GPU Upgrade Help Requested

[jasonreg]

OK GPU and Computer GURUS - Here we go:

Situation:

1. Lenovo Legion T730 – i9-9900K, 32GB (2 x 16) DDR4 2666Mhz RAM, 500W PSU, RTX2080 Super 8GB GPU
2. Main Screen 1920x1200 (WUXGA) Projector at 60 Hz
3. I limit the GPU to outputting 60FPS based on the Projector limitation (Optoma ZU606TST-W WUXGA)
4. Two other screens at 1080P all extended off main screen
5. Game is FSX Play with GC Quad
   • Game seems to rely heavily on VRAM
   • I use Swing Cameras as well with Swing Catalyst. This increases the demand on GPU as it uses the GPU for encoding
   • Trying to increase FPS – it is as low as 12 to 14 on High (even lower on ultra) to as close to 60FPS as possible (note: Each course seems to be different)
   • Game requires use of NVIDIA Cards exclusively as we know

Upgrade:

1. Will increase RAM to 64GB of DDR4 3200 MHz (System Limit)
2. Will add 850W PSU (lot's for any option - current PSU sufficient for 4060Ti)
3. Trying to decide between RTX4060Ti, RTX-4070 12GB (or Ti version – same VRAM, just faster clock) or 4080 16GB.
   • Best Value – 4060Ti 16GB - with the added VRAM, performance seems to increase dramatically over the 8GB on current card.
   • Highest Upgrade – 4080 – expect same VRAM benefits and overall better fps but will I be bottlenecked by CPU? I do not really know given all the “extra” demands placed on GPU (extra monitors, Swing Catalyst Encoding)
   • No-man’s Land – 4070 and Ti – less VRAM so will pay a penalty maybe, but less bottlenecking

Appreciate any and all thoughts.

[Bob Ferguson]

[jasonreg]

Bob Ferguson - funny! Not particularly helpful but made me laugh . That said, the absurdity of needing hardware of this scale to run FSX Play is not lost on me but as someone mentioned in another thread - when I can't golf outside I want to chase the best experience I can (or at least that I can afford) inside.

[ENadeau]

9th gen i9 is fine, nothing you’re doing is super CPU intensive so regardless of what GPU you go with, I’d be shocked if you were bottlenecked at the CPU level.

With that said, I’d go with the highest upgrades GPU within your budget. You’ll future-proof yourself a bit going that route as well.

64mb ram is crazy but I always go as high as possible and run the same. Do you find yourself tapped at 32gb now? I don’t run swing catalyst but barely find myself hitting more than 16mb-18mb running at 1080p.

Would it be worth picking up a new pre-built or building a new PC with all the upcoming holiday deals versus upgrading parts? You’d be looking at PCIe 5 connections with new motherboards, m.2, etc versus PCIe 3/4 (with your current build I’m assuming 3). You’d be doubling bandwidth alone with that. Not knowing what your setup is now you may be able to reuse fans. Slap a new AIO with a new i9 which I’m seeing at 50% off and you’d be future proofing yourself for sure.

I 100% agree it’s over kill for FSX Play, no matter what option you go with. Can’t believe what it takes to run this stuff and I’m still seeing random issues.

[jasonreg]

Would it be worth picking up a new pre-built or building a new PC with all the upcoming holiday deals versus upgrading parts?

That's really the question isn't it? I am just shy of halfway to a new PC, but then there is the pain of swapping everything over. Plus, it is 50% more cash. Hard to say what is the best choice. I have been waiting for some screaming Black Friday deals, but so far there are no big deals at the higher end set-ups. Lot's of great deals, just not what I am after.....

[ENadeau]

For sure. At the end of the day it’s a little nutty we’re talking about a high end gaming PC to run FSX Play…

[MongoOnlyPawn]

I agree with ENadeau on the bottleneck, hard to think that the CPU will be an issue. I second his idea on the motherboard also, the data bus speeds & capacity on the boards are becoming a critical issue.

[PittsburghRed]

The 500w power supply was very much on the low side, its a thing a lot of people overlook. On my builds I use a 1000W at minimum and use a branded power supply. Never overlook cooling, fans, fans and then more fans. I have fans in front and back and top and bottom and one side, also one big ass one on the CPU. As for GPU the best you can afford.

Also as others have mentioned the big manufacturers often compromise on the mother board to keep costs low, so things like bus speeds might not be optimal. I personally use gaming ASUS boards and never have issues with those. Also these boards give you a lot of control at the BIOS level to tweak things.

