Upgrade recommendations?

Greetings.

I am seeking some advice regarding a potential upgrade. My goal is to keep the process as straightforward as possible; ideally, I would prefer not to have to swap out my case just to squeeze new components inside. For the most part, I am satisfied with my current setup, but the primary driver behind this decision is that Microsoft Flight Simulator simply doesn't run smoothly enough for my liking.😵 Now we have a starting point.

Current specs:

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46
GPU: GeForce GTX 760 2GB DDR5
PSU: Corsair CX600
RAM: 4 GB
Case: Silverstone PS02

Budget: $1333, though I might be able to stretch it to $1500, but that would be my absolute limit...

If there is any information I have omitted that you find necessary, I will provide it upon request.

Ugh... you hit a wall with that motherboard. You couldn't have known, honestly, nobody could, but it turns out it just can't handle high-draw CPUs based on what the manufacturer says: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/...0-970a-warning

Which basically means you can't just swap in a beefier processor because any decent upgrade is going to pull way more power than what you're running now.

So, you really need to move to a new platform. I bet the guys chiming in here are going to tell you to jump over to Intel, since the AM3+ socket is pretty much a dead end anyway—AMD isn't making chips for that socket anymore. As for which specific Intel board or CPU to pick, I'll pass; there are guys here who know how to spec a build way better than I do.

Your current RAM (DDR3) is fine. You should be able to sell the board and the processor to claw back some cash, since that chip is still decent. Regarding the GPU, if you don't have the budget for a serious upgrade right now, I'd say it can wait—that GeForce GTX 760 still has some life in it... and it's still well above the recommended specs for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Then again, even if you decide to sell the card, you could probably grab some solid money for it. You'll see when the time comes. The case is fine, and I think the PSU can hold out for a while longer with its 40A and 480W on the +12V rail, provided it's not ancient...

Honestly, your current setup is entirely above the recommended requirements, so I don't get why it isn't running smoothly for you. You didn't mention what kind of drive you're using—is it some slow mechanical drive spinning at 5400 RPM? Maybe a bit more RAM would help? I haven't looked deeply enough into exactly how much resources that simulator actually eats up...

Ronald Green said:Hey there.

Looking for some upgrade advice. Ideally, I want to keep it simple—nothing where I have to swap out my case just to cram parts inside. My current rig works fine for most things, but the real dealbreaker is that Microsoft Flight Simulator isn't running smoothly at all.😵 Now we have a starting point.

Current setup:

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46
GPU: GeForce GTX 760
PSU: Corsair CX600
RAM: 4 GB
Case: Silverstone PS02

Budget: $1333, maybe stretching to $1500, but that's the hard limit.

If I missed anything important, let me know.

1 x Asrock B85M Pro3, LGA 1150, supports 4th Gen Intel Core i7 / i5
1 x Intel Core i5-4460 (3.20GHz, 1MB, 6MB, 84W, 1150) Box
1 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11

$773
www.newegg

Maybe grab an SSD too. Your GPU is still decent enough for 1080p gaming.

If I were you, I’d start by adding another 4GB of RAM and an SSD. Since you're running a 125W processor, you could probably grab an Intel Core i7-4770K, provided you have a decent cooler to go with it.
The motherboard isn't exactly great, but that's really only an issue if you're looking to overclock. If you just want to run one of those cooler Intel Core i7 series chips, it should be fine enough.

It’s honestly a bit strange that the game is stuttering like that. I'd suggest prioritizing the RAM and SSD first before spending more; it might save you from throwing money down the drain.

Yeah, they're right—your PC is well above the recommended specs (Core 2 duo E8400 or Intel Core 2 Quad, GeForce GTX 260) 🤷

Since this is a simulation, you have to expect poor optimization. You’ll likely see low FPS even while CPU and GPU usage sits around 30%. These types of games often run better on Intel due to superior IPC, though it still won't feel as smooth as something like Arma 3.

First, check if your CPU or GPU is overheating. That CPU definitely needs an aftermarket cooler; the stock one simply won't cut it. You can monitor temps in-game using something like PlayClaw or MSI Afterburner, but it might be better to test both outside the game using a tool like OCCT. For that CPU, you want to stay under 61-62°C, and based on reviews, the GPU should hover around 56-57°C, maybe a bit higher during a stress test.

EDIT

Honestly, the game is just a mess. link

Please post specs, as it will allow us to possibly help you, but be aware that this game can be erratic in performance. I can be comfortably at 60fps and I can do certain acts that drop frames to sub 10FPS (rare). I've learned to deal with it, and am quite happy down to about 20 FPS.

One of the main factors regarding performance of this game is CPU clock speed. I've currently set mine at 4GHz (Intel Core i7). The reason for this is that the game uses mostly only one core (sound being offset to a second). This means that raw speed actually makes a big difference, as it's calculating a lot of variables.

