I just wanted to share my point of view, as I have red some posts here.

Considering pure gaming, Intel CPUs are approx. 7-10% faster than AMD, but at the moment they draw too much current. The next big step should come when 10nm or 7nm desktop CPUs will arrive. But that is until now an open question.

 

Considering AMD CPUs, there is no good moment to buy an AMD CPU. The progress is impressive, the days are over when Intel released every year a new CPU which was only 5% faster. AMD CPUs are gaining 20 to 30% speed increase every year. This is likely to continue in the next years, as TSMC, the manufacturer progresses well in 5nm and even has started the construction of the 3nm fab.

As you get the double performance or 30% increase in gaming for the same price, 1700X versus 3900X, I would guess in 2 or 3 years we will see the same thing.

 

Considering gaming cards, best would be to be patient for Q3 or Q4, as Nvidia and AMD are releasing their new generation of graphics cards. Nobody officially knows how much faster they will be, but the wait should be defenately worth it.

55 minutes ago, BigDee said:

Considering AMD CPUs, there is no good moment to buy an AMD CPU.

Even if it might not be a great time to build a new system because of extremely unstable motherboard and PSU stock depending on your region, right now is a very good time to buy an AMD CPU if you're on a budget. The 3300X is doing great in lightly-threaded games thanks to its single CCX configuration, while the 3600 and the 3700X are being discounted heavily. Zen 2 is yielding extremely well too, with more recent batches overclocking better and hitting rated boost speeds more easily.

While we will be seeing Vermeer in 2020, it will probably be only the 12- and 16-core variants. This is a smart move because Matisse 2 should be enough to compete with Comet Lake, so you'll have to pay a premium for the best gaming performance. Rocket Lake might reclaim the gaming performance crown depending on how well they can port a Cove architecture to 14nm, but it will also draw more power than Comet Lake which is why the consumer desktop line will be limited to 8 cores.

Even the Ryzen XT series have a potential wait a minute look and I have been on the Intel Core CPUs for a long time now.  

For MSFS I think both the i9 10900K or the Ryzen 9 3900XT will serve equally. 

The real performance king part is the GPU so buying today, especially with a custom part as a water cooled video card, might not be the best bang for the buck. 

I'd wait for the 3080 to be released.

MSFS has not been released yet so there is no hurry to build a new system (unless your old one died.) Even when MSFS is released it will take awhile for the major add-ons to be released. If you can hold on until Jan or Feb 2021 you will be in a better position for hardware decision and add-ons for MSFS. You will also get the feedback of all the early adopters. 

Your GPU is the bottleneck there at 1440p and above. 

My current PC is 7 years old [i7-4770k; 16 GB RAM; GTX 1080 8GB], and I was planning to do a major upgrade before MSFS 2020 comes out.

But then I got into the Alpha, and now I no longer feel the need to rush out and buy a new PC. 

My system is suarely in the middle of the required specs, so I still want to upgrade to a better system, but I'm going to wait until the newer GPUs and CPUs are released.

Edited June 25, 20205 yr by Arwen

30 minutes ago, Arwen said:

My current PC is 7 years old [i7-4770k; 16 GB RAM; GTX 1080 8GB], and I was planning to do a major upgrade before MSFS 2020 comes out.

But then I got into the Alpha, and now I no longer feel the need to rush out and buy a new PC. 

My system is suarely in the middle of the required specs, so I still want to upgrade to a better system, but I'm going to wait until the newer GPUs and CPUs are released.

Hi!

How your pc performed? How many fps? What resolution do you used? Don't know if you can awnser that kind of questions. Thanks for the feedback!

Edited June 25, 20205 yr by fmloyola

13 minutes ago, fmloyola said:

Hi!

How your pc performed? How many fps? What resolution do you used? Don't know if you can awnser that kind of questions. Thanks for the feedback!

I cannot give any specifics about performance with the Alpha, but I am running at 1440p [2560x1440] on a 28" G-sync monitor.

Thanks Arwen!

I'm current with an i5 4460, so it is better to wait until the release for an upgrade. 

 

See you.

It is encouraging to see several testers with Haswell CPUs feeling satisfied with the performance they're attaining. Perhaps a budget 3300X (pretty much identical to the 7700K in single- and multi-threaded performance) could be plenty enough, allowing more funds to go towards the GPU.

Edited June 25, 20205 yr by ChaoticBeauty

1 hour ago, ChaoticBeauty said:

It is encouraging to see several testers with Haswell CPUs feeling satisfied with the performance they're attaining. Perhaps a budget 3300X (pretty much identical to the 7700K in single- and multi-threaded performance) could be plenty enough, allowing more funds to go towards the GPU.

