should I make the switch?

[ahsmatt7 1,199]

Hello all,

 

I've been summing since 98 and am very content with my current fsx setup.

 

However, I'm really interested in making the switch to prepar3d v2.5.

 

I don't see a lot of people using hardware such as mine so here it goes.

 

With ASN, pmdg 777 and ngx as well as add on airports, csn I expect solid performance with the cool graphical things like internal and external shadowing as well as some other newer things, on this setup?

 

I7 2700k OCED to 4.6

680 gtx

8 gb ram

 

I know it's not much, I just want some better lighting and shadowing as well as volumetric fog.

 

Hope all is well.

[BamaKevin 8]

That setup will run 30fps easy as long as your sliders are within reason

[qqwertz 781]

I switched to P3D2.5 two months ago after a serious issue with FSX. I have a GTX 670, 16 GB RAM and i7-3820 @ 3.6 GHz, so that's roughly comparable to your system, maybe even a bit worse. P3D works very well with much higher (though not maxed out) graphics settings than I used in FSX. I yet have to experience OOM, CTD or VAS issues, and that's with FTX Global and Vector, FS Global Ultimate mesh, ASN, REX 4, complex addon airports (FlyTampa Toronto, for instance) and some nice addon planes (Majestic Dash 8, Milviz 732, Aerosoft A320, ..). I am not flying PMDG planes anymore because I am not prepared to pay twice (FSX, then P3D) for the same aircraft. 

 

Peter

[Bobsk8 12,702]

I switched to P3D a few months ago after many decades running MSFS.  I would never go back to MSFS....

[ahsmatt7 1,199]

Thank you all for the input. It's exciting to see how far flight simulator has come. It looks like I'll be making the switch here soon!

[Gregg_Seipp 568]

You can run both.  I have FSX on my D: and P3D on my E: 

[shamrockflyer 647]

I am a past long term user of FSX, after using it since day one. I switched to P3D over two years ago, however - I have since found X-Plane and that is now my main sim. X-Plane takes a bit of getting used to, but its well worth it! Personally if I were you, I wouldn't waste my money on P3D. P3D is just a better looking version of FSX, nothing really majorly different about it. 

[snglecoil 1,828]

IF you are truly content with your FSX right now, I'd actually say hold off for a little while longer. See if V3 is as close as some are thinking.

[BamaKevin 8]

Shamrock why is X-Plane your go to sim? I am asking out of curiosity? I have never tried it.

[downscc 1,327]

This is one of those very-opinionated topics... there will be FSX Steam voters, XPlane and Prepar3D.

 

I have been trying to get used to XPlane for a few weeks now and I don't have anything constructive to say about it.

 

IMHO Prepar3D is the greatest thing since sliced bread. There's room for improvement to be sure but at least I can open a settings box and there's a cancel button if I don't want to make changes LOL. All my money in aircraft and scenery is in P3D.

[snglecoil 1,828]

 

 

I have been trying to get used to XPlane for a few weeks now and I don't have anything constructive to say about it.

 

Really? Nothing constructive at all? Not even the fantastic lighting? Not even some of the great freeware scenery that compares favorably to FSX/P3D? Not the cool plugins like Real Terra Haze? Nothing at all?   

 

No, I actually understand where you are coming from. FSX/P3D has so much great 3rd party content, it would be impossible for me to go "all in" on X-plane. But in all fairness, X-plane has some good stuff going on. After what seems like ages of promise, 3rd party content is finally starting to show up. It is an exciting time for flight sims right now. I am really interested to see where LM takes P3D. But I'll be keeping X-Plane too.

[shamrockflyer 647]

Shamrock why is X-Plane your go to sim? I am asking out of curiosity? I have never tried it.

Its one on its own, its different, its better developed and there is a TON of freeware that would be payware in FSX/P3D. X-Plane is the only one out of the three that appears to have a solid good future, I am not too sure if LM will keep going with P3D, but I could be entirely wrong which I probably am. The main reason I switched to X-Plane is because its 64 bit optimized giving it greater potential. Plus now that PMDG are onboard the X-Plane train its a game changer. 

[LAdamson 240]

Its one on its own, its different, its better developed and there is a TON of freeware that would be payware in FSX/P3D. X-Plane is the only one out of the three that appears to have a solid good future, I am not too sure if LM will keep going with P3D, but I could be entirely wrong which I probably am. The main reason I switched to X-Plane is because its 64 bit optimized giving it greater potential. Plus now that PMDG are onboard the X-Plane train its a game changer. 

