I have read so many threads in regard to CPU and GPU upgrades, but I don’t often see many references to Motherboards.
I don’t have any issues with my current setup at all really, but you know, boy’s and their toy’s . In my very simplistic view, the one component within a PC that allows CPU’s, GPU’s, RAM, Network cards etc, etc to play nicely together is the Motherboard.
Can you realistically just replace a GPU and maybe a CPU and expect to get the bang for your buck on those items, without paying any attention to the Motherboard ?
I think you’re CPU-limited so IDK if you will see much advantage with a 3080 right now. I have a 1080Ti with my 7700K and 1440p works real nice with locking at 30fps and VSYNC off.
Plus, I think a 3080 with more VRAM is coming soon, so waiting can’t hurt for that reason, too.
Your motherboard limits what CPU you can use by the CPU slot.
Yours is an LGA1151 which means that these are the CPUs available to you: Asus STRIX Z270F Gaming CPUs
You have 2x PCIe 3.0 slots available for GPU, and although the 3080 uses PCIe 4.0 this wouldn’t be your main bottleneck.
Your CPU will limit the actual performance of a 3080 but that’s mainly in MSFS from what I understand. There are plenty of games that will benefit greatly from the 3080 and not be as CPU bound as MSFS.
I’ve got the Intel i9-9900k with a similar chipset (Z390) and I will be getting the 3080 when it’s available. BUT the new Big NAVI cards from AMD will probably be available before I can get a hold of the 3080, which might make me change my mind…
I think I will leave the overclocking, my first attempt at trying to overclock my GPU, resulted in my CPU running at near 100 degrees . I eventually found a good guide on youtube though and its sorted now, back to around 75. I also think I would need to invest in some better cooling if I tired that on the CPU as I only have a standard sort of fan on there.
Yes, I know. I was just pointing out the differences between the motherboard models on the market. I wasn’t talking about his motherboard.
I mean, there are models with better chipsets, better parts, more phases etc. You don’t need those models if you are using your CPU with the default settings.
Depending on your MB (to lazy to look at the specifics right now for it) you might be able to bump the GPU upto and i9. My msi machine is supposed to be able to do that though I havent tested it.
Motherboards are overlooked quite a bit, aren’t they?
Since that is the foundation of your build, that’s the first thing you should evaluate. IMHO.
The Z270 chipset is getting to be almost four years old now. You may be better off waiting until early next year, after prices drop (as they always seem to) after the holidays. Ideally you want a board with at least one PCIe 4.0 x16 lane for that shiny new 3080.
Adding a 3080 to use with a 7700K is probably not going to give you the bump in performance you’d expect. As @anon67824105 mentioned, your CPU would limit the amount of potential in the new GPU.
The upside would be that you’d have the latest GPU to build a new system around!
I think I will build a new system from scratch in that case and carry on enjoying MSFS2020 on this one while I do it. I am actually getting some great result’s with what I have to be honest, but its like an itch that has to be scratched, as I think in time this SIM is going to get better and better with time.
There are some really nice bits and pieces being released over the next sixty days. Should be a great time to pick and choose parts for a new build!
@ForbidMite6 has a good point about the PCIe bus, if you wanted to grab a new card it will work on your current system just fine. The Z270 chipset is plenty robust, and your current build sounds nicely done. One of the new CPUs available - on a new mobo -will really wake things up!
Please don’t forget about your case. In your situation, the two main issues will be enough room to install a 3080 and good airflow to keep everything frosty cool. Good luck. A build from scratch, as least for me, is wildly fun. Kind of like a decent flight simulator!
