So I have had a history with my RAM and MSFS 2020.  In a nutshell, when I bought my computer, the computer shop set the RAM frequency in my BIOS higher than what my CPU could actually handle: https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/622877-any-gpu-overclocking-results-in-ctds/#findComment-4823993.  So when I lowered the RAM frequency, all the tests in MemTest then passed, MSFS 2020 stopped CTDing on me (as well as the odd CTD I got in Age of Empires 4), and all is gucci, right?

Fast forward to MSFS 2024.  MSFS 2020 is generally stable for me, and Age of Empires 4 is way more stable for me.  However, when I started using MSFS 2024, the CTDs start in MSFS 2024 again, and worse, my monitor's screen goes black and I can't get back into Windows, and I can hear the fan speed increase when my monitor's screen goes black.  I can even reproduce this odd CTDing and my monitor's screen going black, by slewing to the top of El Capitan in Yosemite - I can see my GPU's temperature going up to about 80 degrees and being pushed to 99%, and within a few minutes, my monitor's screen will go black and I can't get back into Windows.  To my understanding, a modern GPU should be able to go to 80 degrees safely (my understanding is that if it starts to exceed 90 degrees, that's when you should be worrying, but 80 degrees should be fine).

Now I think I ran a MemTest about a year ago for a full night, and the MemTest was 100% successful with no errors, so I'm thinking it must be my graphics card, and no way it can be my RAM, because my last MemTest was 100% successful. Fortunately, my computer was still under warranty by my computer shop. So I bring my computer back into the computer shop, thinking it must be my graphics card and the computer shop technician also suspected it could be my graphics card too but he had to run some tests. 

So I leave my computer with the technician for the week.  Within about a few days, the technician calls me up, and says the RAM test he did showed that my RAM was defective.  I'm like what?  I was utterly confused, because the last MemTest I ran was 100% successful, although that test was about a year ago.  I don't know what software he used, but he was able to detect RAM problems where MemTest could not detect them (albeit, MemTest was failing for me when my RAM frequency was set higher than what my CPU could handle, but when I lowered the RAM frequency to what my CPU could handle, the overnight MemTest tests was 100% successful with no failures).  The technician told me it was not my GPU, which I was certain that it was.

Since the technician replaced my RAM, I have been able to slew to the peak of El Capitan at Yosemite and run MSFS 2024 for 20 minutes straight and my computer doesn't crash anymore (whereas before with my defective RAM, my monitor's screen would go black within a few minutes).  MSFS 2024, at the moment, is stable for me, and I guess the technician is right, it's not my GPU that was the problem.  This goes to show that not only did MSFS 2020 push my computer to the limit, but MSFS 2024 pushed my computer even further and discovered RAM issues that even MemTest could not detect.

I know some people are having issues with MSFS 2024 that they aren't having with MSFS 2020. I was one of those people - MSFS 2020 ran fine for me but MSFS 2024 did not.  It could be that your hardware has issues and if it does, MSFS 2024 may push your computer harder than MSFS 2020 pushes it (and MSFS 2020 pushed my computer harder than any of the other games I played).

Edited February 7, 20251 yr by abrams_tank

1 hour ago, abrams_tank said:

So I have had a history with my RAM and MSFS 2020.  In a nutshell, when I bought my computer, the computer shop set the RAM frequency in my BIOS higher than what my CPU could actually handle: https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/622877-any-gpu-overclocking-results-in-ctds/#findComment-4823993.  So when I lowered the RAM frequency, all the tests in MemTest then passed, MSFS 2020 stopped CTDing on me (as well as the odd CTD I got in Age of Empires 4), and all is gucci, right?

