Is MSFS 2020 worth the hassle of a move from FSX-SE?

[sightseer 895]

The game requires Win 10 if that matters.  If you already run Win 10 then you could buy the sim and see how/if it runs.  It'll probably run better than you'd think.  but it isnt a 'deep sim' yet ...key word "yet".  getting there quite well imo.

EDIT: Im not a pilot.  when I say 'deep sim' -- I fly the old style C172 and the GNS 530 (last time I checked) wasnt even as good as what was in FSX.  but I know this will change.  Im sure this will change.  This better change 🙂 

Edited May 28, 2021 by sightseer

[regis9 4,004]

Yes absolutely worth it.  

[leprechaunlive 1,852]

1 hour ago, ChaoticBeauty said:

You do not have to move on from FSX-SE, you can have both of them installed at the same time with no issues or conflicts, they are two entirely different platforms. As suggested above, I would recommend giving it a try with the Xbox Game Pass trial first, and then decide what you're going to do.

The GTX 1050 Ti is not going to give you the best experience, but it should be quite passable. The simulator still looks great at Medium settings. I presume you mean a 256GB SSD, if you have the OS and other stuff installed on that drive then installing the simulator there would be stretching it somewhat, but if it's going to be standalone you should be fine. If it's a cheap SSD you shouldn't fill up more than 80% of it, if it's an expensive model you can push it to 90%.

Thanks for the insight, from what I saw in older YouTube videos 25-30 FPS was doable with the Medium preset, is that still the case? Though it's worth noting that since the UK World Update, the frame limiter is much better and locking to 20 FPS can still result in a rather smooth experience.

i recently made the switcj from a 1050Ti to a 2060. of course its a massive jump, but ive been nothing but impressed with what that 1050Ti was capable of. Most medium, some high settings, and i had 25-30 fps on most scenarios. Now of course, forget about big cities, but they'r not fun anywayd 😄

[109Sqn 1,554]

2 hours ago, threebears said:

250MB SSD

I hope you meant 250GB!😉

Even then, it would definitely be better to be 1TB if you can stretch to that.

[Bobsk8 12,585]

I have had to go back to P3D which is better than FSX, because my new  PC is back to the shop for repair. It is horrible, and can't wait to get my new PC back.  

[Dominique_K 10,133]

1 hour ago, threebears said:

I'm at my twice yearly "shall I shan't I?" o 

I'm going to lose quite a lot of paid-for FSX-SE add-ons (mostly P3D compatible) but is MSFS2020 now stable enough, and reliable enough to install, to make it worthwhile?  I'd rather not use Steam again, but should I go for disk or download?

MFS is not exempt of flaws  which can be bugs or lack of features  but fundamentally it is a very enjoyable sim. Better than FSX hands down.  

The failure to install is not something to worry about too much. It does happen, specially with the MS store version or so it seems, the Steam version seems more forgiving, but I would rate it a rare occurrence anyway.

CTD ? Some users have some . They are mostly related to modded aircraft, sceneries ou avionics. If you are prudent to select your addons, again it is a rare occurence. 

Do not go for the disks because it doesn't spare you hefty downloads anyway.

You will lose your aircraft. Yes, you will. But you will get new ones ! The default are not bad at all, at least some are. And anyway the third party developers have started to crank out great birds at an accelerating pace. 

Hardware. The connection at 38 Mbps is OK. An I7 but which ? Anyway my weak 4770 16 MB +1080 8 MB runs the sim at a 2560*1440 res.. Gotta set the parameters at a reasonable level  of course but reasonable settings are much, much better looking than they were in FSX and P3D (graphics, autogen densty, clouds etc).    I suppose you meant a SSD of 250 GB not 250 MB as it would be a no-go , the sim is already 100+ GB.  A 4MB Vram might be the weak point. 

You don't tell us what you like in simming so it is difficult to conclude with a recommendation.  I will say that flying GA and warbirds out of large cities, I  left FSX in 2013 for P3D and left P3D for MFS this year. Not one ounce of regret. 

 

 

[threebears 14]

Thanks, yes I run Win10.  My 2 favourite a/c are PMDG 737 and Majestic Dash Q400 - both of which my son has been (and is) real world pilot, so there is an added level of interest for me in having them.

