17 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.

Thank you for the recommendation!

16 hours ago, Maxis said:

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.

Thank you for the explanation and for the offer to assist! I tend to read a lot about components before I purchase, but sometimes the technicalities are too much for me and I need to ask people's expert opinions 😉

- The USB ports I need are mainly for mouse, keyboard, headset and printer. Should be enough.
- I am not an extreme overclocker, but I do some coding using VS Code (website and web apps) and play first person shooters like CounterStrike 2, CoD, etc.
- I overlooked the EXPO component of the memory modules. I can get that specific RAM that you linked for 153.90€ in Portugal. And I can get the Corsair equivalent (Part Number: CMH32GX5M2B6000Z30) for 134.89€. Could I save some money and opt for the Corsair option?

14 hours ago, fppilot said:

Here is what I just researched.  You may see my choices relevant to your planned upgrades. Just spec'd out a new system over the past two days and now waiting for the components.  Did a good deal of research and used https://pcpartpicker.com/products/ to pick choices.  Got some great guidance here and even better from the local builder I am using. My builder moved me from a Corsair cooler to the NZXT saying from experience it is better. I am paying the local shop $320 to build, install the OS, and bench test.  You mention some of the components I selected.  Here is the list as I ordered at Amazon:

$     134.99	Case	Corsair 5000D Airflow Case
$       44.97	Fans	Corsair SP120 Elite, 120mm PWM Hydraulic Bearing Case Fan (3)
$         8.49	Splitter	Cable Matters 2-Pack 3 Way 4 Pin PWM Fan Splitter Cable 12 Inches
$     366.80	CPU	AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
$     226.42	MOBO	MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WiFi AMD B650 Socket AM5 ATX
$  1,069.99	GPU	ASUS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Super TUF Gaming OC
$     114.99	RAM	CORSAIR Vengeance DDR5 RAM 32GB (2x16GB) 6000MHz CL30 AMD Expo iCUE Compatible
$     169.00	PSU	Corsair RM850x 850 Watt 80 Plus Gold ATX Fully Modular Power Supply
$     179.99	Cooling	NZXT 360mm AIO CPU Liquid Cooler
$         8.99	Paste	ARCTIC MX-6 (4 g, incl. 6 MX Cleaner) - Ultimate Performance Thermal Paste
$       99.20	SSD 1	SAMSUNG 970 EVO Plus SSD 1TB NVMe M.2
$     319.99	SSD 2	SAMSUNG 990 PRO SSD 4TB PCIe 4.0 M.2
$       79.99		Corsair Vertical Mount  Extension Cable
$       14.39	Stand	Adjustable Mobile CPU Stand, Ventilated Computer Tower Stand

Thank you for the input! I will consider the NZXT coolers if my current one does not perform well with the upgrades. 

Thank you all for the overwhelming support and feedback! I'm grateful for all the advice, and I’ve just about decided to move forward with upgrading my CPU, RAM, and motherboard within the next month or two.

Looking ahead to next year, I’m planning to invest in a new monitor and GPU that will handle both MSFS 2024 and Counter-Strike 2. I’d love to get your opinions and recommendations on these upgrades (or should I start a new thread for this?).

1. GPU Upgrade:

Should I stick with Nvidia, or take the leap to AMD? My current RTX 3080 won’t go to waste—I plan to pass it down to my daughter’s gaming rig, upgrading her GTX 970. My budget for the GPU is around 800 Euros. What would you recommend in that range?

2. Monitor Upgrade:

I’m leaning towards a 2K monitor to balance visuals in MSFS with higher refresh rates for Counter-Strike 2. However, if anyone can suggest a 4K monitor that can handle both well, I’d really appreciate it. Unfortunately, I can only fit one monitor on my desk, so it needs to be versatile. My budget here is also around 800 Euros, and I’m looking for something in the 25-27" range for comfort. Here are a few models I’m considering that are available in Portugal (I’m particularly interested in the OLED option):

• 4K @ 144Hz | OMEN 27k by HP - 27" IPS 4K 144Hz 1ms G-SYNC Compatible @ 629.00€
• 4K @ 160Hz | AOC U27G3X/BK - 27" IPS 4K UHD 160Hz Nvidia G-SYNC Compatible @ 589.90€
• 2K @ 300Hz | Asus ROG Strix XG27AQMR - 27" QHD 300Hz FreeSync/G-SYNC Compatible @ 679.90€
• 2K @ 260Hz | Asus TUF Gaming VG27AQML1A - 27" QHD 260Hz FreeSync Premium/G-SYNC Compatible @ 439.90€
• 2K @ 240Hz | OMEN 27qs by HP - 27" QHD 240Hz 1ms FreeSync Premium @ 449.00€
• 2K @ 240Hz | LG UltraGear 27GS95QE OLED - 27" QHD 240Hz FreeSync Premium Pro/G-Sync Compatible @ 829.90€

3. Case Fans:

This isn’t directly related to FlightSim, but I currently have the standard fans in my case (one front, one back) along with the 3 Corsair liquid cooler fans at the top. Is this setup sufficient, or should I consider upgrading the fans and fans setup for better cooling? Any recommendations?

Thanks again for all your help! 🙂

I replaced my 27" 1440p monitor some months ago with a DELL G3223Q, 4K and 144Hz with 32" size. Would never go back to something smaller 😉 More than 144Hz is wasted money for MSFS and personally, also for any other game unless you are a competitive shooter player (Counter Strike and such). G-Sync compatible Freesync is basically all you need and you are fine with both AMD and nVIDIA GPUs. 