Fast forward to MSFS 2024.  MSFS 2020 is generally stable for me, and Age of Empires 4 is way more stable for me.  However, when I started using MSFS 2024, the CTDs start in MSFS 2024 again, and worse, my monitor's screen goes black and I can't get back into Windows, and I can hear the fan speed increase when my monitor's screen goes black.  I can even reproduce this odd CTDing and my monitor's screen going black, by slewing to the top of El Capitan in Yosemite - I can see my GPU's temperature going up to about 80 degrees and being pushed to 99%, and within a few minutes, my monitor's screen will go black and I can't get back into Windows.  To my understanding, a modern GPU should be able to go to 80 degrees safely (my understanding is that if it starts to exceed 90 degrees, that's when you should be worrying, but 80 degrees should be fine).

Now I think I ran a MemTest about a year ago for a full night, and the MemTest was 100% successful with no errors, so I'm thinking it must be my graphics card, and no way it can be my RAM, because my last MemTest was 100% successful. Fortunately, my computer was still under warranty by my computer shop. So I bring my computer back into the computer shop, thinking it must be my graphics card and the computer shop technician also suspected it could be my graphics card too but he had to run some tests. 

So I leave my computer with the technician for the week.  Within about a few days, the technician calls me up, and says the RAM test he did showed that my RAM was defective.  I'm like what?  I was utterly confused, because the last MemTest I ran was 100% successful, although that test was about a year ago.  I don't know what software he used, but he was able to detect RAM problems where MemTest could not detect them (albeit, MemTest was failing for me when my RAM frequency was set higher than what my CPU could handle, but when I lowered the RAM frequency to what my CPU could handle, the overnight MemTest tests was 100% successful with no failures).  The technician told me it was not my GPU, which I was certain that it was.

Since the technician replaced my RAM, I have been able to slew to the peak of El Capitan at Yosemite and run MSFS 2024 for 20 minutes straight and my computer doesn't crash anymore (whereas before with my defective RAM, my monitor's screen would go black within a few minutes).  MSFS 2024, at the moment, is stable for me, and I guess the technician is right, it's not my GPU that was the problem.  This goes to show that not only did MSFS 2020 push my computer to the limit, but MSFS 2024 pushed my computer even further and discovered RAM issues that even MemTest could not detect.

I know some people are having issues with MSFS 2024 that they aren't having with MSFS 2020. I was one of those people - MSFS 2020 ran fine for me but MSFS 2024 did not.  It could be that your hardware has issues and if it does, MSFS 2024 may push your computer harder than MSFS 2020 pushes it (and MSFS 2020 pushed my computer harder than any of the other games I played).

So, another reason to avoid 2024, unless  you want to replace your PC, which most likely runs  2020 with no problems.  The issue that was a warning flag for me is their suggestion of installing 64GB of ram... Most AAA games work with 32 GBs of ram perfectly well. 

15 minutes ago, Bobsk8 said:

So, another reason to avoid 2024, unless  you want to replace your PC, which most likely runs  2020 with no problems.  The issue that was a warning flag for me is their suggestion of installing 64GB of ram... Most AAA games work with 32 GBs of ram perfectly well. 

I have 32 GB of RAM. MSFS 2024 works fine for me at 32 GB of RAM. But I only play at 1080p and most of my settings are at medium (with just a few settings on high).  And I don't use VR.

But MSFS, be it MSFS 2020 or MSFS 2024, simply pushes your computer to its limits.

Edited February 7, 20251 yr by abrams_tank

Naah, I think it was just bad luck, the OP got the defective sticks, and could manage with both MSFS 2020 and Age of Empires...until MSFS2024 forced them harder.

As the late NickN said,

Quote

CHAPTER 2, VERSE 4

AND AS IT WAS WRITTEN:

HE WHO SKIPS THIS TEST SHALL BE DAMNED TO EVERLASTING SIM TORMENT

The tests that shall not be skipped when building a new computer: https://www.simforums.com/forums/the-fsx-computer-system-the-bible-by-nickn_topic46211.html#:~:text=- You have FULLY TESTED each individual module of physical memory installed in the system

23 minutes ago, Bobsk8 said:

Entonces, otra razón para evitar 2024, a menos que quieras reemplazar tu PC, que probablemente ejecute 2020 sin problemas. El problema que fue una señal de alerta para mí es su sugerencia de instalar 64 GB de RAM... La mayoría de los juegos AAA funcionan perfectamente con 32 GB de RAM. 

