Advice: which X52 Pro drivers are best for 64-bit Win 8.1?

Yokai

Yokai
The Saitek X52 Pro finally became available on Amazon USA yesterday again (sold/shipped by Amazon, at 2-day free Prime, no less) at normal retail price plus optional 2-year warranty for only $7. So of course I jumped on it and will be receiving it tomorrow.

From reading the various HOTAS threads here and elsewhere, it seems that:

A) There are 3 different drivers: on the DVD that comes in the package, downloadable from the Saitek site, and those that Win 8.1 provides natively when you plug it in and let Windows recognize it.

B) Many users report that initial setup/config/driver hassles is a PITA, especially under 64-bit Win 7, where sometimes you must config your MB BIOS to disable all USB 3 ports.

So does anyone have definitive advice about the best install/setup approach for a 64-bit Win 8.1 system? My main question is which drivers to start with (download from Saitek or just use the default vanilla drivers that Windows installs when you plug it in)?

I'm also aware that I need to clear a checkbox that deals with the behavior of the "clutch" button.

Any other advice?
 

Phier

Phier
I had the win 7 issue, but once THAT nightmare was figured out, the drivers off the website work fine.
 

DaveB

DaveB
It's your call, honestly. Base your decision on the following factors:

What you get with the disk in the box is outdated drivers and software that are so old they are fossilized. They might work, they'll more likely break stuff Personally I'd say this is the only one it's a no-brainer to forget about.

What you get with the windows drivers is the sticks buttons and axes exposed as directX controls. I haven't a 8.1 machine to test on but the native drivers for win7 were a little ropey. If you are confident you will NEVER want macros or will NEVER want to program different functions on the same button depending on the mode switching you can use these.

If you want the full programmable functionality of the stick and to leverage its advanced features you have no choice but to use the downloaded drivers and programming software. This is the only option that gets you that.
 

sceaga

sceaga
Does anyone know if just using the Windows 8.1 drivers and not installing the Saitek drivers fixes the problems with using the X52 Pro with USB 3.0 ports?

Also, is there any button usage limitations by using just the Windows 8.1 drivers (i.e. can I still map all the controls directly in E : D without the Saitek software)?
 

Penderin

Penderin
I binned the disc from the box and downloaded the latest drivers from the web site, I disabled the clutch mode and cleared all the profiles then remapped all the buttons to my likening in ED. All the buttons sliders pinky switch and twisters work fine.
 

sceaga

sceaga
@Penderin: Are you using yours on USB 3.0 ports? Are you using Windows 8.1? Did you uninstall the Saitek drivers after disabling the clutch mode?
 

Penderin

Penderin
I have USB 3.0 ports but I am using USB 2.0 for the X52 running on win 8.1 64 bit. I didnt uninstall the drivers.
 
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