I know the subject of comparing MSFS 2020 with MSFS 2024 has been discussed at great length in this forum, but I am opening this new topic because I live in a rural area where I'd need to fell trees to see faster internet speeds with my Starlink setup, and also because my flight sim use will be limited to flying PMDG Boeings in and out of just a few select airports for which I'd like to see highly detailed ground scenery.

Coming from the archaic MSFS 2004, my knowledge of MSFS 2020 and 2024 has been gleaned entirely from this forum and others, as I haven't purchased or tried 2020 or 2024 thus far.  Specifically, I am curious to find out how 2020 runs in comparison to 2024 if scenery is NOT streamed, but is downloaded for ONLY the specific areas that I intend to fly, which are listed below.

LAX, San Diego Lindbergh, San Francisco, Ontario Calif, JFK, O'Hare, DFW, Miami, Honolulu, Heathrow, Manchester UK, Liverpool UK, Birmingham UK, Stanstead UK, Gatwick UK, London City UK, Amsterdam, Zurich, Frankfurt, Innsbruck, and Hong Kong VHHH & VHHX.

I would like to find out whether it would be possible for me to download detailed ground scenery for only the above-listed cities and airports, so that I won't have to rely on my abysmally slow internet connection for the streaming of global scenery that is outside of the select areas that I intend to fly PMDG Boeings and Fenix Airbuses exclusively. 

 With this narrow selection of ground scenery that will suffice for my flight sim sessions, I'd now like to ask for opinions as to whether I can expect MSFS 2020 to offer higher frame rates once the scenery I need is downloaded so that it doesn't need to be streamed on my molasses-slow internet link, or whether I can see comparable frame rates if I download the same scenery for MSFS 2024, and disable streaming, if that is indeed possible.

Any thoughts and opinions regarding my very specific flight sim preferences would be greatly appreciated, as I shop for my new computer hardware in earnest.  Thanks in advance, fellow armchair aviators, for any insights that can be shared here.  

 

I'm not in FS2024, but I can tell for sure that you can efficiently run FS2020 with a 50-100 Mbps internet connection. According to MS, the minumum internet speed requirement for FS2020 is 5 Mbps, but when I started using FS2020 that was exactly my internet speed at the time and I was at the time continually receiving the "your bandwitdh is not enough for photogrammetry" (or so...) annoying message from within the game, and the streaming of photogrammetry was of course no good (melted buildings, bad buildings shapes, stuttering, and so on).

Remember than in FS2020 you are only streaming the terrain digital data (textures and elevations) and the photogrammetry data of the selected cities that have the capability, the rest, like airports and aircraft data reside in your local disk(s). A good internet connection is also needed to download the world updates and sim updates. The world updates can be huge in size, like the latest one, of about 15 Gb in total as far as I remember, so a 5 Mbps connection is not recommended in general.

3 hours ago, edpatino said:

I'm not in FS2024, but I can tell for sure that you can efficiently run FS2020 with a 50-100 Mbps internet connection. According to MS, the minumum internet speed requirement for FS2020 is 5 Mbps, but when I started using FS2020 that was exactly my internet speed at the time and I was at the time continually receiving the "your bandwitdh is not enough for photogrammetry" (or so...) annoying message from within the game, and the streaming of photogrammetry was of course no good (melted buildings, bad buildings shapes, stuttering, and so on).

Remember than in FS2020 you are only streaming the terrain digital data (textures and elevations) and the photogrammetry data of the selected cities that have the capability, the rest, like airports and aircraft data reside in your local disk(s). A good internet connection is also needed to download the world updates and sim updates. The world updates can be huge in size, like the latest one, of about 15 Gb in total as far as I remember, so a 5 Mbps connection is not recommended in general.

Thanks so much for taking a moment to explain the manner in which FS 2020 uses bandwidth, Ed.  I will likely purchase both 2020 and 2024 once I have a computer with the capacity to run either one, but it is 2020 that I'll probably focus on since PMDG Boeing airliners aren't yet available for 2024.

There has been a lot of fanfare about the 3rd update for 2024, and it is certain that PMDG will eventually become compatible with 2024, hence my decision to hedge my bets by acquiring both platforms.  Once again, I thank you kindly, sir, for this clarifying explanation.

1 hour ago, Quadcopter Waypoints said:

 but it is 2020 that I'll probably focus on since PMDG Boeing airliners aren't yet available for 2024.

There has been a lot of fanfare about the 3rd update for 2024, and it is certain that PMDG will eventually become compatible with 2024, hence my decision to hedge my bets by acquiring both platforms.  

?

PMDG aren't making anything else for 2020 now. Their 777's are all compatible with 2024, the 737's are being worked on right now to bring them up to 2024 standard and their next new releases - the 747 series - will be 2024 only.

Just how slow is your Internet? I'm in rural UK and I'm on 60Mbps and 2024 runs fine for me. I'm certainly looking forward to full fibre but that's a year away yet...

 

3 hours ago, Quadcopter Waypoints said:

Once again, I thank you kindly, sir, for this clarifying explanation.

