Thanks for the info, can't wait to here more. I would like to know how the heat and fans speeds are.
Thanks again!
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iMac compatibility with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020
- Thread starter Kappa468
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Thanks again!
I got it going on the following:
- Win10 (2004) is installed on an external T7 SSD (EFI Boot).
- iMac 2017 5K
- 4.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
- 24GB RAM
- Radeon Pro 580 8 GB
- Adrenalin August 2020 edition (Blue) BootCamp drivers
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It's HOT (I've read MBP 2019 tends to o that) - gets up to 98 ºC until fans get to full speed (about 5500 RPM). I have a little stand for the notebook to rest on so it gets good airflow underneath - I didn't check temps after getting that, so it might be better now.
If I'm at an airport, I need to drop to default settings (it defaults to High on this one; the 2015 defaulted to Low and yelled at me on startup that I was flying with a potato), but otherwise, I can use Ultra at 1080p and get 20-30 FPS.
Would these drivers help my issue of not having a network connection? I can’t connect via WiFi or ethernet even after running the Windows Support folder/files. I’m also struggling with getting bluetooth to work. My trackpad & keyboard have to be connected to work at the moment.
I am thinking about to buy an late 27” 2019 iMac with these specs ;
i9 3.6ghz
32 gb ram
2tb fusion drive
radeon pro 580x 8gb
will msfs2020 run with boot camp? Does it recommend to install the new win11?
i9 3.6ghz
32 gb ram
2tb fusion drive
radeon pro 580x 8gb
will msfs2020 run with boot camp? Does it recommend to install the new win11?
MSFS 2020 certainly works under boot camp and Windows 10. It doesn’t require Windows 11 at this time which is just as well as that won’t be an option with the iMac. That could of course change at any time in the future but I’ve not seen and rumours to that effect.
With regards to your spec, the CPU and RAM are fine and prior to upgrading to a top spec 2020 iMac I ran MSFS on a fusion drive OK. SSD would of course be better.
The only area of concern might be the GPU as it is also GPU heavy. With my Radeon Pro 5700 XT 16 GB I can run it on high settings with very reasonable frame rates i.e. in the 30 to 50 range. But no iMac GPU will ever get it to Ultra Settings. Don’t know about the 580x.
So yes, it will run it. How well depends on how high you want your settings and how many add-ons you want to install. And it will work only (safely) as long as Windows 10 remains supported by Microsoft.
So it will be a better choice to take an 5700xt rather than an radeon pro 580x?
I was also thinking about to wait until the new iMac pros will arrive in spring 2022. But over there we have the problem with lack of bootcamp. So it is a better choice to take an iMac 2020 with your gpu, right? Or how would you think?
I was also thinking about to wait until the new iMac pros will arrive in spring 2022. But over there we have the problem with lack of bootcamp. So it is a better choice to take an iMac 2020 with your gpu, right? Or how would you think?
I had a 2019 i9 iMac w/ the vega48 and it was abel to run MSFS 2020 and a good frame rate it suffered for overheating when using the sim. The problem was so bad that it would shutdown the whole system. IMO the imac's just do not have the cooling to run MSFS 2020.
The new iMac Pro’s will not run windows (except possibly via emulation, but that won’t run MSFS in any shape or form). So if you want to run MSFS it has to be an intel Mac. if You want Arm iMac then you will need to go down the X-Plane route - I run both X-Plane and MSFS (as well as DCSmand half a dozen other combat sims) and MSFS & X-Plane each have their pros & cons.
MSFS requires the best GPU and CPU you can get. The 5700xt will certainly be better than the 580x and with Update 6 things have got much better. Providing you keep the screen resolution sensible (HD and not 5k) you can now use ultra for some settings and still get 30 fps over London for example.
Your options seem to be:
a. Get the best Intel Mac you can afford while you can and accept that it’ll run MSFS for the next 3 years max (before Windows 10 is lifex or MSFS outgrows the iMac spec.
b. Get a new Arm Mac and fly with the forthcoming X-Plane 12.
c. Get a PC (high spec but still cheaper than an iMac) and run MSFS.
It depends on whether you primarily want a Mac or to fly MSFS. You can fly with an Arm Mac, just not with MSFS.