I go with 16GB of RAM in 2024 and without big problems, the RAM requirement comes because people insist on putting many external addons to the simulator.

5 minutes ago, Luis Hernandez said:

Naah, I think it was just bad luck, the OP got the defective sticks, and could manage with both MSFS 2020 and Age of Empires...until MSFS2024 forced them harder.

Also, I learned that you can replace MemTest with MSFS 2024 if you want to detect defective RAM 🤣

Is the replacement RAM different?

 

6 minutes ago, Aglos77 said:

I go with 16GB of RAM in 2024 and without big problems, the RAM requirement comes because people insist on putting many external addons to the simulator.

To be fair the sim is essentially a platform built with the expectation of add-ons for expansion...   I think it's been demo'd 24 can use almost as much RAM as you want to throw at it in some cases... 

Just now, Rusty Spanner said:

Is the replacement RAM different?

 

And was that with 16, 32 or 64, what was the DIMM configuration, ie 2 full, all 4 full and was all the memory purchased and installed together.

The reason I ask is I had 32 with no issues, 2 slots full.  Then I added 32 of the EXACT same memory and filled all 4 slots and had tons of issues and had to back out my timings.  I then went to 64GB in two 32GB sticks and no issues at all and I was  able to go back to my original timings.  There are a lot of variables with memory... 

Hmmm, Xp12 stresses my GPU and CPU more than MSFS, at least from what RivaTuner Statistics tells me... 🙂

MSFS 2020 and 2024 are the only games that really push my RAM, wasn't until I reduce them further I had fewer CTD's

7 minutes ago, Brocky120 said:

MSFS 2020 and 2024 are the only games that really push my RAM, wasn't until I reduce them further I had fewer CTD's

I played a lot of games on my computer:  Forza Horizon 5, Diablo 4, Diablo 2 Resurrected, Starcraft 2, Age of Empires 4, Hell Let Loose, It Takes Two, Left for Dead 2, Gears 5, and an assortment of other games on PC Gamepass. With PC Gamepass alone, I probably had over 10 different games on my PC before. But no game revealed RAM problems the way that MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024 revealed them.

40 minutes ago, Luis Hernandez said:

Naah, I think it was just bad luck, the OP got the defective sticks, and could manage with both MSFS 2020 and Age of Empires...until MSFS2024 forced them harder.

As the late NickN said,

The tests that shall not be skipped when building a new computer: https://www.simforums.com/forums/the-fsx-computer-system-the-bible-by-nickn_topic46211.html#:~:text=- You have FULLY TESTED each individual module of physical memory installed in the system

NickN was a good friend and I really miss him. I used his bible to set up my system, 7700K at 5ghz and RTX 3090 with 32G ram. I run 2024 at ulttra settings with DLSS4 and framegen  and have had no problems. I expected to have to shell out for a new system when 2024 was released but so far my old system is handling everything with ease.

Maybe I got lucky with all my parts but I have to think NickN had something to do with it.

3 minutes ago, abrams_tank said:

I played a lot of games on my computer:  Forza Horizon 5, Diablo 4, Diablo 2 Resurrected, Starcraft 2, Age of Empires 4, Hell Let Loose, It Takes Two, Left for Dead 2, Gears 5, and an assortment of other games on PC Gamepass. With PC Gamepass alone, I probably had over 10 different games on my PC before. But no game revealed RAM problems the way that MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024 revealed them.

You are so right. Even FSX did that. The combo of  CPU, GPU and memory interaction is much more important than any other title. If your system has a weak spot, msfs will find it eventually.

8 minutes ago, vgbaron said:

You are so right. Even FSX did that. The combo of  CPU, GPU and memory interaction is much more important than any other title. If your system has a weak spot, msfs will find it eventually.

I'll never forget launching FS9 and watching my CPU usage spike to 100% for as long as the sim was running.