New Flight Sim PC

[EasternT3]

All, I am looking/hoping for some advice, as when it comes to PCs, I am not the smartest. back in 2020, MSFS brought me back into this community but the issue was I had a 7/8 year old PC which couldn't cope, anyway I rushed into purchasing a new PC from a UK builder called chillblast, the specs are below  

 

i7-9700K @ 3.60GHz

16GB RAM

RTX 2060 8GB Super 8GB

 

At the start it was fine but now for example, tonight I tried to fly into DD's KMDW with the landmark packs installed, the emphasis is tried, it all went well till 5000ft 20nm out when it turned to a slideshow and ultimately a crash because the sim was uncontrollable, now this has got me concerned with the round the corner releases of higher fidelity aircraft/airports, I want to future proof...

 

I am potentially going to invest into a new pc which I hope will be able to serve me for the next 3-5 years, the issue is I don't know if these specs are what I need, they are

 

i7-10700K @ 3.8-5.1 GHZ

64GB DDR4 2666MHz Memory

RTX 3090 24GB

 

My ideal is to run MSFS at Ultra across the board (yes I am someone who's after top graphics as well as the aircraft depth ), whilst using addon airports/cityscapes and for example the NG3/Fenix A320. Will these specs be enough?

 

Thanks

Joe

[BradB]

RTX 3090 24GB , that should work nicely for you Joe .

[Sniper31]

The card is good for what your MSFS goals are, but I would say a better/faster processor would be in order. The 10700 is just not that good. a 12900k is one of the best gaming CPU's right now, or alternately a 12600k for best overall CPU. If you want a further option and don't mind going AMD, an R9-5950x is also a great option. A 3090 RTX is one of the best GPU's out there right now, so you want one of the most capable CPU's to go with it. a 12600k along with DDR4 RAM is one of the best all around setups right now. 

 

Hope that helps you out some.

 

Landon

[EasternT3]

Thank you both for the responses

 

Sorry secondary question, would a RTX 3080 12GB be any good? There's a significant price difference between the 3080 12GB and 3090 24GB, is the 3090 worth it over 3080? Thanks

Edited February 7, 2022 by EasternT3

[Sniper31]

8 minutes ago, EasternT3 said:

Sorry secondary question, would a RTX 3080 12GB be any good? There's a significant price difference between the 3080 12GB and 3090 24GB, is the 3090 worth it over 3080? Thanks

 

My input is this....I recently was able to finally purchase an RTX 3080Ti. Before I did, I was looking at both the 3080Ti and the 3090. You are right, there is a considerable price difference between the two. I went with the 3080Ti and have not been disappointed at all. It has exceeded my expectations in MSFS, and I did TONS of research before I bought it. In my opinion, if you want to save some money and still get a GPU that is very close in performance to the 3090 in MSFS, then go with a 3080Ti. Now, make sure it's an RTX 3080Ti and NOT just an RTX 3080. There is a significant difference. The 3080Ti is a few hundred US dollars more than a 3080 but the in the case of a 3080 vs a 3080Ti, the cost is worth the performance, in my opinion. But, feel free to do your own research if you like. I have no idea what pricing looks like for these cards in the UK right now, so ultimately it's your decision. I will leave you with this. If you end up going for a 3080, a 3080Ti or a 3090, I don't think you will be disappointed.  

 

Landon

[EasternT3]

8 hours ago, Sniper31 said:

 

My input is this....I recently was able to finally purchase an RTX 3080Ti. Before I did, I was looking at both the 3080Ti and the 3090. You are right, there is a considerable price difference between the two. I went with the 3080Ti and have not been disappointed at all. It has exceeded my expectations in MSFS, and I did TONS of research before I bought it. In my opinion, if you want to save some money and still get a GPU that is very close in performance to the 3090 in MSFS, then go with a 3080Ti. Now, make sure it's an RTX 3080Ti and NOT just an RTX 3080. There is a significant difference. The 3080Ti is a few hundred US dollars more than a 3080 but the in the case of a 3080 vs a 3080Ti, the cost is worth the performance, in my opinion. But, feel free to do your own research if you like. I have no idea what pricing looks like for these cards in the UK right now, so ultimately it's your decision. I will leave you with this. If you end up going for a 3080, a 3080Ti or a 3090, I don't think you will be disappointed.  

