Newbie with a progression question

[A_little_thin]

Ok, so I have:

a skytrak
an older skypro
a screen from Carl's
a mat to hit off of
LiveView Golf device (love this thing)

I have an outdoor building with plenty of room. It looks like I need with a newer ipad or samsung tablet at some point. For now my computer should be fine for handling the ST software. My first phase is to use ST just for practicing and getting numbers. I don't have the need for a projector or gaming computer, so holding off on that. I think I can get by with what I have on hand for just mapping and using the range for game improvement.

My concern is the future purchase of an ipad or gaming computer for simulation golf. Is it necessary to have a gaming computer to handle the simulators (JNPG or TGC)? I know my current laptop (work device that doesn't have a serious graphics card) will not handle sim software. Will a newer ipad handle simulation software or is a gaming computer necessary. Sorry so new to this and don't want to buy the wrong thing now.

[wbond]

You cannot run sim software on an ipad except for WGT, which most are not impressed with. Others you will definitely need a better computer to run them.

[triplebogeysrbetter]

The mat and skytrak are just gateway drugs.

Next will be the projector and hanging the screen. I brought a IPAD to run skytrak app and WGT please don’t go that route. The iPad mini is 4:3 ratio and chances are you will want something 16:9.
i thought I would be happy for a year hitting into a net and watching the skytrak on a monitor. That lasted about three days. I got the clearance screen and projector. It’s a game changer and definitely worth doing right.

[cmckelvmi]

I use an iPad Pro and only am able to play on WGT. My goal for next Winter is to fall into the rabbit hole and get a gaming PC, projector, impact screen and JPNG.

[triplebogeysrbetter]

I don’t think I can wait that long. Actually out shopping for gaming PCs now.

[GolfGuy72_2000]

Just my two cents... I went with a Net Return Pro and hung a 46" TV on the wall across from me to watch my ball flight in TGC. I went that route because the net was a little more expensive initially, but should last a lot longer than a screen. Plus, with the SkyTrak, the ball flight is delayed a few seconds, which I wasn't sure I'd be happy about when hitting into a screen. This is all to say, don't write off the TV option (although I have lots of respect for anyone who can afford and install a projector and screen setup)!

And you'll definitely want a decent PC with a good graphics card to run any golf sim software. I have TGC and PG and use a GTX960, and that's the lowest of the graphics cards you'll want to get. I have mine setup with NVIDIA Inspector to run at 30 fps so it's not choppy. With a better card, you should be able to run at 60 fps with the same level of detail.

Good luck - you'll love it!

[A_little_thin]

Thanks so much guys! I think I will have to go the projector route with a gaming pc. I live on a farm and one of our buildings is 18'x30'. I can use my cell phone for a hotspot. Would love to get some input on gaming pc specs you all consider good. Thought about either building one or buying a use one on ebay. Do you prefer laptop or desktop for computer configuration? I like the portability of the laptop, but they are much more difficult to upgrade the internals like you can on a desktop. However, I haven't owned a desktop in 10+ years.

[penrose]

I hope your cell phone as a hot spot works for you but I would bet money against it. Can you run a cable from your house to your barn into a switch? For me, my basement is where my router is, I ran a cable from one 1 gig port on the router to a 1 gig port on switch (made a small hole in floor) and have very few issues compared to when I used wireless.

[cmckelvmi]

Definitely be cautious on counting on your cell phone for a hot spot. I have a detached garage and didn't have a reliable WiFi signal and couldn't use WGT. I purchased a NetGear PowerLine and it works brilliantly. If your barn uses the same power source as your house, this might be something to consider.

[A_little_thin]

Is wifi necessary just to run the skytrak app? I was planning on using a laptop and usb cable to connect to skytrak.

At this point, I am just interested in working on my full swing and short game. Phase 2 will be a sim setup, but that could be months (or days) down the road...Thanks for all the input, I feel like I am drinking from a fire hose!

[triplebogeysrbetter]

I would bet on the later (days)

[cmckelvmi]

No WiFi needed to just use the range and practice with the ST. That is the way I did it for months until I got the WiFi extender so I could use WGT.

[A_little_thin]

Tested everything tonight and it is working great. Need to do a few more tweaks, but have to get some tape for blisters...

[GolfGuy72_2000]

Regarding the graphics card, get the most powerful you can afford. I would think a GTX 1070 would run TGC pretty much maxed out without any stuttering at 60fps. I've read that TGC 2 is pretty similar to TGC 1 when it comes to graphics usage, so hopefully the next simulator version when it becomes available won't demand too much more. A GTX 1080 hopefully would be a good safeguard against that. As far as other PC specs, I've read that TGC is not as hungry for memory or a high-end CPU as it is for a powerful GPU. I would think you'd be covered with a decent i7. Of course, if you don't mind 30fps and do a setup like mine, you can get away with lower specs.

And you could certainly try the laptop route, but to get similar specs - especially in the graphics card area - you'll be paying an arm and a leg more to get the same performance you will out of a laptop. Portability in this case comes with a pretty high price tag. Good luck, and hope everything works out great for you!