I just wanted to thank everyone for their input on my previous thread. Before I went ahead and installed Prepar3d i have decided to upgrade my comp. Just looking for some recommendations on good hardware to upgrade on my CPU and GPU.

 

I am looking to improve my CPU and GPU for my first Prepar3d installation.

 

Here are my current specs:

CPU – i5-3570k 3.40GHz
Memory – 8Gb
GPU – AMD Radeon HD 7970
1TB SSD

 

I was going to go with an i7-4790k. I dont know what GPU card to get. I am looking for a system that won’t need much tweaking. Also is the Saitek Rhino a good Joystick?

 

 

Thanks,

 

Daryl

 

i7 4790k is good and easily overclockable.

 

GTX 970 or 980 would pair well with it.

 

I would avoid Saitek where possible. I personally have not had good luck with them, always spiking or breaking.

THanks Shuai. What would you suggest other than Saitek?

I strongly suggest steering clear of all nVidia geForce 970 for Prepar3D. Those that have them now are probably just fine, but since you have the benefit of foresight I'd stay away. The 970 is not best value any more. The 970 has a unique memory setup that could impact the performance in Prepar3D.

 

If you want to go with nVidia and your are looking for the best, go with a geForce 980 card. They are free of the memory isssue that lowers performance, and the 980 would be a better card if you plan to hold onto it for a couple years. With all nVidia cards you can use the handy Nvidia Inspector tool which is a plus. On the downside, nVidia's driver updates frequently cause graphical issues for nVidia owners in Prepar3D.

 

If you are looking for the best value for your money, the AMD Radeon R9 290X is the card to buy. Performance benchmarks have it below the 980 but the card is still a strong contender. Right now you can get some fantastic deals on this very powerful card.

 

At the moment, websites like Newegg.com have some for as low as $280 after rebates, when a 980 costs you $560. You could buy 2 290X cards and do CrossFire for the price of 1 980. The draw back to the GPU is that the 290X has a high power requirement, so you'll need to check that your Power Supply is sufficient. On the plus side, AMD driver updates have been very Prepar3D friendly. AMD owners have not reported the graphical issues that nVidia owners have experienced. AMD cards don't have the NVidia Inspector tool, but AMD's Catalyst Control Center does offer all that you'd need to Prepar3D.

 

I'm a simmer on a budget, so the R9 290X is what I'd like to get for my system. I think the nVidia card is more powerful, but not $280 more powerful.

 

On a side note, news has been starting to circulate of a R9 300X series announcement from AMD coming soon. The 300 series might have a new memory architecture that dramatically increases memory access speeds, thus increases performance. Just something to look out for.

    Unfortunately, crossfire does not work in windowed mode. AMD have stated that they have no plans to make crossfire work with the windowed mode used by P3D. So you will, in fact, be much further ahead going with an nvidia gpu. If you want the best bang for the buck offered by nvidia, a case can be made for the GTX 780 ti. It has a wider memory bus, and more stream processors giving it a performance only surpassed by the Titan line. 

 

  Jazz

In terms of controls, it really depends on your budget and what you'd like.

 

There's no real cheap yoke alternative other than the older Ch ones. There are several expensive yokes you can buy though.

 

Same deal with pedals.

 

If you're happy with a joystick or HOTAS, the Saitek x55 is okay, x52 Pro good, I personally use the TM Warthog. There's the t1600m which is hall effect.

 

Ideally buy stuff that uses hall effect or magnetic sensors instead of cheap potentiometers. Unless you're familiar with replacing them and soldering.

 

 

I am looking to improve my CPU and GPU for my first Prepar3d installation.

 

With respect Daryl if you search this forum you will see your question answered ad nauseam.

 

AVSIM has also been astute enough to have a separate forum section dealing with all manner of hardware questions. I'm sure you could put that to good use.

I have Saitek yoke, throttle quadrant, and pedals. Have had them now for about three  years, and use frequently. They work perfectly and have never had a problem.

I strongly suggest steering clear of all nVidia geForce 970 for Prepar3D. Those that have them now are probably just fine, but since you have the benefit of foresight I'd stay away. The 970 is not best value any more. The 970 has a unique memory setup that could impact the performance in Prepar3D.
 

 

 

I have a similar system - i5 3570 @3.4 ghz and Nvidia Geforce gtx 650Ti - also considering a cpu/gpu upgrade. I was just about to buy the geforce 970 - can you comment more on on what this memory setup problem is and how it affects P3D. Also, if it is a problem, why do you say that those who already have it are just fine?

 

Appliance, I know there is a sub forum for hardware, but have not seen there many discussions addressing specific P3D issues. Seems mostly fsx oriented.

Don't get an AMD if you ever plan on using FSX. It just doesn't work. I got an R290x sitting in my living room. I replaced it with an GTX970 for that reason alone. So if you want it, you can purchase it from me but you have been warned about FSX.

Got my hands on a free AMD Radeon r9 290x today. Probably going to stick with this for my gpu since its a good cards and literally got it free from a family member that was tearing down some mining rigs for litecoin

The GTX 970 is still the best value.  I just upgraded from a 570 and while it didn't really help with fps it did smooth out my sim, and I can still have cloud shadows etc etc

 

The 980 is better, sure, but almost 200 USD more....  not really great value imho...