57 minutes ago, AnkH said:

I replaced my 27" 1440p monitor some months ago with a DELL G3223Q, 4K and 144Hz with 32" size. Would never go back to something smaller 😉 More than 144Hz is wasted money for MSFS and personally, also for any other game unless you are a competitive shooter player (Counter Strike and such). G-Sync compatible Freesync is basically all you need and you are fine with both AMD and nVIDIA GPUs. 

Fantastic, thank you! 🙂

 

4 hours ago, CarpeVinum said:

When I fly on my current rig with heavy weather at complex airports and traffic I get CPU temperatures of between 80-90. In basic airports with clear weather and little traffic I get about 60-70. I have good thermal paste (Grizzly), liquid cooler and I keep my PC well maintained and clean (physically and software wise).

Have you tried the undervolting / overclocking routine? Can definitely help with temps.

Personally, at this moment in time, I'd hold off on big buck spending. MSFS2024 is around the corner with supposedly far less overhead. Also, the new nVidia cards are due soon as are the new (and hopefully more stable) Intel CPUs.
The two mentioned apps (AutoFPS and Lossless Scaling) can work miracles. Cheap as chips too.

Lots of choices on the way.

Edited August 21, 20241 yr by speedyTC

12 minutes ago, speedyTC said:

Have you tried the undervolting / overclocking routine? Can definitely help with temps.

Personally, at this moment in time, I'd hold off on big buck spending. MSFS2024 is around the corner with supposedly far less overhead. Also, the new nVidia cards are due soon as are the new (and hopefully more stable) Intel CPUs.
The two mentioned apps (AutoFPS and Lossless Scaling) can work miracles. Cheap as chips too.

Lots of choices on the way.

My CPU is OC'ed to 5.0, but I still get the stutters in heavy situations. I will test AutoFPS and Lossless Scaling this weekend. 

4 hours ago, CarpeVinum said:

Thank you for the explanation and for the offer to assist! I tend to read a lot about components before I purchase, but sometimes the technicalities are too much for me and I need to ask people's expert opinions 😉

- The USB ports I need are mainly for mouse, keyboard, headset and printer. Should be enough.
- I am not an extreme overclocker, but I do some coding using VS Code (website and web apps) and play first person shooters like CounterStrike 2, CoD, etc.
- I overlooked the EXPO component of the memory modules. I can get that specific RAM that you linked for 153.90€ in Portugal. And I can get the Corsair equivalent (Part Number: CMH32GX5M2B6000Z30) for 134.89€. Could I save some money and opt for the Corsair option?

Hello. Yes that corsair ram should work ok. I dont have it but its on the QVL as well. It uses 1.4 volts though instead of 1.35. Should not be a big deal but if you run into any issues just check the voltage in the bios to make sure the correct DRAM voltage for this kit is set correctly.

CORSAIR

CMH32GX5M2B6000Z30 ver. 5.43.13

2x 16GB

EXPO

6000

6000

SS

SK Hynix

30-36-36-76

1.4

1,2

26 minutes ago, Maxis said:

Hello. Yes that corsair ram should work ok. I dont have it but its on the QVL as well. It uses 1.4 volts though instead of 1.35. Should not be a big deal but if you run into any issues just check the voltage in the bios to make sure the correct DRAM voltage for this kit is set correctly.

CORSAIR

CMH32GX5M2B6000Z30 ver. 5.43.13

2x 16GB

EXPO

6000

6000

SS

SK Hynix

30-36-36-76

1.4

1,2

Thank you!

7 hours ago, CarpeVinum said:

My CPU is OC'ed to 5.0, but I still get the stutters in heavy situations. I will test AutoFPS and Lossless Scaling this weekend. 

You may also need to tinker with your settings in the sim.

I believed that MSFS2020 would remove the endless experimentation with settings etc that we went through with P3D (and FSX before that) but that hasn't been the case. However, I have finally reached a point with my middle-of-the-road machine that I am finally getting stunning visuals and excellent performance. The occasional stutter still happens on approaching heavy and under-optimised airports but that could be either because of server side hiccups or my quaint mechanical hard drive not being able to feed the demand at a reasonable rate.
I'm still more than happy with what I get.

14 hours ago, speedyTC said:

You may also need to tinker with your settings in the sim.

I believed that MSFS2020 would remove the endless experimentation with settings etc that we went through with P3D (and FSX before that) but that hasn't been the case. However, I have finally reached a point with my middle-of-the-road machine that I am finally getting stunning visuals and excellent performance. The occasional stutter still happens on approaching heavy and under-optimised airports but that could be either because of server side hiccups or my quaint mechanical hard drive not being able to feed the demand at a reasonable rate.
I'm still more than happy with what I get.

I tinker a lot with settings, and in my current rig I have it all set. But again, its just in major aiports, traffic and weather that I get lots of stutters.

I am pretty much decided on my rig, now I am just struggling on choosing a monitor. Do any of you fly 2K? Are you happy with the visuals or would you upgrade to 4K at any time? I am just trying to decide if I sacrifice resolution so I can play games like CS2 for higher refresh rates (240Hz-ish), or if I stick with higher 4K and lower refresh rates (160Hz-ish). I am not pro CS2, but I do take it seriously when I play. 

Ultrawide 1440p monitor here. Basic model (100Hz) but it's good enough (for me) for MSFS (and the price was very right too). I don't do any combat sims or any other games. Coming from a 1080p 27" the UW has made a world of difference. I'm certain that 4K would offer even better quality but driving all those pixels made me think twice given I am not running a very high end CPU nor GPU.

19 minutes ago, speedyTC said:

Ultrawide 1440p monitor here. Basic model (100Hz) but it's good enough (for me) for MSFS (and the price was very right too). I don't do any combat sims or any other games. Coming from a 1080p 27" the UW has made a world of difference. I'm certain that 4K would offer even better quality but driving all those pixels made me think twice given I am not running a very high end CPU nor GPU.

Thank you! 🙂