Replacing GTX1080 with RTX 4070

[slojani]

Hello 

I am asking for advice on replacing the existing GTX 1080 graphics card with a newer RTX 4070. I have a CPU I5 7600k OC up to 4900MHz on a MSI Z170A PC Mate motherboard and windows 10. I have HP Reverb G2 VR glasses. Does it make sense to change only the graphics card and will I have a better VR experience just by changing the old card. I only play IL2 BOS with Open XR tool at 2488 x 2432 resolution and without scaling. On average I get approx. 50 to 60 fps. However, I am not satisfied with the image quality at low preset settings.

Thanks for the tips.

[Qcumber]

An RTX 4070 would be a big increase over a 1080, but you will be very CPU limited with a 7600k. Try using a CPU-GPU bottleneck calculator such as https://pc-builds.com/bottleneck-calculator/result/0L51fl/1/general-tasks/3840x2160/. 

[spreckair]

I agree with Qcumber's post.  I have the RTX 3080, which I understand is very close in performance to the RTX 4070.  I had to upgrade my CPU to an I7 13700K before the gameplay was agreeable to me.

[chiliwili69]

I didn´t know that bottleneck calculator. The concept is nice but in practice can not be used for VR, and specially to predict IL-2 VR performance.

 

The 4070 will allow you to increase the resolution with the G2. You are currently at 2488x2432 which is about 12Million pixels (about 62% SS). With the 4070 you will most likely be able to raise it to 19.5 Million pixels (100% SS). But if your current bottleneck is the CPU you will not increae your fps or IL-2 settings.

 

The best way to know what is your current bottleneck is to visualize your GPU and CPU frametimes while you are playing IL-2 in VR.

 

There are three tools that you can use to measure GPU and CPU with the G2:

 

fpsVR (perhaps the most used but it is not free: 4$)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/908520/fpsVR/

 

SteamVR built-in frame timing monitor, it is free:

https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/SteamVR/Frame_Timing

 

OpenXR Toolkit overlay: I have not used it since I don´t use OpenXR

https://mbucchia.github.io/OpenXR-Toolkit/overlay.html

 

There are also other tools to analyze performance but more tricky:

MSIAfterburner&Rivatunner:

 https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/66924-syn_vander-benchmark-v6-to-measure-il-2-performance-in-monitor-vr/?do=findComment&comment=1225033

 

 

OCAT:

https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/66924-syn_vander-benchmark-v6-to-measure-il-2-performance-in-monitor-vr/?do=findComment&comment=1227655

 

FCAT VR (it looks like it is discontinued)

 

The IL-2 settings influence both your CPU and GPU frametimes, so it is important to know how every setting hit your CPU or GPU frametime.

I made some experiments in the past, which can be still valid somehow, but it was done with an older version of IL-2:

 

 

[slojani]

Thank you for all your suggestions. As I see it, the best thing is to start thinking about building a new computer (new motherboard for I5 14600k, RTX 4060TI (maybe RTX4070), and the other components from the current computer.

[354thFG_Drewm3i-VR]

IMO, there is no point upgrading if you're keeping the ancient CPU, board, and RAM. The I5-14600K would likely be 2-3x faster in VR and IL-2 vs. the old chip. 

 

In my case, even a Ryzen 5800X3D was 25-40% better than the Ryzen 5600X for VR. You just won't get a good VR experience with that chip.

Edited November 22, 2023 by drewm3i-VR

[DBCOOPER011]

9 hours ago, slojani said:

Thank you for all your suggestions. As I see it, the best thing is to start thinking about building a new computer (new motherboard for I5 14600k, RTX 4060TI (maybe RTX4070), and the other components from the current computer.

 

You could initially just buy the video card you desire first, stick it in your current system, and see what sort of improvement you get. You could always replace the motherboard/ram/cpu later if needed...

[slojani]

Hello again

Hello again

I decided to replace the motherboard with a new Gigabyte Z790D DDR4 (I use DDR4 2400 2x 8GB) from the previous configuration, the new CPU I7 13700KF - the old one was I5 6600 and I use the old ssd and the old GTX1080 zotac. I went from Windows 10 to Windows 11 Of course, I am now limited by the old GTX 1080, so I plan to replace it. I am asking which of the newer RTX 3000 or 4000 series GPUs up to 500-600 euros would be the most suitable for good graphics and playing il2 Bos and VR. Should I buy an RTX 3070, 4060ti ,....What would you recommend?

 

thank you all

 

[Aapje]

New video cards will be announced at CES, in a little over a week's time. So wait for that. The new 4070 Super might be a good card for you, or the current 4070 which hopefully will get a discount. I wouldn't go for the 3070 or the 4060 Ti, which are both cards with bad price/performance. They are also lacking in power a bit for VR.

 

You can also consider the 7800 XT. They seem to have fixed the drivers and people are reporting that it works well with VR now.

 

Also, I would suggest replacing that DDR4 2400 2x 8GB with DDR4 3200 or 3600 2x16 GB. You missed the low point in DDR pricing, but memory is still very cheap.

