active OK, My first three questions RE MSFS 2020

[wingclip]

Hi Folks,

As a long time FSX platform hobbyist (10 years), with a significant inventory of 3^rd-party add-ons, I’m almost ashamed to say that I haven’t ‘flown’ since the early part of 2018. Around that time, my wife was diagnosed with terminal cancer and subsequently died in March 2019. That, and several other events took my full attention and now, I finally can begin my return to the flight sim hobby.

 

I built a new computer in October 2020 and the O/S is Win 10 Pro 64bit, (which I still can’t seem to warm up to). For the purpose of helping you to help me, I placed a very basic list of my system specs below. The more detailed version is in my “About Me” members section.

 

My plan is to buy MSFS 2020 and I recalled reading that MSFS had 3 versions. I plan to buy the version that offers the maximum advancements, or, ‘bells & whistles’.

 

In addition, I intend to buy as much of what I need through the Orbx store so that I can try to maintain a smoother installation procedure. I’ll be installing MS Flight 2020 to a dedicated, internally mounted, 500GB SSD. (Jon Clarke of the Orbx team was very helpful about this. You can find his instruction here: https://orbxsystems.com/forum/topic/198315-msfs-and-your-c-drive-tip

 

 

I intend to get all the Orbx “main addons” right off the bat. By “main add-ons”, I mean, the FTX Global, Open LC, Vector, all the high-resolution mesh, etc.

 

In fact, almost everything that I purchased for FSX, (which is displayed in my member’s signature), will be repurchased, (if necessary), for MS Flight 2020.

 

OK, so that’s the plan as I presently see it. Of course, it’s all subject to change if some of the more advanced, knowledgeable members in this forum have alternate suggestions from experience or hind-sight, that would help make my transition easier and or smoother.

 

Please keep in mind that I’m not concerned with ‘saving money’ nearly as much as I am with saving time and reaching the best performance-to-resolution ratio as possible.

 

There will be other questions I’m sure, but for now, I have just three initial questions:

 

1] Can any of my MS FSX Orbx software, (including FTX Central V3), be used in the MS Flight 2020 platform?

 

I’m guessing the answer to that is going to be a resounding ‘no’ but I thought I’d ask just to be sure.

 

2] Should I first download and install FTX Central? If so, can I then go through FTX Central to purchase and install the MSF 2020 platform? (My presently saved version of FTX Central is V3, but it was for FSX.)

 

3] As I said earlier, I intend to install MS Flight 2020 to a dedicated, 500GB SSD. Should I install all the subsequent Orbx software to a separate, dedicated, SSD as well? (Unless specifically required to be installed on the O/S drive). 

 

I know I have a lot of work to do when I start this. As usual, the internet is flooded with conflicting and contradictory information, (the ‘misinformation highway’). I want to keep my information sources to a minimum and if possible, try to confine my sources to the website/forums of the developers. I haven't spent nearly enough time reviewing some of the information available in the Orbx Forums. I need to do exactly that, and soon. However, unless I start with the basic program installations, I won't know what to ask.

 

Remember, I've got 10 years experience with FSX so I'm not new to this subject. However, I am new to Windows 10 and MSFS 2020 and if I can avoid some mistakes, I can get going sooner.

Thank you,

Rich

 

Basic Computer specs: (Intel, 10^th generation system):

O/S: Windows 10 Pro 64bit

Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus XII Formula.

CPU: Intel i7-10700K, (all cores overclocked to 5.1GHz).

GPU: EVGA RTX-2070 Super-Ultra.

RAM: T-Force X-Treem 3600MHz, 16GB (2 x 8).

PSU: EVGA Supernova 1300G2 1300W

Monitor: Philips 32” curved model 328E1, 4K, 3840 x 2160 x 60Hz

[Doug Sawatzky]

Hi Rich, welcome back

 

A 500GB drive is not going to be near enough space, I would recommend a minimum of a 1TB drive.

 

[BradB]

Welcome back Rich , answer to #1 is NO . Answer to #2 is get the new Orbx Central for all your DL needs for MSFS : https://orbxdirect.com/central

 

Cheers

John

[Nick Cooper]

Hello Rich,

welcome back.

To add a little more detail:

 

None of your FSX software can be used with MSFS.

Any product that you own for FSX can be bought at a 20% discount, on an already reduced price.

The discount will be applied at the checkout.

None of the Global range of products are compatible with the new simulator.

 

FTX Central is now switched off, so you will indeed need to download and install Orbx Central,

its replacement. Using that, you will still be able to manage your FSX scenery and when you wish

to, purchase and manage scenery for MSFS.

 

An SSD is a good option, an M2 SSD  is an even better one.

The simulator and all the products presently available through Orbx Central amount to around 270GB

already, I would agree with Doug that at least a 1TB drive would be a better choice.

 

MSFS is not FSX and my advice would be to use it in its default incarnation and become familiar with

it first. It has many very strong points but also many points that are not so strong, or indeed missing.

You experience of it will depend on what you require but you should also bear in mind that it is not a

finished product and it does not pretend to be.

