Can I improve my computer spec to run P3dV4 faster?

[jcalvert 1]

I am thinking about improving my computer hardware to improve performance of P3Dv4 so that I can max out graphics, especially with payware airplanes and scenery.

I already have a fairly high spec.

The question is do I upgrade some components like the GPU (RTX2070) or CPU (latest i7) or both, or do I get a new system designed for flight simulation??

My current spec is:

Asus X99-A Motherboard AMI BIOS
Intel Core i7-5820K CPU @3.30Ghz O/C to 4.3 GHz 100Mhz Water cooled
Corsair 2400 DDR4 16GB RAM (4 x 4096MB)
GeForce GTX  980 GPU 4GB GDDR5 memory
G7 Power Extreme 780 watt PSU
Windows 10 Professional

I have no SSD's but have 3 hybrid HDD's( 1-2 TB)

Any thoughts would be most welcome.

Many thanks

[JoeFackel 760]

I would go for an 1080ti instead of an caponized RTX.

[AnkH 2,230]

24 minutes ago, jcalvert said:

I am thinking about improving my computer hardware to improve performance of P3Dv4 so that I can max out graphics, especially with payware airplanes and scenery.

I do not want to rain on anybody's parade, but this is basically still close to impossible. Unless you do not use AI traffic, only fly in fair weather conditions and not using any complex addon aircraft. Other than that, maxed out graphics will still bring the FPS down to a hardly acceptable level even with a i9-9900K running at 5+ GHz with two 2080Ti graphic cards. Otherwise ask Rob Ainscough on the settings he use now, or other avsim forum members with a 2080Ti SLI setup. You will realize that even those people still do not use maxed out graphics.

IF you did not mean it that strict, yes, in your case you would profit from a more powerful graphics card. Sadly, the 1080Ti are now end of life, almost not available anymore and with daily increasing pricetag.

[jcalvert 1]

4 minutes ago, AnkH said:

I do not want to rain on anybody's parade, but this is basically still close to impossible. Unless you do not use AI traffic, only fly in fair weather conditions and not using any complex addon aircraft. Other than that, maxed out graphics will still bring the FPS down to a hardly acceptable level even with a i9-9900K running at 5+ GHz with two 2080Ti graphic cards. Otherwise ask Rob Ainscough on the settings he use now, or other avsim forum members with a 2080Ti SLI setup. You will realize that even those people still do not use maxed out graphics.

IF you did not mean it that strict, yes, in your case you would profit from a more powerful graphics card. Sadly, the 1080Ti are now end of life, almost not available anymore and with daily increasing pricetag.

OK thanks, I get the MAXED out graphics problem. So for minimum cost and max benefit would you change GPU to RTX or CPU to higher i7 or even i9? OR just get a better complete system??

The system works pretty well but I run 4 screens, 3 +1 on the GTX980 and I'm wondering if this is a limiting factor.

 

[Chock 17,769]

Putting it in simple terms, when considering upgrades for FSX/P3D...

More/Faster RAM will load things quicker.

A better GPU will make the sim prettier.

A better CPU will increase the frame rate.

Of course it's not quite as simple as that, but it's a good general concept to base things on. We have to bear in mind that some of the calculations FSX/P3D makes are CPU-bound and this is what limits things a little bit for any and all other upgrades, but that said, a better GPU with more dedicated memory can help lessen the CPU load somewhat.

Keep in mind too that the components have to work well with one another; if you have super ballistic RAM which can calculate 'the answer to life the universe and everything' in a microsecond, but your processor can't process that info quickly enough or whatever, that's when you start getting bottlenecks and stuttering.

So the answer is yes, a better GPU will allow you to make it a bit better looking, but as others have noted, until Dovetail or Lockheed Martin adopt a modern graphics engine as the basis for FSX/P3D, even the very best-specced computer will not be able to run everything you could throw at the sim at blistering frame rates, the graphics engine it uses is just too aged to really make that possible, which is why we end up using a sledgehammer to crack a walnut. Fire up any other top notch high end PC game on your super flight sim machine and you'll see those run at blistering frame rates of course because they aren't built on a base program which is essentially from an era when the CPU was the king of the computer rather than the GPU.

 

Edited November 8, 2018 by Chock

[AnkH 2,230]

15 minutes ago, jcalvert said:

The system works pretty well but I run 4 screens, 3 +1 on the GTX980 and I'm wondering if this is a limiting factor.

Especially in this scenario (high resolution due to multiple screens), I would contradict the post from Alan and stick to my initial recommendation: with a novel GPU, you would definitely win some FPS and get better performance.

[ckyliu 1,749]

The sliders in P3D are designed to cover for the hardware of the future, to expect to be able to max them all now is unrealistic.

