Oldtimer needs PC buying help

[Peter Z KCLE_EDDN 336]

Hi there,

 

I’ve been here at Avsim and simming for over 20 years, and after 8 years without upgrades, I’m now ready to buy a new system. Unfortunately I haven’t been keeping up with hardware changes, so please excuse my ignorance.

 

I’m looking to buy a Sim-system only (Prepar3d, FSX, X-Plane), one-Monitor setup, networked to one other client pc (my current old system). I plan to purchase it with a 30% overclock. After reading many posts, below please see my selection towards a hopefully well performing sim-pc. 

 

I’d love to hear some feedback on the config further below, and also have some questions:

1. Monitor: What resolution is best for simming? I’m soo behind here, I’d like a 30 inch or so monitor, but is 4K always better for simming, and at what resolution and/or what MHz? I’m hoping something in the $350 range if that’s realistic.
2. HDD Combo: Is a combo advisable, or would it be better to get 2 separate drives? Also, can Prepared be on the same drive as the OS?

 

Config:

 

CPU:Intel® Core™ Processor i7-9700K 3.60GHZ 12MB Intel Smart Cache LGA1151

FAN:CoolerMaster MASTERLIQUID ML120R RGB 120mm Dual Chamber CPU Liquid Cooling System w/ Copper Cold Plate

HDD:500GB WD Blue SSD + 2TB SATA III Hard Drive Combo (Plus 32GB

Intel Optane Memory SSD Acceleration 4X Faster (Primary OS Drive)

MEMORY:16GB (8GBx2) DDR4/3200MHz Dual Channel Memory (GSKILL Ripjaws V

MOTHERBOARD:ASUS TUF Z390-Plus Gaming (Wi-Fi)ATX w/ RGB, USB 3.1, 2PCIe x16, 4 PCIe x1, 6 SATA3, 2 M.2 SATA/PCIe

NETWORK:Onboard Gigabit LAN Network

OS:Windows 10 Home (64-bit Edition)

OVERCLOCK:Ultimate OC (Ultimate Overclock 30% or more)

POWERSUPPLY:800 Watts - Standard 80 Plus Certified Power Supply -

SLI/CrossFireX Ready

VIDEO:GeForce® RTX 2080 8GB GDDR6 (Turing) [VR Ready] (Single Card)

 

Thanks for all your help in advance guys, 

Pete

Edited November 30, 2018 by Peter Z KCLE_EDDN
Typo

[iwebber 207]

Looks really good

I like ultra widescreen monitors but you could drive anything with that setup, bigger numbers are nearly always better (inches, pixels, refresh rate).

Not a recommendation but something like this... https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LS34J550WQNXZA-Ultrawide-QHD-Monitor/dp/B07FBS36W2/ref=sr_1_32?ie=UTF8&qid=1543593324&sr=8-32&keywords=ultra+widescreen+monitor

HDD wise, go for 2 separate drives, a NVMe M2 SSD 256 or 512Gb for your primary drive, then as big as you can afford for the secondary, 2Tb is probably OK but more would be better.

Personally I wouldn't bother with the Optane (if you've gone for the above).

What you've spec'd there is a great system, you won't be disappointed...

[Guest]

I would opt for a 1080Ti 11GB VRAM for P3D over the 2080 8GB ... IF you plan to make use of P3D's 1024 res option for PR (photoreal) textures (512 res works great too and will work well with 8GB or less VRAM).

I wouldn't bother with Intel Optane, consolidate your drives to a single 2TB M.2 Samsung EVO 970 IF you plan to use a lot of PR (MSE, OrthoXP etc.).

Cheers, Rob.

[sloppysmusic 242]

4k TVs look great when simming (and are so cheap these days compared to monitors). Cockpits are real life size feels like you are really there! I use 1x 55 inch upscaling TV so I dont get low res textures bugging me. With the right GPU card you can run 3 identical TVs together as one single window giving you peripheral vision. Sounds over the top but is jaw dropping in practice.

