496 and a slow processor? Garmin are making a big deal out of it being
5x faster screen update etc.

I know. I simply can't imagine flying behind a 396, if these claims
are true.

What Garmin doesn't tell you is this: The re-draw rate as you fly
along is fine. Nothing to write home about, but okay. But just try to
skew your cursor ahead of your route, to check out the weather!

Here's how it goes:

Skew...cursor disappears....screen goes blank...count to 3....cursor
reappears....screen reappears....cursor disappears....screen
disappears...count to 3...ad nauseum...

Your only other option is to zoom out far enough to see your route of
flight -- but then most of the reporting stations disappear, because
the screen is so dinky! (If it didn't declutter, it would be one blob
of triangles...)

Your only hope at that point is to move your cursor to where you THINK
the next reporting station ought to be, and zoom back in, hoping that
you're pretty close. THEN you can check the weather -- IF you guessed
right. If you guessed wrong, start skewing...or zoom back out and
guess again.

We find ourselves simply not checking the weather ahead, cuz it's so
clumsy to use. It's ridiculous, and it's not what I expected in a
unit that cost almost $3000.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"