 

Landon

Thank you Landon, that really helps

[Sniper31]

10 hours ago, EasternT3 said:

Thank you Landon, that really helps

Good to hear Joe. Keep us informed on how it goes, which direction you decide on and of course, if any more questions crop up, feel free to ask. The whole process of planning and building a new PC can be a bit overwhelming sometimes. Tech progress happens so fast, and sometimes what you thought was a great product a month ago has already fallen by the wayside. The trick is figuring out what new tech is worth the price, what older tech is still plenty useful and how they might all work together to make a good system. There are lots of little tricks and lessons to be learned, and never a dumb question to be had  Also, when we are talking about building a system that is going to be heavily focused on flight simming, it all can become a little more tricky and specialized. 

 

Will be excited to see how your build comes along  

 

Cheers

Landon

[EasternT3]

40 minutes ago, Sniper31 said:

Good to hear Joe. Keep us informed on how it goes, which direction you decide on and of course, if any more questions crop up, feel free to ask. The whole process of planning and building a new PC can be a bit overwhelming sometimes. Tech progress happens so fast, and sometimes what you thought was a great product a month ago has already fallen by the wayside. The trick is figuring out what new tech is worth the price, what older tech is still plenty useful and how they might all work together to make a good system. There are lots of little tricks and lessons to be learned, and never a dumb question to be had  Also, when we are talking about building a system that is going to be heavily focused on flight simming, it all can become a little more tricky and specialized. 

 

Will be excited to see how your build comes along  

 

Cheers

Landon

Thanks Landon, I've been in contact with the builders today, and yes they know there computers but I've been suggested before laying out the money on processors, and graphics cards, I've been suggested to change my hard drive from the HDD I have now to a SSD, would changing the drive actually help that much?

 

I've defiantly learnt not to rush it building/buying a new pc again without looking into it  

[Sniper31]

16 minutes ago, EasternT3 said:

I've been suggested to change my hard drive from the HDD I have now to a SSD, would changing the drive actually help that much?

So, the wonderful HDD compared to SSD discussion. Okay, here is the short version. An SSD will load programs and data faster than an HDD...noticeably faster. It will NOT make your PC run those programs any faster. That is the short version. Now, let me arm you with some more information so you can better decide how you want to go.

 

HDD's are cheaper in cost comparatively to SSD's (although SSD's have gone down considerably in the last several years). HDD's have moving parts whereas SSD's do not. Also, because they have moving parts, HDD's generate noticeably more heat than SSD's. Some people will recommend HDD's due to the lower cost, and justify it by saying it's not a huge deal if Windows loads a little slower or my MSFS loads up a little slower, I can just go get some tea or coffee. However, lots of folks that say that don't consider the lack of moving parts in SSD's (which mean less prone to failure) and, more importantly, the heat generation. We simmers push our flight sim PC's to the brink, and with that push on our CPU's and GPU's comes lots of heat. So, cutting down on other heat sources like HDD's does matter. Of course, this can lead into proper case selection, proper airflow and/or water cooling, cable managing and all sorts of other factors regarding heat. If you want to have that discussion, we can, but I will keep this particular one focused on the HDD vs. SSD. SSD's are also physically smaller, so there is more room in your case for better airflow, or more SSD's. Also, SSD's are quiet...they don't make any noise, whilst HDD's do make noise. So, there are some good factors to think about when considering HDD's vs. SSD's. The good news is that today's more modern HDD's are smaller and quieter than they were a few years ago (but they are not any faster). SSD's too have gotten cheaper and have more capacity then they did a few years ago.

 

Some popular strategies regarding HDD's and SSD's are to use a mixed setup. For example, you might have two SSD's installed in your system, a smaller capacity one for your Windows installation and then a larger capacity SSD for programs you use a lot like MSFS and flight sim utilities. Then, you might also have a very large capacity HDD installed primarily used for data storage. For example, this could be where you store all your MSFS screenshots, the download files of all the flight sim downloads you may have like aircraft, scenery and such. Any data that is not routinely being accessed could be stored on this large capacity HDD with the idea that you are not accessing it that often, and therefore speed is not a priority. There are several different versions of this strategy, and I can guarantee that almost every regular simmer on here uses some version of this SSD and HDD strategy. Hopefully, this gives you some food for thought. I will leave you with this....I would HIGHLY suggest that you don't rely on only one drive in this new system for all your stuff. At the very least, have a separate physical drive (not a partition) for Windows, and a second (and third) for your programs and data. 

 

Okay, that was a lot of info, I know. So, I'll end here. If you have more questions, ask away  

 

Landon 

[Gollum]

I am also saving for a new PC however the 3090 is to expensive for me. Up until recently the 3080ti  looked to be my choice, but there is talk of MSFS going to DX12 and I am unsure that the current 3080ti will have enough VRAM ?  Its the same old story ` When is a good time to buy `.  Please update us with your choice .

