Hi everyone.
Please bear with me, as I am not great when it comes to computers but I will do my best to explain this clearly.
I have recently purchased MSFS and am running the graphics settings at around medium to get close to 30 FPS. I have noticed in my task manager that my GPU is at 100% or close to it when using the sim.
My CPU is intel core i7-8700
I have 32gb Ram
and the sim is installed on an 2 tb SSD
If I wish to get better graphics and potentially a higher frame rate, would it be as simple as installing a better GPU? I have spoken to my local computer shop who have offered the base NVIDIA 4000 series for Ā£380 fitted. I just wanted to check this would help matters before spending almost Ā£400.
Any advice of tips would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you
Iām not sure about āShared VRAM.ā
It appears that the GTX 1660 has 6GB VRAM, and any additional VRAM needed is system RAM? It looks like you are maxing out the dedicated VRAM, and memory swapping puts a big strain on system resources.
I think you would see a significant performance increase by upgrading the GPU - even if just for a faster core.
But I donāt think you want an RTX 4050 (assuming thatās the ābaseā 40-series you refer to) with its 6GB VRAM.
Try to find the funds for a GPU with at least 12GB VRAM. You can get an RTX 3060 12GB for under $300.
Once you get rid of the GPU bottleneck you can work on upgrading the CPU. The one you have isnāt terrible, but the CPU is generally more limiting than the GPU. The key is balance.
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Thank you very much for your response. Thatās really helpful!
I am glad I asked and didnāt waste Ā£400 on something that wouldnāt completely solve the problem.
Itās interesting also to read your point that once I upgrade the GPU, the CPU may then become a further problem and need an upgrade too. This may prove to be more costly than I was hoping.
This is just the nature of computers - there will always be something better/faster and tomorrow will bring something newer!! 
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For starters, turn developer mode on in the sim, then go into the new debug menu at the top and turn on display fps. This not only shows your frame rates, but also shows both CPU and GPU frame times, and highlights which one is your bottleneck. Because the sim primarily runs on one or two threads, itās common for people new to tuning it to see a lightly utilized CPU in the task manager and assume itās the GPU causing all the bottleneck. In reality itās very easy to be CPU limited (referred to as āmain threadā in the simās fps display) even though the total utilization shown in the task manager is low. While on the topic, itās also generally ideal to be GPU limited, as CPU limited situations make you more prone to stuttering.
I say all that so you have an idea of what to expect as you go down this rabbit hole. Before doing anything, check the simās fps display and compare the CPU and GPU frame times at a busy airport. If they are close, then upgrading the GPU wonāt get you much extra FPS, but would allow higher fidelity at current frame rates.
Knowing your current limitation and screen resolution would really come in to play here. For example, if playing on a 1080p monitor and running a lot of AI traffic, it may be worth considering turning your existing graphics settings down to remove the vram overrun and investing in the CPU first. When it comes to tuning, the traffic settings obviously has a big impact on the CPU. The two level of detail options in the graphics menu also have a big hit on the CPU, not just the GPU.
Long story short, to the question ofā¦
It depends. Thereās certainly gains to be had, and itās a fairly simple upgrade, but it may not be the wisest first upgrade to make.
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