 

The same applies to Windows 10. It is without doubt a very stable platform and probably the best

Windows version to date. It may well take some getting used to but my advice would be to do that,

rather than to try, as so many seem to, to make it back into an incarnation of Windows 7.

 

 

[wingclip]

18 hours ago, Doug Sawatzky said:

Hi Rich, welcome back

 

A 500GB drive is not going to be near enough space, I would recommend a minimum of a 1TB drive.

 

Thank you Doug, You and Nick seem to agree on this. Nick also recommended an M2 SSD as an even better choice. I'll have to look into that because I think if I install an M2 drive my mobo will close access to one or more of my internally mounted SSDs. I'll have to re-read the ASUS mobo specs to be sure. If I ddo cancel out one of my STAT drive ports, I may be able to move things around to accommodate the M2.

[wingclip]

17 hours ago, BradB said:

Welcome back Rich , answer to #1 is NO . Answer to #2 is get the new Orbx Central for all your DL needs for MSFS : https://orbxdirect.com/central

 

Cheers

John

Thank you for the link Brad!

[Nick Cooper]

24 minutes ago, wingclip said:

Thank you Doug, You and Nick seem to agree on this. Nick also recommended an M2 SSD as an even better choice. I'll have to look into that because I think if I install an M2 drive my mobo will close access to one or more of my internally mounted SSDs. I'll have to re-read the ASUS mobo specs to be sure. If I ddo cancel out one of my STAT drive ports, I may be able to move things around to accommodate the M2.

 

Hello,

on my Asus motherboard, I have two M2 slots.

If I use slot one, I lose SATA 2, so one for one.

If I use M2 slot 2, which I do not, I would also lose SATA 5 and SATA 6,

not such a good exchange.

I went for an M2 because there wasn't much of a price difference between a 1TB SSD

and a 1 TB M2 but the M2 at NVMe speed is over five times as fast.

 

In fact, I have nine drives and a DVD player, so I use SATA 1, 3,4,5 and 6,

M2 slot 1 and then have added a four port PCie SATA card for the rest.

That was £22, now it is £39, presumably due to the lack of availability that seems to have

affected all PC components.

[wingclip]

12 hours ago, Nick Cooper said:

Hello Rich,

welcome back.

To add a little more detail:

 

None of your FSX software can be used with MSFS.

Any product that you own for FSX can be bought at a 20% discount, on an already reduced price.

The discount will be applied at the checkout.

None of the Global range of products are compatible with the new simulator.

 

FTX Central is now switched off, so you will indeed need to download and install Orbx Central,

its replacement. Using that, you will still be able to manage your FSX scenery and when you wish

to, purchase and manage scenery for MSFS.

 

An SSD is a good option, an M2 SSD  is an even better one.

The simulator and all the products presently available through Orbx Central amount to around 270GB

already, I would agree with Doug that at least a 1TB drive would be a better choice.

 

MSFS is not FSX and my advice would be to use it in its default incarnation and become familiar with

it first. It has many very strong points but also many points that are not so strong, or indeed missing.

You experience of it will depend on what you require but you should also bear in mind that it is not a

finished product and it does not pretend to be.

 

The same applies to Windows 10. It is without doubt a very stable platform and probably the best

Windows version to date. It may well take some getting used to but my advice would be to do that,

rather than to try, as so many seem to, to make it back into an incarnation of Windows 7.

 

 

Thank you Nick! I must agree with you that I should first install the main program and then run it w/o any additions. I've got a lot to learn and this would be a good start. It'll also help me figure out the relationship between Win 10 and MSFS.

 

I still have my previous computer, which contains FSX & Windows 7. I intend to keep it as a dedicated FSX sim computer, which I may occasional use, (at least for a while). I can't say that I agree with you about Windows 10 compared to Windows 7. I do agree that I need to continue trying to get used to Windows 10 because I am not going back to Win 7. However, I felt like MS broke the rule "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" when then decided to make such a big change from Windows 7.

 

I see some obvious evidence that explains some of MS's motivation for Windows 10, (having to do with underwriter advertisements and of course, increased advertisement revenue). However, it makes no difference what I see or suspect, I'm stuck with it and I need to get used to the way it works.\

Thanks again,

Rich

[wingclip]

4 minutes ago, Nick Cooper said:

 

Hello,

on my Asus motherboard, I have two M2 slots.

If I use slot one, I lose SATA 2, so one for one.

If I use M2 slot 2, which I do not, I would also lose SATA 5 and SATA 6,

not such a good exchange.

 

In fact, I have nine drives and a DVD player, so I use SATA 1, 3,4,5,and 6,

M2 slot 1 and then have added a four port PCie SATA card for the rest.

That was £22, now it is £39, presumably due to the lack of availability that seems to have

affected all PC components.

Thanks again Nick, that's good to know! I'm betting that my board is setup in a similar way, (I also have a DVD burner). I think I'm going to go ahead and take that advice. I'll know for sure when I get to my mobo's manual. Then if it's the same way as yours, I'll buy an M2 ASAP. I've had a lot of luck with my Crucial brand SSDs so unless you have a suggestion that may be better, I'll be going with that brand.

