Quite simply, P3Dv4.5 and V5 are both excellent ... I very recently upgraded to v5, and, AFTER, I installed the premium version of MSFS. No regrets.  Each of these sim platforms (and XPlane) offer excellence in different areas. One simply does not buy or use XPlane if you are looking for good scenery (ortho excluded) good weather or seasons. One does not buy or use MSFS if you are looking for high quality and very complex aircraft. Over a million have bought it though LOL

Bear in mind that both P3D and Xplane achieve their areas of excellence through payware and freeware add-ons.  Out of the box, (default) neither comes close to MSFS and like the other two platforms, MSFS will improve immensely with 3PD involvement.

For me, a total "yes" to P3Dv5 as I fly all three platforms every day generally.  

If you intend to just use the one platform exclusively, then I think I would go with MSFS, because even the default aircraft are very usable while you wait, however long, for the addon developers. However, only you know what you want for the future, and the present, for that matter, so for that reason alone, you have a lot to consider. There is a lot of good advice here to help you make a decision. If finances are not a huge problem, go the lot mate and include DCS and Aerofly as well LOL

Regards

Tony

Point of order: there wasn't an upgrade path from FS2002 to FS2004; FS2004 to FSX; P3Dv3 to P3Dv4; nor XP10 to XP11 (after the latter's full release).

Some of the criticisms thrown at P3Dv5 since its release:

- "No upgrade pricing!"
Well, no. It's a new version. LM obviously felt that the new features justified a new version, especially after v4 was their longest-lived sim to date.

- "Not enough content to justify a new version!"
Well don't buy it now. Come back in a couple of months to see what else has been added in v5.1... or don't - no-one is forcing you to buy it.  P3D4.5, XP11.5, AFS2 all still work and MSFS has arrived (albeit in an early access equivalent state).

- "MSFS has more stuff as default"
Vanilla MSFS is better out of the box than P3D in certain aspects. This is being discussed to death on other threads and comes down to personal preferences.

For anyone on the fence about moving to v5. Depending on your expectations from P3D, it's worth the move IMO. Try for yourself with the 14-day money-back guarantee.

For anyone on a strict budget and saving only for MSFS. No, it's not worth it in your case. Mainly free updates to v5 compatible add-ons, but not all upgrade paths are cost-free. Plus there's the cost of buying the new version.

For anyone with a GPU with less than 8GB VRAM, difficult to recommend.
The new Enhanced Atmospheric feature is very heavy on VRAM, as is the rest of the sim with the move to DX12.
If you have to lower the settings and not use E.A., why pay extra to have a very similar experience as in v4? The other improvements are 'nice to have', not 'must-have' for $60.

However, if you are still wanting to use P3D for the next 6 months or more, can get better performance and in a better looking environment, why not swap v4 for v5?

Its not an upgrade at all. P3Dv5 is A COMPLETELY NEW INSTALL that runs side by side with v4.5, if you have the disk space. But after all the investment in aircraft and hundreds if not thousands of dollars in Orbyx scenery, and weather software that looks great in v4.5, to start all over again? NO THANK YOU. P3Dv4.5 works smoothly with my A2A and Carenado Cessna172s & iFly 737/747 add-ons. Over 20 years of flight simulation and now as a private pilot who flies a real Cessna172, I've learned the lessons of knowing your aircraft type inside and out, A few great flight models works much better for me than chasing an imagined panacea of 2 dozen stuttering ones just to get a few screenshots. 

That said, I do have fs2020, so no opposition to progress. It is VASTLY different than P3D. I love the photo-real scenery and streaming technology. I think it has great potential, and I will work with it like everyone else, because it's fun and that's what we've always done as flight simmers. Struggling to calibrate my flight controls, and I've been doing that without too much difficulty in the flight simulator landscape since FS98. Try the 50nm VFR flight from CYYF Penticton Regional to CYVK Vernon Regional in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia at dawn or dusk in a GA aircraft, using only Okanagan lake for navigational guidance as it twists its way north through the valley and takes you right to your destination.  FS2020 certainly takes VFR to the next level, though I can't undock the G1000 gauges and drag them to my second monitor like I can in P3D, where they are as large and visible as they are in real life, and an invaluable teaching aid applicable to the real aircraft.

