Hi!

My current rig has served me well, but it's time for some key upgrades to enhance my gaming experience. To achieve far smoother and more stunning visuals in Microsoft Flight Simulator, I'm planning to upgrade the motherboard, CPU, RAM, and potentially the cooler. These changes will help (hopefully) eliminate bottlenecks and ensure that my system can handle the demanding graphics and complex simulations with ease.

Additionally, I'm looking to upgrade my monitor to get both great visuals in Flight Simulator and better refresh rates for Counter-Strike 2. I hope that this upgrade will provide the perfect balance between stunning graphics and high-performance gameplay, enhancing my overall gaming experience.

Here are my rig specs - any suggestions would be most welcome - for motherboard, CPU and RAM (Intel and AMD options) and a monitor that can suit both games.

▬MY SETUP▬

Mouse: Razer DeathAdder v3
Mousepad: Corsair MM300 Anti-Fray Cloth Gaming Mouse Pad
Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow
Headset: SteelSeries Arctis Pro + GameDAC
Monitor: Asus PB279Q 27" 3840x2160 60Hz

▬MY RIG▬

Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro M Tempered Glass
OS: Windows 11 Home
Mainboard: Asus Maximus XI Hero
CPU: Intel Core i9 9900K @ 5.0GHz
CPU Cooler: Corsair Hydro Series H150i Pro RGB Liquid Cooler
GPU: Rog Strix GeForce RTX 3080 12GB GDDR6X
RAM: Teamgroup Vulcan 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4-3200
SSD [Boot]: Samsung 840 Evo 500GB
SSD [Steam Games]: Crucial P1 NVMe M.2 1TB
SSD [Other Games]: Samsung 860 QVO 1TB
SSD [MSFS]: Western Digital Black SN850X NVMe M.2 4TB
HDD [Data]: Western Digital Red Pro 4TB
PSU: Corsair HX1000 1000W
Internet: 1gbps (download) / 100mbps (upload) Dedicated Fiber

▬POSSIBLE UPGRADE?▬

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor @ 389.90€
Mainboard: Asus ROG STRIX B650E-F GAMING WIFI ATX AM5 @ 294.90€
RAM: G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 @ 153.90€
TOTAL UPGRADE: 838.70€ 

Thank you in advance!

Edited August 20, 20241 yr by CarpeVinum
Added a possible upgrade option

Do you have a budget? Might be worth mentioning if you do, otherwise you'll get recommendations for the Carlos Fandango GPU costing 4 grand.

Check my sig for a system that gives me consistent and smooth 60fps at 4k 240Hz. All settings at max/ultra, TLOD at 400 & OLOD at 200.  

2 minutes ago, flyingscampi said:

Do you have a budget? Might be worth mentioning if you do, otherwise you'll get recommendations for the Carlos Fandango GPU costing 4 grand.

True 🙂

My PC was a £3500 retirement upgrade.  Well worth it for the superb performance in MSFS 2020.

8 minutes ago, flyingscampi said:

Do you have a budget? Might be worth mentioning if you do, otherwise you'll get recommendations for the Carlos Fandango GPU costing 4 grand.

Uff! I overlooked that. I was originally considering the 14900K CPU - but the upgrade for Mobo+CPU+RAM would set me back about 1700 Euros. Then someone suggested I look into AMD - I just edited my first post to include an AMD upgrade option which would be about half that investment. With my current rig I get stutters in complex airports and cloudy/rainy weather. And I would like to overcome that. I run mainly MSFS, Fenix, REX, STKP, in the future I hope to get PMDG777 and GSX. I guess my budget would be up to 1500€ for Mobo, CPU and RAM.

9 minutes ago, MrBitstFlyer said:

Check my sig for a system that gives me consistent and smooth 60fps at 4k 240Hz. All settings at max/ultra, TLOD at 400 & OLOD at 200.  

Thank you! I was stupid and recently bough the 3080 12GB. I should have waited. How are your temperatures (CPU)?

