48 or 64 GB for MSFS 2024?

Well, it’s not the cost, rather it’s the faster speed of the 2x 24 sticks. But I don’t know about AMD CPUs, can they use 8000+ DDR5?

Anyway, going for the 9800x3D I probably wouldn’t need this extra speed?

Just to add another data point - I recently upgraded from 32GB (2x16) to 48GB (2x24). I have a 7900x3d/7900xtx and run my 4k monitor with everything on ultra +HDR10. I use max 30GB of memory w/Asobo 747 but I don’t have any big payware tubeliners (and I was not running any extra apps).

Since I’m on an AMD/AM5 platform, I knew going to 64GB I would take a hit on memory speed. I was able to get 48GB of DDR5-8000 (2x24) single ranked memory and I have OC’d the memory without issues. While I have a very stable PC, the memory I used was on the QVL list of the Taichi motherboard that I have which is very important.

The extra memory speed has made a difference which I can see in the memory benchmark tests such as AIDA64.

*Edit: Pls note, the newer AM5 X870E motherboards will support the higher speed memory better than the X670E motherboards. Having said that I have a X670E motherboard however a more higher end one. In either case make sure the memory is on the QVL list no matter what speed you get.

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I have 48GB RAM – and the highest it ever got used in FS2024 with BATC AI traffic + LNM + other apps running at the same time was about 40GB.

Don´t worry about 48 or 64 GB of ram, with 8, 16, 32, 64 or 128 MSFS will run relatively the same, moderately bad and clumsy, and full of bugs.

For a fresh build 64GB.

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I would agree.

All excellent comments here in response to your post. I’m currently running 64 GB of DDR5 7200 MT/s consisting of 4 sticks of 16 GB each. I’ve noticed that for the same speed, the 16 GB sticks have better timings than the 24 GB sticks. As an example, G.Skill (the make I have) shows their 16 GB 7200 sticks with timings of 34-45-45-115 and their 24 GB sticks at the same speed with timings of 36-46-46-115. Granted, not a big difference, but enough to justify my choice of 4x16 rather than 2x24. Though with 2x24, you have the option to add 2 more to get to 96 GB total if needed. With 4x16, I’m tapped out at 64 GB.

And “yes” when you start dialing up the eye-candy, the sim becomes a memory hog.

I just bought a 9800X3D system, and I went with the 7200 24 Gig sticks, but only put in 2 for a total of 48. I was told that if you put 4 sticks in, it actually slows down the memory. Do you find that you run at full speed?

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Benchmarks for the 9800x3D CPU are impressive. In FS2020 it outperforms the Intel chip by far, even the 14900KS in spite of it’s much higher clock speed.

A german magazine (PC Gaming Hardware) made an interesting benchmark in its latest issue (p. 28 for those who read this magazine). They benched FS2024 in 4K using a RTX4090. Differences between the 9800x3D and the 14900KS flatten out but AMD is a bit faster. In addition to that the AMD chip is less demanding in regard to cooling and power consumption. And from various benchmarks I got the impression that RAM speed is not as important as it is for Intel chips.

Given the AMD’s superiority in other games I maybe should rethink my CPU decision. Good thing is I’m not in a hurry.

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You forgot to mention that you have an Intel CPU.

Using four RAM sticks is generally not recommended for AMD CPUs due to potential compatibility and performance issues.

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After 30 years of using Intel, I decided to make the switch to AMD and I have no regrets. If I don’t regret it, you won’t either - you’ll be very satisfied with Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU.

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My two centavos/kopeks/rupees:

My own system is considerably more constrained than these others, primarily due to costs over here in Russia, even pre-sanctions.

Here’s my system specs:
https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/what-ive-done-with-msfs-2024-so-far/689826/2

I’m running some benchmarks right now varying certain BIOS settings, (which I will post later in the “Optimizing the BIOS” thread I started).

In summary:
Using a Gigabyte B550 Gaming X V2 mobo, (socket AM-4), a Ryzen 5800X 3D, 32gb of GSkill Aurora gaming memory (3200 DDR4, CAS-16, 2x 16 gig), and an ASRock Radeon RX 68000 with 16 g of VRAM, things are a happening bunny.

In MSFS 2020 this combo is a Thing Of Beauty.  Maybe not a gaming beast but my frame rates are in the 50+ range doing the simple flying I do.

(My goal:  Take off in a simple aircraft, fly around and land without needing emergency services or getting the NTSB involved with the wreckage!  Bonus points if the aircraft mechanic isn’t upset after I land.)

In 2024, things (sometimes) are a bit janky but since I “upgraded”, (replaced because I’m a clumsy idiot), my mobo, I really haven’t had any complaints.

Of course, I don’t fly tubeliners out of JFK, in career mode, with the video settings set to “what in the world were you thinking?!!” kinds of insane video resolution, (do I really need three 70" screens with 128k video?), and I do just fine.

YMMV, depending on the kind of flying you want to do, (tubeliners? fancy fighter jets? more modest GA aircraft like the DV-20?).  Fancier planes in areas with higher levels of detail will sharply decrease your video performance until MSobo gets their video memory management under control.

Other than that, your system, (with more than 32 gigs of RAM), should do quite well for anything you throw at it.  (Competing with Pixar for rendering the next blockbuster animated movie, rendered on a single machine? :wink:)

Bottom line:
The object here is to have fun, so try not to examine every pixel with a microscope.

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One of the features (some might say ‘deficiencies’) inherent in AMD CPU’s is how memory timing is handled. Here’s a technical article that explains it well, and why, without extensive secondary and tertiary timing adjustments, DDR5-6000 is considered the ‘sweet spot.’ That’s not to say you can’t get better performance with higher MT/s RAM. I have DDR5-6400, and with a few fairly simple tweaks was able to increase both RAM and CPU cache performance a bit.

If I decide for the 9800x3D I would need to know what mainboard to get. 670 or 870? Asus, Asrock, Gigabyte…

But I’ll probably open a new thread for this.

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ASUS used to be a no-brainer, but nowadays there’s been a lot of noise by respectable reviewers that say ASUS has gone down the tubes.

Even my son, (the IT mavin where he works and he’s responsible for supporting the entire company’s systems), was a die-hard ASUS fan and wouldn’t buy anything else for either his company or himself - has completely thrown down on them and won’t touch 'em with a ten meter pole!

Best you stay away from them.

I see that @TenPatrol already responded to your question, but no, I have no issues using 4 sticks on my Intel based platform. For Intel platforms, at least, RAM overclocking above the rated XMP profile is more readily available when using only 1 or 2 sticks. For XMP profiles, however, I’ve had no issues running the rated XMP profiles with 4 sticks.

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64 GB. Do not hesitate.

X670E will be fine. The X870E boards have some extra features, but they’re also more expensive. I’d rather have a ‘high-end’ X670 board than a ‘budget’ X870 board for the same cost.

If you’ve got the budget for a high-end X870 board, go for it.

Otherwise, I recommended checking out this review of X670 boards.

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Thank you, very interesting.

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I increased my RAM from 32GB to 64GB (DDR4) 2 years ago and was generally using 16-22GB on MSFS 2020 - now, on MSFS 2024 its about 24-33GB, although yesterday (using an unnamed map app I saw it go up to 44GB) - I have monkeyed with page file size, memory speed, CPU speed, rolling cache size, frame-gen, etc :nerd_face: (on RTX2070Super)