I'm at work so I can't remember the proc exactly. i5 (clocked at under 3GHz I think), HD5850, 12 gigs of ram, slow ♥♥♥ HDD.

If the game's performance is normally that erratic I may have to pass as I can't stand playing like that. Microsoft Flight Simulator.

It's frustrating because even if you drop a massive amount of cash on a new rig, it might still crawl along like a snail. Even characters running overclocked i7s struggle, and an i5 doesn't fare much better... I don't know, unless this game is absolutely essential to your life, I'd say just uninstall it and find something else to play. 😬

crimsonstag84 said:and you definitely need a solid cooler if you're grabbing an Intel Core i7-4770K

View on imgur

crimsonstag84, did you even read that? This isn't about CPU temps. It's about the fact that under full load, this thing can pull up to 140W, which is going to wreck the motherboard. AMD totally lied about the TDP rating.

Plus, his sim actually prefers faster single-core performance, so the processor is basically going to be pinned at high utilization constantly...

darkowl72 said:View on imgur

And his game—or simulation, whatever—demands higher clock speeds. Theoretically, that means the CPU spends a massive chunk of its time pinned at high load...

Isn't that the whole point of those multi-core chips? Letting the other cores just chill while one or two do all the heavy lifting?

Here I am...

Rather than quoting everyone individually, I'll just provide my answers to a few of the questions here...

I am currently working with a Seagate Barracuda 7.2k RPM drive, alongside a 60 GB SSD... and I have to say, the irony of my current situation is almost comedic. It turns out I am short by exactly 2 GB of space required to complete an installation on the SSD...

I have been giving some serious thought to picking up another 4GB of RAM... it’s definitely on my radar...

As I previously mentioned, I haven't encountered any issues up to this point. Titles like Far Cry 3, Dishonored, Tomb Raider, Hitman, Wolfenstein, and War Thunder all run perfectly smoothly without a single hiccup...

I have dialed almost everything in Microsoft Flight Simulator down to the absolute minimum—shadows, heat blur, water reflections, and visibility range are all set to low or completely disabled. I left only the textures on high, just to scrape together an unstable 30 FPS that fluctuates constantly depending on how I move my head... Looking up at the sky might bump me up to 70 FPS, but there’s zero texture or detail to actually look at. I had considered picking up a head tracker, but I think I'll hold off on that until I can achieve some semblance of stable frame rates on high settings, assuming that's even possible...

Did you catch what I quoted in post #5? The guy is claiming you won't even get a stable frame rate in this game even if you're running an i7.
For titles like this, honestly, the best and most cost-effective way to go is just grabbing a Pentium G3258 and overclocking the hell out of it.

Timothy Kim60 said:Did you even look at what I quoted in post #5? He’s saying you won't get a stable frame rate in this game even if you're running an i7...
For titles like this, the most reliable route is just taking a Pentium G3258 and overclocking it to the heavens.

Don't take it personally; I'm just trying to squeeze out a smoother experience at higher settings. I picked up an extra SSD and another 8GB of RAM, though I can't get the SSD installed quite yet. As for the RAM, it looks like they were a dud—they kept throwing fatal BSODs until I pulled them out. I was aiming for 12GB, but it looks like I'll be stuck with 8GB for now. Once everything is actually functional, I'll report back with the results...

Look, I’m not trying to be difficult; I’m just saying I wouldn't want to drop a massive amount of cash only to end up disappointed by performance issues that stem more from the game engine than the actual hardware. As for RAM, honestly, anything over 8GB isn't really necessary for gaming these days anyway.

Lol, did you seriously just shell out for another 4 GB of RAM on top of your 8 GB, plus a new SSD, all because of this one unoptimized game? You really think that’s going to make a difference? 🙂 Like I told you before, some games are just poorly optimized. From what I can tell, this one can't even utilize more than a SINGLE core, so all these upgrades you're doing are basically throwing money down the drain since you won't actually see any results. Especially with 12 GB of RAM 🤣

Well, I'm not entirely sure if I actually wasted my money, as Adam Moore3 might suggest, but with 12GB of RAM and an SSD, the game runs on high settings much like it used to on low... My FPS fluctuates between 35 and 50, whereas on low settings it can climb above 100, or even hit 80 at its lowest... and that's all with FreeTrack running in the background; I haven't bothered testing it with FreeTrack disabled yet...

Look, if you're feeling lucky with your timing, why shouldn't I be? 😁 Personally, I don't see the point in throwing money at weird, overpriced upgrades just to run a single game. It’s clearly been terribly optimized, but hey, that might just be me... 🙂

I'm pretty sure that isn't caused by having extra RAM. You should probably look into your SSD, or maybe try a fresh install of the game, your OS, or your drivers if things have been acting up lately.

Besides, most serious games don't even need more than 8GB of RAM to run smoothly.