 

Regards 

 

[PiotrMKG]

On 2/7/2022 at 9:23 PM, EasternT3 said:

i7-10700K @ 3.8-5.1 GHZ

64GB DDR4 2666MHz Memory

RTX 3090 24GB

For pure gaming performance I would go with:

i9-12900k

32GB 3600MHz CL16 or even CL14 DDR4 Samsung B die kit (16-16-16-36 will be least troublesome to run at XMP profile).

RTX3080ti

MSI motherboard, for now they have least buggy BIOSes.

[PiotrMKG]

23 hours ago, EasternT3 said:

Thank you both for the responses

 

Sorry secondary question, would a RTX 3080 12GB be any good? There's a significant price difference between the 3080 12GB and 3090 24GB, is the 3090 worth it over 3080? Thanks

Gaming only not worth price difference, for mining maybe Yes. 3080ti can be OC’ed to match 3090 performance. 

[John Dow]

I am running the 11700K CPU and RTX 3060ti and at 4K I get all the fps and performance I need.  In VR it struggles occasionally in dense urban environments at my High settings, but overall it's plenty good enough for me.

[EasternT3]

12 hours ago, Sniper31 said:

So, the wonderful HDD compared to SSD discussion. Okay, here is the short version. An SSD will load programs and data faster than an HDD...noticeably faster. It will NOT make your PC run those programs any faster. That is the short version. Now, let me arm you with some more information so you can better decide how you want to go.

 

HDD's are cheaper in cost comparatively to SSD's (although SSD's have gone down considerably in the last several years). HDD's have moving parts whereas SSD's do not. Also, because they have moving parts, HDD's generate noticeably more heat than SSD's. Some people will recommend HDD's due to the lower cost, and justify it by saying it's not a huge deal if Windows loads a little slower or my MSFS loads up a little slower, I can just go get some tea or coffee. However, lots of folks that say that don't consider the lack of moving parts in SSD's (which mean less prone to failure) and, more importantly, the heat generation. We simmers push our flight sim PC's to the brink, and with that push on our CPU's and GPU's comes lots of heat. So, cutting down on other heat sources like HDD's does matter. Of course, this can lead into proper case selection, proper airflow and/or water cooling, cable managing and all sorts of other factors regarding heat. If you want to have that discussion, we can, but I will keep this particular one focused on the HDD vs. SSD. SSD's are also physically smaller, so there is more room in your case for better airflow, or more SSD's. Also, SSD's are quiet...they don't make any noise, whilst HDD's do make noise. So, there are some good factors to think about when considering HDD's vs. SSD's. The good news is that today's more modern HDD's are smaller and quieter than they were a few years ago (but they are not any faster). SSD's too have gotten cheaper and have more capacity then they did a few years ago.

 

Some popular strategies regarding HDD's and SSD's are to use a mixed setup. For example, you might have two SSD's installed in your system, a smaller capacity one for your Windows installation and then a larger capacity SSD for programs you use a lot like MSFS and flight sim utilities. Then, you might also have a very large capacity HDD installed primarily used for data storage. For example, this could be where you store all your MSFS screenshots, the download files of all the flight sim downloads you may have like aircraft, scenery and such. Any data that is not routinely being accessed could be stored on this large capacity HDD with the idea that you are not accessing it that often, and therefore speed is not a priority. There are several different versions of this strategy, and I can guarantee that almost every regular simmer on here uses some version of this SSD and HDD strategy. Hopefully, this gives you some food for thought. I will leave you with this....I would HIGHLY suggest that you don't rely on only one drive in this new system for all your stuff. At the very least, have a separate physical drive (not a partition) for Windows, and a second (and third) for your programs and data. 

 

Okay, that was a lot of info, I know. So, I'll end here. If you have more questions, ask away  

 

Landon 

Thanks Landon, with this info I think I'll go and build a new pc from scratch instead of trying to upgrade my current one, but you've reminded me cooling and cases, so much to think about

[EasternT3]

9 hours ago, PiotrMKG said:

For pure gaming performance I would go with:

i9-12900k

32GB 3600MHz CL16 or even CL14 DDR4 Samsung B die kit (16-16-16-36 will be least troublesome to run at XMP profile).

RTX3080ti

MSI motherboard, for now they have least buggy BIOSes.

Thank you

[EasternT3]

@Sniper31 et al, after further investigation/talking to chillblast I have found out I have been running MSFS at a too high resolution than by 2060 can handle. I have reduced my resolution and swapped to windowed mode oppose to full screen and the performance is a lot better and smoother - although I need to perform further tests/flights to check and to get rid of the goldfish bowl effect I now have.

