Need some advice...

[birdguy 3,943]

You're right.  It is the 2080ti.

This is the one I am getting:  https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/gaming-and-games/alienware-aurora-r8-gaming-desktop/spd/alienware-aurora-r8-desktop/dpcwscr8maxh?configurationid=40800a61-649b-4f1c-810a-43dbcea54d1d

Noel

 

[Bert Pieke 7,584]

8 hours ago, birdguy said:

Sue, the Alienware Aurora R8 I am getting comes with a 2TB SSD boot disk and a 2TB HDD.  What would be the advantage of putting P3Dv4 on the storage drive instead of the boot drive?  

Noel

I am not Sue, but I do not believe that the advice would be to put P3D on the harddrive over the SSD..  Personally, I have a dedicated SSD (but this could be a partition on the boot disk) for P3D.  It is just nice and tidy to not have P3D in the middle of all the other programs in the main program folder.

[RamonB 449]

Hello Noel

IMHO 2TB boot drive is an overkill. Once You fill it with data and junk* making system images/backups will be a pita.

On PC's I like things tidy, and if that PC was for me, I would ask Alienware for a smaller boot drive 500 GB SSD or an m2 nvme SSD. while keeping the other 2TB SSD's

Boot drive for Windows and must haves. (In my case Office, VIsual Studios (several) and other development environments, utilities, etc.)
Other drive for MSFS and flight related stuff and the last drive for backups, installers, etc.

My main home PC has 2 m2's, 1 for boot, 1 is Optane Memory and 5 other drives.

For the GPU fully agree with what other posters wrote: A single RTX 2080ti or if money is no problem an RTX Titan.

* Disclaimer: I don't know how, but junk always finds a way to fill up my drives.

Edited February 13, 2020 by RamonB

[SteveW 1,792]

15 hours ago, Rob_Ainscough said:

I think you mean 2080Ti?

If so, this option ... for flight simulators (all of them current and future) two GPUs seem to be more a hindrance (always some issues) than a help and you'll need that 11GB VRAM if you plan to run 4K and very high graphics settings ... if your budget has more flexibility go with the Titan RTX 24GB VRAM (simulators love VRAM, the more the merrier).  I sold my two 2080Ti for one Titan and performance improved as more VRAM was being used.

In addition the lead design engineer Tom Petersen at nVidia who was pushing multi-GPU has left and got lured away to Intel with some other engineers. 

Cheers, Rob.

I mentioned to Intel that experts on the AVSIM forum are making out, a bit, that NVidia's work on improving SLI with NVLink was a waste of time. They will be pleased as Intel have been working on a new GPU for some time.

NVLink systems show little problems with drivers and so on, compared to traditional SLI. I have a setup for work and no problem so far. 290 fps 2000ft going East over Cardiff with unaltered stock install of P3D v4 Plus. 90 with the full ORBX stack installed straight. 18 core CPU Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz using ten cores.

 

 

Edited February 13, 2020 by SteveW

[W2DR 1,859]

17 hours ago, birdguy said:

Thanks for all the advice.  The consensus seems to be the RTX 2020TI 11GB.  I'll go with that.

A word on my current computer.  Instead of giving it away or throwing it away I intend to install Windows 7 on it so I can run MSTS Train Simulator and FS2004 with CalClassics addons.  That's all it will be used for.  I will not have it hooked up to WiFi.  I already have all the CalClassic stuff on an external HD so I don't see what the problem would be.

Sue, the Alienware Aurora R8 I am getting comes with a 2TB SSD boot disk and a 2TB HDD.  What would be the advantage of putting P3Dv4 on the storage drive instead of the boot drive?  

Noel

You'll be fine with Windows 7 Noel. Ignore all the "isn't supported" comments. Lack of future support has nothing to do with how you will be using it. Good God, to listen to some folks you'd think it won't even run anymore. I have a neighbor who is still using XP on an old machine to run FS2004. I love your choice of a new rig.....now I just need some of that wind to fall my way..........Doug

[byork 2,258]

Why not wait a bit...

10th generation Intel desktop chips should be out soon...

And then there's the next generation Ampere GPU coming out maybe this summer.

I know there's always something great around the corner and you could wait forever...

But me... I'm waiting for Ampere.

FS2020 won't be out probably till Fall or Winter 2020....

 

[Chock 17,769]

1 hour ago, byork said:

FS2020 won't be out probably till Fall or Winter 2020....

You reckon as soon as that? So you're an optimist then! Personally, I'm waiting for them to announce it being renamed MSFS2021. 🤣

[kevinfirth 1,392]

5 hours ago, SteveW said:

I mentioned to Intel that experts on the AVSIM forum are making out, a bit, that NVidia's work on improving SLI with NVLink was a waste of time. They will be pleased as Intel have been working on a new GPU for some time.

NVLink systems show little problems with drivers and so on, compared to traditional SLI. I have a setup for work and no problem so far. 290 fps 2000ft going East over Cardiff with unaltered stock install of P3D v4 Plus. 90 with the full ORBX stack installed straight. 18 core CPU Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz using ten cores.

But in what aircraft Steve? A range of figures relative to complex, midrange and default would be useful...

[SteveW 1,792]

Mooney. Do you mean you want a test of NVLink pair vs single card? I have a system with one 2080ti as well, and I do want to get time for some testing. But I don't expect much out of NVLink for P3D.

[kevinfirth 1,392]

16 minutes ago, SteveW said:

Mooney. Do you mean you want a test of NVLink pair vs single card? I have a system with one 2080ti as well, and I do want to get time for some testing. But I don't expect much out of NVLink for P3D.

Was wondering how you achieved 290fps & 90 with Orbx.... When you say full Orbx stack, do you include TE-UK, as you referenced Cardiff?  Or just the LC products?

 

[SteveW 1,792]

My post was intended to show that it is in the ballpark with fps so there's no problems with it since 300 fps unlimited is fairly normal in the sky with default P3D. With the exorbitant addition of a typical stack of ORBX products (Global trees buildings Vector EU England) looking very nice it hammers it down to 90 which also I think is about in the ballpark for those. So indicating not an issue.

Edited February 13, 2020 by SteveW

[kevinfirth 1,392]

19 minutes ago, SteveW said:

My post was intended to show that it is in the ballpark with fps so there's no problems with it since 300 fps unlimited is fairly normal in the sky with default P3D. With the exorbitant addition of a typical stack of ORBX products (Global trees buildings Vector EU England) looking very nice it hammers it down to 90 which also I think is about in the ballpark for those. So indicating not an issue.

ok thanks 🙂

[Bert Pieke 7,584]

6 hours ago, SteveW said:

My post was intended to show that it is in the ballpark with fps so there's no problems with it since 300 fps unlimited is fairly normal in the sky with default P3D. With the exorbitant addition of a typical stack of ORBX products (Global trees buildings Vector EU England) looking very nice it hammers it down to 90 which also I think is about in the ballpark for those. So indicating not an issue.

Wow, that makes my steady 30 fps seem modest by comparison

[Penzoil3 480]

The advantage would be not running out of room on your boot drive again. I prefer to never install anything to C:\Program Files, or C:\Program files (x86). I hate having Microsnot tell me what I can or can't do with a program.

[Ron Attwood 3,464]

1 hour ago, Penzoil3 said:

I hate having Microsnot tell me what I can or can't do with a program.

God! You can be feisty at times.