Yeah it really should have been designed to auto limit the fps to 30 in menu’s many other games do this.
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I read about that somewhere too. I’ve also read although it seems more hearsay that windows can use the ram as cache anyway but who knows for sure. I do hope they open up RAM usage on PC side again so FS can make more out of what is available on everyone’s sytems.
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Yes it’s disappointing, I almost feel like I’ve been ever so slightly duped by the Xbox. Sure it looks fantastic on a Series X. But I want more from it, aviation is my major interest in life and I want the realism (within the constraints of a simulator) that the Xbox simply is not going to provide. It’s too limited, and the never ending WASM issues are the final nail in the coffin, for me.
Yeah it does use ram as a cache the more it can keep in the ram the better as it’s far faster to collect data from the ram instead of the storage drive. with more ram capacity you can also turn of memory compression which uses CPU performance this only gained around 0.5 to 1 fps for me though.
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most if not all simulator games have always been limited on consoles especially when it comes to mods/add-ons.
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True, but I expected more, given the way it was presented by Microsoft. It’s now patently obvious to me that it’s just going to regress and eventually die on the console.
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Just built a new rig, replacing a two-year-old build that was still working just fine. The performance difference - especially in VR - is amazing.
Based on this personal and recent experience I can highly recommend this combo:
Mainboard = X570S
CPU = Ryzen 7 3800X3D
GPU = RTX3080
32 GB 3600 Ram, with XMP Profile enabled
1TB M.2 NVMe Gen4 SSD
4 TB HDD (WD Red)
Benchmark in 3DMark shows this build in the 99th percentile… pretty good. 
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I know that the GPU prices are now falling so if I do decide to build my own then in a few months they should come down a bit more. Building myself would have an advantage in terms of me being able to buy the hardware over the course of time, bit by bit.
Regarding an OS, how would that work? How would you install windows on it? Forgive my ignorance haha.
See ‘windows install media creation tool’ https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows10 here.
You use that tool to make any old 8GB+ USB stick into a bootable install stick. Free download direct from MS.
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Yes, that’s how I did it when I built my PC last year. I installed Windows 10 Pro, and purchased an activation key from one of the sites that has bulk licenses for sale. It was like $15 I think. Alternately, you could just leave Windows un-activated and other than some annoying notices that it’s un-activated and some visual settings you can’t change, it still works fine.
There are a few prominent YouTubers that have discount codes for activation keys if you want to save a few bucks.
I feel as if it may be more rewarding to build myself. Being fully aware of what goes with what, getting maximum value for parts, and I do know a little about updating BIOS, GPU drivers etc, it’s just been a while since my old Dell inspiron packed up on me haha so I’m somewhat out of practice with it all. I can also apply the thermal paste myself haha, I watch a lot of Gamers Nexus on YouTube and that’s a real bugbear of theirs with pre-builds, the stingy application of thermal paste to the CPU 
It’s super easy. The online retailers sell Win 10 & 11 licenses; I would stay away from the shady grey-market sites online that offer “deals.” Go with a genuine copy of Windows and it’ll work right off the bat. It is super easy to create a USB thumb drive for a bootable clean installation “disk.” You’ll need a PC to download from Microsoft though, so if you’re starting without a PC at all you can get a bootable USB from one of the legit online vendors.
Regards the Ryzen 7 3800X3D: I got mine at MSRP directly from AMD. You just need to keep logging in and checking for inventory. They have a third-party vendor that handles the sale, and it works just like any online transaction. Note that you’ll need to get a cooler: the CPU does not ship with a cooler, so I’d grab a Noctua NH-U12S SE-AM4. They’re very quiet and very frosty. Under full load (so far) the new CPU has yet to exceed 60 degrees C.
I grabbed the 3080 for a mere $100 over retail… so I felt like that was pretty decent given recent pricing and supply. Again, I just kept looking at various sites and grabbed one when inventory became available. That supply sold out completely within hours, so I figure my timing was lucky.
There is lots of support for building your own here on the forum. Don’t be shy about asking for advice… we’ve all been there!
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Thanks for this, much appreciated. May go for the AMD as I’ve read they have a bit of an edge over Intel when it comes to games. Was thinking a 3070 or a 3070ti GPU wise but I’ve also heard that the ti doesn’t offer much more performance than the standard 3070 for the price difference so to future proof it, it may be better to just go for the 3080.
Yes I knew I’d need a cooler and thanks for the recommendation, they’re pretty good thermals for a powerful CPU under heavy load. I know as well that airflow through the case is crucial too and that’s one of the reasons why I’m a little reticent to get a pre-build, as I’ve seen that some of them are not particularly good at designing efficient cases.
My new build uses a be quiet! 500DX case and has provisions for five 140mm case fans. It comes with three; I added two more to use all five available spots. For most tasks except MSFS it is a very quiet rig. When running MSFS, flying a complex aircraft into an airport like KSFO you know you’ve got an air-cooled rig! But… all that air movement keeps things nice and cool. Even the 3080 stays pretty cool (it has three fans of its own.)
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FYI there really isn’t a substantial difference between AMD and INTEL in gaming especially a game like this. Go with the GPU that has as much VRAM. If you can get the 3080 go with the 12gb version.
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Yes I’ve seen that a lack of VRAM is a potential sticking point for the Xbox, and part of why it suffers with crashes frequently.
I think a big part of making sure the PC lasts as long as possible is efficient cooling and airflow, so I’ll happily pay for a good, well designed case.
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Im exactly in the same situation !
Is there much of a difference between the 3070ti and the 3080, VRAM aside?
Oh and you mentioned in one of your previous posts about linking a video? If you wouldn’t mind, that’d be great.
Sure thing, here’s my video:
3070Ti vs 3080, yes, there is a fairly substantial upgrade.
the 3080 does have a decently stronger core, plus there’s 10GB or 12GB VRAM models. I know people go nuts about VRAM but honestly I never see the sim actually require more than about 6GB - and that’s all ultra 1440p Ultrawide. It will allocate more - whether that improves performance via cacheing textures or whatever is very hard to investigate/prove either way. Flight sim is CPU dominated and in terms of GPU, we have the luxury of many sliders to tweak GPU performance via load on the card.
THe 3070Ti is IMO a solidly 1440p or 1440p ultrawide card. It has enough VRAM to do an excellent job, delivers playable settings at hihg/ultra mix whilst looking gorgeous. IT will do VR fine as well ,with some settings tweaking.
The 3080 is where I’d start for 1440p Ultrawide or 4K given the choice, and does have the extra grunt you’re looking for for VR as well. IT is however substantially more expensive. 12GBis probably the one to get new, look out for used you may find 3080’s getting sold on at 3070ti prices.
I promise you won’t be disappointed with either - I have a 3070 in my other-other PC and it does great at 1440p and VR - in fact even the 3060ti is a strong performer at 1440p in flight sim. Just depends on budget. Do watch budget creep, you start to fall off the value curve with the very high end, and I think £1500 is a sensible place to get a really good PC without going wild, and having cash for peripherals, a nice monitor, some nice add in aircraft etc to make the sim complete.
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