[joelpacheco 9]

I still fly FSX and the only thing bothering me sometimes are blurries. But I read posts form P3D users and better hardware complaining of the same things. 

Another option is not upgrading and just enjoy your simulator.

[Charlatan 68]

Seems decent enough, that cooler is VERY low end tho.  I would be going for something a lot better like a H100 or H110 (whatever will fit your case)

[martin-w 3,235]

19 hours ago, Charlatan said:

Seems decent enough, that cooler is VERY low end tho.  I would be going for something a lot better like a H100 or H110 (whatever will fit your case)

 

Yep, if a 30% overclock is expected at reasonable temp something better is required.

[Peter Z KCLE_EDDN 336]

Thanks guys, this is really helpful. I’ll make changes to HDD and cooling. Any suggestions regarding monitor resolution vs. size?

I went for the 2080 RTX in anticipation of the new texture capabilities (forget the technical term) making their way into P3D next year.

Cheers,

Pete

[vortex681 806]

On 11/30/2018 at 3:31 PM, Peter Z KCLE_EDDN said:

POWERSUPPLY:800 Watts - Standard 80 Plus Certified Power Supply

All PSUs are not created equal! I would definitely make sure that it's a good quality, brand-name PSU (EVGA, Corsair, Seasonic etc.) and preferably 80 Plus Gold. The PSU is one of the most overlooked PC components, especially in a high end system where you want high stability and reliability.

Edited December 2, 2018 by vortex681

[Ray Proudfoot 8,956]

Peter,

I’ve just bought the BenQ PD3200U 32” monitor. It has a 30Hz option which will reduce the workload off the CPU and GPU. Whilst you can get a TV instead the minimum size is 40” and gauges will not look as sharp as on a 32” monitor.

I would also recommend a 1080Ti over the 2080 if you can still get one.

[Peter Z KCLE_EDDN 336]

Thanks again guys, I upgraded the PSU to Corsair TX850M. 

@Ray: Unfortunately this vendor is out of 1080Ti’s, hence they’re offering a “free upgrade” to the 2080. Is the 2080 not as good? Thanks also for the monitor info, I may have to wait a bit for that as my budget is being consumed by the pc itself;-)

I’m still not sure if 4K is the way to go regarding performance, do these new video cards cope well with 4K in P3D?

Cheers,

Pete

[RamonB 449]

On 11/30/2018 at 10:12 AM, Rob Ainscough said:

I wouldn't bother with Intel Optane, consolidate your drives to a single 2TB M.2 Samsung EVO 970 IF you plan to use a lot of PR (MSE, OrthoXP etc.).

I finished a new build a couple days ago. Placed a 512 mb PCIe M.2 for system, and 4 SATA drives, 2 1 TB SSD & 2 4TB 7200's
Couldn't bear seeing the other empty M.2 slot, so I bought an Optane memory card and linked it to one of my drives . Speeds seem blazing fast.

Will eventually move P3D to an M.2 PCIe, 2TB, when prices drop a bit or capacity is expanded.

Edited December 3, 2018 by RamonB

[Ray Proudfoot 8,956]

8 hours ago, Peter Z KCLE_EDDN said:

@Ray: Unfortunately this vendor is out of 1080Ti’s, hence they’re offering a “free upgrade” to the 2080. Is the 2080 not as good? Thanks also for the monitor info, I may have to wait a bit for that as my budget is being consumed by the pc itself;-)

I’m still not sure if 4K is the way to go regarding performance, do these new video cards cope well with 4K in P3D?

Cheers,
Pete

Pete. That's a pity but in loads of tests I saw the 2080 was very slightly faster than a 1080Ti albeit with 3Gb less memory. But for P3D it's probably your best money vs power choice.

I was pleasantly surprised how well my fps stood up after switching to UHD. And that was at 60Hz. If you buy a monitor that has a 30Hz option a 2080 will cope admirably. The GPU load even at 60Hz was still around 70% suggesting there was power to spare.