Help me to make an Upgrade Choice Please

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My current set up is:

CPU: AMD 5800X
Mobo: ROG Strix X570-E Gaming
RAM: 64GB
Graphics: 6900XT

I only currently fly MSFS2020. Performance is acceptably good at mostly Ultra settings on a 4K tv.

Using MSI Afterburner, my GPU usage is typically 95-100%, whereas CPU usage is typically 25-35%. Not sure I understand that.

I recently managed to buy a 9800X3D at MSRP thinking of doing a full upgrade to AM5. I now don’t want to spend as much as that would cost me.

So what would give me a good upgrade, without spending a fortune: Should I:

a. Upgrade to 5800X3D
b. Upgrade GPU to a 7900XTX
c. Do a and b
d. Get an AM5 Mobo and RAM for my 9800X3D, but still keep my 6900XT GPU until I can afford better GPU
e. Do nothing - what I have now is good enough

Please give me some useful opinions on what to do.

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Well you already have the 9800X3D so methinks it would be the route I would take with a view to upgrading the GPU as well or a later date. Also worth thinking ahead perhaps and considering if you will get 2024 when it is in a better state.

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You’ve got a pretty strong system, and I’ve tried recently to stop chasing FPS.

I would choose e. for now and wait to see where MSFS2024 ends up in about 6 months. Maybe then you might want to move to 2024 and then we’ll all have a much better idea how a more stable program runs on current hardware. There are too many RAM/VRAM issues going on that need to be sorted.

The next gen of (probably very expensive) GPU’s will also be out for reviews.

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@Blitzer303 Thanks for your reply. That had been my thinking too, but my concern is that the ‘9800X3D upgrade’ will yield practically no benefit, because everything will be limited by the 6900XT. That’s my assumption anyway (could I be wrong on that?). So the problem would be that I’d be achieving nothing other than forcing myself to do a GPU upgrade as well in order to see any improvement.

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@BigCow74 Thanks for your comments. I like your pragmatic ‘stop chasing FPS’ approach, which pretty much reflects my philosophy too. I get typically between 22-40 FPS which is quite enough. But I do get occasional stutters (freezes for a second or so every so often) that can be a bit distracting. I was hoping to eliminate those.

I’ve deliberately held back on MSFS2024 because I felt my setup wouldn’t handle it very well anyway, and as it turns out, I haven’t felt exactly compelled to leap into it yet based on the general feedback so far. But I’m sure it will be vastly improved in the coming few months.

The next gen GPUs will doubtless be very expensive and practically unobtainable I’m sure. So my feeling had been to grab a good current-gen GPU which should still give great performance for quite some time to come.

I’m still mulling over what to do…

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Has anyone got any thoughts on my Option (b)? Would moving from 6900XT to 7900XTX give me a noticeable boost?

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I think that concern is misplaced.

If you’re currently using MFS 2020, that sim will appreciate all the CPU that you can possibly throw at it. At the moment you will be CPU limited, so moving up to the 9800X3D will likely be a much bigger improvement than changing your graphics card.

To clarify one of the questions in your OP - CPU usage appears to be low - despite the 25 - 35% shown, your CPU is probably at it’s limit.

MSFS 2020 does use multiple CPU cores, though not as well as 2024. The mainthread (core) and one or two other cores will be pretty much flat-out, and several other cores will be getting variable workloads from MFS, but several will be little used or idle.

The percentage readout is reflecting capacity utilisation, rather than outright performance. If 2 cores in an 8 core CPU are being used by a game, and if they are working flat out at maximum speed, then you are at your CPU’s absolute maximum performance limit in that game and it can do no more. The CPU readout in this case will show 25%.

The way to improve CPU performance to noticeable effect in 2020 is either with a lot more speed (intel i9 KS) or with a bit more speed, better workload optimisation and extra 3D cache, like the AMD X3D processors.

Since you already have the 9800X3D, I personally think you will get the best improvement from option D.

If you are already using 4K and performance is currently acceptable, then upgrading GPU first would probably yield little to no improvement. Your current GPU is working hard, but that is to be expected from the 6900XT at 4K.

If the performance limit is with the CPU, then a 7900XTX or RTX 4090 won’t make much of a difference until the CPU can feed them more frames and more detail.

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I just upgraded to the 9800x3D from my 10850K and kept my old 3080. I was constantly Mainthread limited in 2020 prior to the move with a choppy 35-40 FPS in PMDG at normal size airports. With the 9800 I am now GPU limited and I am running a smooth 50-60 FPS. For me the extra horsepower on the CPU was a much better upgrade than the GPU. Remember that since you have to upgrade your MOBO you also have to upgrade the Ram so you get that extra boost (3200mhz DDR4 to 6000mhz DDR5) 1% lows are much much better than on my old build. My system also works pretty good in 2024 but I am waiting for the dust to settle before I jump all in to the new sim.

