Read this before you make a decision to by FSX or upgrade your computer!!

FSX - MORE SPEED?
OR HOW TO GET THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS TODAY

IMPORTANT : PLEASE READ ALL OF THIS NEWS RELEASE
IF YOU WANT FREE STUFF AS WELL AS FSX TIPS TO HELP YOU!

As you are aware, the new version of Flight Simulator X developed by Microsoft and eagerly awaited by many virtual pilots, has been out now for many weeks. Many of our customers are seeking guidance from different sources online and a large number have approached us regarding issues of speed/fps, product compatibility, service upgrades, updates etc. and so we are releasing this newswire to explain as much as we can.

Heralded as the best yet, FSX received mixed reviews from its betas, many showing some of the awesome screen shots and detail as superceding FS2004 in leaps and bounds. However, some reports said that FSX is now proving to be more than a little hungry on even top end, dual core PC's and there are several factors governing a number of issues to be fully covered.

The new FSX version places demands on even the most advanced machines out now however, professional PC builders tell us to 'wait until the dust has settled' since this version of FSX is 'not the big one'. This is what the most world's most popular flight sim site had to say about FSX and we quote:

Microsoft Delays Release of Windows Vista From Consumers and FSX for Vista Microsoft announced on Tuesday, March 21, 2006, that it would delay the introduction of Windows Vista for consumers until January, 2007. "Microsoft will release some versions of the new operating system for big businesses in November as planned, but the consumer version will be postponed until January," said Jim Allchin, co-president of the Microsoft division that includes Windows...

..."Flight Simulator X <was> still on track for a holiday 2006 release and <will be> optimized for Windows Vista when Vista is released."

Reading Between the Lines
The Vista delay means that the real attraction of FSX, which takes advantage of all the new Windows Vista graphics processing goodies - will also be delayed.

What Does This All Mean For FS Fans?
For starters, expect a lengthy amount of time to pass, measured in months, between the release of FSX for Windows XP and the Windows Vista version. Secondly, the question remains of whether the Vista version will be a free upgrade patch, or a separate payware version such as the way Microsoft had two versions of FS2000 and FS2002.

Ultimately, it means there's a lot of life in our trusty FS2004 yet. Our recommendation is to wait. See what finally transpires with FSX and Windows Vista and not to jump at the first release of FSX for Windows XP. From the previews we have seen and reported, the true power of FSX will only be fully unleashed while running under Windows Vista. Add to that the inevitable hangar-full of payware and freeware add-ons that extend the FSX features to even greater heights and you have yet another reason to just wait-and-see. Meantime, enjoy the amazing realism of FS2004.

Looking Ahead
The current version of FSX is for Windows XP - it will only be a 32-bit application. It will run very well under Windows XP which is a 32-bit operating system after all. Unfortunately, we will all have to wait a lot longer to see what's in store for FSX and Windows Vista which is a 64-bit operating system that's designed to maximize the power of Dual Core processing. Dual Core Processors are like having twin Pentium engines running on the same microprocessor chip. But, applications need to be designed to optimize that processing horsepower.

Many Scenery Designers report problems making scenery; the main reason being that FSX is a round world (you can go well above the atmospheric limit of 99,000 in FS2004 and see the curvature of the earth) whereas FS2004 was a flat world. In FSX the height of an airport from one side to the other can drop by as much as 50 meters and this represents a significant problem for developers who are talking to Microsoft about solutions and possibly waiting for further SDK developments. It will be a long time until the number of airports we currently enjoy (as well as the number of other scenery products) fills our FSX world.

On the aircraft side, MS changed the structure of files so much that a new system required many developers to start again from the very beginning. Many FS2004 systems are no longer supported and many new systems were introduced that has meant further development. No one developer at the recent show in Paderborn this month, was able to show a fully-working flight deck in 2d or 3d in FSX even after 9 months of development working with the early beta!

FPS (frames per second) speed issues are being reported all over the world with a number of people saying that even with autogen turned to zero (the number one cause of FPS 'lag') that FPS is much lower when compared to FS2004 with all sliders turned up! Even MS ran their demo machines at the recent Paderborn Show with sliders for autogen turned right down!

ANSWERS PLEASE
Many people have asked us for answers so here are our considered recomendations:

1 Do not buy a new PC... not yet.
Prices will come down (especially after Christmas). We ran a simple test with the FSX release candidate on a Dell 3.2 ghz with an overclocked BFG Ge Force FX 5700 Nvidea card and it works at around 12-18 FPS in 1024 x 768 with most of the sliders set to mid point. Set some of the sliders to less and FPS is improved markedly but this is what you get). Compare that with FS2004 set to the max and the 31 FPS average we get and you can see the difference in the more hungry FSX but without Vista and 64 bit architecture, buying the '32 bit version' might mean more expenditure when the 64 bit Vista version is released. It is being bandied around on blogs and forums that it is unlikely the new Vista version of FSX will be free - much like the difference between the payware versions of FS2000 and FS2002 (see above).

2 Do not buy a new graphics card... not yet.
Current cards will not provide more speed. Not even on new 'core duo' systems. We are going to wait for the next generation of GPU's to arrive and also wait for AMD and ATi to announce (and release) their contenders to Intel and GeForce. A wise move, we are told, since both companies are developing a new grade of processing and graphics performance with 64-bit architecture only Win Vista can support. Such development might eclipse the current dual core performances again, quite markedly.Is there any evidence of this? Taking a look on the ATi Site provides some interesting information:

www.ati.com/products/RadeonX1950/features.html

Note the small print:

"Playing HDCP content may require additional HDCP ready components, including but not limited to an HDCP ready monitor, disc drive and computer system. On PCs configured to Microsoft Windows VistaT Premium system requirements, this product supports the Premium Windows AeroT User Experience within: Windows Vista Ultimate, Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise."

All of these elements have not yet been released!

www.infoworld.com/article/05/07/28/...staslips_1.html

3 Wait for DX10 and Win Vista to come out.
We suggest to wait until direct X 10 is announced and wait for graphics cards to be released to support the new version FULLY. This is an important step. Direct X 10 will NOT be released for Win XP. Only for Vista. See here:

www.xbitlabs.com/news/video/display...0525104034.html

4 Wait for even NEWER hardware.
At this point we now know that even newer, even more advanced 64 bit architecture will require some new hardware to run it. New hardware announcements are coming out now so don't expect to see this area fully developed until next Spring. So don't jump on the bandwagon too soon, buying new hardware you might have to sell later on.

Although it is going to be tough to be patient. Patience will be rewarded since prices on hardware will come down. After all, you have 'waited' three years for FSX. Waiting also means good news for a number of simulation pilots, hoping that the 000, 000's spent on addons will not have been in vain. At this point for many, it won't have been.

Keep enjoying FS2004 addons for at least a while to next Spring. The FS2004 world is a huge place with amazing products like Ground Environment Pro and Actoive Sky (both of which we love using) makes it as stunning looking as the lastest release; with the speed you always dreamed of - and if you bought a new system you will have experienced what we call a 'dream envelope' in FPS speed terms. However, the best is yet to come in FSX development. We should know. We're working on them.

Capt Paul

Thanks for posting that article. It was very informative. So, I will now wait until next year before looking at getting a new PC.

I was looking into getting an Apple computer, but now believe that it will not have what it takes out of the box to use all of the features of DirectX 10 and Vista. It appears to me that I would have to install Vista on the Apple as well in order to run FSX in all it's glory.

Thanks for posting this. Very helpful and will now stop looking for a new system until later! Thanks for saving me $$$$$$$!!!

Eric L