You already have a decent system, upgrading to a 1080Ti or even a 2080 is going to cost a lot and probably not offer all that much improvement. P3D remains dependent on single core performance and clock speed, so the biggest gain would be had going for something like a 8086k that you could get to over 5 GHz, but again you're talking big bucks because of all the associated changes. Probably best to sit tight for a couple more years I'd say.

Edited November 8, 2018 by ckyliu

[CFIJose 5,485]

1 hour ago, jcalvert said:

I am thinking about improving my computer hardware to improve performance of P3Dv4 so that I can max out graphics, especially with payware airplanes and scenery.

I already have a fairly high spec.

The question is do I upgrade some components like the GPU (RTX2070) or CPU (latest i7) or both, or do I get a new system designed for flight simulation??

My current spec is:

Asus X99-A Motherboard AMI BIOS
Intel Core i7-5820K CPU @3.30Ghz O/C to 4.3 GHz 100Mhz Water cooled
Corsair 2400 DDR4 16GB RAM (4 x 4096MB)
GeForce GTX  980 GPU 4GB GDDR5 memory
G7 Power Extreme 780 watt PSU
Windows 10 Professional

I have no SSD's but have 3 hybrid HDD's( 1-2 TB)

Any thoughts would be most welcome.

Many thanks

Right now one can buy a CPU that OCs to 5gz, fast ddr4 RAM, GTX 2080, super fast SSDs, along with 4K monitors that do not require AA to look amazing and the user will still need to play with their P3D v4.3 settings. We are dealing with the same decade old rendering engine that requires the fastest CPU speed & balanced system that one can buy.

By the time we finish upgrading, there will be a new version of P3D and the software/hardware upgrade process will start all over again. 😀

FS9-FSX-P3D-P3Dv4-?

[mpw8679 428]

2 hours ago, JoeFackel said:

I would go for an 1080ti instead of an caponized RTX.

+1. Or better yet if u wanna get serious 1080ti sli 

[OzWhitey 3,353]

On 11/8/2018 at 5:52 PM, jcalvert said:

I am thinking about improving my computer hardware to improve performance of P3Dv4 so that I can max out graphics, especially with payware airplanes and scenery.

I already have a fairly high spec.

The question is do I upgrade some components like the GPU (RTX2070) or CPU (latest i7) or both, or do I get a new system designed for flight simulation??

My current spec is:

Asus X99-A Motherboard AMI BIOS
Intel Core i7-5820K CPU @3.30Ghz O/C to 4.3 GHz 100Mhz Water cooled
Corsair 2400 DDR4 16GB RAM (4 x 4096MB)
GeForce GTX  980 GPU 4GB GDDR5 memory
G7 Power Extreme 780 watt PSU
Windows 10 Professional

I have no SSD's but have 3 hybrid HDD's( 1-2 TB)

Any thoughts would be most welcome.

Many thanks

I think we all know that P3D can’t be run on max settings. OP is asking for specific advice in light of his system.

OP, that’s pretty much my build, which is not a very common one around here.

5820K is a good processor, but you move from that at 4.3 to a 9900K at 5, it is a solid improvement (check cinebench single core benchmarks, for example). I’ve been pricing 9900K’s myself this evening, am pretty sure i’m going to make the upgrade.

if you’re upgrading your processor, you’re upgrading your mobo, of course.

PSU and case can be recycled, and you could theoretically reuse the DDR4 - i’ve thought about it, but will be uograding to 3200 DDR4.

Your 980 would be a weak graphics card in the 9900K build. I upgraded from 970 to 1080TI a while back, and it made a great deal of difference.

I’ve personally held off from uograding for the past 4 years as i haven’t been convinced that the available processors were enough of an improvement to justify a change from the 5820K (which is an underrated flightsim CPU imho).

For me, the 9900K finally has enough of a performance differential to (probably) justify the upgrade.

[Bert Pieke 7,584]

To the OP.. You've got a pretty capable system, and the 980 is a great card.

Yes, you can spend a ton of money to get the latest and greatest hardware, but after increasing a few P3D graphics settings,  you will be back to where you are now, I am afraid.

If it were me, I would go and fly and accept the fact that you cannot turn all sliders to the right..

[Manny 1,293]

Yeah, keep flying and enjoying for another 2 years and then save more money to do a big big upgrade! :)

For me, more than upgrading the hardware is the pain of reinstalling the P3Dv4 + all the addons and getting them all working properly. This is a real pain. So I hate reinstalls. lot more than rebuilding.

If only I could pull out my CPU/MB and memory and reinstall with the i9-9900 + its  new MB and latest memory and keep my win 7 and all my current P3D and addon  installs. I would upgrade my HW every year.

Edited November 12, 2018 by Manny