Off the shelf or build a new computer?

[WingCommander 1]

I'd like to buy or build a new computer for FS2020 to run the A320NX addon for real world "study" practice (I fly the A320 in real life).  I've seen various videos of it and I'm impressed with the level of systems modeling (vital).  Frame rate is vital, and I'm sure the A320NX's systems modeling will destroy any hardware.  I have a 4K TV that I would connect this to and high resolution is important for simulation (1080p, 1440p would be inadequate).

I haven't built a computer in 15 yrs so my knowledge level is non-existent at this point.  I can follow directions but I have no practical knowledge with any hiccups that could occur from custom builds.  If building a custom machine is still cheaper, I'd love to go with that option but I'm not against a pre-built system provided I'm not paying extra for a 'gaming' keyboard,  gaming mouse, useless RGB lights, or other dumb stuff that doesn't actually make FS2020 better.  Likewise, a fancy case is useless... I'm sure a $20 case would be fine.  So does anyone have any recent hardware builds to recommend, or a pre-built system?  If building myself still is cheaper, then I'll go with that.

I know that overall I'm looking for:

• Nothing extra needed:  no keyboard, no mouse, no lights.
• Plenty of USB 3 ports.
• Run at 4K 
• Intel CPU (from what I've researched, Intel CPUs provide higher FPS than AMD Ryzen chips).
• 32GB of RAM
• 1TB SSD
• Cheapest case that can hold lots of hardware inside
• Overall reliable - I'm not a fan of overclocking.
• Budget - around $1500-$2000.  

Thanks guys..  Looking to get back into sims after an almost 15 yr hiatus.

[Denwagg 191]

I have built my own for the last 20 years And My opinion is do not buy AMD for Gaming. Buy the best memory you can afford Only Corsair. Buy oversized power supply. And Good Luck finding any Video Cards of any value for the next year or so. Don't use Radeon cards with Intel or use Nvidia Cards with AMD

I can count the crashes I have had on one hand since Last August with MSFS. I believe based on 20 years or building my own systems its because of the advice above learned from many failures and unstable systems in the past.

Regards

Edited March 8, 2021 by Denwagg

[hjsmuc 393]

If you haven't messed around with CPU's and coolers in a while, I'd go with a prebuilt system. If you told us where you are geographically, many here can certainly recommend a vendor. 

[MarkW 1,491]

Build, build, build.  Very easy to do, very little risk of messing up, especially as you are not doing any fancy custom water cooling, etc.  Watch a few Youtube videos and off you go.  Saves you money, you get exactly what you want and you will get the satisfaction of going through the build itself.

[hjsmuc 393]

4 minutes ago, MarkW said:

Build, build, build.  Very easy to do, very little risk of messing up, especially as you are not doing any fancy custom water cooling, etc.  Watch a few Youtube videos and off you go.  Saves you money, you get exactly what you want and you will get the satisfaction of going through the build itself.

Fully agree, as long as you enjoy it. I built many PC's, but nowadays the tiny screws and the fiddling have become less attractive for my eyes and hands. Yet, I am contemplating to upgrade one again. Issue with building is to get a GPU in these days. Sometimes a 3080 comes with a prebuilt system, which brings the price of the kit down. However, you never know all details of such a system. 

[WingCommander 1]

2 hours ago, hjsmuc said:

If you haven't messed around with CPU's and coolers in a while, I'd go with a prebuilt system. If you told us where you are geographically, many here can certainly recommend a vendor. 

USA

[WingCommander 1]

2 hours ago, Denwagg said:

I have built my own for the last 20 years And My opinion is do not buy AMD for Gaming. Buy the best memory you can afford Only Corsair. Buy oversized power supply. And Good Luck finding any Video Cards of any value for the next year or so. Don't use Radeon cards with Intel or use Nvidia Cards with AMD

I can count the crashes I have had on one hand since Last August with MSFS. I believe based on 20 years or building my own systems its because of the advice above learned from many failures and unstable systems in the past.

