Hello all,

 

I know this has been widely discussed at several places and I have read most of it. But I am still not able to decide and cannot match the pros and cons to my system (How good my system can handle fsx and p3d)

 

My dilemma is : Should I stay with FSX or move to P3D.

 

Background: I am not a pilot. Just a flight sim enthusiast. To bring new life to this exciting hobby of mine, finally after 2007, this year I have bought a decent computer desktop just for flight simulator. The specs of my computer are Intel i7 6700 sky-lake 4.0 GHz, overclock to 4.4 GHz. 16 GB DDR4 RAM, Hard disk 2TB is SSD, GTX 970 4GB Nvidia.

 

So since 2007 I have not played flight sim. This year when I got my new computer, I immediately without doing much of a research, installed FSX deluxe, bought PMDG 777-200, a bunch of airports, FSUIPC, FS Passengers, AES credits for all add-on airports. Now I was considering buying Active Sky Next, Rex textures for clouds, FTX global and few other add-ons. Just before buying these add-ons, it struck me that everywhere on youtube and elsewhere, P3D is slowly dominating the flight sim world. I have heard lots of good things about it, out of which most important for me is that P3D is constantly updated whereas FSX will not be updated anymore.

 

So now I am thinking that having spent a few hundred dollars already on PMDG 777, airports etc, I should ask you friends what are your suggestions? Because I think if I need to go to P3D then I have to buy all add-ons again since they are different installers? (At least I am sure about PMDG). This is important for me since I have done a major investment already with new computer and add-ons and hardwares, so I do not want to put more money into FSX, if P3D is the way to go. Especially if FSX is something that will hang on for just very less time now.

 

Please provide your inputs and oblige.

 

Thank you.

 

Satbeer Singh

 

 

 

 

You are bound to get many different answers.

 

Given that you don't own several years worth of older scenrry, I would strongly recommend you go with P3D.

 

Dove Tail Hames also has a new simulator planned for the end of the year, but very little info regarding compatibility with FSX and P3D adfons.

 

Best wishes.

You do not "need to go to P3D"... FSX will continue to work quite nicely on your system.

 

Yes, P3D is under active development... but you can wait to see what it delivers.

 

For now, it has nice shadowing, but that has a performance impact.

 

It also uses the GPU more, so you may at some time have to upgrade your video card to take full advantage..

 

Given that you have already spent the money on FSX, I would stay with it.. unless you enjoy installing new simulator updates every few months..

 

Just another point of view..

A lot of the add ons you have will work in P3D. Buy P3D, install the addons that work with it and give it a try. If you like it keep it. If not, return P3D to Lockheed Martin within 60 days and they will give you a full refund. Personally I like P3D much better and many people continue to move in the direction of this platform.

Enjoy the FSX for another 10 years.

DaveCT2003, Bert Pieke, Mike T707, CPT747 ; Thank you very much for your helpful responses. Each of your response is giving a shape to my decision.

 

The core idea that is developing now to me is that P3D is undoubtedy an actively developing promising flight sim. No questions. But I also see it as taking baby steps towards maturity. I like Bert's idea of waiting to see what P3D eventually delivers in some time and then judging it.

 

I, at this moment, have brought all my excitement to enjoy fsx to halt, bcos of all this confusion about P3D vs FSX. And I think I should for now, keep on enjoying fsx without thinking too much and after a while, I can worry about this switch.

 

Once again, everyone thank you for your responses. Very much appreciated.

 

Satbeer Singh

Your computer is quite adequate for FSX and I would stay with FSX until a comparable 64-bit flight simulator is available.

Maybe a few other aspects especially about the "constant development" remark. Most people think that this is a good thing, but IMHO there are some things to consider:

 

• P3D major version updates are not for free. Going from V2 to V3 to V4 will cost the full license fee every time. Just like in the old days, when you changed from FS9 to FS10 (=FS-X) you had to pay full price too
• Risk: if you buy tried and tested FSX addons now, you can be reasonably certain that they work and that they will continue to do so. With P3D, even every point release (3.1->3.2->3.3) breaks compatibility with a few addons, and you have to wait for updated versions (not just installers, full rebuild!). These may or may not happen, as some developers might decide that they cannot keep up financially with constant free updates.
• It is expected that one of the next major releases will break compatibility with a lot of the old addons completely. So you might end up with an "investment" (rather "expense") that will never work again on that platform and may never get an update.
• P3D is not intended for the "casual flightsimmer", and at some point Lockheed Martin might decide to enforce that.
• There are other flightsims on the brink of release. I would wait for a couple of months until Aerofly 2 and DTG FS have been released, then see which platform makes the most sense for your type of flying.

Are you using a single monitor, Satbeer? If so, then that 4GB GTX 970 should be more than enough to get P3D running very nicely on the system you have.