Rich

[wingclip]

My thanks to all regarding the help to my concerns. My next task is clear, download and install Orbx Central and then choose the MSFS version I want. That's a good start and between the unrelated tasks I have to take care and the research I need to do about MSFS, I've already got my calendar filled for the month!

Rich

[Craig Riach]

@wingclip I will say you might want to get more ram so you have 32gb as this new MIcrosoft flight sim will use more than 16gb of ram.

Also as someone who has slightly lesser RTX 2070 than you, don't expect 60 fps more likely be down in the 30's at 4k I have to turn the render scaling down to 90 to be able to keep it in the 30's with my GPU. 

It will run smoothly at lower fps though if it's stable. 

[wingclip]

8 minutes ago, Craig Riach said:

@wingclip I will say you might want to get more ram so you have 32gb as this new MIcrosoft flight sim will use more than 16gb of ram.

Also as someone who has slightly lesser RTX 2070 than you, don't expect 60 fps more likely be down in the 30's at 4k I have to turn the render scaling down to 90 to be able to keep it in the 30's with my GPU. 

It will run smoothly at lower fps though if it's stable. 

Thanks, I've already got a plan to pick up at least 16GB more, real soon.

 

This system is extremely stable at 5.1GHz (on all 8 cores at once), and I've even held 5.2GHz with no trouble, but as you know, flight sims tend to be a real handful for most systems. Especially when you throw in weather, HR 3rd-party scenery & mesh add-ons, along with HR aircraft, flying fast and low. "Off-the-shelf" systems would implode trying to run my FSX platform equipped with all the add-ons, lol.

 

Because of the unusual coding in MS FSX, the CPU speed was the key in that platform. I don't know if this will be the case with MSFS. Still, for FSX, I set a specific target frame rate speed of 32fps, which my old computer held very well with FSX settings at 2048. Even at max overclocked speeds, it had trouble in areas when I coupled heavy or cloudy weather with the 5m mesh and HR scenery. 

The monitor I had for the FSX platform was a 27" flat-screen, but still held the same resolution specs as this new monitor. However, I always set the resolution to 1080P whenever I flew in FSX. The previous computer build was no 'light-weight' but even with a GTX 1070 and an Intel i7-4790K DC, clocked to 4.9GHz, it still couldn't hold the FSX 4096 resolution. I had to drop it back to 2048 and the max LOD to something like 5.60000, (if I remember correctly).

 

The previous system wasn't as fast as this system. I don't expect to run MSFS at my new monitor's default resolution either. I'll try 2556x1440 and if I have to, I'll go to 1080. As far as FPS, I'm happy with 32 and found that the system ran smoother when I gave a specific target frame rate to hold instead of allowing it to constantly jump around.

 

At this point, I can't even begin to guess what MSFS will run like but from YouTube reviews that I've seen, systems with less CPU, GPU power, as well as less RAM speed than this one, were doing very well. I'm also looking at buying a new, more powerful GPU soon, but first I want to assess how the system handles MSFS as it is. Then I'll upgrade based on those results if I need to. 

 

It's all about adapting

Rich

[Craig Riach]

@wingclip I should have explained better by turning the render scaling down from 100 lowers the screen resolution many on 4k use 80 or 90 on render scaling as isn't to noticeable downgrade.

[wingclip]

2 hours ago, Craig Riach said:

@wingclip I should have explained better by turning the render scaling down from 100 lowers the screen resolution many on 4k use 80 or 90 on render scaling as isn't to noticeable downgrade.

Oh, I see. I think you mean that there's an adjustment in the MSFS main settings that controls the resolution you're speaking about. I don't know if you ever had MS FSX, but it has a similar setting. In that platform's main settings, you can adjust the resolution from the default 1024, to the 2048, or to the 4096. It sounds like MSFS allows the same adjustment but in a much better selection option of percentages.

 

If that's the case, I like that already! With FSX your choices were strictly minimum, maximum or 50% of maximum. I think when I tried an alternate decrease in FSX, from the 4096 to 3275 (about -20%), it didn't acknowledge my change because it would only accept 2048 or the minimum 1024. When I buy and install MSFS, I'll get very familiar with that part of the sim as quickly as possible.

 

In FSX, that main settings panel was key to solving many problems.

Rich

[Senchay]

Im not sure of those 2 methods can be compared.

 

The option in P3D/FSX set the texturesize but in MSFS uses (probably) a mathematical way to up/downscale.

 

In P3D changing the texturesize means that it used the set texturefiles, if present. No up and downscaling happens. If an airport had only 2k or 1k textures and you set it to 4k nothing would change. It would look the same.

 

As far as i saw all textures in MSFS are same size and just the resolution is getting up/and downscaled. Both ways can have very different results.

 

I could be wrong though, i didnt dive too much into msfs yet. Besides "developing" some smaller airfields with the standard objects....

[wingclip]

Thanks, I'm strictly guessing. I have yet to buy MSFS, but plan to do that before the week is over.

Rich