5 hours ago, WilliamS said:

Thanks. I'll take that into account. So as well as a good CPU, buy a good GPU now to save the hassle later when P3D becomes more GPU dependent.

Yeah so whatever your budget is now, get the power unit for a top spec GPU, pay for the best CPU you can afford and balance it by perhaps getting a lower spec GPU.

That way you'll run P3D adequately now with a strong CPU but a adequate but not brilliant GPU.  Later on, as an when P3D  shifts the burden, get a top spec GPU and you'll have what is still hopefully a good CPU  and a good GPU as well.

18 minutes ago, ailchim said:

Yeah so whatever your budget is now, get the power unit for a top spec GPU, pay for the best CPU you can afford and balance it by perhaps getting a lower spec GPU.

That way you'll run P3D adequately now with a strong CPU but a adequate but not brilliant GPU.  Later on, as an when P3D  shifts the burden, get a top spec GPU and you'll have what is still hopefully a good CPU  and a good GPU as well.

Ok Thanks ;)

25 minutes ago, ailchim said:

get the power unit for a top spec GPU, pay for the best CPU you can afford and balance it by perhaps getting a lower spec GPU

Was that a mistype?

I'd say it's simple: as much as you can afford (= as much as you WANT to afford), with balanced components - e.g. not a CPU for $300 and a GPU for $2000.

Edited April 15, 20197 yr by SimonC

9 minutes ago, SimonC said:

I'd say it's simple: as much as you can afford (= as much as you WANT to afford), with balanced components - e.g. not a CPU for $300 and a GPU for $2000.

Agreed wise advise, a balanced system is the best you can do and regarding P3D well I would go indeed for the maximum budget 😲

12 minutes ago, SimonC said:

I'd say it's simple: as much as you can afford (= as much as you WANT to afford), with balanced components - e.g. not a CPU for $300 and a GPU for $2000.

Thanks, that is useful to go off, but what I'm looking for is just hard specs; "this processor" "this graphics card" etc

I don't think anyone can give you an educated recommendation, since I can't read you writing how much you are ready to pay per CPU and GPU and rest of components (don't forget, it's not only CPU and GPU, but the whole build. Otherwise I might just write i9 and rtx 2080 ti. And the word "budget"... for some is a $200 CPU budget, because $700 is too much, and for someone who could afford an extreme CPU for $2000, $700 is budget. Get my point?

Same goes for the GPU. No matter which GPU you take, the more expensive cards will have more processing power meaning you'll be able to turn more sliders up. As simple as that. Want no jaggies? Need at least 4x SSAA. Want more and further shadows, high quality water... blah blah. Need more GPU power.

And, it is my opinion that setting some standards (like the post from jcomm, no insult intended) is somewhat pointless. As each simmer configures their system differently - and there are many settings that impact performance in different ways. And as some pointers may guide you in some direction, someone saying "I run 40fps with x-configuration" is nearly meaningless for you specifically. Because you will most surely not set up the system 100% the same way jcomm does.

P3D eats hardware for breakfast. Be mindful of that 🙂

Edited April 15, 20197 yr by SimonC

This question seems to be asked regularly in these Forums perhaps the best answer is found over at the Prepared website https://www.prepar3d.com/system-requirements/

Edited April 15, 20197 yr by JustanotherPilot

Mine is still real nice for flying GA planes. IDK about big study-level airliners cuz I dont have those.

20 hours ago, WilliamS said:

Hi everyone,

I recently asked about whether I should get Prepar3d. I was blown away by the positive feedback it gets, but also that I would need a much better PC. So, quelle surprise, I'm asking about the specs that you guys recommend. I'd like to know:

What processor: probably which i7?

What graphics card?

How much RAM?

Most importantly, (this is the bit I always struggle with) can you recommend a specific motherboard?

 

On a final note, I am looking for a budget build! Thanks,

William.

OK. Please can we now forget the word budget. I need a system which can run P3D with the PMDG 737, some orbx products, and also so it looks good.

2 hours ago, WilliamS said:

OK. Please can we now forget the word budget. I need a system which can run P3D with the PMDG 737, some orbx products, and also so it looks good.

I could recommend the system I bought from Chillblast but it cost close to £3K. You should always name your max budget as people may recommend kit you can't afford. Balance is the key as others have said. If you want a recommend look at my signature for starters.