Welcome

When I first got MSFS 2020 my internet download speed only 28 mbps, the maximum possible in my area and the initial install took over 6 hours to complete. I installed  the scenery for all the USA and Europe as well as quite a number of third party airports in Europe. Once installed MSFS 2020 ran without any issues using  all the PMDG aircraft as well as the Fenix Airbuses and the iFly 737 Max.

Since then I  have been able to get better internet access, now up to 360 Mbps and to be quite honest the only real time I notice the improvement is if I have to re-install or download the updates. However I wouldn't like to go back to 28 Mbps.

Just now, DD_Arthur said:

?

PMDG aren't making anything else for 2020 now. Their 777's are all compatible with 2024, the 737's are being worked on right now to bring them up to 2024 standard and their next new releases - the 747 series - will be 2024 only.

Just how slow is your Internet? I'm in rural UK and I'm on 60Mbps and 2024 runs fine for me. I'm certainly looking forward to full fibre but that's a year away yet...

 

The realism and high-resolution detail in this YouTube video is a quantum leap above my archaic MSFS 2004, even with addon scenery, AI traffic, and PMDG airliners in all their glory.  It is becoming practically impossible to distinguish real-life footage from MSFS 2024 renditions.  What a time to be alive.

Even with the greatly improved computer system I will be acquiring soon, I imagine that the initial download process for either MSFS 202 or 2024 will likely be well over 12 hours, given the underwhelming   23.7 download speed and 224.8 ms latency that I am seeing with my Starlink antenna located in a less-than-optimal position surrounded by tall trees standing 50 yards away in most directions.     

Since I can't yet quote the specs of the computer system I intend to buy, I suppose I can't yet ask what frame rates I can expect to see once either 2020 or 2024 has been installed with all updates included.  The stunning realism of YouTube videos I've seen recently is an enormous incentive for me to buy the most powerful computer system I can afford, without mortgaging the house haha.       

Truth be told, I could live with any frame rate above 30 frames per second, and if that is achievable with both 2020 and 2024,  I will be better off going the whole hog to omit 2020 and step up to 2024.  Once my new system is up and running, I am bound to have more questions about how to optimize the new rig for the best results.  With my yoke, throttle quadrant, and rudder pedals all ready to go, I am really looking forward to seeing 2024 come to life as a full-wall image projection in my home flight deck. 

Just now, wardp said:

When I first got MSFS 2020 my internet download speed only 28 mbps, the maximum possible in my area and the initial install took over 6 hours to complete. I installed  the scenery for all the USA and Europe as well as quite a number of third party airports in Europe. Once installed MSFS 2020 ran without any issues using  all the PMDG aircraft as well as the Fenix Airbuses and the iFly 737 Max.

Since then I  have been able to get better internet access, now up to 360 Mbps and to be quite honest the only real time I notice the improvement is if I have to re-install or download the updates. However I wouldn't like to go back to 28 Mbps.

 Wow, a download speed of 360Mb/sec is out of this world.   I can only dream of that sizzling speed, what with being mired in the tar pits of 23.7 Mp/sec out here in the boonies haha.

  Hopefully, I'll be able to reduce the initial download time of 2024 by limiting my ground scenery to the USA east and west coasts, Chicago, Honolulu, the UK, Switzerland, Holland, and Hong Kong, since all the flights I have ever created in MSFS 2004 have been limited to those areas.    

If I get too ambitious with those scenery downloads,  I'll be old and grey before they all make it into my computer's hard drive.    

Hmmm...that's not a great connection. Not sure how 2024 would run with that as it's streamed.

Silly question but would it be possible to put your antenna up in a tall tree?

Just now, DD_Arthur said:

Hmmm...that's not a great connection. Not sure how 2024 would run with that as it's streamed.

Silly question but would it be possible to put your antenna up in a tall tree?

DD_Arthur, sir, I do believe you have just solved this puzzle for me.  Without question, I must choose MSFS 2020 over 2024.  Your confirmation that 2024 is entirely streamed is the first definitive statement I have encountered thus far clarifying that it will NOT be possible to download selected scenery for 2024 with the hopes of running that sim offline or with a slow internet connection.

 Even if I move the Starlink antenna to the roof amid trees that I'm reluctant to top, it is unlikely that the download speed will be boosted to a value that will remain consistent enough to prevent stuttering imagery if I select 2024.  Just knowing that 2020, with selected scenery pre-downloaded in a few marathon sessions, will run smoothly regardless of fluctuations in download speed means that my decision is an easy one now. 

With my most recent Microsoft Flight Sim version being FS2004, moving up to 2020 will be a major improvement in all regards, ranging from ground scenery to aerodynamic modelling and weather generation, to name a few.  Knowing that the entire PMDG Boeing fleet works with 2020 is icing on the cake.  Suffice it to say, this newly returning flight simmer is sold on MSFS 2020, without reservation. 

 

  

I flew 2024 with 10mb this summer until I deleted my 64gb cache.  The cache was largely created when I had about 40mb speed.

Moral of the story is you can run with thin internet if the cache is loaded with previous flights.  That was with SU2.

dd