A New Beginning

[GCBraun]

There’s a lot of questionable advice here.

With Alienware, you’re basically paying more for less performance compared to building your own PC.

And honestly, I don’t understand why some people still steer others away from AMD. It seems like they’re either stuck in the past or have never built a system themselves.

For me, the 7800X3D has been hands-down the best CPU I’ve ever used for flight-simming, whether it’s MSFS, X-Plane, or DCS. I’m already looking forward to upgrading to the 9800X3D when the time comes.

[micstatic]

agree.  Basically for 3 CPU generations in a row, AMD has been in the lead for flight simmers.  I also would avoid the alienware.  Many of the inner components will be of lower build quality.  To the OP.  Have you considered doing the build yourself?

[Ratsirt]

18 hours ago, prolixindec said:

The choice of CPU and GPU are excellent for MS2020, no red flags to my uneducated eyes, but "yellow" flags might be the motherboards; I don't see the specs or the brand identified. Same with the RAM and storage, is it branded or generic? Regarding the GPU, it says in the notes "brand may vary." This might not make a difference, but it can help sometimes to know. Curiously the amazon device says that there are only 2 USB ports. Maybe that means a cheap motherboard? Maybe it's an error? Mayne I'm not smart enough to understand the description? It might help to make sure the number of USB ports is to your liking. More critically, the video outputs--again, the amazon box says two, but that the number "could" vary, presumably with the brand of the GPU. This would be important if you are running more than one monitor.

The price of each is pretty good, which suggests to me the components are generic. But again, that doesn't necessarily mean they're inferior, just that they're presumably the cheapest. (I have a Dell that was built with generic parts and it performs well.)

 

 

Thanks for that input. Concerning the USB ports, I assumed that meant there were two additional on the front/top of the box as I don't know any motherboard with only two. Checking my last gamer (nine year old Cyberpower), the MB has 10 and the front has seven. Both of the boxes in question are presented as "gaming" so I, maybe incorrectly, assumed they would have multiple USB ports.

To the GPU, the chipset is nVidea and I know there are several card manufacturers who use their stuff. Are there some I need to be wary of?

[prolixindec]

I am not aware of any, but there are sites that review these things. If you can figure out what brand is being used in the build, then you can google it.

Let me just repeat that this is a "yellow" flag, not a "red" flag. I'm sure most of the brands meet the advertised specs, or else they'd go out of business. (Keyword here is most...) It's just that with a low-priced, pre-built computer, you know they're going for the cheapest available parts.

If you want, you can go to an online store like CLX or IBuyPower that will let you choose various brands of every component, compare their specs, price them out, and then you can see if anyone has anything to say about them (via Google or reddit).

Here's an example of something I read somewhere: All 4080 cards use Nvidia chips, but different manufacturers put them together differently. Nvidia's house brand guarantees you specific specifications. Some brands might be cheaper, but perform at the bottom of the range of what is considered acceptable by Nvidia. Other brands might get an extra 1% performance, but run hotter. 

My current computer is an off-the-shelf, mass produced, Dell with an i7-11700, 16 Gb RAM, and a 3060 Ti, all of the components are from whatever manufacturer Dell could get a cheap bulk order from, and I get really quite acceptable performance on MSFS 2020 except at large airports or with lots of injected traffic. So not knowing what's inside doesn't imply badness. It's just something to consider.

I'm looking more carefully at components this time around, and here's why: for once, a new version of MSFS doesn't mean you have to upgrade to get a satisfactory experience. Therefore for the first time in 15 years, maybe for the first time ever, the same computer may be able to withstand several updates of MSFS. No guarantees of course, but I think the chances are higher now than before that a good computer might actually be useable for quite a long time. So with that in mind, I'm being more careful about the parts that go inside.

Here's what I'm thinking (subject to change):

AMD 9800X3D

MSI X670E "Gaming Plus" WiFi ATX motherboard

2 x 32Gb DDR5-6000 G.Skill Trident RAM

MSI GeForce RTX 4080 Super 16 Gb

4 Tb Samsung 990 Pro M.2 NVMe SSD

Lian Li Galahad AIO 360 Closed cooling

1000 Watt SilverStone Strider 80+Platinum power supply

(If anyone wants to share their opinions about that, please feel free to critique...)