Anyway I digress, no P3Dv5 for me. I don't need it. I will however, read the P3Dv5 posts with genuine interest, and fly it vicariously through those that do!

Best from Baltimore,

Alex C

Edited September 4, 20205 yr by N562Z

18 hours ago, GSalden said:

All pr scenery + custom AG

Is there any good guide online how to build custom PR + AG for P3D?

Guys, thanks a lot for the extensive feedback! Well appreciated. For me the main point why I'm asking is not the cost of buying Prepar3D v5. It's the time I need to spend maintaining all the stuff. I was tired of flight simming 1,5 years ago because I spend more time fideling around with the simulator and all the add-ons than actually flying the sim. That's one of the main things I like about MFS. You just start it up and you are good to go. Nevertheless, I hear all the voices saying that it will probably be some time before it will be possible to fly sophisticated tubeliners in MFS. I fired up Prepar3d v4.5 yesterday with the FSLabs A320. Still a beauty and with the new CPU it's a totally different story than before... Let's see if I will also give Prepar3d v5 a try. By the way: Is it possible to install the add-ons once and use them in v4.5 and v5 (if they are installed outside the simulator main directory)?

Edited September 4, 20205 yr by carlito777

21 hours ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

 Early flights from London to Bahrain also overflew the Saudi desert until the KIng found out the sonic boom affected the fertility of his camels!

 

That is the most interesting thing I've read on Avsim in a long time, I would love to know how they made the link?

So I'm considering a move to p3d. Currently a fsx Steam user and have been happy with smooth performance, however as I start to ramp up my add-ons (orbx, Rex, a2a etc) I'm worried about possible oom errors.

I'm wondering whether p3d v4 would be the better option than v5 based on my specs below. Could anyone advise?

CPU: i3 9100f 3.6ghz

RAm: 16gb

GPU: gtx 1650 super (4gb)

Thanks, Russell

Edited September 4, 20205 yr by russellwwest

Your GPU will struggle with P3D V5 i'm afraid. In fact I think 6Gb is the minimum spec and you'd want more to get the best out of the sim. 

Thanks Ian, ok for v4 though I guess?

34 minutes ago, russellwwest said:

Thanks Ian, ok for v4 though I guess?

Well v4 will remove your OOM concerns, as for performance, I am not too sure, I am not really an expert on hardware. I believe P3D still offers a limited time refund policy if you try it and see if it works. Obviously I don't know you situation but I think as you indulge in more and more addons you'll find a desire for an updated GPU and CPU. If upgrading is an option you could do worse than either look for the new 3080 GPUs or pick up a 8Gb-12Gb GPU from the 1080-2080 range. That will enable you to go straight to v5 and future proof your system somewhat.

2 hours ago, Ian S said:

That is the most interesting thing I've read on Avsim in a long time, I would love to know how they made the link?

I’m pretty sure it was mentioned on the Concorde DVD - 27 Years of Supersonic Flight. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Concorde-Years-Supersonic-Flight-DVD/dp/B0000C668W

I honestly have no idea how the King made the connection or even if there was any substance to his claim. Maybe he decided he didn’t want any more supersonic overflights.

4 hours ago, Ian S said:

That is the most interesting thing I've read on Avsim in a long time, I would love to know how they made the link?

Here you are Ian. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/travel/concorde-40-fascinating-facts-history/concorde-fascinating-facts24/

4 hours ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

Here you are Ian. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/travel/concorde-40-fascinating-facts-history/concorde-fascinating-facts24/

 

4 hours ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

Here you are Ian. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/travel/concorde-40-fascinating-facts-history/concorde-fascinating-facts24/

Cheers Ray!