MSFS Required Specs

[jfri 42]

On 6/25/2020 at 8:37 PM, 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.

Do you meant that MSFS run well on your current system like in the video clip we see posted for MSFS ? Are  there no limitations on what you get ? Edit forgot to ask what display resolution do you use ?

Edited June 27, 2020 by jfri
Forgot a question

[Huascar 179]

One of the reasons why I chose Alienware is for the premium support they offer. They offered me three years of “support plus”’, which means that If something happens to any of the hardware components they will send a tech to replace the part. By the way, the $2500 dollars also included the extended warranty. So for the next three years I have nothing to worry about.

For someone who has little desire or interest in building computers, I feel Alienware if a decent choice for an off the shelf purchase. 

[KenG 492]

I couldn't agree more. I built my last 6 computers and have reached the point of been there and done that. By hand building a computer I can get maybe 5% better performance than buying a high end boutique machine. 

[Wanderkroete 31]

42 minutes ago, Huascar said:

One of the reasons why I chose Alienware is for the premium support they offer. They offered me three years of “support plus”’, which means that If something happens to any of the hardware components they will send a tech to replace the part. By the way, the $2500 dollars also included the extended warranty. So for the next three years I have nothing to worry about.

For someone who has little desire or interest in building computers, I feel Alienware if a decent choice for an off the shelf purchase. 

Under these circumstances you're 100% right.

[ChaoticBeauty 6,692]

1 hour ago, Huascar said:

One of the reasons why I chose Alienware is for the premium support they offer. They offered me three years of “support plus”’, which means that If something happens to any of the hardware components they will send a tech to replace the part. By the way, the $2500 dollars also included the extended warranty. So for the next three years I have nothing to worry about.

For someone who has little desire or interest in building computers, I feel Alienware if a decent choice for an off the shelf purchase. 

That is very understandable and I guess the extended warranty does make the deal better, though at that price it is just unacceptable that the storage and PSU are not detailed (most other boutique builders did so last time I checked), and I would still check on them to assess their reliability. If the entire system breaks down due to a PSU failure I guess the warranty can cover that (unless they decide to blame it on user error, which unfortunately happens a lot), but nothing will bring your valuable data back.

[Wanderkroete 31]

8 hours ago, Dominique_K said:

I build my own rigs. It is fun albeit a little stressful (these damned pins not to be bent !)  and I get exactly what I want but I've never be convinced that it was cheaper. At least in France. Buying one component at a time we don't get the same price than Dell can get when they buy tens thousands of them.  Also you do'nt get the tuning /overclocking service that some builders do. You have to do it yourself. 

First off, I don't want to continue argueing about the Alienware machine. It is good hardware, no doubt. I also understand Huascar's reasons and motivation for his choice and that is great and understandable. But your statement here got me somehow motivated to try it out.
So I configured a computer according to the specifications given at the online shop where I always buy my stuff (German Hardware store). Of course I had to make some good guesses. I chose a mainboard that has WIFI built in, a good value for money silent case etc. Seems the RTX 2080 Super of Alienware is water cooled. Didn't find a card that is out of the box... but I used water cooling for the CPU.

The final price for my configuration is 1900€ (including sales taxes) (=US $2130).
(in case it doesn't work use this link)
Not included in my configuration are Windows Licence (~40€), peripherals (do you need it???) + warrenty extention.

My conclusion is: You can get away cheaper for the same performance but  from my guts I expected the Alienware premium to be higher. I remember when I was still a "real gamer" (in my teens) Alienware seemed extraordinary expensive for a fancy case. But this... considering the GPU is water cooled too which will cost you an extra ~100€... is fair and reasonable if you've no interest and motivation to build your own rig.

Edited June 27, 2020 by Wanderkroete

[stans 707]

There are a number of high-end "gaming" computer builders out there and they put together great systems and will cover issues under their warranty.  For someone who does not want to or does not have the skills and knowledge to put together such a computer, these companies provide a great service.  I have built several computers and it does cost a lot less to build your own, but you also have to be your own technical support if something does not install or work correctly. If you don't want to be your own technical support, then buying a pre-built system is a good option.

[109Sqn 1,585]

On 6/21/2020 at 11:42 PM, fmloyola said:

Hi!

How was your experience with your new PC? Please tell us when do you have your impressions.

 

best regards.

Hi,

 

I've been meaning to post an update for a while.

First off, it came well packed, with the case filled with the kind of inflatable foam which becomes solid, so I was pleased with that for a start. The case is quite understated when the PC is switched off, but it has a glass front and full glass side panel too. I'm not generally bothered by shiny lights inside a PC (who needs the distraction from what you're doing?), but my it looks pretty!😄

I don't have an image hosting account anymore, so this link to the product's page will have to suffice. It went up £80 after I got mine and it's currently unavailable, so I got it at the right time, it seems. The fans have so many different colour schemes and patterns that I lost count. Nice little remote control to change them.

 

As for performance, well I spent the first week or more simply tailoring Windows to my liking. So far, I have only installed Advanced Uninstaller Pro (my favoured install/uninstall/maintenance program), Malwarebytes and the basic DCS World (i.e. free) package to test performance, plus the free Steam games I got for the AMD products inside the rig. Haven't had any real luck with DCS though, as my Thrustmaster Top Gun Afterburner HOTAS causes the sim not to load!