Edited January 7 by prolixindec

[Ratsirt]

On 1/6/2025 at 5:13 AM, micstatic said:

agree.  Basically for 3 CPU generations in a row, AMD has been in the lead for flight simmers.  I also would avoid the alienware.  Many of the inner components will be of lower build quality.  To the OP.  Have you considered doing the build yourself?

Thanks for joining this discussion. Yes I have and I've viewed a few videos on the subject, and the dos and don'ts. I've swapped a few components through the years but never a power supply or motherboard. I think I was daunted by the choices of cases and motherboards. There are just so friggin' many of them and they are the foundation of the build. I see $89 cases and $450 cases...just for starters. The difference in those prices is a lot of RAM. So I've been sorting through where I really need to lay out the dough and where I can rein it in a bit to maintain some sort of budget.

 

[Ratsirt]

On 1/6/2025 at 9:44 PM, prolixindec said:

I am not aware of any, but there are sites that review these things. If you can figure out what brand is being used in the build, then you can google it.

Let me just repeat that this is a "yellow" flag, not a "red" flag. I'm sure most of the brands meet the advertised specs, or else they'd go out of business. (Keyword here is most...) It's just that with a low-priced, pre-built computer, you know they're going for the cheapest available parts.

If you want, you can go to an online store like CLX or IBuyPower that will let you choose various brands of every component, compare their specs, price them out, and then you can see if anyone has anything to say about them (via Google or reddit).

Here's an example of something I read somewhere: All 4080 cards use Nvidia chips, but different manufacturers put them together differently. Nvidia's house brand guarantees you specific specifications. Some brands might be cheaper, but perform at the bottom of the range of what is considered acceptable by Nvidia. Other brands might get an extra 1% performance, but run hotter. 

My current computer is an off-the-shelf, mass produced, Dell with an i7-11700, 16 Gb RAM, and a 3060 Ti, all of the components are from whatever manufacturer Dell could get a cheap bulk order from, and I get really quite acceptable performance on MSFS 2020 except at large airports or with lots of injected traffic. So not knowing what's inside doesn't imply badness. It's just something to consider.

I'm looking more carefully at components this time around, and here's why: for once, a new version of MSFS doesn't mean you have to upgrade to get a satisfactory experience. Therefore for the first time in 15 years, maybe for the first time ever, the same computer may be able to withstand several updates of MSFS. No guarantees of course, but I think the chances are higher now than before that a good computer might actually be useable for quite a long time. So with that in mind, I'm being more careful about the parts that go inside.

Here's what I'm thinking (subject to change):

AMD 9800X3D

MSI X670E "Gaming Plus" WiFi ATX motherboard

2 x 32Gb DDR5-6000 G.Skill Trident RAM

MSI GeForce RTX 4080 Super 16 Gb

4 Tb Samsung 990 Pro M.2 NVMe SSD

Lian Li Galahad AIO 360 Closed cooling

1000 Watt SilverStone Strider 80+Platinum power supply

(If anyone wants to share their opinions about that, please feel free to critique...)

Thanks. I'd also like to hear others' opinions on your prospective builds as it is very similar to what I'm looking for.

[Ratsirt]

I may have to hold off for a while. I really like the RTX 4080 Super but the prices right now are crazy. I really don't want to downgrade because I know MSFS will continue to need more in the future.

Any recommendations for a reliable configurators out there to "build" a setup?

[Ratsirt]

For those who have tried curved monitors, is it really worth it and if so, what do you find the most attractive about them?

[flyinion]

On 1/11/2025 at 10:53 AM, Ratsirt said:

For those who have tried curved monitors, is it really worth it and if so, what do you find the most attractive about them?

I've used a 34" ultrawide curved monitor for about 4 years now.  I like it because it is just an 1800R curve so it's not very aggressive but just enough to pull those edges in due to the wider format.  I don't think I'd bother on a non ultrawide format though, and I think the more aggressive 8-900R curve that some of LG panel based OLED's have is way too much.  If you do a lot of work that needs straight edges though it may take  you a bit to adjust to the curve.

[Ratsirt]

On 1/13/2025 at 8:04 PM, flyinion said:

I've used a 34" ultrawide curved monitor for about 4 years now.  I like it because it is just an 1800R curve so it's not very aggressive but just enough to pull those edges in due to the wider format.  I don't think I'd bother on a non ultrawide format though, and I think the more aggressive 8-900R curve that some of LG panel based OLED's have is way too much.  If you do a lot of work that needs straight edges though it may take  you a bit to adjust to the curve.