 

PS. You seem to have already bought it, but I would suggest getting a DDR5 board for those who upgrade now, although it is not a huge mistake to get DDR4.

Edited December 31, 2023 by Aapje

[slojani]

Thanks for the advice. Happy New Year 2024.

[jollyjack]

On 11/15/2023 at 11:56 PM, spreckair said:

I agree with Qcumber's post.  I have the RTX 3080, which I understand is very close in performance to the RTX 4070.  I had to upgrade my CPU to an I7 13700K before the gameplay was agreeable to me.

 

I have a 3080ti for over a year now, added to a then new MSI DDR5 Edge MB and a 12900K i9.

Upgrading the CPU for IL2 and DCS would not make much difference i was told, only a 4070 would a bit.

Running a complex mission with IL2 at some 'ultra' settings restricts timescale to 2x.

Guess i would wait for some newer type GPU in my case though. 5070 RTX?

[horendus]

To deliver a smooth consistent VR flying experience in il2 on a modern headset you cannot overlook the CPU.
 

Anything bellow an Intel 12th Gen or 5800x3D will be plagued with CPU frame time blow outs unless your performance target is something really low like 80hz/40fps ASW forced on, which there really is no comparison to a solid 90hz/90fps or 80hz/80fps experience.

 

My pursuit for the il2 VR flight experience went something like this which may help in your hardware choices.

(note I am not willing to play with any form of ASW or a non 1:1 hz/fps ratio. It just ruins the experience for me)

 

8600k / 1080 / OG HTC Vive

My first taste at VR flighting and I was hooked. This combination was able to maintain 90hz/90fps on lowest settings however the gauges could not be read. Enough said.

 

8600k / 3080 12GB / Quest2

This brought a significant increase to the image quality and I was finally able to read the gauges however the overall graphics still left a lot to be desired and I settled for a target of 80hz/80fps. Any sort of engagement over 6 or 7 planes tended to really tank performance bellow performance targets. 

 

13700k / 3080 12GB / Quest2+Quest Pro

The 13700k really stabilised the performance and finally delivered a consistent 80hz / 80fps even in large engagements of 15+ planes however the 3080 couldn't quite deliver the rendering performance to make the quest pro shine.

 

13700k / 4090 / Quest Pro

The 4090 let me bump the game graphics max and set a resolution level where the quest pro looks fantastic (OpenXR Toolkit ???x3250) plus add 2x MSAA which this engine desperately needs and the 13700k maintains that 90fps in all but the most broken of career missions where theres 20+ aircraft around.

 

(VR Encoding settings I use are USBLink 800mbps h264. Anything else WILL show compression in the landscape)
 

I finally jump in the cockpit every time and feel the game is finally looking and running where I envisioned it would be “one day” from the moment I first tried it.

 

There is still some room for improvements which will come with higher resolution displays and more powerful hardware however it’s finally at that point where its just an absolute joy for me to play. 

 

[spreckair]

8 hours ago, jollyjack said:

Guess i would wait for some newer type GPU in my case though. 5070 RTX?

Same here.  But the GPU business is so weird right now; who knows what and when to expect for the near future.  Nvidia is focusing on the demand for AI processors and there does not seem to be much in the news about a next generation of gaming GPUs.

[354thFG_Drewm3i-VR]

On 1/2/2024 at 4:14 PM, spreckair said:

Same here.  But the GPU business is so weird right now; who knows what and when to expect for the near future.  Nvidia is focusing on the demand for AI processors and there does not seem to be much in the news about a next generation of gaming GPUs.

Yup, we sorely need a new release of GPUs to keep up.

[slojani]

Hello,

what do you think, is it worth buying a new asus dual rtx4070 super 12gb (700 or more euros) or the new Zotac VGA RTX 4070 twin edge12gb (approx. 605 euros). Is it worth paying approx. 100 euros more for a super 4070 for IL2 BOS.

 

Thanks 

[Aapje]

The 4070 is slower than the 3080 on 4K and that is often already considered a marginal card for VR. The 4070 Super seems about 19% faster on 4K than the 4070, which means that at 4K, the 4070 Super is better value per FPS even at a 100 euros more. So my answer is yes, get the 4070 Super.

 

But in my country I see 4070 Super cards for 669 and 650 euro. Aren't those kind of prices available where you are?

[354thFG_Drewm3i-VR]

On 1/18/2024 at 2:57 AM, slojani said:

Hello,

what do you think, is it worth buying a new asus dual rtx4070 super 12gb (700 or more euros) or the new Zotac VGA RTX 4070 twin edge12gb (approx. 605 euros). Is it worth paying approx. 100 euros more for a super 4070 for IL2 BOS.

 

Thanks 

I'll sell my 3080 for $450 US once I get a gaming laptop with a 4090.

[slojani]

Hello
here in Slovenia, the prices for the 4070super are currently here somewhere or even more. I decided to buy an Asus dual 4070 super. I hope that it will give me a better experience playing IL2 BOS than the old gtx 1080. This is my only game that I have been playing for years.

Greetings