 

So I don't think now i've found that out, I can justify the £thousand(s) to upgrade to a 3080(90) etc just yet, (especially as I'm about to buy a house with my girlfriend, I don't think she'll be best pleased )

 

However I am wondering about RAM, I have 16gb, Asobo recommends 32gb, would I notice anything by installing another 16gb?

 

Thanks

[Sniper31]

2 hours ago, EasternT3 said:

@Sniper31 et al, after further investigation/talking to chillblast I have found out I have been running MSFS at a too high resolution than by 2060 can handle. I have reduced my resolution and swapped to windowed mode oppose to full screen and the performance is a lot better and smoother - although I need to perform further tests/flights to check and to get rid of the goldfish bowl effect I now have.

 

So I don't think now i've found that out, I can justify the £thousand(s) to upgrade to a 3080(90) etc just yet, (especially as I'm about to buy a house with my girlfriend, I don't think she'll be best pleased )

 

However I am wondering about RAM, I have 16gb, Asobo recommends 32gb, would I notice anything by installing another 16gb?

 

Thanks

Well, now you went and got me all excited about your new PC  But, a house is much more of a priority, so I can understand that. Still, now you have a little more knowledge in the bank for next time  

 

As regards more system RAM. 32Gb of RAM will make a difference as 16Gb is a bit low for current standards. As far as how much it will affect your current system? Well, it won't necessarily run any faster with more RAM, although in certain situations it will seem faster. As for MSFS, what it will most likely affect is the graphics settings and MSFS settings that you can move up a little bit. You might find that running full screen is better than in windowed mode after bumping up to 32Gb. The thing with RAM though, you need to really research your current motherboard. You need to ensure what your MB is capable of with how much RAM it can take, and what speed RAM. Ideally, you want the fastest speed RAM your MB can handle, but cost will be a factor. Also, when researching your MB, you need to find out what version BIOS you are currently running. Many times MB manufactures have BIOS updates that allow more RAM to be installed, amongst other motherboard improvements such as better stability etc. Of all the various system components, RAM is the trickiest one to get dialed in just right. BUT, don't let that daunt you from upgrading your current RAM to 32Gb. Do the motherboard research, find out what your MB can take and go from there. Oh, and very IMPORTANT...if you upgrade your RAM, it must all match. If you have 16 Gb of XYZ company RAM at speed 123mhz, then you must also add the exact same make, model and speed of RAM. Exact. Very important.

 

Again, feel free to ask questions. 

Landon 

Edited February 9, 2022 by Sniper31

[EasternT3]

25 minutes ago, Sniper31 said:

Well, now you went and got me all excited about your new PC  But, a house is much more of a priority, so I can understand that. Still, now you have a little more knowledge in the bank for next time  

 

As regards more system RAM. 32Gb of RAM will make a difference as 16Gb is a bit low for current standards. As far as how much it will affect your current system? Well, it won't necessarily run any faster with more RAM, although in certain situations it will seem faster. As for MSFS, what it will most likely affect is the graphics settings and MSFS settings that you can move up a little bit. You might find that running full screen is better than in windowed mode after bumping up to 32Gb. The thing with RAM though, you need to really research your current motherboard. You need to ensure what your MB is capable of with how much RAM it can take, and what speed RAM. Ideally, you want the fastest speed RAM your MB can handle, but cost will be a factor. Also, when researching your MB, you need to find out what version BIOS you are currently running. Many times MB manufactures have BIOS updates that allow more RAM to be installed, amongst other motherboard improvements such as better stability etc. Of all the various system components, RAM is the trickiest one to get dialed in just right. BUT, don't let that daunt you from upgrading your current RAM to 32Gb. Do the motherboard research, find out what your MB can take and go from there. Oh, and very IMPORTANT...if you upgrade your RAM, it must all match. If you have 16 Gb of XYZ company RAM at speed 123mhz, then you must also add the exact same make, model and speed of RAM. Exact. Very important.

 

Again, feel free to ask questions. 

Landon 

Thanks Landon, I feel like a numpty asking all these questions and then realising I've made a mistake by not understanding resolutions, but yes everything you've said to me will help me when I come to upgrade which will still probably be mid to late next year

 

Thanks, I may take the plunge and upgrade to 32gb of RAM, but I will defiantly do my research.

 

Thanks again!

 

Now I need to try fix the squashed cockpit I am seeing in windowed mode

Edited February 9, 2022 by EasternT3

[Sniper31]

You are most welcome!  