Just to be clear, my system is only mid specs for MSFS 2020 . . . I'm not running the Alpha on ultra. (which is why I still plan on upgrading my PC within the next year). I just don't want others here to make the same mistake I nearly made in upgrading to a new PC too early, just because they feel that they won't be able to enjoy this new sim with a mid level sysyem. I'm very much enjoying running the Alpha on my old PC.

Edited June 25, 20205 yr by Arwen

26 minutes ago, Arwen said:

Just to be clear, my system is only mid specs for MSFS 2020 . . . I'm not running the Alpha on ultra. (which is why I still plan on upgrading my PC within the next year). I just don't want others here to make the same mistake I nearly made in upgrading to a new PC too early, just because they feel that they won't be able to enjoy this new sim with a mid level sysyem. I'm very much enjoying running the Alpha on my old PC.

You made the right decision, and waiting to evaluate performance on current systems is something I've been saying for quite some time. The CPU requirements seem quite modest, considering the 9900K seems to be chilling in some overlays (both from approved and leaked footage). Though the 3300X is no slouch either, it comes really close to the performance of the "ideal" processors when up to 8 threads are used. I think that it is pretty much safe to say that a high-end CPU will not be needed for 60 FPS or less, not accounting any future add-ons, but the DirectX 12 update could end up lowering the requirements even further.

5 hours ago, Arwen said:

My current PC is 7 years old [i7-4770k; 16 GB RAM; GTX 1080 8GB], and I was planning to do a major upgrade before MSFS 2020 comes out.

But then I got into the Alpha, and now I no longer feel the need to rush out and buy a new PC. 

My system is suarely in the middle of the required specs, so I still want to upgrade to a better system, but I'm going to wait until the newer GPUs and CPUs are released.

I have the exact same experience with a very similar setup to include resolution. I have a GTX 1070FE 8GB as opposed to a 1080. Also sliders are set for my hardware and I am not trying to push full right. 

Now the Alpha is an Alpha and as stated is not the final version with all of the bells and whistles. But, I am willing to sit and wait on the final product then decide what system to purchase. 

I guess when AI and/or live traffic is introduced, it will have a big hit on CPU performance.

Why the rush to buy now? MSFS is only going into Alpha 5 next month, & I'm sure that technology will change by the time the sim is launched.

On 6/25/2020 at 12:18 AM, Huascar said:

It’s been about 10 years since I purchased my Alienware computer. With FS 2020, decided to upgrade to the latest model. Any thoughts on the specs below?

Aurora R11

$2,590.09 1 $2,590.09

When I look at these prices, I begin to wonder whether a "PC Upgrade" is even close to being some sort of "existential must-have" necessity. 

Or whether it could be - for some people (most??) - a COMPLETE waste of money.  Or, to reframe that in business-speak, an overly EXPENSIVE opportunity cost that could find MUCH BETTER value for most of the unspent money elsewhere.

If you're not doing heavy-lifting computing on your current PC, and the only real reason for wanting a more powerful PC is because of "gaming", then it seems that the "value decision" for your next "upgrade move" is becoming crystal clear.

And that is ... just buy the new X-Box Series X Console!  And be done with it!

It's pretty clear now that the Series X Console will probably be in the range $300-$700.

And that it will be able to EASILY handle FS2020 without any sweat.

Even if the top-end model in this range will be superseded in 2 years time by a flashier "faster ... better ... whatever ... model", (given the stunning recent surge in graphics power, this is highly likely) it would still be the FAR cheaper option just to upgrade  - again - to the latest console at that point.

You would easily recover some of this expense by selling the "old" X Box Series X on the aftermarket.

If, on the other hand ...

Your current PC is PRIMARILY used for computing work OTHER than gaming (eg Video editing, Animation , or CAD), then the calculus changes. 

This is my case.  I have no pressing urgency that has created a terrible problem that must be resolved "right now". 

So I'm waiting until early 2021 before making the PC upgrade.  And even then, it will be a hard-nosed best "bang-for-the buck" value decision.  No blind buying competition showing off against the neighbors for the then latest "top-of-the-range" over-priced stuff.

But as for the necessary "upgrade for gaming" ...???

Seems the Console (and with gaming subscription!) will be the instant Xmas present for our household  No delay.  No brainer!

MS can take my money ... 

Now!

Edited June 26, 20205 yr by Jonnoxx