Should I wait?

With the release of MSFS 2020 being such a hugh step forward all at once demanding a high end computer, I'm wondering if computers will advance and become cheaper faster than MSFS updates and later versions. So while you need a high end computer to run MSFS now, in a year or twoI would think (hope) that the average desktop would be cheaper AND fast enough to run MSFS with high settings? No

 

Thx

Mike

No

I agree with Jim, don't expect PC prices to go down a lot.

The good news is you don't need a really powerful computer to run the program at 1080p with high settings. An i5 10600K or a Ryzen 5700 will run the program well with a GTX 1660ti and 16 GB of 3200 ram at that resolution.

If you plan to run at 4K, then you need all the power you can find.

IF you want to fly MSFS 2020 then buy it (and whatever hardware fits your budget) and fly it now. If you don't want to play this game now? Don't.

 

Two years from now will bring whatever two years from now will bring. You could be in 2023 with two years experienece and fun satisfaction with MSFS or just two years older still wondering what MSFS is all about.

 

Life is a series of choices. You pays yer money and you takes yer chances.

I agree you don't need the most powerful, advanced PC to enjoy the platform. I have, what I would consider, a very "medium" based system compared to today's specs: a i7-2700k (how many years old is this GPU, ha!), running at 4.8GHz, 32 GB RAM with a EVGA GTX 1080 w/8GB on board combined with a relatively slow internet connection and I am seeing great results. I usually run a notch below the Ultra settings.

As was made clear well in advance of its release last August, MSFS is a work in progress, and no doubt it will be better in 6 months than it is now, and in 12 months better yet. Nevertheless, in my opinion MSFS is a great sim right now. Flying it is fantastic, far beyond anything I experienced in 14 years with FSX. Life is short, why wait for perfection? Go for it!

I am board with you on this one, it’s a real dilemma. If I am to play MSFS then I want to be able to play and enjoy it in all its glory. I’ve struggled with other flight sims over the years and it’s not enjoyable chasing every FPS to make it run sufficiently.

 

Sadly with the cost of top end PCs being between £3-4K that’s one heck of an investment for just one game. Plus I would want some addons so the cost will be greater. I could play with less quality but I know it will frustrate me and I would still need to spend £1.5-2k on a half decent PC.

 

I’m holding on, hoping that the next release of CPUs or GPUs will make the current range affordable but I’m not holding my breath.

 

MSFS is still developing so there is a chance that one of the upcoming updates will move the goalposts as to what hardware is required.

 

It’s a tough call right now but give it time and the wind may change in a favourable direction.

You do not need a top-end PC to enjoy great flying in MSFS. Last August I purchased from Dell an 8-core Aurora R11 water-cooled system with an i7-10700f processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX2080 display adapter, for about $2200 U.S. This is a fairly high-end system, certainly not top-end, and I run almost everything at the highest (Ultra) settings very satisfactorily.

Yes that may work for you, but if you’re like me that wants to play in ultra, with triple screens, live weather, air hauler, fs2crew etc… then it’s going to require a bit more umph!

 

Am I greedy? Probably

Do I know what I want? Yes

Can I afford it? No :-)

But while you are waiting -- either for some kind of breakthrough in MSFS that will meet your needs at lower cost, or else to win the lottery -- you are doing zero flying, am I right? Is flying with one screen worse than not flying at all? Just asking. Incidentally, I use live weather and its effect on FPS is minimal.

I've been following these posts for almost a year now and have now bought a system that can run 2020. I decided to double down on my financial commitment to FSX and I'm a very happy man at this point. It's a rather personal choice for everyone, I think. There's plenty of room on the SSD if and when I change my mind.