 

Landon

[John Heaton]

Why not think about buying an X Box - either series S or X - if you can get one

then you can have top line MSFS - at almost the same spec as the super computer you envisaged--- 

and your new house

I bought the more simple S series - but I find it - not quite as good as my PC - but - in all accounts

the X Series is top notch - there are a number on here that are happy with theirs

The only overall failing is Microsoft themselves as it appears that the X box is way behind the computer for 

flexibility and marketplace quantity

[Sniper31]

1 hour ago, John Heaton said:

Why not think about buying an X Box - either series S or X - if you can get one

then you can have top line MSFS - at almost the same spec as the super computer you envisaged--- 

and your new house

I bought the more simple S series - but I find it - not quite as good as my PC - but - in all accounts

the X Series is top notch - there are a number on here that are happy with theirs

The only overall failing is Microsoft themselves as it appears that the X box is way behind the computer for 

flexibility and marketplace quantity

John, I have an Xbox Series X and have had it for over a year now. I can tell you that I much prefer flight simming on my PC, hands down. My Xbox has ZERO appeal to me for MSFS. I use it for sports games mainly (hockey, baseball, American football and a few other games). My PC is so much faster and better at running MSFS, not to mention all the more options I have for scenery, aircraft and utilities like REX weather, AI traffic etc. Now, I understand that for some people, the Xbox Series S or X is a great option for flight simming with MSFS. I know that you have been head over heels in love with the idea of an Xbox Series X for what, two years now? I read all your posts, and I know you've wanted one, and I feel bad that you haven't been able to get one.  That is mainly why, up until now, I have never mentioned having one, as I didn't want to rub salt in an open wound...lol. But, I just wanted to put it out there that, as a simmer that has both the Series X and a very good PC, I am one that would much rather sim on my PC. I don't even use the Xbox just to do a quickie scenic flight. I still would rather use my PC for that. It all comes down to preferences, but this is simply my story as relates to both options.

[John Heaton]

17 minutes ago, Sniper31 said:

John, I have an Xbox Series X and have had it for over a year now. I can tell you that I much prefer flight simming on my PC, hands down. My Xbox has ZERO appeal to me for MSFS. I use it for sports games mainly (hockey, baseball, American football and a few other games). My PC is so much faster and better at running MSFS, not to mention all the more options I have for scenery, aircraft and utilities like REX weather, AI traffic etc. Now, I understand that for some people, the Xbox Series S or X is a great option for flight simming with MSFS. I know that you have been head over heels in love with the idea of an Xbox Series X for what, two years now? I read all your posts, and I know you've wanted one, and I feel bad that you haven't been able to get one.  That is mainly why, up until now, I have never mentioned having one, as I didn't want to rub salt in an open wound...lol. But, I just wanted to put it out there that, as a simmer that has both the Series X and a very good PC, I am one that would much rather sim on my PC. I don't even use the Xbox just to do a quickie scenic flight. I still would rather use my PC for that. It all comes down to preferences, but this is simply my story as relates to both options.

Hi Landon - G'day

I was just trying to help our young friend to buy his house - keep his missus happy and at least have a chance to use the sim in some improved manner

 

Did you know something - crystal ball perhaps - because I have been musing for the past few weeks - exactly as to the merits of using the X box for the sim ??

 

There seems to be more and more dissatisfaction with the console - not with the technical side - but with the lack of "Backup" - a much smaller Marketplace for 

choice -e.g. - scenery - airports - aircraft  - 3rd party freeware - that make the PC sim what it is - but sadly lacking in the same volume in the Xbox at the moment

 

Yes - I was - and still am - a devotee of the X box idea - because I have the experience of owning the previous version and having the advantage of 4K HDR 10 screen

and the quality of the gaming  - to say nothing of the technical assets of the X series so far in advance of my PC set up and HD screen.

However - frustrated - by the lack of availability of the X series - and also the seemingly large problems that the X box sim has with regard to the functionality of 

the Sim compared to the PC - a Series S became available - and because of a good trade in deal for my old x Box one - I bought a Series S last week.

I am now seeing how limited the marketplace has to offer  - I understand more the rumblings on say - U-Tube for example - and I have to admit a somewhat disappointing

first experience with the S Box - especially with the poor 4K resolutions - what you get  - cannot be tweaked - but I haven't tried any games as yet 

 

My mid  range  PC in just HD is actually so much better with the sim - so I will not be as anxious to get my hands on a series X - until MS start to solve the problems of 3rd party involvement and will sit back and enjoy all my Orbx  sceneries - and aircraft that seemingly will not be on X box series X for some time  

 

[EasternT3]

Thanks John for the suggestion, my only concern is how much will I be lacking with the Xbox, I use so many addons, trackers like Volanta, AIG, both the thrustmaster TCA and Honeycomb Alpha/Bravo and for one the Fenix A320 will never be on xbox due to not going on the marketplace, sadly at the moment the xbox doesn't seem a viable option for me

[wain71]

6 hours ago, EasternT3 said:

Thanks John for the suggestion, my only concern is how much will I be lacking with the Xbox, I use so many addons, trackers like Volanta, AIG, both the thrustmaster TCA and Honeycomb Alpha/Bravo and for one the Fenix A320 will never be on xbox due to not going on the marketplace, sadly at the moment the xbox doesn't seem a viable option for me

I have to agree, I have MSFS on Xbox, bought some mesh products and 2 planes, but honestly I only use it if the PC is unavailable (wife shopping) or we are away at our caravan where I also have good internet but the weather is not so good....PC with my Airbus controls is mostly what I fly with.....

