i7 5930k at 4.6Ghz.......Help me wait for Alder Lake

[wunkley]

Still running my x99 with a 5930k, now bumped up to 4.6Ghz since I got my RTX 3090FE and a HP reverb G2 VR headset.

//EDIT// Nearly All my games fly, and I've not upgraded my cpu and motherboard for several years as I've genuinely not felt the need.

Important info:

I'm not a sillyhigh FPS, low res shooter type gamer. I game at 3440x1440 90Hz, 4k 60hz and now ridiculous high res 90Hz with the Reverb G2.

However, getting into VR with the G2 and especially getting back into Flight Sims again with MSFS and DCS World, the niggle to upgrade my CPU is back, as I believe most sim type games are still CPU limited rather than GPU limited.

But, I've waited this long, the really smart move is to wait for Alder Lake yes? Sounds like the first genuine jump in a long time on the CPU front, with DDR 5 too, etc etc.

I want a platform that will see me good for another 5 years or so. Don't want to jump in on a platform that has no upgrade path.
Would also consider Ryzen obviously, I have zero brand loyalty. Just want the best, but smartest bang for buck buy for a CPU and platform with some legs in it, like my current build was/ is. I really feel like I made a solid choice 5 or so years ago when I got the 5930k.

What sort of real world gain might I see in Flight Sim 2020 moving from a 5930K at 4.6Ghz with Quad channel ram etc, to for example, a 10900k?

Please convince me to wait

 

[wunkley]

Edited my first post to "Nearly all my games fly....."

(thanks for the replies so far)

The one game that ironically doesn't fly, is MS Flight Sim 2020 (especially in VR on the G2). It's my new Crysis crisis i.e. the one game that comes along, that you really like, that doesn't work as well as you want it to and sets the terrible PC upgrade demons off in your head.

I don't seem to be able to find any reliable info as to what sort of real world gain I might see in Flight Sim 2020 moving from a 5930K at 4.6Ghz with Quad channel ram etc, to for example, a 10900k at 5ghz?

Also, the new value gaming kid on the block seems to be the intel 11400F. I assume there would be absolutely zero point updating to something like this from a 5930k? It's still 6c/12 thread, doesn't overclock, but - what's the IPC gain between a 5930k at 4.6ghz and an 11400F at 4.4ghz? Would there be significantly higher minimum frame rates, if any gain, with an 11400f vs my 5930k?

(By the way, I've been out of loop regarding CPUs for a few years but I'm not a numpty when it comes to building rigs and knowing what's what on a tech level, monitoring my system performance etc etc)

 

[wunkley]

Are you still GPU bound with a RTX 3090 on Flight Simulator 2020? Do you play at 4K? If so, there's really nothing you can do, but wait for DX12, and maybe DLSS options.

Other than that, you could just settle for a low resolution or fps capped at 30-40. Capped framerate would probably be fine, as it's not a fast paced air combat game like Lock On / Air Combat series.

Depends on what 'screen' I'm using. As mentioned I've recently bagged a Reverb G2 headset and after playing flight sims in VR it's very difficult to go back to a flat screen trust me.

Without getting into details as it's a bit complicated, the G2 is essentially almost 2 x 4k resolution, so when using this I'm technically GPU bound. But I've seen people suggest that even at these insanely high resolutions in VR - when you would think you are entirely GPU limited - the CPU is still very important for Flight Sim 2020. It's this that's confusing me slightly as it goes against what I thought I knew, and I can't seem to find hard and fast info on whether updating my current CPU would help in this particular scenario.

 

[wunkley]

You can boost your framerate a large amount, just by adjusting the terrain level of detail, according to this guide:
https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/how-to-graphics-settings-and-performance-guide-3-16-2021/132407

yeah, well aware that terrain lod has the biggest impact on performance, definitely does for me. Thanks for that link though, a really useful analysis of each setting!

 

[wunkley]

One check is how close to this 5950x/3090 fps are you getting? Around 40fps, keep your 5930k, 35fps, mmm, time for a think

Thanks for that. Problem is though, charts like this are meaningless for flight sim 2020. It depends entirely on what plane you’re flying and where you’re flying.
I can get 70fps+ in some scenarios and be lucky to hit 30 in others.....

 

[wunkley]

It's it actually possible to get the stable high frame rates you're after on a 3090 if flight sim even if you upgraded the CPU? Would be worth asking on a dedicated fs2020 forum or Reddit page to see if what you're trying to achieve is actually feasible on current generation hardware!

Good point. From my investigations so far, I don't think it is, especially in the big photogrammetry cities.

Flight sims aren't about high frame rates either. The thing you need in a flight sim is complete smoothness with Zero judder or hitching. In a lot of areas I can get this, but not in cities. In flight sim a locked 30fps with zero judder is far better than 55fps with judders/ microstutters/ landscape 'hitching'. And My G2 VR headset does 30fps interpolated up to 90, but that's another even more complicated story!

I see videos on youtube of Flight Sim 2020 with people saying it's lovely and smooth and it's just not, it's terrible. Some people just don't seem to see stutter or hitching. I do, and on a normal monitor now (not VR) I won't even consider playing any games without Gsync, but even that can't cure judder in Flight Sim in certain areas.

This is why I'm having dirty thoughts about updating my CPU / MB and RAM, to try and mitigate any stutters. But, I don't want to go through the expense and massive hassle of upgrading, basically for one or two games only to find out it makes very little, if any, difference.....