So I have been out of simming for about 4 years and in the last month or so decided I wanted to get back into it. My set up currently is [email protected] | Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD4-B3 Z68 | Asus 560 Ti | 16MB RAM | 1TB Samsung Spinpoint HDD. I cleaned up my HDD and partitioned it with my OS on "C" and downloaded FSX-SE on "F". I reinstalled PDMG 737, UT2 and subsequently went on a REX, GEX, ORBX, and a sundry of add-ons spending spree. With my FPS fixed at 30 It appeared to be running pretty well. Even though I was taking an FPS hit at detailed airports, it was still relatively smooth and flyable. This led me to believe that I might be able to hold off on a complete rebuild for maybe 6-10months or so as I also want to be able to get the HTC Vive or Occulus Rift so that I can use the Flyinside app add-on. Well I downloaded the XP11 demo the other day and saw a pretty smooth "slideshow" which prompted me to maybe start a "gradual" upgrade. The question I have is, given my current system, what would be a logical progression to upgrade my system while still being able to use it? I am trying to avoid a complete upgrade as I already spent quite a bit on add-ons and hardware and don't think that I can quite talk my other half in spending another $1200+ in new computer hardware in one swail foop.Any and all suggestions welcomed.

 

You should look into upgrades in this order - 1. CPU/Mobo. 2. GPU. 3. A dedicated SSD for the sim. You'll save a lot if you're not opposed to buying used/refurb. 

Good luck! 

Thank you for the response Steve. Now assuming I get the MB and CPU, wouldn't that also require a new GPU as well? Also I am torn between what kind of dedicated SSD I should get; the 2.5 or the M.2 as well as the capacity.