 

I have found though using the Xbox with the controller and a plugged in mouse does for me make it easier.....looks good but prefer PC with my addons and availability of apps...

[Sniper31]

10 hours ago, John Heaton said:

Hi Landon - G'day

I was just trying to help our young friend to buy his house - keep his missus happy and at least have a chance to use the sim in some improved manner

John,

 

I know you were only trying to help by suggesting an alternate option. Totally understand All is good there. I just wanted to add the info that I put because I haven't seen too many other users on here with both a good PC and and Xbox Series X or S to offer comparisons, You and Wayne are the only ones, so I wanted to offer up another opinion. But, in opinion is all it is  Joe, according to his remarks above, already has the same realizations that I had anyway, so it's all moot. But, at the end of the day, for some people, the Xbox is a viable simming platform. For me, not so much. I do like my Xbox Series X though, but for other games. I also use it as my main movie platform in my computer/simming room. I LOVE movies, and I love watching movies in 4k High Def and Dolby Surround, so the Xbox Series X checks that box nicely. Nothing like watching a nice Action/Adventure movie in 4k HD whilst I am enjoying a nice sim flight in MSFS to parts unknown 

 

Cheers,

Landon

[renault]

Hi Joe

Just as a comment that may be of help hopefully.

 

I have exactly the same processor and GPU as your original machine, with the exception of 64GB ram (3200 mhz). My CPU is 

Intel turbo boosted and normally runs at 4.7 ghz. I have fps locked at 30 and am using a 1440p monitor.

All my settings are on Ultra.  My OS, MS2020 are on SSD's and my Orbx scenery is on a WD HDD.

 

You haven't mentioned the monitor resolution you are using.  In my experience a RTX 2060 super works very well at

1080/1440p but doesn't have the horsepower to work very well at 4K.

 

I have to say I have never had any issues at all flying anywhere with either MS2020 or XPlane 11 with this system.

I am wondering if the culprit with your current system is the 16 GB ram, as from my monitoring of such things I see a total ram usage

on my system at times of over 20 GB when using MS2020.

 

From the description of what happened to you in your flight, it sounds very much like what would happen when your computer runs out

of available ram and starts paging onto your hard drive , which is considerably slower.

 

This would turn your experience into a "slide show" as you describe  .

 

I am attaching a link below to a tech note I wrote last year on what I discovered after I upgraded from 32 GB to 64 GB. Memory management in 

Win10 is a complicated process, much more than I ever realized.

 

You might also wish to consider that later this year, MS/Asobo will be implementing DLSS (Nvidia Deep Learning Super Sampling)

in MS2020.  One aspect of this that I have not seen mentioned is that for an RTX user, DLSS  has a significant impact on

your GPU performance (improvement). 

 

The reason for this is that DLSS uses the tensor cores on your card.  At the present time, these cores are sitting 

idle, because they are not used in any type of normal graphics rendering (either DX11/12).  So the improvement from DLSS is significant as it is a 

combination of both rendering at a lower resolution and upscaling to monitor resolution and also using the additional tensor cores on your

RTX card that are currently not used.

 

Also, I have been experimenting lately with rendering scale/TAA in SU7 in MS2020.  There was a brief mention in one of the Asobo videos, by Lionel

regarding their upgrade to their upscaler (13 tap ).  In my experience, they have significantly improved how the system works in SU7, even though 

there was no mention of this in the release notes.

 

What they have done is to improve how well TAA and image sharpening work when the upscaler is activein my experience.

I believe that this was the reason up until recently that Asobo was saying that they were not considering DLSS as they felt their implementation 

worked just as well.  However, their change in outlook resulted from their own recent work where they saw improvements

beyond what they were achieving.

 

What I found is the following, and I have to admit I am a "stickler" for video fidelity.   I cannot see any difference in rendering quality on my system

with this change.  Under normal usage at my gpu load (measured with CPU-Z) runs at about 80%.   If I change rendering scale

from 100% (native resolution) to 90% my GPU utilization at exactly the same locations drops down to about 70-72%. 

