I know this question is probably a lot like asking “should I upgrade to FS9 from FS8” or “is it worth it to upgrade to FSX from FS9” but indulge me.

I invested in P3D v4.x and have it running on a reasonably high end machine. It works pretty well connected to a 4K monitor. I don’t use VR and I’m mainly using photoscenery with A2A general aviation aircraft.

Is there a big driver to upgrade to v5? Can someone give me the top reasons to upgrade beyond it’s just the latest version? Is performance better? Worse? Is there a significant bug that’s fixed that changes things significantly?

Edited June 19, 20205 yr by neil0311

I use v5 with a2a and ortho.

to answer your question:

1. Imho, yes. I no longer fly v4.5 at all.

2. Enhanced atmospherics. The clouds and the general visual appearance are a massive step forward, partic for GA like your A2A. Water is nice too.

3. Performance on a high end machine is definitely better. Another strong reason for upgrading. I’m finally using a lot of complex airports that i’d left sitting on the shelf in v4 for performance reasons.

4. Bug fixed? Ha ha, no. They added a bunch of bugs. If you’re going to demand to speak to the manager/get a refund if you find a bug or your sim crashes, stick with 4.5HF2/3. It’s more stable. But the stability is likely to be acceptable IF you have good hardware AND you are careful with your addon choice (A2A is fine, ortho is fine/great) AND you know that sliders should not all be set to 11. 

There will be less bugs after HF2 comes out. P3D v5 will cost the same now, next week or next year, so my suggestion is to buy it now and give it a try. I’ve had more fun flying over photoscenery (your use case) with this sim than any other, ever.

 

You will get a mixed response to that some have a problem and some like me find it better, but i would wait in all honesty as it`s due for and new HF2 fix.

I would rather wait until the first full service pack (not HF!!) to be released. I knew that DX12 WILL bring the new set of new issues that should be identified and fixed first. I haven't switched, but eventually and surely will. I was really surprised to see that a large number of FS veterans jumped into the V5 wagon without accepting a benefit of the doubt. 

PS. I'm flying 100% IFR with the heavy metal birds in large hubs with 100% AI

Edited June 19, 20205 yr by G-YMML1

I'd say it was worth the upgrade, but with the caveat that this is contingent on the forthcoming HotFix sorting out the many CTD problems it currently has, which to be fair, may have something to do with the recent W10 update. But regardless of the reasons behind it, from a stability standpoint, right now, V5 has more issues than Life Magazine.

See this overview of V5 which I did that covers all its new features, this will tell you whether you think what it offers is worth it to you:

 

Wait for HF2, then buy, so that you have two weeks before the refund is up to test it on your system. Whatever you do, don't uninstall V4 to make room for it. I find myself going back to V4 more and more because I'm interested in flying, not dealing with CTD's.

46 minutes ago, neil0311 said:

I know this question is probably a lot like asking “should I upgrade to FS9 from FS8” or “is it worth it to upgrade to FSX from FS9” but indulge me.

I invested in P3D v4.x and have it running on a reasonably high end machine. It works pretty well connected to a 4K monitor. I don’t use VR and I’m mainly using photoscenery with A2A general aviation aircraft.

Is there a big driver to upgrade to v5? Can someone give me the top reasons to upgrade beyond it’s just the latest version? Is performance better? Worse? Is there a significant bug that’s fixed that changes things significantly?

Well, the right answer is a clear YES, because the main driver for the upgrade is that there will be no more development of V4.5. Even most new Add-ons will concentrate on V5 of course. 

The second point is that you have a better performance, if your setup can take advantage of directX 12. And the new Athmospheric system looks great and real without any shader tweaks.

Edited June 19, 20205 yr by BerndB
typo

I'm using v5 since it came out and never went back to 4.5. Though, I must admit after two weeks I had some doubts but since HF1 came out and I understood how to avoid CTDs I'm a fan of v5. I still miss my airliners (B737, B777, DQ400) but with all this new ORBX TE stuff I can keep me busy exploring these areas again with my C172 (a2a). I guess when HF2 is out my airliners will follow soon. To summarize, as Alex suggests, wait for HF2 then go for it.

Edited June 19, 20205 yr by Nemo

I would wait until at least HotFix 2 is out and then decide. I moved from FSX:SE to P3DV5, so I cannot compare to other versions of P3D.  Far as flying in P3DV5, it has been stable for me.  There are a lot of issues to still be sorted out thought. For example, the kneeboard feature does not work yet. The default vector data is buggy in the Canadian Arctic where I've been flying, I was using the vector data from ORBX from My FSX install before they decided to make it available for P3DV5. I've also had issues if I save a flight with a 2D window open like the ATC window or a GPS window, sometimes I will get A CTD before I start flying. Then there is the VRAM issue.

P3DV5 has more bugs than a ant hill, but once I'm flying it had been stable.

John Cottreau

 

1 hour ago, neil0311 said:

I know this question is probably a lot like asking “should I upgrade to FS9 from FS8” or “is it worth it to upgrade to FSX from FS9” but indulge me.

I invested in P3D v4.x and have it running on a reasonably high end machine. It works pretty well connected to a 4K monitor. I don’t use VR and I’m mainly using photoscenery with A2A general aviation aircraft.

Is there a big driver to upgrade to v5? Can someone give me the top reasons to upgrade beyond it’s just the latest version? Is performance better? Worse? Is there a significant bug that’s fixed that changes things significantly?

Wait till 5.1 unless you enjoy stress, cursing at computers, etc....

Keep an eye on settings for your specific hardware.

and DO  NOT  install any addons that are not compatible yet.

You should be ok for the most part.

mike

14 minutes ago, B777ER said:

Wait till 5.1 unless you enjoy stress, cursing at computers, etc....

A lot of people don’t have stress etc. , and actually enjoy their time with v5!

Maybe it won’t work out for OP, but if he’s got decent hardware it quite probably will.

Waiting only makes sense if you seriously think you might not upgrade during the whole 3 year lifecycle of this product. If you are a P3D fan, you almost certainly will - nearly all of those who were diehard v3-ers in the v4 era caved eventually and upgraded.

To me, it makes sense to buy at the start of the product’s life cycle, not the end. Your v4.5 will still be fully functional, and you have the chance to try something new and innovative.

Life is short. I would personally regret not having had the chance to fly with EA/Truesky/DX12 for the past 2 months.

Agree with last post. I’ve had very few problems. I find v5 to look much better and also it has much better performance.  Little issues. But I haven’t don’t a flight in v4 since I got it 

1 hour ago, Chapstick said:

Wait for HF2, then buy, so that you have two weeks before the refund is up to test it on your system. Whatever you do, don't uninstall V4 to make room for it. I find myself going back to V4 more and more because I'm interested in flying, not dealing with CTD's.

I went back to 4.5 requested a refund the first time ever. Don't have time for messing with PC's Plus while some scenery will be ported, quite a lot of scenery for 4.5 will not work or needs paid upgrades.

There are a lot of things I regret about my life. Missing out on the chance to experience TrueSky and DX12 is not one of them.