Thanks for your response. This will be used solely for flight simming so straight edges aren't really needed. I can see where a more aggressive curve might be irritating if your seating (eye) position isn't an equal radius from all points on the screen. What brand do you prefer?

[Ratsirt]

My research shows the MSRP for the RTX 4080 at around $1000 yet the prices I'm finding are stupid expensive. The 4090 is even "stupider expensiver", and it appears the 5090 improvements don't warrant the increase in price. So, are there any AMD GPUs worth having for MSFS2024?

Edited January 19 by Ratsirt
punctuation

[flyinion]

On 1/19/2025 at 8:51 AM, Ratsirt said:

Thanks for your response. This will be used solely for flight simming so straight edges aren't really needed. I can see where a more aggressive curve might be irritating if your seating (eye) position isn't an equal radius from all points on the screen. What brand do you prefer?

Sorry I got busy and haven't been on the forum in a few days.  My previous panel was an LG 34GN850 which I liked a lot, accurate colors etc.  However like a lot of IPS panels it had a good bit of IPS glow.  I don't know what current models there are, I know some have moved to mini LED backlights with local dimming.  I did just upgrade over Christmas to an Alienware AW34DWF which is a 34" 3440x1440 OLED panel which looks amazing but requires a bit of caution due to the way OLED panels wear over time.  There are higher resolution panels out there that are also bigger than 34" but you'll need some GPU horsepower to drive them for sure. 

 

At this point 5000 series is right around the corner which is why 4000 is so $$$ because there's very limited stock.  5080 would probably be a good target if you were looking at a 4080 currently.  If I wasn't doing VR I would have been quite happy with a 4080 two years ago and would be happy with a 5080 today.  Can't offer much suggestion on the AMD side as I've never used their GPU's, at least since AMD acquired ATI and re-branded the GPU line years ago.  I know they're also supposed to have new cards coming.  

[ryanbatc]

On 1/19/2025 at 10:57 AM, Ratsirt said:

My research shows the MSRP for the RTX 4080 at around $1000 yet the prices I'm finding are stupid expensive. The 4090 is even "stupider expensiver", and it appears the 5090 improvements don't warrant the increase in price. So, are there any AMD GPUs worth having for MSFS2024?

You won't really find any regular 4090s anymore.

I don't have any experience but the higher end AMD GPUs are pretty nice in 2020 from what I've heard.  And they tend to have more VRAM than even my 4080 with 16 (lame).

[Ratsirt]

On 1/21/2025 at 4:46 PM, flyinion said:

Sorry I got busy and haven't been on the forum in a few days.  My previous panel was an LG 34GN850 which I liked a lot, accurate colors etc.  However like a lot of IPS panels it had a good bit of IPS glow.  I don't know what current models there are, I know some have moved to mini LED backlights with local dimming.  I did just upgrade over Christmas to an Alienware AW34DWF which is a 34" 3440x1440 OLED panel which looks amazing but requires a bit of caution due to the way OLED panels wear over time.  There are higher resolution panels out there that are also bigger than 34" but you'll need some GPU horsepower to drive them for sure. 

 

At this point 5000 series is right around the corner which is why 4000 is so $$$ because there's very limited stock.  5080 would probably be a good target if you were looking at a 4080 currently.  If I wasn't doing VR I would have been quite happy with a 4080 two years ago and would be happy with a 5080 today.  Can't offer much suggestion on the AMD side as I've never used their GPU's, at least since AMD acquired ATI and re-branded the GPU line years ago.  I know they're also supposed to have new cards coming.  

Thanks for that info. It's taken me a while to get back here also. Do you have an opinion on which needs more graphics power, widescreen IPS or multi flat screens? I'm looking at a system with a 5080 today. Any thoughts on Digital Storm desktops?

[Ratsirt]

On 1/21/2025 at 6:36 PM, ryanbatc said:

You won't really find any regular 4090s anymore.

I don't have any experience but the higher end AMD GPUs are pretty nice in 2020 from what I've heard.  And they tend to have more VRAM than even my 4080 with 16 (lame).

Thanks. I'm now looking at a 5080 now. I'm seeing mixed reviews but am also hearing it has great over-clocking potential.