Getting back to Flight Sims after 5 year break.

[Off Watch]

Wanting to get back to flight sim after a long break, I used to spend lots of time on this forum. Looking for recommendations as to computers, graphics card, hardware. I think i still have a Tracker and a triple screen to go hardware. Would it be better to go with virtual reality? If you were starting from scratch what would you recommend? Budget is not unlimited but I don't mind spending money for stuff that makes a difference. Thanks

[CessnaSkypilotN7365W]

Well a very welcome back to the world of flight simming!!

Boy if you didn't open up a barrel, not can, of worms, possibly even some snakes

There are so so many options these days. I find it all rather overwhelming. It all boils down to your budget really.
From a joystick, a gaming laptop, and an external screen to full blown physical cockpits mimicking what ever your heart desires. Seriously!
And don't let me forget VR if you would prefer a controller in your hand verses physical hardware. Myself, the more hardware my fingers can touch and the less I have to grab my trackball the better!

Good luck and have fun!

Roger

[Solareagle]

Well assuming you will be investing in Prepar3D v4...

You will want a CPU with the fastest single core performance you can afford. Prepar3D will use all the cores but performance hinges on the primary thread. Four cores is enough but six cores won't hurt. The best choice there is the i7-8700K. If you plan to overclock and have some extra money to spend the Limited Edition i7-8086K is the top tier of the 8700K chips rebadged as 8086K and is the fastest flight sim CPU you can buy. It's sort of a luxury though, so 8700K is better value. I suggest an all-in-one (AIO) water cooler to go with it. They are cheap these days and better than air coolers.

Motherboards for this series of CPU use the Intel Z370 chipset.

Prepar3D also likes fast RAM. 16GB is enough of RAM, but the faster the better, so a dual channel kit of 3200MHz DDR4 or faster.

Unlike the old days Prepar3D needs graphics card power since much of the load has been shifted to the GPU, so get the best GPU you can afford. Don't get any less than a GTX 1060 6GB. GTX 1080 is good value, and GTX 1080ti will give you plenty of power, but even with a 1080ti you can configure Prepar3D to be GPU bound depending on your settings. Nvidia has released the new RTX 20 series cards, but the RTX 2080 and 2080ti are expensive and flight sim does not take advatage of the new features they support.

For power supply units invest in at least a mid level PSU. They have cleaner power and will ensure long component life on the rest of the system. 650 watts is enough for the above components.

For storage a solid state drive is a must, so you'd want something like 250GB SSD as a dedicated flight sim drive, and of course another SSD for your operating system. If you want just one drive to run everything get at least a 500GB SSD.

Here's what I just built as my new flight sim rig:

CPU: Intel i7-8086K @ 5.2GHz
MBD: Asus ROX Strix Z370-E Gaming
RAM: Corsair Pro 16GB DDR4 @ 3800MHz
GPU: Nvidia RTX 2080
PSU: Corsair HX750i
AIO: Corsair H150i Pro
SSD: Samsung EVO 860 500GB x3
Case: Corsair Carbide Spec-06 RGB

[Off Watch]

Thanks this is the kind of information I am looking for.

The Prepare3D looks very interesting which version should i be looking at and what else do i need to know about it.

It looks like FSX is on Steam is that the way to go? I should still have a CD somewhere, or should I not even mess with FSX?

I used to run three Screens with a Triple 2 go hardware which should be in storage somewhere with a Tracker IR not sure of the version.
What is the best way to go now days?

What is the have to have software I had a Rex Weather program that made a huge difference. What would i be looking for now?

[Hook]

FSX on Steam: It's cheap (especially on sale), it already has some of the tweaks you need, and because it's on Steam it is convenient. The only A2A Accusim plane on Steam currently is the Piper J3 Cub, although you can get Accufeel on Steam.

One thing to watch out for, if you buy DLC for Steam it will probably have some form of DRM so that you cannot install it on a non-Steam version of FSX or on Prepar3D. But it will be cheaper.

Prepar3D: If you already have a lot of add-ons you bought for FSX, *most* of them can be installed on P3D up to version 3.4. Since version 4.x is 64 bit, anything for FSX with a .dll or .gau file won't work because it is 32 bit code and won't be compatible. P3D version 4.x will not get Out of Memory errors, while earlier versions still can. This generally isn't a problem unless you are running resource hog add-ons. Road traffic is known to have memory leaks so turn road traffic to zero. This caused the only OOM I ever experienced in FSX or P3D (I'm running version 2.5).