With this AMD setup you will have all you need. Add Lossless Scaling for some bucks and/or AutoFPS and gone are your stutters. In a year, when MSFS 2024 is settled, you might consider replacing this 3080 with a novel GPU, your PSU will easily manage this. 

9 minutes ago, AnkH said:

With this AMD setup you will have all you need. Add Lossless Scaling for some bucks and/or AutoFPS and gone are your stutters. In a year, when MSFS 2024 is settled, you might consider replacing this 3080 with a novel GPU, your PSU will easily manage this. 

Wonderful, thank you! May I ask what "Lossless Scaling" and "AutoFPS" are? Forgive me, I am an old fart!

Is it this?: I run the Steam version of MSFS and intend to get MSFS2024 when launched
https://store.steampowered.com/app/993090/Lossless_Scaling/
https://msfsaddons.com/2024/02/25/auto-fps-for-msfs-automatically-adjusts-your-tlod-and-cloud-settings-for-consistently-smooth-performance/

Edited August 20, 20241 yr by CarpeVinum
links

Lossless Scaling is a little tool you get for some bucks on Steam that doubles, triplesfor quadruples your FPS. Properly set up, you get a very smooth experience at the cost of some artefacts. No longer time testing experience here, so I do not know if the tool works for an e.g. 4h simming session. 

AutoFPS lets you (amongst other settings) automatically change TLOD and OLOD while in the sim based on FPS for example. Allowing good FPS even on big airports with lots of AI traffic. At the expense of some visual fidelity, e.g. ground textures are blurry very close to your aircraft with TLOD 50 on certain airport sceneries. 

Using both together you can end up in simmers heaven regarding FPS and smoothness, but it takes some fiddling around tbh. 

My biggest advice would be: try those tools right now, it might make buying new hardware even obsolete 😉

1 minute ago, AnkH said:

Lossless Scaling is a little tool you get for some bucks on Steam that doubles, triplesfor quadruples your FPS. Properly set up, you get a very smooth experience at the cost of some artefacts. No longer time testing experience here, so I do not know if the tool works for an e.g. 4h simming session. 

AutoFPS lets you (amongst other settings) automatically change TLOD and OLOD while in the sim based on FPS for example. Allowing good FPS even on big airports with lots of AI traffic. At the expense of some visual fidelity, e.g. ground textures are blurry very close to your aircraft with TLOD 50 on certain airport sceneries. 

Using both together you can end up in simmers heaven regarding FPS and smoothness, but it takes some fiddling around tbh. 

My biggest advice would be: try those tools right now, it might make buying new hardware even obsolete 😉

Awesome! Will do! Thank you 🙂

1 hour ago, CarpeVinum said:

Hi!

My current rig has served me well, but it's time for some key upgrades to enhance my gaming experience. To achieve far smoother and more stunning visuals in Microsoft Flight Simulator, I'm planning to upgrade the motherboard, CPU, RAM, and potentially the cooler. These changes will help (hopefully) eliminate bottlenecks and ensure that my system can handle the demanding graphics and complex simulations with ease.

Additionally, I'm looking to upgrade my monitor to get both great visuals in Flight Simulator and better refresh rates for Counter-Strike 2. I hope that this upgrade will provide the perfect balance between stunning graphics and high-performance gameplay, enhancing my overall gaming experience.

Here are my rig specs - any suggestions would be most welcome - for motherboard, CPU and RAM (Intel and AMD options) and a monitor that can suit both games.

▬MY SETUP▬

Mouse: Razer DeathAdder v3
Mousepad: Corsair MM300 Anti-Fray Cloth Gaming Mouse Pad
Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow
Headset: SteelSeries Arctis Pro + GameDAC
Monitor: Asus PB279Q 27" 3840x2160 60Hz

