New PC Build Suggestions - High End For MSFS2024

[TenPatrol]

@CaptBrowne

Given the variety of Samsung 990 Pro drives which would you recommend for the Carbon board?

Eg the Samsung 990 Evo PLUS PCIe Gen5/4 NVMe M.2 SSD - 4TB? 4.5 Gen?

In the three laptops I have (Asus, HP and MSI), the main drives are Samsung M.2. In my second PC, the drive with Windows installed is also a Samsung M.2. So yes, I can recommend Samsung M.2 because I haven’t had issues with them.

@CaptBrowne

Crucial T700 PCIe Gen5 NVMe M.2 SSD - 4TB for the C drive and another slot for games (2 M2 ports)

Samsung 990 Pro PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD - 4TB x 2 for the other Gen 4 M2 ports.

I might be wrong, but nowadays, M2 drives are so fast that an average user won’t notice any difference in games. I was in the same situation as you - choosing between a M2 Gen 5 or Gen 4 drive as an additional drive. I went with Gen 4 and put the money I saved toward the FCU from Winwing.

I didn’t choose MSI MPG X870E Carbon WIFI motherboard to have the option of installing Gen 5 drives - Gen 4 is more than enough for me and games. I picked this motherboard because of PCIe 5 support, primarily for the newest GPUs. Plus, it’s future-proof and comes with fast USB-C.

@CaptBrowne

But what about the heatsinks on the M2 ports on the Carbon? Only the first port has a heatsink built-in. And a large heatsink underneath. But is that adequate? Should I use the M2 versions with heatsinks on the ports 2, 3 and 4?

I’ll start by advising you not to install an M.2 drive in the M2_2 slot.
Leave that slot empty.

I have four M.2 drives - M2_2 slot is empty because

PCI_E1, PCI_E2 and M2_2 share the bandwidth

The drive that should have been installed there is instead installed on an internal PCIe to M.2 adapter ICY BOX IB-PCI214M2-HSL which I connected to the PCI_E3.

@CaptBrowne

But what about the heatsinks on the M2 ports on the Carbon?

All M.2 drive ports come with heatsinks.

If you’re planning to buy the MSI MPG X870E Carbon WIFI, make sure to get thermal pads of various thicknesses - 0.5-1mm. After installing M2 drive, I noticed that the top heatsink doesn’t make contact with the drive because MSI included a thin thermal pads.

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@CaptBrowne

I am mindful though that those who have a product that has no problems don’t typically talk about it…

Yep, from what I know, several users from the forum have this motherboard - I’m not sure if it’s because I recommended it or if they just chose it themselves. What’s important is that they’re not reporting any issues with it. Well-chosen components and a good understanding of how to put everything together are usually enough for proper functionality.

I don’t push anyone to buy this motherboard; I simply recommend it because I haven’t had any issues with it.

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@CaptBrowne
https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/would-appreciate-some-help-planning-a-pc-upgrade-for-msfs-in-vr/704283/6?u=tenpatrol