Cockpit and MultiMonitor question

[tsmvp]

Ok guys. After several hours flying on FSX I decided to build a cockpit. The plane I fly the most is probably the Beechcraft Baron so I may go for a twin cockpit.
I have a couple questions though regarding my plan. The idea is to use a bunch of USB gauges from SimKits.com (the ones sold in bundles of 4) and for the stuff like Attitude, Altimeter, etc, use the LCD screen Saitek has (as it is MUCH cheaper than the USB stuff for that specifically from SimKits). So some gauges would be 'real' ones and some using the Saitek LCD.
For the radio stack, considering what Saitek just announced:
http://www.gamesharkstore.net/flightsim/multi.htm
http://www.saitek.com/UK/PROD/pfradio.htm
I could use these to build a decent radio stack OR I could use a 12" touchscreen LCD and have the FSX radio stack on that. Of course only a portion of the LCD would be seen in the cockpit. The same idea for the Garmin G500 (smaller touchscreen LCD).
So my questions for you are:
1. What do I need exactly to get the GPS in one monitor, the radio stack on another one and then, for the actual flying views (I would probably have three or four 24" or larger widescreen LCDs)?
2. Do I actually need multiple PCs? If I do, that is fine. I can build small PCs with good video cards and lots of RAM. That is not an issue. I assume one would be used for the actual flight simulation and the other ones for the visuals. Is that correct? In this case I think there is some piece of software that interconnects all the PCs so the are on the same 'simulation'.
3. On the radio stack, what do you guys think about the whole touchscreen LCD idea (same for the GPS)? I am sure I can even resize the stack on the screen to match the real life size (using a widescreen LCD in portrait!). Would you guys go for this approach or would you use the Saitek stuff? The radio stack on SimKits is indeed the real thing! Awesome but I am not really willing to spend $5,000 just on that.
4. For the Yoke/Pedals/Lights/Engine switches I will use the stuff I have from Saitek.

Any comments/opinions are HIGHLY appreciated!

Thanks guys!

CR

[autocadplease]

Basically to run different displays on the same computer, you would just undock each view and place them on each monitor. This will use up a lot of your resources on the computer.
You can run networked computers running separate items (such as instruments / GPS) but would have to use third party software that allows for stand alone installations that work through simconnect or FSUIPC.
Touch screens are a great solution for some items, but some of us like making actual replicas of the hardware - check this awesome custom made GPS http://www.mycockpit.org/forums/show...hlight=gns+530
To run multiple displays on the same computer you should get a Matrox Triple Head 2 Go.
Also, GoFlight makes some great modules www.goflightinc.com

[Geekmaster]

Here is a great article section I found at Multi-Screens.com (A beginners introduction to Multiple Monitors)

The Three main ways to Setup Multiple Monitors

1) You can buy a pre-manufactured multi-monitor computer. The best place to purchase a multiple monitor computer is at:
Multi-Monitors.com. They carry a multi-monitor computer line called SUPER-PC that can support from 2 to 16 monitors.

Multi-Screen Computer Systems

Multiple Monitor LCD Displays

2) You can get a USB to VGA Adapter, or USB to DVI Adapter that will allow you to add an extra monitor to your computer
via any USB2.0 Port. You can also add multiple extra monitors by using multiple adapters. This is a great option for viewing
documents, surfing the web, using Microsoft Office and many other business tasks. This is not a good option for intense
graphical situations such as HDTV, Blu-ray, Gaming and 3D / CAD Workstation applications. For those types of scenarios,
it is highly recommended that you purchase a high-powered multi-monitor workstation or a Matrox Dual or Triple Head2Go.

Multi-Monitor Adapters

3) You can replace or add an extra video card to your existing computer, depending on how many monitors you wish to support.
Although this sounds easy enough, this is a rather complex solution for a beginner, especially when trying to find a compatible
graphics card. For this reason, I am going to write an entirely seperate post on that topic and will link to it here, very soon.

Multi-Monitor Video Cards

Once you have your multiple monitor system set up and ready to use, you will need to enable all of your monitors in
your “Display Properties” Control Panel. Here is a great link to a complete and animated walkthrough of how to enable
your multiple monitors in Windows.

How to Setup Multiple Monitors (Instructions)

This is what it will look like when you are done:

Multi-Monitor Video Demo 1
Multi-Monitor Video Demo 2