Not everything made for FSX will run on P3D v3.4 or earlier. I currently have A2A Accufeel, the Piper Cub and the Cessna 172, all FSX versions, installed and running without apparent problems in P3D version 2.5 although this is NOT supported. I have the Prepar3D version of the Cherokee so no problems there. The Aerosoft BeaverX required a one line change to three gauge .xml files for them to show up, but it runs without problems. I have the A2A Stratocruiser installed in P3D but although it loads and looks ok I haven't tried flying it yet so it is untested in P3D.

Some companies sell bundles with FSX and P3D versions all in the same package for one price. A2A sells separate packages, and even has different versions at different prices for P3D Academic and Professional at different prices. The Academic versions are the same price as the FSX versions. Some companies offer packages for P3D, and you may need to check if they are version 1-3 or version 4 before purchase. Not everything has been upgraded to run on version 4, and some things never will, unfortunately.

The only difference between P3D Academic and Professional is the price, the EULA and a watermark for the Academic version in the top right corner of the screen.

Prepar3D is basically FSX with some bugs fixed and an updated interface. Most of the stock aircraft from FSX are not included. The one thing you will notice first is that there are cockpit and cloud shadows. Missions from FSX have been reported to have problems.

Install FSX, do all the necessary tweaks, and enjoy. Do not uninstall it if you get Prepar3D as you will probably be wanting to use it occasionally.

TrackIR works great for both.

Hook

[aonyn]

The only A2A Accusim plane on Steam currently is the Piper J3 Cub, although you can get Accufeel on Steam.

Actually, any of the A2A Accusim products are supported, and work great in steam. It is just that the J3 Cub is the only one that can be purchased as Steam DRM.
I have the J3, not from Steam but from the A2A Store, as well as numerous others. No problems at all.


Regards,
Dave

[Chunk]

If you're going to build a really nice, modern computer, then you're going to end up with add-on's galore as well. If that is the case, do not waste your money on FSX. Make the upgrade to P3D. You'll see a vast difference in graphics, especially on a new machine; and you won't get the OOM (out of memory) issues that you are GUARANTEED to experience with FSX.

That's my two cents anyway.

[Tomas Linnet]

If you're going to build a really nice, modern computer, then you're going to end up with add-on's galore as well. If that is the case, do not waste your money on FSX. Make the upgrade to P3D. You'll see a vast difference in graphics, especially on a new machine; and you won't get the OOM (out of memory) issues that you are GUARANTEED to experience with FSX.

That's my two cents anyway.

I believe the amount of add on scenery and the number of experienced OOM are heavily related. I use FSX boxed for 5 years and now Steam for 2 years, and I cant remember when I had my last OOM. Don't rule out FSX just because of OOM's, for me it would be a bad thing to invest in P3D, add ons, new PC etc. and then put flight simming on pause again.

If money is not an object, please send me some

[n421nj]

Go with prepar3d. I used to be a hardcore fsx guy with thousands invested in it and swore I’d never switch to p3d....long story short I’m now a proud owner of p3d v4 and hardly use fsx anymore.

[Solareagle]

I would definitely go with Prepar3D. It has been totally reworked for modern hardware so performance is not even comparable with FSX. Issues with FSX like stuttering and blurries are now a thing of the past.

[Hook]

I am like you. I took a break of about 4-5 years.

A couple of years after I got a new computer I finally decided to reinstall my flight sim. I have a boxed FSX Gold and Prepar3D 2.5. I decided to install P3D but didn't bother with FSX. I may eventually install it, but don't need it now. I have the $200 pro version; the only difference is the lack of the watermark "Prepar3D Academic".

I had to track down all my add-on purchases and re-download them. I've found all but a couple so far.

The compatibility issue was a big thing for me. I did a lot of research on what would work on what versions of P3D, and have been able to test what I have with version 2.5. As far as I have been able to determine, everything that works on 2.5 will be compatible up to version 3.4, which is still available (at full price, unfortunately). There will be some bug fixes from the version I have, and they introduced an "avatar" which allows you to walk around outside your aircraft in version 3.

If you want to fly the A2A Cub, you will have to use FSX or P3D 3.4 as The Cub will not run on version 4.x and there is no version available for P3D v4 at this time. Before purchasing anything, check the version requirements.

You will probably want to keep FSX on your computer even if you go to Prepar3D.

I recommend P3D over FSX, but keep in mind all the version compatibility issues.

Hook

[offwatch]

Yea! I was finally able to sign in using my old username offwatch. I had tried a couple of days ago and no luck. I don't know I its possible to track down my old A2A planes although I am probably going to go the Prepare3D.