 

The reason I am describing the change in this fashion is because my fps is locked at 30 .  This has the effect of normalizing the system

behavior and allows me to see the reduction in GPU utilization from these changes more clearly. 

 

If I reduce it further to 85%, by GPU utilization drops to between 65 -68%. Below 85% rendering resolution I do see a drop off in visual quality.  

Of course this type of change is a function of an individual user, and I have to admit that I was pretty much in the camp of native monitor resolution is

always the best policy, but these experiments in the last few weeks have led me to believe that there are some significant benefits to be achieved with a 

bit of graphics tuning with SU7.

 

Perhaps you might want to consider upgrading your system memory to 32 GB as an interim step if this is an option to you.  Of course individual mileage 

will vary.  As an aside, in my experience DD scenery is very hard on frame rates and on my system (Seattle) takes far more system ram than other products, 

although it does look quite spectacular.

 

I  hope this may be of interest and some help in your decision.

Cheers

Pete

 

 

 

[EasternT3]

Hi Pete,

 

Thank you for your comment, my issue was as you questioned, resolution, I was running 3840x2160, which now I write that, I realise for a young guy who's grown up with tech from a very young age, I am not very tech smart,. I have dropped to 1280x1024 within MSFS and have my render scaling at 3440x1377, after a few flights, I am a lot happier, I run at a smooth 30fps in 99% of cases, for example I flew into Chicago as a test with exactly the same setup as in my OP but with the 1280x1024 res and it was miles better, but not 100% smooth.

 

I am going to upgrade to 32gb if not 64gb of RAM and hopefully that helps with the last little bit, also thank you for the heads up about DLSS and the explanation around it.

 

Apart from the RAM upgrade, the only issue now is the fish eye issue you talk about in the thread linked, following it to the letter I can't seem to fix the issue, have you got any further ideas of what I can try?

 

 

Thanks

Joe

[renault]

Hi Joe

 

Good to hear. As far as the "fish eye" effect, their does not seem to be a lot of resolution on Asobo's end.

It was broken around SU5, supposedly fixed but I have not found now that it actually does anything (may be

inoperative).

 

I normally leave it off. I've found that a zoom factor of about 70% with the camera tends to work reasonably well 

at getting rid of most of the problem.  

 

Just for comparison I have posted 3 screenshots with memory and GPU utilization on my system that you may find interesting

 

Cheers

Pete

 

All are in OZ. (Mackay).  My terrain rendering is set at 300

 

16.5 GB ram, GPU - 70%

 

 

16.8 GB ram - GPU - 74%

 

15.8 GB ram - GPU 57%

 

 

Edited February 11, 2022 by renault

[EasternT3]

Thanks Pete, I'll have a play around with it in slower time, it's annoying as I had my viewpoints perfect before but since changing my resolution and going to windowed mode it's thrown it all out of proportion 

[EasternT3]

Hey All,

 

I finally found the time to look into to my RAM upgrade and think I've found a solution that works, but just would like to clarify it will, thanks,

 

My motherboard is a ROG STRIX Z390-F Gaming, and the tech specs says for memory;

 

4 x DIMM, Max. 64GB, DDR4 4266(O.C.)/4133(O.C.)/4000(O.C.)/3866(O.C.)/3733(O.C.)/3600(O.C.)/3466(O.C.)/3400(O.C.)/3333(O.C.)/3300(O.C.)/3200(O.C.)/3000(O.C.)/2800(O.C.)/2666/2400/2133 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory

Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)

Dual Channel Memory Architecture

* Hyper DIMM support is subject to the physical characteristics of individual CPUs.

 

I am have found this RAM, https://www.currys.co.uk/products/corsair-vengeance-pro-rgb-ddr4-3600-mhz-pc-ram-16-gb-x-2-10219023.html

 

From looking at the MB specs it looks like it will support the RAM I've found (I've highlighted what I think is important) but I would like someone with tech knowledge to clarify if I am right/wrong

 

Thanks

Joe

[Sniper31]

2 hours ago, EasternT3 said:

Hey All,

 

I finally found the time to look into to my RAM upgrade and think I've found a solution that works, but just would like to clarify it will, thanks,

 

My motherboard is a ROG STRIX Z390-F Gaming, and the tech specs says for memory;

 

4 x DIMM, Max. 64GB, DDR4 4266(O.C.)/4133(O.C.)/4000(O.C.)/3866(O.C.)/3733(O.C.)/3600(O.C.)/3466(O.C.)/3400(O.C.)/3333(O.C.)/3300(O.C.)/3200(O.C.)/3000(O.C.)/2800(O.C.)/2666/2400/2133 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory

Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)

Dual Channel Memory Architecture

* Hyper DIMM support is subject to the physical characteristics of individual CPUs.

