Hi guys. I know this is yet another hardware question that has probably been thrown at you a million times, but...I really struggle with this tech stuff.

I want a new PC. I understand that buying 'off the shelf' isn't a bad option at the moment, due to the scarcity of 'bits'.

So. I don't want to spend TOO much if I don't have to, naturally. But I don't want the frustration of stutters. We've all had that experience I'm sure, and for me, its the single most immersion quashing aspect of simming.

So:

i7-11700 KF. 16GB RAM. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti  8GB  £1749.00

i7-11700 K.   16GB RAM. GeForce RTX 3070      8GB  £2200.00

i9-11900 K    32GB RAM. GeForce RTX 3090     24GB  £3449.00

Is it simply a question of the more expensive one being a no brainer, diminishing returns over the £2200 option, or....well, you tell me (please).

I would like to use it for VR at some point, but I'm not obsessive about running everything on ultra with a 4k monitor in the meantime.

Thanks in advance, Mike.

 

Was there a 3080 option? A 3080/3080TI system (ideally with an i9, 32GB RAM and 1TB NVMe SDD) is a solid config when you start talking both 4K and VR in FS2020 and should be a good few hundred pounds cheaper than the 3090 option for about 85-90% of the latter's performance.

Without knowing your budget it's hard to recommend anything, if you're happy to spend £3500 then yes, that's your best bet (although I'd have though you could get 12900K for that money which would be better).

As ResetXPDR said above, if you're looking for something between the 22 and 35 price points then a 3080 (maybe Ti) would fit quite well, don't discount the Ryzen's either, they're pretty good.

Probably worth sticking with the 32Gb RAM and I wouldn't go any lower than a 11700K (or 5800X with Ryzen).

If you need more info we'll need to konw how much you're prepared to spend and don't forget about the cost of controls, do you need joysticks, yokes, throttles, pedals etc?

You can remove stutters from pretty much any system bar a potato by reducing your sliders, all you're paying for here is how high those sliders can go before the stutters start. No system (right now) can run everything at max without stutters so you have to decide what level of sliders you're prepared to live with and how much you can pay for it.

HTH,

Ian

14 hours ago, norfolkmike said:

Hi guys. I know this is yet another hardware question that has probably been thrown at you a million times, but...I really struggle with this tech stuff.

I want a new PC. I understand that buying 'off the shelf' isn't a bad option at the moment, due to the scarcity of 'bits'.

So. I don't want to spend TOO much if I don't have to, naturally. But I don't want the frustration of stutters. We've all had that experience I'm sure, and for me, its the single most immersion quashing aspect of simming.

So:

i7-11700 KF. 16GB RAM. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti  8GB  £1749.00

i7-11700 K.   16GB RAM. GeForce RTX 3070      8GB  £2200.00

i9-11900 K    32GB RAM. GeForce RTX 3090     24GB  £3449.00

Is it simply a question of the more expensive one being a no brainer, diminishing returns over the £2200 option, or....well, you tell me (please).

I would like to use it for VR at some point, but I'm not obsessive about running everything on ultra with a 4k monitor in the meantime.

Thanks in advance, Mike.

 

Well (place expletive here) me!! I paid £459 for my MSI RTX 3060 12GB two months ago. Yep, inflation is here to stay. By the by, my 3060 runs MSFS like a dream in 1920x1080 and I also use the Oculus Quest 2 in DCS and IL2 with no problems.

Thanks for the input guys.

Right, as far as budget is concerned, the £3449.00 would be an upper limit. Well, round it up to £3500:00. That is the figure I had in mind before I started online shopping anyway.

As far as the controllers, monitor etc, I have got some bits, and have allowed a separate budget for others, so that isn't really a consideration at this point in time.

Eventually, I'll want VR. That is the short term goal, so huge monitors and 4k aren't really things I need anyway. Running everything on 'Ultra' isn't a deal breaker for me either, as I'd rather be running smooth with a decent overhead than pushing limits and ending up with bad stutters in certain areas.

What I'm understanding is that 32GB or RAM is a desirable bottom limit, so I will take that on board.

The 3080, rather than the 3090 sounds like the better bang for the buck. The fact that SierraHotel's 3060 is performing well is good news, as it pretty much confirms the 3090 might be too much of a good thing in my situation, and the ££££s saved would be better spent elsewhere?

I'm going to look at 'PC Specialist' as an option, bearing your advise in mind.

Cheers, Mike.