Oh, and I‘ve never had a shutdown on MSFS. The fan does go like the clappers but the latest top spec iMacs cope well.
seems that you are a pretty hardcore flight enthuatist like me. i like both xplane but also msfs2020. now i own a xbox series x, but still dreaming to do it on my iMac. currently using iMac 2017 with 560 4 gb wich is heavily underrated!
i have one question for you. the xplane 12, yes i have seen the trailer (if you can call it a trailer). i like the weather effects and the airplanes, but what about the scenery? will it be beautiful as the msfs2020 scenery or better?? in that case, it is better to wait for the new iMac pros that will arrive in spring 2022
Have you tried msfs2020 on your xbox? If yes what do you think of it vs running on a PC?
Of course, bought it on release day. but as far as i am concerned the pc version is far better with more addons/airplanes and so, therefor i want it on my future mac
Assume nothing dramatic & MSFS will still be miles ahead in the scenery stakes. This was from the Q&A.
Q: Are there any plans to improve the default ground textures?
A: “Yes, we have a plan to make some improvements. Only some changes will be available for the initial releases of X-Plane 12, notably for airports and urban terrain. You can expect more changes in a later v12 update.” – Petr Bednar (Scenery Artist).
I have iMac Pro 2017 with the following config:
processors 3,2 GHz Intel Xeon W8 core
Ram 32GB
Radeon Pro Vega 56 8GB
SSD 1 TB
I have partito ed the disk with boot camp and windows10 installed.
Can I run fs 2020 at maximum/medium high rate? In case not what I have to upgrade mainly?
Thank you for your support
processors 3,2 GHz Intel Xeon W8 core
Ram 32GB
Radeon Pro Vega 56 8GB
SSD 1 TB
I have partito ed the disk with boot camp and windows10 installed.
Can I run fs 2020 at maximum/medium high rate? In case not what I have to upgrade mainly?
Thank you for your support
just found a deal with iMac 2020 xt5500 8gb of ram (not the high end 5700xt 16gb) this computer have 64 gb of ram. will it be a good deal?
how well does 5500xt 8gb perform vs the high end card 5700xt 16gb???
how well does 5500xt 8gb perform vs the high end card 5700xt 16gb???
I can't speak about performance but I did own a 2019iMac i9 w/Vega graphics. It would run MSFS2020 at high settings it would over heat with in 5 min and shut down. I not sure if it was do to the processor to the poor thermals in the consumer iMac. I hear the iMac Pro handled the heat much better.
The 5700xt is certainly the weak spot in my 2020 iMac setup (27 inch iMac. i9, 5700 XT, 64GB RAM & 2TB SSD).
Typically the CPU is at 7%, Memory at 11%, and GPU at 100% even though it’s only using 4GB of the 16GB available on the 5700xt. This is at High/Ultra settings with a fairly constant 30 fps.
I should say that this is at Full Screen Resolution 5120 x 2880, Render Scaling of 40, giving a Rendering Resolution of 2047x1133. TAA and Terrain LOD of 200, objects LOD of 200. The fan goes constantly!
The GPU will max out everything you can give it. The 8gb should be OK but it will lack pure power. I don’t know how high you can push the settings with the 5500xt, but you might be OK on High, certainly not Ultra. But you would also need to turn down the resolution to keep 30 fps.
Unfortunately the only person why can answer your question is someone with a 5500xt.
See my reply above to another question which may help. I would think probably is the answer is yes.
Unfortunately I don’t know how the 3,2 GHz Intel Xeon W8 core compares to the top i9 in the 2020 iMac in single core power. The Radeon Pro Vega 56 8GB should cope OK as it’s comparable to the 5700xt and MSFS never uses the 16GB of the 5700xt in any case - but it will be the weak spot and if anything need upgrading it will be the GPU. The 32GB of RAM will be OK too.
Much will depend on the screen resolution you want. Keep it low and you should be able to use High settings.
The only real answer is to try it. Get a one month Microsoft PC Game pass and see. Currently on offer at $1/£1 for the month - down from $9.99/£7.99
So this means that it would be overkill to have the 5700xt 16gb, better to take one iMac with 5500xt 8gb when the MSFS2020 only use 6gb (??) of vram??
No in the slightest. It's the processing power of the GPU that MSFS needs, more so than the amount of RAM. Ideally you'd run a RTX 3000 series card and many of them only have 8GB. Currently the 16GB on the 5700xt is wasted but the power of the card is not, though in MSFS terms the 5700xt is still a relative lightweight. I also run X-Plane, under OSX, and that will utilise RAM much better than MSFS.