Author Topic: To 'Up-Grade' or Not to 'Up-Grade' ??  (Read 1873 times)

Rangerick

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To 'Up-Grade' or Not to 'Up-Grade' ??
« on: April 23, 2021, 06:56:06 PM »
Since Spring hasn't officially arrived here yet and I can't ride my 70th Birthday Present to me, a new Indian Scout M.C. ...I've been following a lot of the Hype and videos about MSFS 2020.

MSFS 2020 sure looks pretty Nice !

Wrestling with whether I should build invest $2000+ in a new PC and switch from P3D or not.

$$ is a consideration since I'm a 70yr. OLD retired guy and former Real-World pilot who loves FS, but has a fixed income now.

My I5 3700 K @ 3.8 and GTX 970 with win 7 system is running P3D with ORBX scenery really, really,  nice now.   

But the visuals, from what I've seen, are still no where near the quality of MSFS 2020.

However, from what I've read, my system will 'Suck' on MSFS 2020.  Same old F.S. story for the last 20 years. LOL

Also concerned that my (7) Go-Flight modules and PFC controls that work great with P3D are not going to be compatible for a while.

So, I figure there's probably a few Old Guys like me here and thought I'd ask what your thought are if you don't mind sharing your thoughts and experiences.

Always REALLY appreciate the feed-back from the folks at RTMM.

Thanks in Advance !

Rick


stiletto2

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Re: To 'Up-Grade' or Not to 'Up-Grade' ??
« Reply #1 on: April 23, 2021, 09:10:31 PM »
Hi Rick,

I am in your age range so feel qualified to respond.  Keep in mind that Windows 10 is required for MSFS.  Your first step would be to upgrade to Windows 10 with your current system.  If nothing else, you gain a little more VRAM for P3D.  Once you are used to Windows 10 and P3D, then you should revisit a decision around MSFS.

Just my two cents...

Rod

MFC0001

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Re: To 'Up-Grade' or Not to 'Up-Grade' ??
« Reply #2 on: April 23, 2021, 10:37:24 PM »
Hey Rick,
I am actually older that you are and also a real world pilot.  I am also a CSE so I keep up with technology and in addition to getting up to speed with Win10, read about what you really need to run MSFS.  I run with a 7700k and a 1080ti...not the speediest system but you back off the sliders and have a wonderful experience.  I actually went back to p3d for about 20 min last week and that will be likely my last time as MSFS is just that great.....Since you are here I would doubt you fly tubes, hopefully you are hand flying your airplanes and doing your own navigation.  MSFS will allow you to look out the window to navigate and dazzle you with views of great scenery. 

Fixed income are problematic but there are way to get what you need. The graphics are so good for VFR that you don't really have to squeeze every ounce out of the sim.  Many threads speculate that there is no current hardware available to fully run MSFS, without backing off some settings.  Buy the lowest version and purchase one of your favorite pay ware airplanes.....you already know that most pilots only actually a handful of airplanes in their flying careers...so....take it one step at a time and have fun....this one is a winner and there is tons of freeware available so the thousands spent on ORBX can now go to better hardware....all in due time.  Good luck

kaha

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Re: To 'Up-Grade' or Not to 'Up-Grade' ??
« Reply #3 on: April 24, 2021, 03:05:31 AM »
From a technical (and financial) point of view I see two directions to go:

1) Make the cut and go to a new system

2) Make a relatively inexpensive upgrade by looking at the RAM and the GPU. This needs to involve an upgrade to Windows 10 also for MSFS (as Henry already stated).

There is no I5-3700K in the IvyBridge family, so maybe you have the I7-3770K (the only -K here)? You have DDR3 RAM, you should at least have 16GB for MSFS. For the GPU you should have one with at least 8GB VRAM like a used RTX 2070 (Super).

You can reuse the Win 10 license and the GPU for a future new build.

Karl

i9-9900K@5.0 | RTX 3080TI | 55" 4K | MSFS2020

Rangerick

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Re: To 'Up-Grade' or Not to 'Up-Grade' ??
« Reply #4 on: April 24, 2021, 04:52:41 AM »
Thanks !!

Great advice at RTMM, as always !


nbrich1

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Re: To 'Up-Grade' or Not to 'Up-Grade' ??
« Reply #5 on: April 24, 2021, 08:36:30 AM »
Ditto to the rest of the responses Rick.. but the only difference here is that I might be a tad younger? But same sediments, (great summary Karl).

Think of it this way Rick.  Hopefully we still have lots of simming years ahead yet and MSFS will be around for a long time. Still some growing pains but it is the best sim out there and as I have said many times, I think it "blows" the doors off any previous sim ever or so far. 

Now the biggest question is, do you want to stay in your current sim where you are now or go to win 10 and MSFS?

Honestly, if the answer to the question is yes. I would bite the bullet and go the brand new machine route.  as there is a lot to upgrade in your machine to make it fast enough to run MSFS and you'll ending up spending close to the same $$ as a new machine (unless you do it all yourself- but that is a big risk and don't recommend that).