 

 

So since 2007 I have not played flight sim. This year when I got my new computer, I immediately without doing much of a research, installed FSX deluxe, bought PMDG 777-200, a bunch of airports, FSUIPC, FS Passengers, AES credits for all add-on airports. Now I was considering buying Active Sky Next, Rex textures for clouds, FTX global and few other add-ons. Just before buying these add-ons, it struck me that everywhere on youtube and elsewhere, P3D is slowly dominating the flight sim world. I have heard lots of good things about it, out of which most important for me is that P3D is constantly updated whereas FSX will not be updated anymore.

No offense, but your first mistake was not doing enough research.  Being aware of all of your options, helps to make a more informed decision.  I'm not saying you threw away all of your money though, as a lot of the add-on products you purchased are compatible with both.  Like you, I was a diehard FSX user, coming from the boxed DVD Gold Edition, and then purchasing the Steam Edition, I figured it was as good as it'll get.  Later, Steve's DX10 Fixer came along and that was money well spent, as FSX seemed to become a whole lot more immersive.  All the while I was in the FSX world, P3D emerged and garnered a respectable following.  Nowadays, I am completely 100% P3D, despite the amount of money I spent in the past on all of my FSX products.

 

While this hobby can be rather expensive, I always tell my wife that it's "better and safer than drugs".

 

Your hardware seems to fit the bill so you are at the proverbial fork in the road.  Since you aren't too far invested in one sim, you can split up into P3D.  As another user said in another thread, why not have both installed, so you can enjoy everything you have without the guilt?  I'd have done the same thing, but my personal preference is to deal with one sim alone.

 

Maybe a few other aspects especially about the "constant development" remark. Most people think that this is a good thing, but IMHO there are some things to consider:

 

• P3D major version updates are not for free. Going from V2 to V3 to V4 will cost the full license fee every time. Just like in the old days, when you changed from FS9 to FS10 (=FS-X) you had to pay full price too
• Risk: if you buy tried and tested FSX addons now, you can be reasonably certain that they work and that they will continue to do so. With P3D, even every point release (3.1->3.2->3.3) breaks compatibility with a few addons, and you have to wait for updated versions (not just installers, full rebuild!). These may or may not happen, as some developers might decide that they cannot keep up financially with constant free updates.
• It is expected that one of the next major releases will break compatibility with a lot of the old addons completely. So you might end up with an "investment" (rather "expense") that will never work again on that platform and may never get an update.
• P3D is not intended for the "casual flightsimmer", and at some point Lockheed Martin might decide to enforce that.
• There are other flightsims on the brink of release. I would wait for a couple of months until Aerofly 2 and DTG FS have been released, then see which platform makes the most sense for your type of flying.

 

These are some very good, nicely laid out points.

 

I feel the OP, like many others, are looking for a magic bullet sim; a good step up in all areas from FSX. From what I've seen and feel, one does not exist yet.

 

I keep saying X-Plane could be this 'next' sim but they have to greatly ramp up features and production speed; something they have never done to date. :(

 

<p>

 

Maybe a few other aspects especially about the "constant development" remark. Most people think that this is a good thing, but IMHO there are some things to consider:

 

• P3D major version updates are not for free. Going from V2 to V3 to V4 will cost the full license fee every time. Just like in the old days, when you changed from FS9 to FS10 (=FS-X) you had to pay full price too
• Risk: if you buy tried and tested FSX addons now, you can be reasonably certain that they work and that they will continue to do so. With P3D, even every point release (3.1->3.2->3.3) breaks compatibility with a few addons, and you have to wait for updated versions (not just installers, full rebuild!). These may or may not happen, as some developers might decide that they cannot keep up financially with constant free updates.
• It is expected that one of the next major releases will break compatibility with a lot of the old addons completely. So you might end up with an "investment" (rather "expense") that will never work again on that platform and may never get an update.
• P3D is not intended for the "casual flightsimmer", and at some point Lockheed Martin might decide to enforce that.
• There are other flightsims on the brink of release. I would wait for a couple of months until Aerofly 2 and DTG FS have been released, then see which platform makes the most sense for your type of flying.

 

 

Very congent arugment, sir! Like you, I suggest the OP place himself in a holding pattern and wait for the other sims (e.g. DG/XP11) to enter the marketplace.

Just for the record: AES is one of the products that does not work with P3D. The developer of the core module is no longer around, and no replacement has been in sight for many months now.

 

"P3D dominating the FS world": I don't know if this is true. It is strong on Youtube because it looks good, and forums are active on some sites (like this one) but all but nonexistent on others. I can't quantify this, but it feels like P3D still has a very long way to go to get anywhere near the FSX or XP sales figures. But then again, that seemingly never was the intent of LM anyway.

Lorby_SI, excellent summary of the downside of constant development factor of P3D. This certainly is a very big deciding factor for me at this stage.

 

Christopher Low: Yes FSX with my addons is currently giving me desired frame rates

 

Yashigashi: Good points. But likewise dealing with 2 sims at this time is too much demanding for me

Hi, just to ask, what's FSX?. The same thing I remember my grandson used to play with?.

Cheers, Ed