Need Help With NVIDIA/MSFS Settings For Current PC Specs

[WarmEngine 0]

40 years old and I finally have my first 1st Gaming PC after years of console gaming.

Even after reading forums and watching YouTube videos I'm struggling on what settings I should be using and where (NVIDIA Control Panel, in-game, etc) to maximize the quality/graphics in game but also have useable performance.

I was hoping some of you more experienced simmers and PC enthusiasts wouldn't mind giving me some advice or guidance on where to start and what to try.

For starters, with the specs below should I even be trying to play at 1440p?  Should I be focusing on 1080p and go max settings there and wait for 1440p until I upgrade to say a 3090?

SPECS:
Intel i-5 12400F
MSI RTX 3050 Aero ITX 8GB
16GB T-Force Vulcan Z DDR4 3200hz (16-20-20-40) 2x8GB
ASUS Prime B660M-A D4
1TB M.2 (Windows & MSFS on same drive)

I'm already planning on buying 2 more 8GB sticks of RAM so I have 32GB total by the way.  Just having issues finding the same mhz and timing in the same color currently.

Thanks in advance!

[H_Slughorn 1]

Hello

Sorry this is late, I just joined the forum after lurking for a year or so.

You should pick the settings you enjoy most. Try playing at 1440p and medium settings to see if that works. After that give 1440p with low settings, 1080p with high settings and 1080p with ultra settings a go. Which did you like best?

I gave up trying to change a lot of individual settings. It felt like playing whack a mole….

You can also try DLSS.  This article suggests that DLSS 3 might work okay when playing MSFS. https://www.techspot.com/article/2546-dlss-3/

My system is probably similar to what you have with the exception that your cpu is a bit faster while my gpu is a bit faster. My settings are:
Ultra (really like the visuals) at 1440p
DLSS 2.xx (trying this and TAA to see which works best)
Fps limit set to 50% of a 75hz monitor which equals 37 fps (weak power supply and mediocre case cooling, trying to keep everything cool and not burn up the power supply)
The Sim runs smoothly at these settings.
Running task manager on the second monitor. It lets me watch cpu, memory and gpu load (also gpu temps).

You mentioned the RTX 3090. Have you seen the prices? $1,300+ on Amazon! The RTX 4070 ti looks like a much better deal at $800+. https://www.videocardbenchmark.net/compare/4116vs4495vs4284vs4699/GeForce-RTX-2070-SUPER-vs-GeForce-RTX-3050-vs-GeForce-RTX-3090-vs-GeForce-RTX-4070-Ti
The 4070 ti can get by with a 700 watt power supply while the 3090 needs a 750 watt PS. There is also the question…..will you be able to take full advantage of the card or will your cpu become the bottleneck?
https://pc-builds.com/bottleneck-calculator/result/1dv176/1/general-tasks/2560x1440/

Always something with upgrading PCs.

Cheers

 

[H_Slughorn 1]

For some reason I thought DLSS 3 would work with the 30 series card. Apparently not. https://www.techspot.com/news/96292-nvidia-reveals-first-wave-games-support-dlss-30.html

Tom's Hardware has your 3050 doing 32 fps with Ultra settings and 1440p. https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/nvidia-geforce-rtx-3050-review-evga-xc-black  You should be good to go at 1440P.

Ended up using DLSS with quality settings at 37/38 fps. (Ultra)

The Nvidia performance overlay worked well for checking different settings. In general GPU utilization is under 60% and the CPU utilization is about half the GPU. The GPU draws up to 150 watts under some conditions. (Limit is 215). GPU temperatures stayed under 75 degrees C.

For me I limited the FPS to 50% of the monitor refresh rate because it made no difference going above 38 fps. Running at 75 fps meant the GPU ran hotter (80 C) and used more power (200 watts).

Life is good.

 

[Ricardo41 5,959]

Nvidia is very good at pushing their overpriced graphics cards.

I have a 3060ti and run everything on high settings with 30 to 50+ framerates depending on the scenario.

I didn't see any discernible difference when trying out "ultra" settings.

This is on a 1440p display.