One other thing to consider for MSFS - is internet speed as a portion of the scenery environment content is streamed from the cloud (wherever it might be).. so fast internet speed and dependability is imperative to run successfully run MSFS). (Note: Stock MSFS is @ 140 gb or so which it has to download/install).

Norm
Regards from Toronto, Canada. Home Airport CYYZ.
^----------------- Misty Flying Club -----------------^

Rangerick

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Re: To 'Up-Grade' or Not to 'Up-Grade' ??
« Reply #6 on: April 24, 2021, 10:16:41 AM »
YEP !  Might as well start the 'Move' now, 'cause I ain't gettin' any younger.  LOL

Started 'Parts-Shopping' for a New build yesterday.

'Fly 'till You Can't Fly No Mo' !!  8)

merlinux

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Re: To 'Up-Grade' or Not to 'Up-Grade' ??
« Reply #7 on: April 26, 2021, 04:55:42 AM »
Just a suggestion,
Instead of forking up for a new system....  And if you are familiar with computers or have friends who are....
I am a lot younger at 40yo, but I have a small paycheck as I am a cook....

Get a 4790k second hand. I don't have the details of your motherboard but I believe that most mobo of that generation accepts the 4790k. It really depends on the chipset of your motherboard but you can get a full extra 1Ghz by slight overclock(compared to your actual processor). This will feel like a new PC trust me.
 
And add a new graphic card. Depends on your display but a 2070 would be plentiful on 1080p.

I have MSFS with a 4790k 16Gb ram and a 1070 with a 1080p monitor and I am happy with the performance.
It will give you an extra year to save some money for a new rig and you'll be able to keep the graphic card and resell the 4790k for the same price you bought it (they are popular on second hand markets)

EDIT: just read you started parts shopping. Enjoy your new PC, soon :)
« Last Edit: April 26, 2021, 05:12:52 AM by merlinux »

kaha

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Re: To 'Up-Grade' or Not to 'Up-Grade' ??
« Reply #8 on: April 26, 2021, 05:23:27 AM »
Just a suggestion,
Instead of forking up for a new system....  ...Get a 4790k second hand.

That's always a good idea to only chane components.



...that most mobo of that generation accepts the 4790k.

Unfortunately not. The 2nd and 3rd generation (Sandy and Ivy Bridge) need Socket 1155. The 4th generation (Haswell) got a new socket, 1150. That's one of the reasons why the I7-4790K is so good.

Karl
i9-9900K@5.0 | RTX 3080TI | 55" 4K | MSFS2020

MFC0001

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Re: To 'Up-Grade' or Not to 'Up-Grade' ??
« Reply #9 on: April 26, 2021, 12:52:04 PM »
You are at the crossroads in computer hardware.  I am running MSFS on a very under resourced computer and I can tell you it is just fine.....BUT I would look at two possibilities, one to buy new components that are not the latest and greatest.  Just two or three years ago a 1080TI GPS was top of the ling, now, new in the bargain basement. 

Also remember that your computer with the best components today ....is obsolete tomorrow....it's just the way it is.  Since you will not be making the constant investment as you have in the past, MSFS will save you money down the road, so make sure your computer is up to the task.  Another avenue is to look for used gaming computers being retired to buy newer stuff...not components, whole computers.

Check out the forums about hardware for MSFS, you will benefit.

merlinux

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Re: To 'Up-Grade' or Not to 'Up-Grade' ??
« Reply #10 on: April 27, 2021, 07:51:47 AM »
Just a suggestion,
Instead of forking up for a new system....  ...Get a 4790k second hand.

That's always a good idea to only chane components.



...that most mobo of that generation accepts the 4790k.

Unfortunately not. The 2nd and 3rd generation (Sandy and Ivy Bridge) need Socket 1155. The 4th generation (Haswell) got a new socket, 1150. That's one of the reasons why the I7-4790K is so good.

Karl

You are right it has been quite some time...heh eheh. Forgot how Intel changed the damn socket once again....
And yeah I still love my 4790k. I know it will be amazing when I upgrade but I am still amazed that I can still run flight simulators quite well in 2021. Even MSFS :)

MFC0001

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Re: To 'Up-Grade' or Not to 'Up-Grade' ??
« Reply #11 on: April 27, 2021, 12:02:19 PM »
I think the key to what will run on what is how you use the sim.  You absolutely cannot run MSFS with all sliders to the right....on ANY processor, but with all the sliders on low or to the left, the experience is still better that previous simulators.  It really boils down to what you accept for your experience.  That is a very personal decision and one that only you can make.

kaha

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Re: To 'Up-Grade' or Not to 'Up-Grade' ??
« Reply #12 on: April 29, 2021, 10:28:02 AM »
I did some tests. I run 4K, but of course I can switch to whatever resulution I want. See this video:

https://vimeo.com/543168065


Karl
i9-9900K@5.0 | RTX 3080TI | 55" 4K | MSFS2020

nbrich1

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Re: To 'Up-Grade' or Not to 'Up-Grade' ??
« Reply #13 on: April 29, 2021, 01:45:11 PM »
Neat. Sim looks great. Nice job Karl.
Regards from Toronto, Canada. Home Airport CYYZ.
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