[jasonreg]

60 FPS on Ultra in FSX Play! Added the extra RAM, upgraded PSU to a Corsair RM850e Modular and dropped in an RTX 4080 FE. The PSU was nice to work with and a direct drop in replacement size-wise for the Lenovo PSU. The 4080 - although a monster of a card - has lots of room.

Initial quick look showed VRAM usage a 80%, 44% RAM, CPU barely breathing and 59-60FPS (I limit the output to 60FPS based on my projector). But both Pitch & Putt and Prebble were smooth as butter on Ultra Settings.

Mission accomplished. Will do some additional testing in the am and update the other thread as it has more or a before picture.

[ARL67]

OP I think you are fine with your i9 and 32Gb is more than enough ( 16gb would do )
Your CPU benchmarks at ~18,300 while my also-old i9-7920X benches at 23,500.
I ran on 16Gb fine but I am now at 32Gb as my son gave me some RAM he wasn't using.

I was planning, and am running, at 4K to my PJ with FSX Play.
I just took my old PC and bought a 4080 and all is good here.
I may upgrade my mobo and CPU at a later date just for the helluvit, but plan next to get GS Pro which is much less GPU intensive.
I'd say just grab a 4070ti (or upcoming 4070 Super), or a 4080 (or 4080 Super).
You will need a better GPU any which way you plan to upgrade next, so start there.

[StalefishFS3]

When I was in the market for a new PC about 3 months ago, a couple knowledgeable guys told me if you are running GSPro, Swing Cat, OBS (streaming) and multiple monitors, an i9 will help you in that situation. If I recall, they said Swing Cat does make use of the CPU moreso than FSXPlay or GSPro. Usually the CPU is not the issue, but with all those programs running, it can't hurt having it.

GSPro courses are getting more demanding as well, esp. if you want to run 4K.

It appears FSXPlay is a real resource hog, so it seems that an i9, 32GB Ram and a 4080 would suit you well for a while.

[jasonreg]

It appears FSXPlay is a real resource hog, so it seems that an i9, 32GB Ram and a 4080 would suit you well for a while.

That was the intent - Guess we will see what Foresight decides to "fix" next ..... Seriously though, I am really happy so far and I think quite ready for when the 4K Projector Fairy makes an appearance ....

[Pye2408]

It's really the output monitor resolution determines which GPU you need. I had a gen 8th gen i5, 16GB ddr4, 2K monitor with a 1080p projector and a 4080. This machine runs the FSX Play at about 60 - 100 fps (depends on which course) which ultra graphic setting in the FSX Play. Recently I built a new pc (13th gen i9, 32GB ddr5, the same 4080 but with a 4k 42 inch tv as output), it runs high graphic setting at 30 - 70 fps. Here is my takeaway

1. CPU and additional RAM (no matter DDR4 or DDR5) do not help performance significantly.
2. GPU is the main driver, but depends on the output resolution. The GPU also determines which PSU you need.
3. Actually FPS does not matter that much. When I turned off MSI Afterbuner which shows the FPS, CPU and RAM utilization on screen, I couldn't tell the difference. From 10fps to 30fps is a huge improvement but from 30fps to higher, the difference may not be significant.
4. Since you have cameras but not using 2k or 4k monitors, I think you should be good with 4060ti. If it's not powerful enough, return 4060ti and try 4070ti or even 4080. Make sure to buy GPU from exchange/return policy friendly stores like Micro Center/Amazon etc.

Let us know your final decision, lol!

[JaybirdCU]

If you are in 1080p at 60 FPS for the sim software, all those cards are PLENTY. I run in 4k. Running a 3080TI, but I also have a 3070 TI from another rig, and it ran it just fine. I am never going to talk someone out of going big on a GPU, but 4080 is overkill. Don't go less than 850 watt PSU, if anything go 1000 as its like 20 bucks more at most. I have 32 gigs of Mem, in my current sim rig. I have seen my usage spike above 16 when I got a lot of things going on. If you are considering a 4080 and have a Quad, you can afford 32 gigs, lol. Memory capacity is essentially pass fail. If you are only using 15, wether your have 16 or 128 is irrelevant. Certainly you want some head room, but you dont need tons of it.

One note on CPUs, if you ever plan to get into cameras, you probably want to go with a more recent gen. Just helped a buddy build a rig over the weekend for GSPro, and Swing Catalyst. The later is fairly CPU intensive. Personally, I would go to at least gen 12, get a new Mobo, with the latest 1700 intel socket. Not counting his graphics card, we built him a sweet new PC for under 1k. I sold him one of my 3070 TI's and the thing absolutely flies. He has a projector, touch screen, and 2 other screens (one for ball data and one for sports) and has no issues capping Frames at 60 fps. His cameras are getting 400+ frames.