[hangar 661]

9 minutes ago, threebears said:

PMDG 737 and Majestic Dash Q400

Then IMO, since you are a study level flyer, is that you will likely be spending most of your time in the FBW A320 for now (which is free, and the only airliner which is currently worth bothering with for study level)...and then perhaps the PMDG DH-6 (which I think is releasing in June?). There is nothing study level out of the box of course...but the FBW A320 is the default A320 but modified. Most of the planes in the game do not fly by the numbers as their real world counterparts do...so if you're demanding of this then what I just said holds true...you will likely only fly the FBW mod and the PMDG 4 prop once it releases. The PMDG 737 is supposed to release near end of this year.

Edited May 28, 2021 by hangar

[Dominique_K 10,133]

33 minutes ago, threebears said:

Thanks, yes I run Win10.  My 2 favourite a/c are PMDG 737 and Majestic Dash Q400 - both of which my son has been (and is) real world pilot, so there is an added level of interest for me in having them.

PMDG has announced a DC-6 which looks  stunning for the coming weeks and their 737 before the end of the year.  Maybe the T7 too.  I doubt that your 4 MB video card will cope with such addons though.

 Majestic has not announced anything clear about a Q-400 release.

[Tom_L 522]

2 hours ago, threebears said:

I'm probably going to bite the bullet and upgrade the whole PC

While I share many of the arguments above and encourage you to try MSFS with the game pass option I fear you have picked a bad time for your decision due to the worldwide chip shortage. Look carefully for current offers, especially when it comes to Nvida cards. They are nearly 100% more expensive than 6 months ago ( I kick myself in the a++ for not getting an RTX 3090 while they still were "only" 1.500 Euros - the same goes for the price/value champion RTX 3080 - if you can get one in the first place).

[Doug47 574]

2 hours ago, Bobsk8 said:

I have had to go back to P3D which is better than FSX, because my new  PC is back to the shop for repair. It is horrible, and can't wait to get my new PC back.  

Whats so horrible about it? That’s a very odd statement considering the flight dynamics of P3D and FSX are far superior to MSSS currently. ASOBO has a LOT of work to do to come anywhere close. 

[hangar 661]

What can one do if their old graphics card suddenly goes bad on them now? It's as if you'd need to stop gaming altogether or shell out $1200+ for a lousy 1080 gpu. I dont even think you can find a 20 series card anymore, let alone a 30 series. I think unless the situation is soon put to rest that alot of broken gaming gpu's will soon force gamers out of the market for AAA games. It's time to stop over-clocking your graphics cards to reduce heat as much as possible in order to increase your gpu's longevity.

Time to buy an Xbox? ewwwwwwww, not for me!...I'd rather play quake 2, if push comes to shove, lol.

Edited May 28, 2021 by hangar

[109Sqn 1,554]

22 minutes ago, hangar said:

It's as if you'd need to stop gaming altogether

Nonsense!😉

[ThrottleUp 617]

I want to jump in and say something right off the bat: why get rid of your FSX:SE? Keep both 🙂 

Yes its very old but you invested a lot in it and while we just cannot compare the visuals (two different beasts) FSX CAN look very good with addons like Orbx. 

I have MSFS but on another drive is my primary sim - XPlane 11. Far from being rivals they compliment each other perfectly. I use the new sims visuals for low and slow bush flying and XP11 for my B737 airliner fix (Zibo). 

FSX still has the advanced study level airliners (if you're into those) that MSFS lacks (the A320NX is very promising and gets better each time. It will be MSFS answer to Zibo without a doubt). 

Just for your info I am on a 13yr old system. See my sig. I'm getting 40-50FPS out in the boonies but flying over dense metropolitan areas is not possible for me, I get a slideshow. The truly amazing thing is that FSX was giving me single digit FPS whereas MSFS runs so smooth and quick! 

I recommend the Steam version. You got a good net connection speed as well. Before you do that try the Game Pass and see what you think of the game before splashing the cash. That card will struggle a bit but there are MANY options to tweak in the menu to cater for this. 

I will say one thing: the visuals are just amazing. They have achieved an amazing thing with this 1:1 virtual earth. 

[threebears 14]

OK everyone, I think I have enough replies and advice now to make an informed choice.  Thank you all.

Andrew