Regards

Good advice.  Back in the day, AMD chips were cheaper and they had great numbers on paper but digging deeper, you would find out they were not as good at floating point math which made them slow for simulations.  AMD chips (back then) were better at integer math.  From videos I've seen on YouTube, it looks like Intel CPUs still make FS run better.  Also, back in the day, Radeon cards were inferior.  It looks like it might still be that way.  

[WingCommander 1]

2 hours ago, MarkW said:

Build, build, build.  Very easy to do, very little risk of messing up, especially as you are not doing any fancy custom water cooling, etc.  Watch a few Youtube videos and off you go.  Saves you money, you get exactly what you want and you will get the satisfaction of going through the build itself.

I've been wondering about the money savings part....  some people are saying that you can't save money any more because prebuild manufacturers are getting stuff at cheaper prices than we can get so they can effectively price match vs DIY while still making themselves a profit.  If that is true, then prebuilt would be great for me, but if I can truly save $50, then I'll build it.  

Is water cooling a necessity or a nice to have?  Can all GPUs and CPUs run at full speed without any kind of thermal throttling without water cooling?

 

[pgde 571]

I think there are some opinions here masquerading as fact. You may want to check out the following on AMD vs Intel -- 

 

Edited March 8, 2021 by pgde

[WingCommander 1]

25 minutes ago, pgde said:

I think there are some opinions here masquerading as fact. You may want to check out the following on AMD vs Intel -- 

 

That article is exactly the kind of intel I was looking for.  So in a nutshell:

• 24 GB RAM is better
• 8 cores is better
• Ryzen 9 is on par with an Intel i9 at 4K (albeit they didn't test this with a GeForce RTX 3090)
• GeForce RTX 3090 (and afterwards the 3080) gives superior framerates beyond all competitors.

Incidentally, they also mentioned that faster individual cores is better, which makes sense since not all computational tasks lend themselves to be threaded.  

What's a good, cheap, STABLE motherboard to mate with a Ryzen 9?

[fppilot 4,368]

4 hours ago, WingCommander said:

Thanks guys..  Looking to get back into sims after an almost 15 yr hiatus.

Where do you live?  If you are in the USA and in or near a city with a Microcenter Store they have a build your own department and will even build out for you a system with the components you choose.  Like having an off the shelf system that you designed....  I am using one right now.  System specs are in my message footer.

Edited March 8, 2021 by fppilot

[pgde 571]

Hey Wing -- I haven't done any research on that yet -- but FPPILOT's suggestion is a good one. Also I think the Guru3D site has excellent review quality. There are also a number of Youtube sites like Gamers Nexus, Red Tech Gaming, etc.

Best of luck!

P.

[Ixoye 1,821]

4 hours ago, WingCommander said:

Is water cooling a necessity or a nice to have?  Can all GPUs and CPUs run at full speed without any kind of thermal throttling without water cooling?

 

Water cooling is not needed, get a Noctua air cooler or similar in the same class and you are fine, they are cheaper and quieter.

[W2DR 1,860]

Just a couple of comments. Air cooling will be fine as long as you don't try to put everything in a cheap case. You NEED a case with lots of internal space and adequate fans for cooling.  A really good case won't add that much expense to the build and it will pay off in the long run. Buy more power supply that you think you need or that just meets the recommended wattage. If 400W is good then 700W is better. If 700WW is good that go for the full kilowatt, etc. As with the upgraded case, the cost differential isn't all that great and you'll have some headroom for upgrading.

[WingCommander 1]

5 minutes ago, W2DR said:

Just a couple of comments. Air cooling will be fine as long as you don't try to put everything in a cheap case. You NEED a case with lots of internal space and adequate fans for cooling.  A really good case won't add that much expense to the build and it will pay off in the long run. Buy more power supply that you think you need or that just meets the recommended wattage. If 400W is good then 700W is better. If 700WW is good that go for the full kilowatt, etc. As with the upgraded case, the cost differential isn't all that great and you'll have some headroom for upgrading.

Haha.  I have an old 15 yr old case containing a 10 yr old computer, which has no cover, no system fan. Instead, it has a $10 Walmart personal fan.  Works better than any case fan!