Which PMDG 737?

[Paul_Yorks 97]

Loved my 737 in FSX and P3D, so will definitely buy for MSFS but am wondering: which one?

That wasn't an issue before, since iirc we got 4 models for one price.

I mainly flew the 800 and the 600, just to vary things.

Now I need to decide which to plump for, since I don't fancy splashing out on 2, let alone 3 or more.

Any advice from 737 experts, please?

I am thinking the 320 (Neo or maybe Fenix, by the time the 800 is out) might fill my need for an 800 size jet.  The 900 doesn't interest me.

So - probably a 6 or 700.  Would anyone recommend one over another?  PMDG seem to say that any feature added to one will get added to all others, so am I going to miss out on much more than the size/weight/handling characteristics?

Advice would be appreciated.

[ryanbatc 12,812]

I got the 700 and I'm done.  There's plenty of rw routes and airlines that fly the -700.  I basically just fly it as a BBJ though.

[cmpbellsjc 2,960]

29 minutes ago, Paul_Yorks said:

That wasn't an issue before, since iirc we got 4 models for one price.

It wasn’t  four models for one price. You’d buy the base model which came with the -800 and -900, then buy the expansion pack which came with the -600 and -700.

[Paul_Yorks 97]

I stand corrected.  Has been a while.

[Torsen 493]

Same as Ryan. 700 and done. Pax and Cargo for me. Flying VA only and not interested in real world routes or Operators. I have my own will 😄 And yes as all will be kept updated I see no need for another version. 

Cheers T.

[Snuffleupagus 327]

Either way, this set up comes out to be more expensive per model. I used to really only fly the 800 and 900 for years. I picked up the 700 and I’m loving it. I won’t be adding any more to the hanger. To me, the 700 feels similar enough to the 800 that it’s pretty much the same. Just a bit lighter. I’d say grab yourself the 700 (especially if you’re going to get the A320), you won’t really notice much of a difference. And the 700 is still widely operated today. 

[Jetman67 517]

The 700 is excellent, will also get the 800 when it come out and that will do me

[MDFlier 2,031]

The current 700 is a great airplane and it works and flies well, but I would wait until there is more info about the 800 if you are absolutely only going to get one.

I have a funny feeling that the 700 is the P3D NGx ported over to MSFS, with the necessary changes of course. I had both the NGx and the NGXu. They were substantially the same with the EFB being the major notable difference between the two (can't remember what else - maybe it was just P3Dv5 compatibility in general? stinks getting old cause I forgot). I think the 600 will also be NGx based and then 800s & 900s will be NGXu based with the EFB. This is just a guess on my part based on my gut feeling about the 700 after flying it for a few days. It feels familiar. In a good way. I have a 2nd monitor, so I toss Navigraph Charts on it, and there's my EFB so I'm perfectly happy with the situation I have. I'm also going to guess that the Max series will be the completely new one for MSFS.

Speaking of the Max series. The cockpit displays in the 737s going through the DD Renton factory look like the Max displays to me. I think that might be an Easter egg in the scenery. Drone inside one of the fuselages and check it out.  

[Divij 11]

That’s a really interesting and helpful observation. Been watching the Fenix streams and even though the plane and the work they’ve done is incredible, I did notice the CPU main thread getting hammered whenever the Dev Counter was opened by the streamers. In my experience with this sim being CPU limited is what causes the bad stutters especially on a busy event on Vatsim. I wonder how much that has to do with the EFB which is incredibly advanced. 

I’ve been waiting for the 800 to be the first ever PMDG product I own; but with the performance of the 700 in the sim which might be aided by the lack of EFB I’m actually tempted to get the 700 over the 800 now.
 

 

[DaWu 779]

800 in the future when it’s out of early access

[Farlis 2,277]

It totally depends on where you do most of your flying. If you fly in the U.S. there are more than enough routes to fly the 700 on.

If you fly in Europe the 800 is the one to wait for.

[Pilot53 543]

2 hours ago, MDFlier said:

The current 700 is a great airplane and it works and flies well, but I would wait until there is more info about the 800 if you are absolutely only going to get one.

I have a funny feeling that the 700 is the P3D NGx ported over to MSFS, with the necessary changes of course. I had both the NGx and the NGXu. They were substantially the same with the EFB being the major notable difference between the two (can't remember what else - maybe it was just P3Dv5 compatibility in general? stinks getting old cause I forgot). I think the 600 will also be NGx based and then 800s & 900s will be NGXu based with the EFB. This is just a guess on my part based on my gut feeling about the 700 after flying it for a few days. It feels familiar. In a good way. I have a 2nd monitor, so I toss Navigraph Charts on it, and there's my EFB so I'm perfectly happy with the situation I have. I'm also going to guess that the Max series will be the completely new one for MSFS.

Speaking of the Max series. The cockpit displays in the 737s going through the DD Renton factory look like the Max displays to me. I think that might be an Easter egg in the scenery. Drone inside one of the fuselages and check it out.  

The ngx and the ngxu were completely different, if you knew what to look for on the real airplane.  I love the 737 aircraft as a whole so all the little extras that were added were a big plus for me, especially the corrected cockpit geometry which was a pretty big issue with the ngx.

[Republic DC9 234]

I’ve bought the -700 and love it, but fear I’ll need to spring for the -800 as well so I can get the American Astrojet and Vignelli schemes and (more embarrassingly) the three TUI “Haribo Bear” liveries.

The -900 is interesting but not $70 interesting, and while I can appreciate the rarity of the shrinked -600 (and treasure the times I’ve got to ride on Air France A318s to Brest), it’s adorable but just too rare.

 

[ShawnG 1,823]

29 minutes ago, Farlis said:

It totally depends on where you do most of your flying. If you fly in the U.S. there are more than enough routes to fly the 700 on.

If you fly in Europe the 800 is the one to wait for.

not to necessarily take this out on you Farlis, as I've seen this sort of thing for years here, but this sort of thing really fascinates me.

The 737-700 works just fantastically in Europe.  just today, I loaded up a Spirit 737-700 and flew it from Minsk to Berlin Tegel, at 3 AM while listening to country music on spotify.

Did any of that cause any of you to break out in hives, start twitching violently, or pass out completely? from the 4-5 impossibilities of that flight?  

It's just a slight version of OCD, and I'm not criticizing anyone, I got my issues as well, but I find it fascinating that it's just sort of assumed that we all can't fly a pretend airplane if it isn't exactly mimicking a real world flight.  Love it.

By the way, I'm only exaggerating one thing on that flight.  If you think I would listen to country music, you're nuts.

[Farlis 2,277]

4 minutes ago, ShawnG said:

It's just a slight version of OCD, and I'm not criticizing anyone, I got my issues as well, but I find it fascinating that it's just sort of assumed that we all can't fly a pretend airplane if it isn't exactly mimicking a real world flight.  Love it.

 

If I want to fly just any route I take out the BBJ or fly the Citation. 😉