Not sure if you are aware of this, but 7700X is not nearly as good as the similarly priced 5800X3D for MSFS, especially @1080p.
Couple that with higher DDR5 costs, you end up with a more expensive system and significantly lower MSFS performance/enjoyment than the previous gen CPU/MB/DDR4 combo would provide.
If you still want to go for the new AMD range of processor, I would suggest waiting for 7800X3D to be released next month (February).
At the very least it will impact the prices of the CPU you’re currently considering. Or you may jump the wagon and go for the latest 3D chip, up to you.
That’s interesting. What about Ryzen 9 7900 (no “X”)? Now wondering whether, if AMD’s ‘Precision Boost 2’ feature can be relied on, I should look for a CPU with a particularly low base power consumption (~65W). (Energy prices have already doubled in the UK - even with government subsidy - and set to go higher still.)
Hmm, since starting this reply I’ve just read a bit more about Precision Boost 2 here and am already losing confidence. Seems to be saying that achieving highest boost is very much a matter of best efforts. Also this rather confusing statement: “It is a good guideline to know that light workloads experience the highest boost frequencies, while heavier multi-core and/or sustained workloads are more likely to encounter a limit and receive less boost.”
[Update] OK, think I may have answered my own question. Ryzen 9 7900 actually has worse single threaded performance than 7700X. Back to the drawing board.
Intel’s 13th gen i7 has a couple of variants (13700, 13700F) where the base power is just 65W and still decent ‘turbo’ performance (if it can be relied on).
My preferred PC builder doesn’t offer 5800X3D. Maybe it’s time to look elsewhere.
The non-X versions have lower TDP, so generally lower performance than their X counterparts. High performance and low power consumption don’t mix, so if you want something that uses little power you will pay with lower performance.
If you’re that interested in power efficiency, I would stay away from Intel. Their 10nm nodes can use signficantly more power than AMD’s 6nm nodes. When it comes to power effiency, AMD is the better choice.
I think 5800X3D uses uses lower voltage than others in the 5000 range, due to the thermal limitations of 3D Vcache, this additional cache being the reason why it performs so well for MSFS.
Also, I do not own a 5800X3D, but based on feedback I found on reddit, it would seem when gaming 5800X3D usually draws less than 65W, keeping in mind this is not data specific to MSFS.
You will find MSFS specific power consumption data here:
Given the high costs of energy in the UK, waiting for 7800X3D may be worth it, we’ll find out more when it is available in February. Its advertised TDP is 120W.
Of course, GPU choice is important for power draw.
Also, picking up a good ‘80 plus gold’ PSU is money well spent.
