Looking for setup information.

[trig001]

Hello Everyone,

 

I am sure there has been many questions and tons of advice about the setup and options to play X-Plane.  I am currently flying with FSX but want the nice updated aircraft and graphics.

 

I am currently running:

MSI X99 Gaming 7 Motherboard

Intel i7 -5820K

16GB DDR4-2133

Corsair H100i CPU Cooler

EVGA GeForce GTX 760 4GB Superclocked

EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Superclocked

Samsung 850 EVO SSD

4 TB Hybrid Drives

Windows 7

3 Asus 27" Monitors.

 

My question is; Should I run 3 copies of X-Plane on the one computer?  Should I run with the combined single screen (which I would assume would give tearing and stretching)?

 

What would be the best way to run and setup X-Plane?  I have not purchased it yet and wondering should I get 3 copies or what.

 

I would appreciate any input and I am sure this has been asked, but I haven't seen anything recent.  Most of the reply and post are a few years old.

 

Thanks,

Trig

[Kieran]

I have a similar set up, except with a single GPU (a 780 Ti), and I run three instances of X-Plane on my computer. I have three separate copies, one for each screen, but everything but the "Output" within X-Plane's root directory are symbolically linked to the center copy. This means you don't need to have the massive size of X-Plane 3 times, and you only have to install aircraft and scenery once. You can then set up each instance separately, and will have to go into the network settings and change the ports and stuff, because each instance needs it's own port number.

 

This set up means that you only need one copy of X-Plane, cause it's only one computer. But also gives you better control over the screen set up. For example the side monitors in my set up have an offset of the FOV of the center monitor, meaning it's drawing what you'd see should you move your head left or right, which is appropriate because my monitors curve around me.

 

I'm not sure how the 2 GPUs would work exactly. What I think should work is running the two side monitors off one and then the main monitor off the other, in such a way as to share VRAM the best. You may have to change the primary display to one on the correct GPU when you start the three instances of X-Plane, from what I've read elsewhere X-Plane uses the primary monitor no matter where the screen it's been drawn on actually is. But this can easily be done in a .bat file that you use to launch all 3 instances with the click of a button.

[trig001]

Thanks for the quick reply, do you mind if I PM you when I do the install because I have little idea how to set up the with the multiple copies.

 

Trig

[Kieran]

Yeah sure that's fine, I followed a post on another forum (that some people here don't like to speak of, but let's not get into politics). I'll see if I can find a link for you, but by all means PM if you need a hand, or just reply here.

 

EDIT: Here's the link. It's not as well explained as I remember it being, but it'll be a good basis.

Edited June 24, 2015 by Kieran