Was considering upgrading either my rtx 3070 to a 40 series, or my 10700k to 13700k. After reading countless posts here at Avsim and some further research I finally decided on the AMD 7800x3d, Gigabyte b670 Mb, and Corsair 5600 Vram.

Results are as follows:

It was the correct choice. Previously fps ranged from 47 to 52 fps on 1440p mostly high settings with Kodiak Amphibian and AirManager in use on two monitors. 'Mostly' meaning my Terrain Lod was only at 70! (Note: 71 fps if AirManager wasn't enabled and flying a 172).

Now running 4k dlss performance (upscaling from 1080p) almost everything at ultra (had to reduce textures to high to prevent exceeding available Vram) . Turned on Vsync @60 fps so that Tobi doesn't stutter (80 fps at Reno/Tahoe without having it enabled caused Tobi to micro-stutter) AirManager enabled.

Sim is running extremely smooth. Won't have to buy an overpriced video card (again). They took my scalp and hung it on their wall when I purchased the rtx 3070. Glad I'm not going to be repeating that nightmare.

So, for anybody out there wondering which you should upgrade first: if you are mainthread limited upgrade your CPU. If your CPU doesn't have anything left to give then buying a monster video card will supply no improvement.

I'm so very thankful that the expert advice given here at Avsim led me on the path to make the right choice.

Thermaltake level 2gt, Gigabyte b670, 7800x3d, Noctua D15, 1GB and 4GB Nvme M.2, TCL 65in, LG 32in, W 24in, 3 nope - 2 Wimaxit 15.6in touchscreen (1 just died), HC Alpha, HC Bravo, Thrustmaster rudder pedals, Cyberpower Upc, and AirManager.

Edited July 25, 20232 yr by D_Artangnan
Oops, listed my Tlod as 70 fps...

Yes, MSFS demands CPU power and VRAM, a strong cpu and a video card with at least 16 gb+ Vram and you are good to go at full Ultra preset regardless of resolution.