Hi all,

I get to play with some computers for work that run P3D, but would like to do something at home.  Potentially p3d because I have enjoyed it, or x-plane 11 to see how the other half lives (or... both??? :O )

To save a few dollars, i'm scouring the local craigslist for used parts.  What's the oldest CPU setup I should consider, before I acknowledge i'm just throwing my money away?

I am looking to start around a 4770k / 4790k, although those seem to be holding their value (which is good I suppose? but if $100 moves me into a new 8700k...)

Would aim for 16gb ram, would buy a new drive (m.2 if supported, otherwise a 2.5" ssd)

Thanks for humoring me, and my frugalness.

Anthony

Hey - I just upgraded from a 4790k w/ 16gig Ram and a really nice motherboard.   I was planning to throw it all up on EBay soon but if your interested please PM me.  I would rather sell it all as a package and to another flight sim enthusiast.  Let me know,

Tony

16 hours ago, Conair_Anthony said:

Thanks for humoring me, and my frugalness.

 

What's your budget? It's always seemed like false economy to me to "upgrade" to a processor which is already several generations out of date. It's just slightly postponing the next inevitable upgrade. Better to save until you can afford something reasonably new to last you at least a few years. A standard SATA 3 SSD is plenty fast enough for everyday use.

Hello,

if it is possible, I would go for the generous offer from Tony P.

There are certain landmark processors in the Intel range, the

i5 2500 K was one and the i7 4790 K is another.

A brief look at any comparison chart will show you that despite being

"already several generations out of date" it holds itself high among

much newer and more expensive offerings.

https://browser.geekbench.com/processor-benchmarks

It will certainly run P3D with ease.

I have one myself and see no need to "upgrade" any time soon.

+1

There is certainly a saving to made by going for a used previous generation processor and the performance is typical not far behind the very latest stuff. And as nolonger said, there are certain landmark processors known to be good value and ripe for overclocking; my i5-2500k is over 6 years old running a 30% overclock and still delivering good performance today. For P3D I added an SSD and replaced the graphics card (a used GTX980, saved me a chunk over a new GTX1070) which was a lot cheaper than building a whole new system.

@vortex681 whilst I half agree with your point, in a flight simulation context requirements are not evolving quickly. If you spend wisely on used kit you can still get a good useable lifespan.

A lot of Avsim users have a money-no-object attitude to hardware and say you must have the latest and greatest (e.g. you need a GTX2080 or 1080Ti, you need an i9k). It's rubbish. You can get good and smooth graphics from a $900 new build. Hardware spending is subject to diminishing marginal utility. Of course a $3000 build will be better, but most of want or need to spend that money elsewhere.

Edited March 19, 20197 yr by ckyliu

10 minutes ago, ckyliu said:

@vortex681 whilst I half agree with your point, in a flight simulation context requirements are not evolving quickly. If you spend wisely on used kit you can still get a good useable lifespan.

I agree, but it's all down to the price. Something like the 4790k is still a pretty good CPU, but if you can get more modern components for not too much more, why not do it? Modern motherboards often natively support extra features like USB 3 and faster RAM which are not available as standard with older systems.

All depends how far back you go I suppose, the 4790K is rather old hat now, I'd probably grab a 6 or 7 series if I were to build now.

I can appreciate hour frugal approach. When I first got serious about a dedicated sim machine,  I wasn't prepared to go 'all in' budget wise and decided to pick up a used machine. I targeted a CPU that was about 18 months behind the curve and was able go purchase a complete machine (to whivh i added an SSD and good GPU)  for a fraction of the cost of a new machine. That served me well for several years.