Time lurches on: MS Flight Simulator 2020 vs Alienware Area 51 R2

signal processing, XR, sim racing, microscopes, STM32 and ESP32 projects

25 April 2022

FS2020 is largely about visuals, e.g. 1440p, 30fps and Ultra settings
- at least 2 PC versions (MS Store, Steam), 3 editions and numerous revisions.
  Performance tweaks differ among versions and revisions
- Google Maps MOD for the entire world! offering generally better visuals
RTX 1080 Ti is capable of > 30fps
i7-5960X CPU is NOT capable; even overclocked cannot maintain 30fps @ 1080p; need at least 9900k
- 8-core Parts i7-5960X @ 744; i9-9900k @ 972; i5-12400F @ 974
  
  This game is very CPU bottlenecked on all of these CPUs at 1080p with this fast RTX 3080 Ti video card.
  Note that AMD 5600 CPUs are using much slower and cheaper DDR4-3600
- tom’s HARDWARE used DDR4
  - Core i5-12400 NoPL DDR4-3800: Corsair H115i 280mm water cooler, power limits removed,
    memory overclocked to DDR4-3800 in Gear 1 mode (Gear 2 results in performance regressions)
  - Core i5-12400: Corsair H115i 280mm water cooler, power limits removed,
    Stock DDR4-3200 in Gear 1
  - Core i5-12400 StockPL: Corsair H115i 280mm water cooler, PL1=65W, PL2=169W,
    128-second boost (Tau), Stock DDR4-3200 in Gear 1

potential issue: AMD CPUs seem more liable to thermal throttling; Area 51 R2 cooling is problematic..

Rule of thumb: CPU most affects refresh rate; GPU most affects resolution.

30fps suffices for e.g. commercial planes, probably neither dogfights nor stunt flying.

“Live real-world air traffic” and “Live Weather” are the most taxing options, especially on the CPU.

The game has an option to lock 30 FPS which not only will reduce GPU load
but will also provide enough headroom to increase graphical settings a notch.
https://respawnfirst.com/microsoft-flight-simulator-pc-tweaks/

“Key is not to overload the CPU with Terrain LOD, never ever go past 100.”
https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/582376-100-load-with-gtx1080ti

38 @ 1080p 33 @ 1440p 26 @ 2160p

MSFS ultra 1% low fps	1080	1440	2160
i7-5930k	31	24	17
5600X	42	35	27
i5-12600k	43	35	28

AMD 5600X PC sells used for $400 - $600 with no GPU

USB 2.0 Internal Motherboard Header Cable - 20” $8.80
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MQR5BL8

NOYITO Motherboard Extension Wire Set $13
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CB192MB

How to Install Command Center for a Non-Alienware Motherboard
AKA BIOS trick, now obsolete…
Download command center before replacing stock motherboard
https://www.alienowners.com/threads/how-to-install-command-center-for-a-non-alienware-motherboard.7119

Mobi666 upgraded to MSI Z590 Carbon WiFi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOgFxonAV3g
https://www.dell.com/community/Alienware-General-Read-Only/Alienware-area-51-R2-Motherboard-upgrade/td-p/5598075
“The biggest issue is that you need to connect 2 cables
from your new Motherboard to the FIO board: One is an usb3 header cable,
which you need if you still want to use the 2 front usb connections.
The other cable is an usb2 header cable that you need to connect
between the FIO board and the FIO connector on the motherboard.
This is needed so you can power on the mobo using the alien power switch.
For this I used a normal (long enough) usb2 header cable,
and made a small hole in both sides of the cable
so it will fit the pins on the mobo and FIO board.”
https://www.dell.com/community/Alienware-Desktops/Area-51-R2-R5-motherboard-upgrade/td-p/8015901/page/2

Changing the power supply would require hacking a cable to power the logic/IO board.
Original motherboard power on timing is incompatible with generic power supplies.
https://www.dell.com/community/Alienware-General-Read-Only/PSU-THOUGHTS-QUESTIONS-AREA-51-R2/m-p/5563461#M65380