Are you building it yourself or buying from a supplier? You don't save that much building yourself and importantly, you get no warranty on the system - just individual components. Tip - buy from Scan or Chillblast. They were very good to me when I was selecting components.

The lowest fps I get with the PMDG737 is around 20 and that is inbound to Aerosoft Heathrow Xtreme over central London, 200+ Ai and running at 3840*2160. Most other times it's 30+ on the ground and locked at 60 when airborne.

Edited April 16, 20197 yr by Ray Proudfoot

OK. Thanks. I would build my own only because it would be easily upgradable, you know? You can choose a motherboard which plans for the future etc. Thanks for the info, that kinda stuff is exactly what I was looking for!

@WilliamS, are you going to overclock the CPU? That is standard procedure these days. I used to build my own until o/clocking was required but I didn’t feel comfortable doing it. So that’s when I went down the path of buying a system.

Others will tell you it’s straight forward. Only you can decide if you’re comfortable doing it.

Something being easily upgradable depends on what you want to upgrade. In two years time new CPUs may require a new motherboard chipset so you would  need to change mobo and memory too. But a faster graphics card can be easily swapped in both bought and self-built systems.

I debated for a long time over a 1080Ti or the newer 2080Ti. In the end I couldn’t justify the extra £400-500 for the newer card that had the same 11Gb memory. The 1080Ti is brilliant but sadly you may struggle to find a new one now.

Finally, consider what resolution you want to run at. The PMDG737 virtual cockpit in UHD means everything including the smallest text is readable. A 1080Ti or faster can easily cope.

Monitor or TV? What space is available for a 40”+ display? So much to consider and your wallet will take a pounding! 😉

@WilliamS

I've come up with this specification for Q1 2019 at under £1100 excluding peripherals:
• i5-9600k processor with Hyper212 Evo cooler, Gigabyte Z390 motherboard and 2x8GB DDR4-3200 RAM. (The extra cores/threads of an i7 or i9 are mostly unusable in P3D)
• RTX2060 graphics (Save money with a used GTX980 or GTX1070 for similar performance. If you have more money then fit an RTX2070 instead. 3GB minimum, suggest 6+GB).
• Crucial P1 M.2 500GB SSD primary storage, Western Digital Red Pro 2TB 7200rpm secondary storage (If you have the budget can use SSDs exclusively)
• Cases I recommend lots of large but slow fans (at least 92mm and ideally 120 or 140mm) with filters, and installing a reputable 550W+ semi-modular power supply (prioritise reputation, not wattage)
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/jkRYjy is a spec sheet with reputable brands already specified and links to purchase (at your own risk)

This build should be good for up to 1440p resolution or a superwide 1080p setup. A 27" monitor such as £185 AOC Q2778VQE or £290 BenQ EW3270ZL would seem a good fit, for those on a budget a 24" 1080p will do.

Edited April 16, 20197 yr by ckyliu

44 minutes ago, ckyliu said:

@WilliamS

I've come up with this specification for Q1 2019 at under £1100 excluding peripherals:
• i5-9600k processor with Hyper212 Evo cooler, Gigabyte Z390 motherboard and 2x8GB DDR4-3200 RAM. (The extra cores/threads of an i7 or i9 are mostly unusable in P3D)
• RTX2060 graphics (Save money with a used GTX980 or GTX1070 for similar performance. If you have more money then fit an RTX2070 instead. 3GB minimum, suggest 6GB).
• Crucial P1 M.2 500GB SSD primary storage, Western Digital Red Pro 2TB 7200rpm secondary storage (If you have the budget can use SSDs exclusively)
• Cases I recommend lots of large but slow fans (at least 92mm and ideally 120 or 140mm) with filters, and installing a reputable 550W+ semi-modular power supply (prioritise reputation, not wattage)
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/jkRYjy is a spec sheet with reputable brands already specified and links to purchase (at your own risk)

This build should be good for up to 1440p resolution or a superwide 1080p setup. A 27" monitor such as £185 AOC Q2778VQE or £290 BenQ EW3270ZL would seem a good fit, for those on a budget a 24" 1080p will do.

Wow. Thank you so much! This is exactly what I was looking for! And under £1100... my goodness! But, @ckyliu I thought that P3D v4.1 was updated to make use of more cores? What kind of frames do you think I'd get with a few OrbX addons and the PMDG 737? Also, thanks Ray. I support your opinion - is RTX really worth the extra money... Yes, I would definitely o/c it.

Edited April 16, 20197 yr by WilliamS