Downgrade Flight Simulator to use existing hardware?

User Support Hub Hardware & Peripherals
1

Using:
Windows 10 Pro v2004
Intel Core i7-4770, 16GB RAM
NVidia GeForce GT620
(may not meet minimum requirements)

Microsoft Flight Simulator (Standard) v1.11.6.0 (2020)

After the 122GB download, it looked like it was starting, but it crashes consistently now: “The memory could not be read”.

I plan to upgrade to a 10th generation Intel Core i9, with something better than the Intel UHD 630 graphics.

In the meantime, is there any way I can get (or downgrade to) an older version of the Flight Simulator that might work on my hardware?

2

If you can find a copy of FSX you can run that alongside. Otherwise you need to upgrade your PC.

3

Here are my specs (assumes the most recent Windows 10 version at all times):

Intel® Core™ i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz, circa 2013

32 GBytes RAM, DDR3

EVGA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080, 8 GBytes RAM, GDDR5X

The biggest difference I see is the 16 vs 32 GBs of RAM and the video card.

The simulator has seen my configuration as a “High-end” platform from the beginning and set the parameters to that spec. I have messed with them some, but not much and have reverted back to the simulator’s recommendations.

I am running MSI Afterburner and Riva Tuner Statistics Server to monitor my CPU and GPU load and they show that my CPU load is usually ~50%. My GPU usage is pegged at 100% nearly always, but I am also running a 32" Samsung (LC32T55) monitor that is rated as a 1080p monitor at 3840x2160.

I don’t how that’s happening, but it is. I suspect that Samsung may be using chunks of 4K panels in their 1080p monitors. All I know is that Windows and the simulator both recognize the 4K resolution and the GeForce software sees it as well. I only run the simulator in 4K; I leave the monitor in 1080p for Windows. At only 32", the monitor is virtually unusable at 4K resolution in Windows.

I hope this helps!

4

Your card (gt620) is way below the minimum requirements. You won’t run msfs with that at all

5

I can run MSFS 2020 at Ultra settings on:

CPU: Intel i7-4771 (Haswell), 3.5 GHz
GPU: Asus NVidia RTX 2060 Super
RAM: 32 GB
SSD: Samsung 860 Pro 2 TB via SATA
MB: Asus Z87-Pro
OS: Win 10 Pro x64, Version 20H2
Monitor1: Iiyama Prolite B2403WS, (1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz)
Monitor2: Iiyama PL1702 (1280 x 1024 @ 60 Hz)
Joystick: Thrustmaster T.16000 FCS

which means the weakest part of your PC is the GPU.
Of course, an i9-10xxx CPU is much better than a i7-4xxx, but maybe get a better GPU first - you can move it to the new PC (with i9-10xxx) later.

To fly with your GT620, check out MS-FSX-SE (SE = Steam Edition).

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