i am creating this post to get information about whether or not my PC setup is suitable for a stable and qualitative good VR experience.
My PC setup is the following:
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
ASUS Prime RTX5070Ti 16GB OC
Crucial Ballistix DDR4-3600 2x32GB, CL16-18-18-38
Seasonic GX 850Watt ATX
Samsung 990Pro 2TB SSD
MSI MPG B550 Gaming Edge Wifi
As i am just at the start of getting into MSFS2024 (recently bought a full Virpil setup), i am wondering if my PC can run the game at a decent graphic setting in VR. I will mostly fly helicopters, especially the HPG H145/H160 from HPG. Mostly i will fly in the same region or letās say in the same country.
With this post i just want to ask if my PC can run VR at a good quality and which is more important - at a stable fps without stutter. I dont have VR goggles yet, since i dont know if i can run it.
4090 is probably good enough for higher resolution headset like Pimax Crystal Light. I is always good to have the headset with Eye Tracking (like the no longer available Pimax Crystal Original or expensive Pimax Crystal Super) as it allows Dynamic Foveated Rendering which allows higher FPS or higher resolution without so much impact on GPU.
If your budget is limited I would recommend:
Quest 3 or Pimax Crystal Light
if the performance wonāt be satisfactory upgrade to 4090
With your system, I would buy a quest 3 and run it with DLSS 4.5 performance mode using virtual desktop app.
You will be able to run at a solid 36FPS using 72 Hz mode at medium settings and 120 LODs. That gives me a very satisfying experience.No need to spend any more money at the moment, but if you really get into VR, you could look to upgrade in the future.
My rig is a Ryzen 5 9600X, 64GB RAM, RTX 4070Ti Super (16GB) and I use a Pico4 with virtual desktop on godlike settings.
With the exception of photogrammetry airports the experience is fine. I bet running a displayport HMD would make it even better. Photogrammetry airports can mess the performance up bigtime, I even had single digit fps a few times, but other than that Iād assume your computer would do just fine.
Godlike settings are ultra settings i assume?
the thing is that in my area where i fly, there are no big airports, so photogrammetry shouldnāt be that big of a porblem..
no . godlike only stream the headset native resolution . so depends on your headset , for example , for 4k or higher there is another preset ā monster ā
You can have better VR performance in 2024 than 2020 if you will buy a headset supporting eye tracking and then use Dynamic Foveated Rendering only natively available in 2024. But such headsets are expensive.
āGodlikeā is the preset for the virtual desktop which streams the video from the PC to the headset through WiFi. It uses a LOT of GPU power, since it had to be compressed. If you go for a displayport device like a Pimax crystal light, then you willhave uncompressed image, which needs less GPU time and also looks better. This is why I find it really frustrating that no display port is present at any decent HMD under a 1000EUR.
My VR graphic settings in MSFS2024 are mostly high and medium. This is what it looks like:
This was recorded with the HMD itself, so what you see is exactly what I saw.
As for eye tracking vs VR: I never had eye tracking, though Iād absolutely love to, looking around naturally is very good, but in VR you get 3D vision which is a day and night difference, especially at landing. When I fly 2D itās often hard to gauge just how high I am above the runway and I have to rely on radar readings, in VR you just keep your eyes outside and see. Having depth in vision is a bigger factor than the 360 degree surroundings for me.
Im running a 9800X3D, 5080 with Quest 3, i run mostly medium to high settings and performance is great with a link cable.
VRAM is key with VR i recommend atleast 16Gb or you will struggle. A 4090 is probably your best choice right now
I have a system with a slightly faster AMD processor and Nvidia graphics card than you. I manage 45 FPS at 90 Hz with DLSS 4.5 performance mode preset M with no stutters, so I think you could manage 36 FPS on medium settings with 120 LOD which will be a good experience for you to enjoy without having to spend more money
I have a 9800X3D and 4070 Ti Super, also flying mainly helicopters, including the H145 and H160. With the Quest 3 and Virtual Desktop (Godlike mode) and some compromises in the graphics settings this can run 36 FPS (72 with Virtual Desktopās very good frame generation) pretty much everywhere in DLSS Quality with preset K (including photogrammetry cities, like Manhattan).
With the 5800X3D you may have to dial down some CPU intensive settings, but the 5070 should be fine.
One thing to keep in mind: with DLSS fast changing numbers like altitude on the PFD may be difficult to read. The new preset M is somewhat better but still not like TAA or DLAA which you are probably used to in 2D.
Iām flying in VR on a Quest 3 with a medium range PC setup. 5700X3D processor, 4060ti 16gb graphics, 64 gb ram. I use Virtual Desktop through a wifi connection and use DLSS 4.5 performance mode preset M. Most flights are with the Fenix A3XX aircraft with BATC and a number of add ons. While visual quality is not perfect (quickly scrolling numbers blur on altitude, taxi signs stutter at times, clouds get a little pixelated when created) for the most part the flights are smooth with more than adequate FPS and scenery/cockpit sharpness. Because I live in an off-grid fully solar powered home, current draw of my PC is vital, hence not going for faster equipment. However, I often blow visitors away with what they see.
I am Flying in VR now for three years or so. Your setup is fine. Started with a 3080 and a Ryzen 5800x without the 3d cache. The limiting factor is the resolution of the headset. The higher the resolution the bigger the VRAM problems get.
With your CPU MSFS 2024 is definetly better than MSFS 2020 since it is using more threads you get significantly better CPU performance and are more likely to run into a GPU than a CPU limit, which is what you want for consistens frame-times.
I would also recommend the Quest 3. It has some of the best lenses of all headsets, the resolution isnāt overwhelming for your graphics card and the price is nice for someone starting with VR being unsure if they can stomach it (pun intended).
You are likely to use DLSS. There are some great explenations around helping you optimise your settings. And I think you will have a great experience with this setup and a Quest 3.