I've also had a few green screens, followed by reboots, but it appears to have been down to me tweaking Windows too much. I'm hoping I've dialled things back enough to stop that now. Otherwise, it runs like a dream, easily the fasted PC I've had.

 

But I'm already planning it's upgrades, which was my intention from the beginning. Nothing will go to waste though, as everything coming out of it will go into my empty Zalman Z9u3 case to become my new photo/video editing rig. So, basically everything apart from the GPU will be coming out! I've already got another Ryzen 3 3600 which will go on an MSI MAG X570 Tomahawk (when they eventually come back into stock somewhere in the UK!). I chose that mobo as its temperature control is rated way above other X570, especially for the price. I am expecting a Corsair RM850x PSU tomorrow. Having vowed to (probably) never buy from Currys again (long story, but it involved emailing the directors), I was able to get one for £125 when even Corsair were out of stock, and it went out of stock right after I paid for it on Currys' website!.

I plan on adding Corsair Vengeance 3600 (2x 16GB), giving me the option to double that in the future, and the SSDs will be a 1TB and 500GB Sabrent Rocket Nvme as the new mobo has two PCIe 4.0 mounting points. I'll keep the existing 1Tb Seagate Barracuda and have supplemented it with a 3Tb version I already had. The case really only accepts 2 HDDs properly, although I could probably cram another 1 or 2 in there, in front of the PSU, if I ever felt the need. Should I find CPU temps an issue, I will likely add a Gelid Solutions Tranquillo v4 (or their Scirroco - for more pretty colours!), as I have the previous Tranquillo in 2 other PCs.

Finally, keyboard and mouse duties are being handled by a new pairing of Logitech K780 and MX Vertical mouse as they can both control 3 different PCs at the touch of a button. I just need to replace my 2 faulty 19" screens to make that more practical!

So, the new new Alphasync PC will be:

Mobo: MSI MAG X570 Tomahawk

CPU:  AMD Ryzen 5 3600*

RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 3600 (2x 16GB)

SSD: Sabrent Rocket Nvme PCIe 4.0 1TB

         Sabrent Rocket Nvme PCIe 4.0 500GB

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 3TB*

          Seagate Barracuda 1TB*

PSU: Corsair RM850x*

(* Already bought/owned)

And after paying for all of that, I hope I don't need any more PC gear for a long time!!!

(well, except for the Honeycomb Alpha and Bravo controls and quadrant😳)

[goates 576]

On 6/27/2020 at 4:29 AM, Jonnoxx said:

But surely the "developers" will be able to do all this good stuff on their PC's with the SDK? 

And then this good stuff becomes available to us simple gamers who are not into coding stuff (I speak for myself!) to add into the game via the Xbox store? 

The difference is that add-ons or DLC on the Xbox are limited to what is distributed through the game itself. You can't go and download a random freeware add-on from a website and install it manually. It also isn't possible to run additional external applications alongside the game you are running either. Hardware support will also likely be limited, especially for those into building a home cockpit with multiple monitors and custom panels. Not to mention that all Xbox games require an Xbox Live Gold subscription to play multiplayer, while most PC games don't.

As far as performance, while the new Xbox Series X will be relatively powerful, I'm not sure it will be able to match a higher end PC, particularly if you want to run at 4k resolutions. For example, look at the RAM and VRAM requirements for the recommended and ideal system specs, and then compare to the Xbox Series X. The Xbox has 16GB of RAM shared between the CPU and GPU, while the ideal PC spec has 8 GB for the GPU and 32 GB for the CPU. Sure, the fast SSD and overall architecture in the console will help it, but this will only go so far. Many current gen Xbox One games have to run at 30 FPS and/or lower resolutions (ie < 1080p) to keep performance up, compared to the same games on PCs which can be run at 60+ FPS and 4k resolutions (or close to).

Going with the Xbox edition will work well for some, but there will be differences and limitations compared to the PC edition.

[Jonnoxx 53]

14 hours ago, goates said:

As far as performance, while the new Xbox Series X will be relatively powerful, I'm not sure it will be able to match a higher end PC, particularly if you want to run at 4k resolutions.

But that is EXACTLY the marketing spiel for the (top end) Series X ! 

It will NATIVELY run games in 4k (and expressly expects that from the new games).  The rumored entry-level Lockheart will be the console running HD.

Quote below is from https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2020/03/16/xbox-series-x-tech/

“The team knew they needed to build a next generation console that could run games in 4K at 60 fps with no compromises for developers. They also challenged themselves to deliver a level of performance once thought impossible on console, including support for up to 120 fps for the most demanding and competitive games.

While they believe resolution and frame rate are creative decisions best left in the hands of title developers, the team wanted to ensure the system was able to support the needs of the largest blockbusters, competitive esports, and innovative independent creators."

This seems a good enough motivation for me to seriously consider  a Series X Console ASAP as the optimum value option for playing FS2020.

