DIllema between 4800 vs 4900

[ark4diusz 324]

Hello, 

I am impressed what frame generation in MSFS does and would like to upgrade my current setup. Currently I have: 

i5 10700K; 3080Ti, 32GB DDR4 and Corsair 850W PSU

Initially I wanted to make a "comprehensive" upgrade, so buying new motherboard (with DDR5 compatible RAM), 13900K and 4080/4090. However what can I read from different topic with my current setup, upgrading GPU to 4000x series alone will make significant change (in both cases - 10700K/13900K CPU will be a bottleneck, right?) 

That being said I am thinking about upgrading only the GPU at this moment but cannot decide whether will be better to buy 4090 vs 4080? Is the performance in MSFS (I am flying in normal mode, not using VR) for 4090 much better to justify the higher price? The advantage of 4080 is that, my 850W PSU would be sufficient, for 4090 I have to buy new PSU (1000W or maybe even 1200W) 

The current prices in my country for 4080 and for 4090 are as follows (depends on version ofc):

4080: 1650-2000 USD

4090: 2400-2800 USD 

So 4090 is like~ 40-45% more expensive than 4080 and I do not think the performance will be that much better? And I have to add ~200-300 USD for the new PSU in case of 4090? In that case I am leaning towards 4080, but would like to hear your thoughts, much appreciated 

P.S. The cheapest version of 4080 are Gainward/Palit and most expensive Zotac. The diff is ~350 USD, this is the same card a the end, so why such difference in price? 

[odourboy 1,289]

My two cents (based on reading, not first hand) having made the decision to buy a 4090: if VR isn't in your plans, I think to 4080 would be the sagacious choice.

[pmb 5,137]

I bought the 4080 (in a completely new system). I use it mainly for VR (Reverb 1) and I am very pleased with the performance, 40-50 fps with quite high settings, including a supersampling of 130, under VR. I am still Mainthread limited, thus I am afraid a 4090 wouldn't do much better. And yes, my country has the same price relation as the OP mentions.

This setup should be fine for today's and tomorrow's need. However, the 4090 might be more VR future proof given its 24 GB VRAM over the 16 GB the 4080 has, when new headsets will become available and affordable. But on the other hand, this might require a new machine overall, with who knows whichever technology, so I decided to use what I got now.

Kind regards, Michael

[Reset XPDR 1,271]

Since a 4080 performs better than your 3080 Ti in raw power and a 4080 has frame generation which doubles FPS when enabled, you will be able to achieve at least double the lowest FPS your system currently achieves, regardless of whether the CPU or GPU is the bottleneck.

However if the bottleneck is your CPU, then choosing a 4090 is only going to marginally improve, if at all, your worst case scenario so a 4080 would be sufficient.

FWIW, my 4080 system, even with a not-too-shabby 5800X3D in it, is CPU bound when I am getting my lowest FPS at 4K Ultra, so having a 4090 for this wouldn't have been worth it for me.

[bbuckley 133]

Agree with all above. 

I just went from A 1080ti to 4080 (ASUS TUF RTX 4080 OC) with my current 9900K for exactly your rationale and it is perfect for me. 40 - 60 FPS with TAA and Frame Gen. I can afford but couldn't justify in my mind paying $2500 for a 4090. And I think the 4080 will still do well if I upgrde to 13900K with DDR5 someday.

[ryanbatc 12,857]

I agree  - if you VR or need for 4k and desire to cap out at your refresh rate I'd go 4090.  I've got a gsync compatible 1440p monitor with the 4080 and it's great!  In VR it's still very good.  I maaaybe could have supported a 4090 with my 850w psu but I wussed out haha.

Edited February 2, 2023 by ryanbatc

[altenae 171]

Would only for FG the 4080 be a better deal them the 4090?

[AnkH 2,266]

I am in the same boat. Now I have everything ready, a replacement 12VHPWR cable from be quiet suitable for my Straight Power 750W Gold PSU, a 180° 12VHPWR adapter from CableMod and enough space in my case because I removed the hdd cage. But still I do not know if I should go for a 4080 or a 4090. Currently, I could get a 4090 reasonably "cheap" for 1680€, but do I really need it? Or should I save those 400€ for something else and go for a 4080? It seems that even with a 4070Ti plus frame generation the results in MSFS are great, so actually no need to go for a 4090, but somehow spending more than 1200€ and replacing my current 16GB card with another 16GB card is kinda stupid as well, no? 

BTW: I do not only use my rig for MSFS, I also play other games like Battlefield branch, Witcher, RDR2, GTA and such stuff. And yes, I am aware that my 750W PSU would be on the edge for a 4090, I would then simply reduce the power target down to 80% and as such, it would work easily. 

[RJC68 823]

On 2/24/2023 at 5:04 AM, AnkH said:

I am in the same boat. Now I have everything ready, a replacement 12VHPWR cable from be quiet suitable for my Straight Power 750W Gold PSU, a 180° 12VHPWR adapter from CableMod and enough space in my case because I removed the hdd cage. But still I do not know if I should go for a 4080 or a 4090. Currently, I could get a 4090 reasonably "cheap" for 1680€, but do I really need it? Or should I save those 400€ for something else and go for a 4080? It seems that even with a 4070Ti plus frame generation the results in MSFS are great, so actually no need to go for a 4090, but somehow spending more than 1200€ and replacing my current 16GB card with another 16GB card is kinda stupid as well, no? 

BTW: I do not only use my rig for MSFS, I also play other games like Battlefield branch, Witcher, RDR2, GTA and such stuff. And yes, I am aware that my 750W PSU would be on the edge for a 4090, I would then simply reduce the power target down to 80% and as such, it would work easily. 

Did you decide which GPU to go for?

I am having a tough time justifying the extra cost for a 4090 (I do have the money for it)  when all I use my PC for is MSFS 2020. I have been using DX12 for the last week and a half and have not seen more than 13GB VRAM usage on my 3090. I have zero interest in VR and like my 55 inch Sony X90J. It is FG that I would really like

Edited April 22, 2023 by RJC68

[AnkH 2,266]

Actually yes, it will be a 4080 in my case exactly due to the same reason that my VRAM rarely filled up with my current 16GB card. I save those 400 bucks for the next round of graphics cards instead of spending it now to get maybe 10% more FPS in MSFS now. But I did not yet pull the trigger due to coile whine and cooler noise question marks. Most probably I will go with a MSI Gaming X or a PALIT Gamerock version.

[bangoman 2]

I think your 10700k will bottleneck the 4080 https://www.reddit.com/r/nvidia/comments/y0a903/10700k4080_bottleneck/ If you're getting a 13900k then you might as well get the 4090 and blow the bank LOL

[G-RFRY 1,712]

In test the fastest CPU will be bottleneck with a 4090 as tested by derbauer. 

Intel next CPU this year.

Intel's Patent Details Meteor Lake's 'Adamantine' L4 Cache | Tom's Hardware (tomshardware.com)

Edited April 24, 2023 by G-RFRY