I don't think X-Plane has any more solid future than FSX/P3D.  X-Plane has actually been around a long time. I remember X-Plane being advertised in aviation catalogs, back in 94' when I was working on a IFR rating. It actually pushed the concept of scenery back then, with lakes, rivers, and dots flying against the windscreen to simulate snow.  Unfortunately, the planes looked like toilet paper rolls, with paper wings. I had started building a semi high performance plane at the time (Van's RV6A), and thought that planes should look as good on the outside, as the flight dynamics within.  Of course, some pilots would say that outside visuals mean nothing. I had 12,000 flush rivets, yet  to go, and figured that the airframe visual meant a lot. I still do.

 

I've owned XP 8, 9 & 10. I do like the sim, but yet I still enjoy FSX and the new scenery & aircraft that are still being released. I don't see these 3rd parties, turning back to dust, anytime soon.

 

P.S. X-Plane doesn't have Orbx. It certainly does have some excellent freeware airports, such as those from Mr.X.  However, the Orbx scenery converts hundreds of  airports throughout the mountain west, to much better looking airports. This is addition to the actual payware airports. The landscape looks much better, than X-Plane in these areas. X-Plane still wins with sharp mountain detail. 

[VPMC 0]

I switched to P3D2.5 two months ago after a serious issue with FSX. I have a GTX 670, 16 GB RAM and i7-3820 @ 3.6 GHz, so that's roughly comparable to your system, maybe even a bit worse. P3D works very well with much higher (though not maxed out) graphics settings than I used in FSX. I yet have to experience OOM, CTD or VAS issues, and that's with FTX Global and Vector, FS Global Ultimate mesh, ASN, REX 4, complex addon airports (FlyTampa Toronto, for instance) and some nice addon planes (Majestic Dash 8, Milviz 732, Aerosoft A320, ..). I am not flying PMDG planes anymore because I am not prepared to pay twice (FSX, then P3D) for the same aircraft. 

 

Peter

Absolutely agree!

 

I too have the PMDG planes and they have advised me that I DO need to purchase separate P3D licenses.

 

<QUOTE>The Prepar3D platform and FSX Platforms are completely separate product lines despite there similarities and if you desire to run any of the PMDG products in P3D, it will require the purchase of a new product/license. We have no plans to abandon the FSX or FSX-SE platforms so nothing requires you to purchase the P3D product unless you wish to have it. There was a temporary Price Reduction from the planned retail price for the first 30 days after the P3D version was released,  but that price reduction is no longer available.  Sorry to disappoint.<\QUOTE>

 

It is the same story with A2A - I have all their FSX Accusim planes but they too require me to purchase new licenses for P3D. I did buy the P3D version of the C172 trainer and it IS exactly the same product.

 

What I do not understand is how Orbx/FTX are able to issue triple installers that allow you to install their products into either FSX, P3Dv1 or P3Dv2. I am not talking about having the same product installed simultaneously on two separate simulators (which would arguably justify a 2nd license), rather I am considering the situation where a consumer waves goodbye forever to one simulator and wants to migrate his paid-up products to a new one. This can be painlessly achieved using the Orbx and FS Global products, and perhaps many other vendors as well, whose products I do not have.

 

Well done Orbx,   caveat emptor PMDG, A2A

 

VPMC

[downscc 1,327]

 

 

VPMC

 

Please do not hijack this thread... the original topic is a good one and your opinions on marketing strategy have not contributed much more than a better understanding of how you feel.

 

 

 

Really? Nothing constructive at all? Not even the fantastic lighting? Not even some of the great freeware scenery that compares favorably to FSX/P3D? Not the cool plugins like Real Terra Haze? Nothing at all?

 

Well, I did not start listing the things I didn't like so give me a little credit.  True, XPL has potential but I'm not going to enjoy a flight simulator with eye-popping scenery unless there's a realistic simulation of an aircraft.  I haven't seen that yet. I think the Laminar blade aerodynamics approach is better than FSX but then it goes from being interesting to less so because it might do a single engine Cessna very well but I haven't seen a transport category aircraft implemented yet. Hopefully that changes over the next couple years but I will wait for them to build it before I come.