Fyi Micro Center has had an ongoing gpu buy back program for those that purchase a gpu from Micro Center. A few months back my 7900xtx started acting wonky so I took it in to Micro Center and they bought it back for $560 (I had purchased it from them for $900 just under 18 months ago).
You may want to look into it further…
Btw: I purchase a lot of computer gear from them and can highly recommend them.
Sounds like my new PC in my profile. Run great in TAA, 150/150, with everything set to High driving an old 64" Samsung Q80 HDTV in 4k HDR10 in Game MODE with VRR and Vsync on. Absolutely no need for DLSS with this set-up, straight TAA. Getting 60FPS (monitor sync rate) 98% of the time! The 5070Ti has the same 16GB the 5080 does for about half the price and I would need a 5090 to top it, but no need to top it at all. The 9800X3d isn’t even breaking a sweat. What monitor will you drive?
I ended up waiting for 9950 X3D in the end. I know, the irony 
285K prices were not dropping and the “fixes” where boosting AMD even more. Besides I was waiting to see what AMD is cooking anyway. I managed to get one very quickly at MSRP from Scan but haven’t finished the new PC yet. Planning on doing this Easter. I can update but I think we all know what to expect performance wise.
I´m on the same boat as you. Just moved to 9950x3D after years using Intel CPUs. They used to be good in the past but since they decided to use more E-Cores than P-Cores in their recent designs they basically ruined their CPUs for gaming. That approach may work for barebones, laptops or mobile platforms were energy efficiency can matter in some cases but for gaming desktops is simply a stupid move.
On FS2024 particular case Intel architecture results in executing demanding threads on the slower E-cores. And even worse: running game on P-Cores only shows that indeed E-cores usage by background tasks is minimal. Why to pay for so many slower efficient cores when you can have a full set of fast cores with x3 times Intel´s cache (remember that´s still 30-40 MB only) for a similar price if you move to AMD?
Cheers
You are correct. I’m a bit disappointed that my only remaining practical means to get a new 24 GB VRAM GPU that I can afford from a reputable place (e.g. a place where I can return and have a warranty that works) requires getting an Intel 285k processor, but that is the reality we face since Nvidia did not release a 24GB 5080 at the same time it stopped production of 4090 GPUs, and AMD chose to limit itself to 5070 / 5070 Ti level GPUs.
I’d think the 285k / 5090 combo is heavily CPU limited, and AMD x3d would be the only way to go there. But what about 285k / 4090 GPU? If I can only afford 9800X3d / 5080 combo or 285k / 4090 combo, is it worth at least trying out how the 285k / 4090 combo performs? The 285k / 4090 combo should be less blatantly CPU limited than the 285k / 5090 combo. With 9800x3d, anything less than a 5090 would be clearly GPU limited.
I ended up getting an Alienware ACT1250 with the Core 9 Ultra 285K and RTX 4090. It plays MSFS 2024 extremely well, however, the 285K is a total dog in MSFS 2020, such that I no longer play the game. 285K is much better utilized by MSFS 2024, such that for my specific system 4K Ultra, max TAA, the machine alternatives between being CPU and GPU limited. However for MSFS 2020 with similar settings, it is always CPU mainthread limited and not even close. the CPU mainthread has 2.5x the GPU timing in MSFS 2020. For MSFS 2020, it is a modern AMD x3d all the way, but 285k with a good GPU is fine for MSFS 2024, especially with Black Friday sales.
I’m experiencing the same issue, especially severe stuttering near the ground in VR.
Just for a point of reference, I have a 9800X3D+RTX5080, and I drive three 50inch Vizio HDTVs with the 5080 in Windows 11, all at 4K resolution until I use them for wrap-around three monitors during MSFS2024 usage where I run the center at 4K and the left side at 2K and the right side at 1920x1080. With x2 Framegen, I always get at solid, smooth 60FPS using High settings.