, especially expensive ones. How do you plug in each of your TVs? Looks like even a 4000 series card only has two hdmi ports. Are you using some external device that you plug one HDMI cable from your the card into and then the device has three ports you can plug each tv into? Thanks for your time.

[@srbarlow]

See kzbin.info/www/bejne/rIvJq2Wnnth9apI

[@essbe7158]

@@srbarlow Thank you!

[@riderdiago8138]

(Until now) My grandfather has an TV LG plasma 50", "PQ30 Series" 1366x768 (12 years approximately) (The label says "300Hz", but it is most logical that it is "60hz" - normal) (I plugged my PC into VGA or HDMI port. And the "input lag" is not perceived 😊) But in another story... My mother has a TV LG Led 43", "ThinQ AI Series" 4K. (The label says "120Hz" - I think it's true) (And the "input lag" is... 😱😱😱 - The image setting in "game mode" fixes the problem, *but* only a little)

[@GreggRoberts]

The only pointer I can give is make sure it's 4k and at least 120hz. 144hz is better. I got the 43 inch 144hz. Only downside is no tuner or fancy TV stuff. No input lag (response time). I have good yoke so I get no input lag.

[@srbarlow]

All good points. Thanks.

[@williamwidjaja850]

any PWM eye strain looking so close to 3 monitors at same time ?