This forum has showcased hundreds of posts from MSFS users hoping to upgrade their CPUs and GPUs for even better performance from MSFS. Many users have expressed frustration that the worldwide computer-chip shortage has made these system upgrades difficult to acquire and very expensive to purchase when available. The forthcoming release of the XBox version of MSFS is somewhat throttled by the lack of Series X and Series S hardware to run the sim on, again due to the chip shortage.

My question is: To what extent have the excessive hardware demands of increased Bitcoin mining affected the availability of hardware for MSFS?

 

 

I was under the impression that Covid played its part alongside Bit mining. Increased demand for components from those confined to home and greatly reduced factory output due to lockdowns. At least component prices are easing now and prices (in Europe at least) edging closer to list.

<Quote>  To what extent have the excessive hardware demands of increased Bitcoin mining affected the availability of hardware for MSFS? <Unquote>

Since I have been shopping around for a laptop I can use as a carry-on HW to run the sim when I am away from home ( 70% of the year ), I think I can speak out of facts. My answer is "There is an impact but less than what one would have expected".
Initial news and speculation about price, features and availability of the varios GPU's, pertilcularly the 30 series of Nvidia's led me to believe that for under 400 USD I could get something 2 to 3 fold performance better compared with let's say say a GTX-10 series GPU. With that I mind, of course, one feels frustrated because that deal ain't there in the real world - it actually never happened. 

However, if one looks for a new build....one can almost get what one wants.... and of course the price is all blended/masked within the bundling of the "as built" or "configured" deal.

All in all its obvious that there has been abuse of speculation. Wether this is caused by a "new" paralell market is for the legal system to judge and punish, if required. Yet I don't lke that situation at all. It just smells like antiturst.... again, I'm not qualiffied to judge that.

Now, here is a curve ball Microsoft (brilliant folks) has thrown to the Hardware market manipulators..... one can very closely look ( please dont throw the tomatoes aat me just yet ... OK?) at the X-Box Series X solution. The performance demonstrated by those testing it is awosome, and you pay for the whole thing less than for an overpriced GPU. It uses top line peripherials (monitors, yoke, conbtrols, you name it).

I am almost decided on buying an Xbox-X series ust to release my frustration at the GPU hardware market manipulators. 
In any case... I'll still get my new gen laptop.... its also for other stuff at work...
 

AHS712D Alvaro Escorcia KSGR

AirHispania Virtual Airlines 

 

 

Edited July 13, 20214 yr by wlix261

There is an increasing supply of RTX 3070 on NewEgg now: https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?d=rtx+3070&Order=1

Last week, there was less supply on NewEgg.  A few weeks before that, there wasn't even any in stock at all.  While the prices are still not MRSP for the 3070, at least there is supply now on NewEgg.  Hopefully, the drop in price will follow if the supply keeps increasing.

Pricing isn’t too bad if you buy an entire pc. But gpu prices are still nowhere close to msrp. 

When RTX 3080 prices return to somewhere near the original MSRP (was that £599 in the UK ?  It seems so long ago), I will finally look at buying one. 

It is the only upgrade I intend to do until the next gen Intel CPU's come out. 
Although I am hoping that the latest MSFS optimisations in SU5 will mean I won't need to change anything and keep my money in my pocket, as my 8086K at 5.1Ghz is fine for absolutely everything else except MSFS, mainly due to the main thread problem.

Edited July 13, 20214 yr by bobcat999

40 minutes ago, bobcat999 said:

When RTX 3080 prices return to somewhere near the original MSRP (was that £599 in the UK ?  It seems so long ago), I will finally look at buying one. 

It is the only upgrade I intend to do until the next gen Intel CPU's come out. 
Although I am hoping that the latest MSFS optimisations in SU5 will mean I won't need to change anything and keep my money in my pocket, as my 8086K at 5.1Ghz is fine for absolutely everything else except MSFS, mainly due to the main thread problem.

I saw a video last week that says that the new GTX 4090 will have about twice the performance.  of the 3090. That would be something. 

18 minutes ago, Bobsk8 said:

I saw a video last week that says that the new GTX 4090 will have about twice the performance.  of the 3090. That would be something. 

Great!  Any ideas when this would be coming?

7 minutes ago, bobcat999 said:

Great!  Any ideas when this would be coming?

https://www.gpumag.com/nvidia-geforce-rtx-4000-series/

It's probably more general industrial weakness than miners. You can't mine BTC with a GPU anyway, or rather it's totally pointless as dedicated machines are multiple times better at it, and obviously you can't do anything with an Xbox. 

There's tons of other coins that are GPU specific of course but that market has cooled off big time. 

I bought a 1080ti during the last mining mania in 2017. Supply was a little bit patchy but it was only a case of waiting a day or two for more, at RRP too. This current glut is at proper root level at every level. 

If the current generation absolutely nailed every possible game and VR I'd make the effort to upgrade, but it doesn't look like even the 3090 is quite there yet so I'll skip it until the next one unless something lands in my lap. 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, RobJC said:

Pricing isn’t too bad if you buy an entire pc. But gpu prices are still nowhere close to msrp. 

Right - that's why I had my new one built rather than try to get the parts myself. It was cheaper!

12 minutes ago, ricka47 said:

Right - that's why I had my new one built rather than try to get the parts myself. It was cheaper!

PC experts on Youtube have been recommending this for months. You can't purchase the parts yourself for the price that the builders of prebuilds can. They buy in bulk with a huge discount. I like it because the PC I bought had an issue, and the company I purchased it from  fixed it. You build it yourself and it develops a hard to diagnose problem, and it can take your months to get it resolved , if ever, trying to fix it on your own. 

2 hours ago, bobcat999 said:

Great!  Any ideas when this would be coming?

To actually um purchase? Late 2023 is my guess. 

4 hours ago, wlix261 said:

 

Now, here is a curve ball Microsoft (brilliant folks) has thrown to the Hardware market manipulators..... one can very closely look ( please dont throw the tomatoes aat me just yet ... OK?) at the X-Box Series X solution. The performance demonstrated by those testing it is awosome, and you pay for the whole thing less than for an overpriced GPU. It uses top line peripherials (monitors, yoke, conbtrols, you name it).

I am almost decided on buying an Xbox-X series just to release my frustration at the GPU hardware market manipulators. 
In any case... I'll still get my new gen laptop.... its also for other stuff at work...
 

AHS712D Alvaro Escorcia KSGR

AirHispania Virtual Airlines 

 

 

Yes, the cheapest route to decent performance at 4K is an Xbox X. There are websites announcing beforehad when Walmart or Amazon or Gamestop etc. is going to have some in stock, say 100 of them, and they usually sell out in 5 minutes. Have to strike fast!

Either that or pay scalper prices for the console.

Xbox S is cheaper, but it's display is native 1440 and will only run MSFS at 2K (not 1440 native), because that's how Microsoft is making their MSFS simulation S version (at 2K). Their MSFS simulation X version is at 4K and will do 4K native on Xbox X.