▬MY RIG▬

Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro M Tempered Glass
OS: Windows 11 Home
Mainboard: Asus Maximus XI Hero
CPU: Intel Core i9 9900K @ 5.0GHz
CPU Cooler: Corsair Hydro Series H150i Pro RGB Liquid Cooler
GPU: Rog Strix GeForce RTX 3080 12GB GDDR6X
RAM: Teamgroup Vulcan 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4-3200
SSD [Boot]: Samsung 840 Evo 500GB
SSD [Steam Games]: Crucial P1 NVMe M.2 1TB
SSD [Other Games]: Samsung 860 QVO 1TB
SSD [MSFS]: Western Digital Black SN850X NVMe M.2 4TB
HDD [Data]: Western Digital Red Pro 4TB
PSU: Corsair HX1000 1000W
Internet: 1gbps (download) / 100mbps (upload) Dedicated Fiber

▬POSSIBLE UPGRADE?▬

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor @ 389.90€
Mainboard: Asus ROG STRIX B650E-F GAMING WIFI ATX AM5 @ 294.90€
RAM: G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 @ 153.90€
TOTAL UPGRADE: 838.70€ 

Thank you in advance!

 I very much approve the core components for your upgrade (Check signature)

The components play together very well and can be pushed without too much effort (PBO/Memory timings)

You may want to temper your expectations just a tad if you plan to max everything out including add on traffic ( such as AIG @100%) and want to fly into a major international airport in a resource heavy aircraft. We aren't quite there yet unless frame generation or auto fps is involved but its pretty darned close.

I also see that you are looking to run the sim at 4k .. that will be your new bottleneck so you can either wait to see what NVIDIA comes up with in a few months or go with a 4080 Super/4090 if your budget allows.

 

If you're building the rig for MSFS then the AMD X3D CPUs are currently considered the best performers due to their large cache. Bear in mind that MSFS 2024 is only months away and might turn the table over... There are also issues with voltage damage on Intel's top end CPU's that are putting people off.

 

1 hour ago, CarpeVinum said:

Thank you! I was stupid and recently bough the 3080 12GB. I should have waited. How are your temperatures (CPU)?

My CPU temps (PBO enabled) while the sim is running floats in the low 50c and the occasional 60c but good cpu coolers and the choice of cpu thermal paste will play a role in the results that you may get.  Idle is 41c to 44c

Thermal limit is 90c so nowhere near it.

Edited August 20, 20241 yr by Maxis

I would recommend that you chose an AM5 670E motherboard to secure future upgrades, and be sure that your memory sticks are EXPO compatible with the motherboard.

4 hours ago, Ixoye said:

I would recommend that you chose an AM5 670E motherboard to secure future upgrades, and be sure that your memory sticks are EXPO compatible with the motherboard.

I would recommend he stay pat with the motherboard he selected. There is no need to get an X670E motherboard unless he is needing a whole bunch more USB or high speed connections. If the connectors at the back are sufficient B650E is the best Chipset to be on without going overboard. The CPU upgrades are going to be compatible regardless because the essential aspects of the chipset that accommodate upgrade-ability is the same across the entire socket AM5 chipset range from X670E to B650.

There comes a point where lots more money is spent on diminishing returns. Unless your an extreme overclocker or have a job type (Video editing & production) that requires a system to have PCIE 5 everything, thunderbolt connections, USB4 and all that then sure. Everyone else .. B650E gives the best feature set at a good value. He can save that X670E price difference for something that will actually increase performance down the road.

https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/amd-x670e-vs-x670-vs-b650e-vs-b650-2361/#What_do_all_of_these_chipsets_have_in_common

Additionally the ram that he selected as long as it is exactly this : https://www.amazon.com/G-Skill-Trident-288-Pin-CL30-38-38-96-F5-6000J3038F16GX2-TZ5NR/dp/B0BF8FVLSL?th=1  is in the QVL for his motherboard.. His core components (CPU/MB/MEM) exactly match mine and i did spend a few days to check for compatibility and sim performance. I can also attest to there being absolutely no EXPO issues with this combination. Actually i have already substantially tightened the secondary mem timings past EXPO 1 and EXPO 2  and the system has not once failed to boot or throw an error.

I think he made excellent hardware choices for the purposes of the present sim and if he has any questions or need any assistance ill be glad to try to help.

Edited August 20, 20241 yr by Maxis