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The first thing I always recommend is to check the sim’s FPS display, which will tell you where your current bottleneck is, CPU or GPU. That should be your main guide to potential upgrades. You can find it by turning on developer mode and then in the debug drop down menu that appears at the top.

Since your GPU is currently running flat out, I would lean towards the 7900xtx option. I would still double check the fps display to see how close your GPU and CPU are running to each other. If their frame times are similar, then neither upgrade will likely result in much of a performance difference. If you have plans to move to FS24, then the GPU option would be the first choice because FS24 will better utilize the current CPU.

Also, don’t forget about the PSU and making sure you’ll have enough power to run whatever you plan to do.

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The 5800X3D is a perfectly capable CPU for this sim.
I’ve found that even with my new 7950X3D I’m being bottlenecked by my GPU @ 4K.
Thus, since budget is a concern (isn’t it always?) I would buy the 7900XTX and return (or sell) the 9800X3D.

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I’d like to thank everyone who has taken the time to share their carefully scripted opinions and experiences. It’s very much appreciated. I have to admit I’m a little surprised by the spread of different opinions but nonetheless everything that’s been suggested makes sense.

@MagicQuasar1176 - your explanation of why my CPU usage is misleading me is perfect. I should have monitored my CPU usage on a per-CPU core basis, which I will do today. I’m sure though that it will confirm core 1 is maxed out all the time! That said, bearing in mind that MSFS2020 is not very good with multi-core distribution, I can’t help feeling the 9800X3D will also become the bottleneck for MSFS2020. That probably would be less the case for MSFS2024.

@O5BEASTMODE76 - your experience with a situation very similar to mine has provided me with a very good insight.

@Mooncatt3953 - My psu is 1200W, so no worries there. Great advice though! I’m familiar with developer mode, but don’t like the FPS display - hence why I use Afterburner. Nonetheless, I’ll try it and see if I get a few more clues.

@BegottenPoet228 - I think I’ve now concluded just upgrading to 5800X3D is an upgrade to nowhere because if it doesn’t yield the sort of improvement I’d hoped for, I’m left at square one. I just wished I’d bought the 5800X3D instead of the 5800X, but my understanding at the time was that there was virtually no difference in performance between them at 4K.

Right now I’m leaning towards option (d) as being the most flexible way for me. I doubt I’ll ever get a GPU better than a 7900XTX both on cost grounds and performance. But let’s hope CES next week fills us all with lots of welcome surprises. The cynic in me suggests though it’s likely just to be another scalpers’ paradise.

Fantastic help everyone. What a breath of fresh air! Thanks again…

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I wouldn’t agree with this as it pertains to MSFS2020.

This thread is two years old, but the difference between the 5800X and the 5800X3D is substantial, if you don’t bottleneck the GPU.

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I misread your post. I thought you already had a 5800X3D. Sorry.
But I can tell you I upgraded from a 5800X to a 5800X3D a couple of years ago and saw a 15% increase in performance with FS2020 @ 4K - both were paired with my 3090 Ti 24GB, which I still have.

I have no data regarding either CPU with FS2024, since I upgraded to the 7950X3D before FS24 was released. Testing has shown that the new sim uses the X3D cores in a similar way.

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The biggest downside of the 5800x3d would be finding one. It’s unlikely you’ll find one new from an authorized retailer. It could be a good stopgap upgrade if you are willing to go to the used market.

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Yes. On eBay, for example, by the time you’ve added taxes and shipping, the cost of getting a 5800X3D is close to my 9800X3D MSRP. That just doesn’t seem worth it, and I’d be left with a virtually worthless 5800X which at least performs acceptably enough right now. My gut feeling now is to commit to the 9800X3D upgrade and get a better GPU later as necessary.

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Hi DeadCertainty, and thank you for your kind words earlier.

It’s nice to hear if shared experience is helpful - I always try to be detailed and helpful, but without repeating unnecessary stuff or running the risk of sounding condescending. After all, you never know if you’re chatting with an enthusiastic gamer kid, a middle-aged armchair enthusiast like me, or an experienced IT expert.

I do think that particularly with MSFS 2020 the CPU upgrade option is the best place to start. I forgot to include earlier (although others have mentioned since) the Dev Mode FPS counter, as this will show you clearly where the bottleneck lies. There will always be a performance limit somewhere, but in this case I think it is most likely with the current 5800X.

As you already stated, moving over to your new 9800X3D and AM5 entails a new mobo and RAM, but at least the storage, GPU and PSU can be carried over and I think you will see a big improvement in frame performance and smoothness.

If you do want or need to make any other changes, new GPU’s from both camps are due out soon and this could mean high-end current cards like the 4080 / 4090 / 7900 will be available lightly-used and still young as people upgrade.

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Well, the Nvidia 5000 start to go on sale this month. Except for the top 5090, the others seem reasonably priced to me. I may go for a 5070/80 myself later. Running a 3070 now. Had to skip the 4000s because they were too big for my case. 5000s are 2-slot.