 

I am have found this RAM, https://www.currys.co.uk/products/corsair-vengeance-pro-rgb-ddr4-3600-mhz-pc-ram-16-gb-x-2-10219023.html

 

From looking at the MB specs it looks like it will support the RAM I've found (I've highlighted what I think is important) but I would like someone with tech knowledge to clarify if I am right/wrong

 

Thanks

Joe

Joe, that memory should work fine. The one thing I do not like about it, is that I did not see that it has an XMP profile. Not a gamebreaker, BUT, XMP does make a significant improvement with RAM performance. Basically, without getting too technical, an XMP profile is an overclocked profile for your memory from the factory. Assuming you install XMP enabled memory into an XMP capable motherboard (which, based on your info listed above, IS capable), then you can turn on the XMP profile in your motherboards BIOS. That is all you have to do to enable XMP...it's an on/off BIOS software switch. No crazy overclocking steps, testing and changing a bunch of memory settings and timings. Just enable, save and go. Of course, XMP capable memory is a bit more expensive, but not exorbitantly. However, like I said in the beginning, the RAM you selected will work fine. I will leave you with this. I do not ever purchase RAM that is non-XMP ready.

 

Landon

[renault]

21 minutes ago, Sniper31 said:

Joe, that memory should work fine. The one thing I do not like about it, is that I did not see that it has an XMP profile. Not a gamebreaker, BUT, XMP does make a significant improvement with RAM performance. Basically, without getting too technical, an XMP profile is an overclocked profile for your memory from the factory. Assuming you install XMP enabled memory into an XMP capable motherboard (which, based on your info listed above, IS capable), then you can turn on the XMP profile in your motherboards BIOS. That is all you have to do to enable XMP...it's an on/off BIOS software switch. No crazy overclocking steps, testing and changing a bunch of memory settings and timings. Just enable, save and go. Of course, XMP capable memory is a bit more expensive, but not exorbitantly. However, like I said in the beginning, the RAM you selected will work fine. I will leave you with this. I do not ever purchase RAM that is non-XMP ready.

 

Landon

 

3 hours ago, EasternT3 said:

Hey All,

 

I finally found the time to look into to my RAM upgrade and think I've found a solution that works, but just would like to clarify it will, thanks,

 

My motherboard is a ROG STRIX Z390-F Gaming, and the tech specs says for memory;

 

4 x DIMM, Max. 64GB, DDR4 4266(O.C.)/4133(O.C.)/4000(O.C.)/3866(O.C.)/3733(O.C.)/3600(O.C.)/3466(O.C.)/3400(O.C.)/3333(O.C.)/3300(O.C.)/3200(O.C.)/3000(O.C.)/2800(O.C.)/2666/2400/2133 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory

Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)

Dual Channel Memory Architecture

* Hyper DIMM support is subject to the physical characteristics of individual CPUs.

 

I am have found this RAM, https://www.currys.co.uk/products/corsair-vengeance-pro-rgb-ddr4-3600-mhz-pc-ram-16-gb-x-2-10219023.html

 

From looking at the MB specs it looks like it will support the RAM I've found (I've highlighted what I think is important) but I would like someone with tech knowledge to clarify if I am right/wrong

 

Thanks

Joe

Hi Joe

 

I would second Landon's suggestion.  XMP profile is click and forget . 

The extra cost, if you can cover it, is worth the difference it will make to both your blood pressure and frustration levels.

Cheers

Pete

[EasternT3]

Thanks both for your responses,

 

 

This is the product specs on the Corsair website and it looks like it is XMP ready, just not mentioned on the Curry's website.

 

Thanks

Joe

[Sniper31]

3 minutes ago, EasternT3 said:

Thanks both for your responses,

 

 

This is the product specs on the Corsair website and it looks like it is XMP ready, just not mentioned on the Curry's website.

 

Thanks

Joe

Okay Joe, based on that info, you should be good to go with that RAM. I didn't see it listed on the Curry's website, but it is possible it was buried somewhere in all the info. Nevertheless, you found the XMP specs listed on Corsair, so you should be good. 

 

Landon

[EasternT3]

Thanks Landon 

[EasternT3]

A quick update for any interested, I've upgraded to 64GB and it seems to have fixed my issues, I can now fly into big 3rd party airports without them becoming slideshow presentations.

 

Bring on the onslaught of new tubeliners over the next few months!

Edited March 5, 2022 by EasternT3

[Sniper31]

That is great news indeed! Glad it all worked out for you

 

Landon