I will ALSO be upgrading my PC (but only next year when the performance options are better and cheaper and MUCH more powerful) - simply because my current PC is now becoming increasingly irritatingly slower for the CAD I do.

I'm not disputing that there will be distinct advantages for Developers and Manic-Geek Enthusiasts (cockpit builders et al) to stick with a PC.  They will be inevitably happier that they did.  No hard feelings! 

BUT ... for the rest of us Game PLAYERS (I deliberately emphasize the "player" - and NOT the "Geek Mechanic" focus here) who have little interest in having to fiddle with arcane settings in obscure add-ons etc  ... it seems the best VALUE upgrade options are now to be found ELSEWHERE ie in the Series X Console rather than the PC.

Of course. nothing will be settled until stuff actually gets into consumer hands.

Then, if the facts change, so will my opinion.

[goates 576]

2 hours ago, Jonnoxx said:

But that is EXACTLY the marketing spiel for the (top end) Series X ! 

It will NATIVELY run games in 4k (and expressly expects that from the new games).  The rumored entry-level Lockheart will be the console running HD.

I think it's a bit early to proclaim that the console is the best value when we have very few details about what the sim will be like on the console. Will the console run games at 60 FPS in 4k resolution? Sure. However, what will the detail levels be like? Will higher end add-ons, such as PMDG's aircraft, look and run the same, if they even make it to the console? Current generation consoles have to limit or sacrifice details, view distances, texture sizes etc. to keep up performance, and they still fall behind current PCs. While the new console generation is far more powerful, the hardware is also set for the next few years or more, while PCs will keep advancing and leave them behind again. Which could very well lead to the sim looking and running better on the PC, as well as having more add-on options to choose from.

Like I said, the console edition will work for some, but it's not clear to me that it will be the best option for most.

[Huascar 179]

I am still waiting on my Alienware. It takes Dell a month to build it. As soon as I get it, I will share my first impression. I was wondering about having 3 4K TVs and whether you guys think my system would be able to handle the demand. I have three 40 inch 4K TVs in mind for FS2020. Based on some of the comments and reviews, FS2020 may not be GPU/CPU demanding as the previous hateful three simulators (MSFS X, p3d and X plane). Three monitors would be a terrific experience, especially if this thing is as soon good as it seems.

 

Edited July 1, 2020 by Huascar

[Hyperfocal 186]

7 hours ago, Huascar said:

I am still waiting on my Alienware. It takes Dell a month to build it. As soon as I get it, I will share my first impression. I was wondering about having 3 4K TVs and whether you guys think my system would be able to handle the demand. I have three 40 inch 4K TVs in mind for FS2020. Based on some of the comments and reviews, FS2020 may not be GPU/CPU demanding as the previous hateful three simulators (MSFS X, p3d and X plane). Three monitors would be a terrific experience, especially if this thing is as soon good as it seems.

 

I don’t think that will work well given the sheer amount of pixels you will be pushing. My 10900K and 2080 Ti can barely handle a single 4K monitor with high graphics settings on modern titles, despite both being overclocked.

[Dominique_K 10,152]

9 hours ago, Huascar said:

I am still waiting on my Alienware. It takes Dell a month to build it. As soon as I get it, I will share my first impression. I was wondering about having 3 4K TVs and whether you guys think my system would be able to handle the demand. I have three 40 inch 4K TVs in mind for FS2020. Based on some of the comments and reviews, FS2020 may not be GPU/CPU demanding as the previous hateful three simulators (MSFS X, p3d and X plane). Three monitors would be a terrific experience, especially if this thing is as soon good as it seems.

 

Hateful (underlined by me) ? What is hateful in these great sims which brought us a lot of happy hours over the years ? 

Anyway, what I understood from interviews early on, is that FS20 wouldn't be multi-screens ready at release. Maybe things have changed since but haven't seen anything going the other way. An alpha tester could bring something here : winking an eye once YES, winking it twice NO.

Edited July 1, 2020 by Dominique_K

[Huascar 179]

Wow - thank you for that information. So your recommendation is to stay away from 4K? 

 

Dominique - I have also enjoyed the sim over the last 15 years - but we’re all aware of the sweat and effort it takes to keep it running clean. Not a week goes by without something going wrong.  If fact, I stopped using flight simulator X altogether years ago and opted for p3d two years ago. It turns out P3D is not that much better in terms of performance and trouble shooting. It got so bad that I had to do a clean reinstall which took days because P3D stopped working and my hard drive with the saved sim data went bad.

My point is this - a vanilla flight sim is boring, almost unplayable. But when you start adding third party software, that’s when your problems begin. I purchased iFly 747 from Aerosoft and the autopilot wouldn’t work. The plane would bang sharply to the right when I turn on the auto pilot on. I simply gave up because I didn’t have the time to spends days dealing with the vendor. You pay $70 for a plane packed with issues? They deserve to go out of business.

Fortunately, if FS20 is as good as it’s been reported, the need for third party software will be minimum which will be bad for third party vendors ($$$) but will save us a lot of headache. After FS20 is out, I don’t see how P3D, Xplane and all the rest can stay in business.
 

 

Edited July 1, 2020 by Huascar