Best Mid budget PC for Flight Simulator 2020

[baltej777]

Hello, So this is my first venture into researching and buying a gaming PC which will be for normal home/office use as well as being my dedicated PC for using the new Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. I have purchased a nice set of hardware like joysticks and headsets for VATSIM as well as a 1440p monitor to enable me to see the whole cockpit at once whilst flying.
As well as flight sim 2020, I will also be running vPilot which is the client that runs ATC for flight sim as well as chrome for looking at departure and approach charts so can already see RAM being a big factor here.

Would you recommend a setup like this PC i have chosen here to be the best performing? My initial qualm was the choice between this intel or the AMD ryzen 7 3800X, and then the choice between the 2060 Super or the new rtx 3070 that has just come out...
My current setup is a i7-6700 with an RX590 which gives me at most 20fps on medium settings in an Airbus A320.
If anyone that has the same case can you also let me know if it actually provides good airflow as the cheaper budget PCS spectrum case has a grill that allows air to move whereas this is a plastic panel covering the fans which I thought would hinder airflow?
Let me know your thoughts, thanks!
Case
THERMALTAKE V200 2.0 TEMPERED GLASS RGB EDITION GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Eight Core Processor i7-10700K (3.8GHz) 16MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF Z490-PLUS GAMING WI-FI (LGA1200, USB 3.2, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
1TB PCS 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (520MB/R, 470MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
256GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (1900 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W CV SERIES™ CV-650 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 120 Series RGB High Performance Liquid Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Extra Case Fans
1x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Price: £1,493.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z490-pc/HgCFEQuuJ3/

 

[Deleted member 17413]

First thing i would say is ditch the Intel CPU, second would be whats the actual monitor you have bought and third would be the budget limit.

 

[baltej777]

That's what I've heard is that Ryzen CPU's could handle simulation better although I haven't seen evidence for this as of yet. My monitor is a AOC 32" 1440p 120Hz monitor which I am happy with. It does take advantage of AMD v sync technology but I've heard it doesn't make a difference if the game you're playing doesn't have FPS over the refresh rate of 120Hz, and flight sim rarely goes above 60fps even on a RTX 3090 so I'm not too worried about the monitor.
My budget is basically the model listed at around £1.5k

 

[Deleted member 17413]

Intel chips only came out in front of AMD on single thread 1080p competitive gaming, so leaving game settings low and pumping pure FPS to hit 200+FPS...in terms of real world use, AMD were equal/ahead of Intel and with the new CPU's due in a week, they've started to leave them in the rear view well and truely.

The RTX 3090 is not a gaming GPU, its the replacement for the Titan cards, and aimed at heavy CAD and photo/video editing, 1440p 120Hz then a 3070 is going to be absolutely plenty.... a 3080 would be overkill and you may even find the new AMD GPU's due out mayt actually overtake Nvidia (for the first time in years and years). What you will find is having 32Gb RAM will give you a boost (especially if using offline).

 

[baltej777]

So would you say the £130 more for a 3070 is worth getting over the 2060 super for flight simulator? According to YouTube the 2060 can give a solid 30fps however it could be different for me due to my choice of CPU and also other programs that I run alongside the simulator.
I do have 8GB of 3000mhz ram that I'll be talking out of my old computer so I'll essentially have 24GB of ram to play with when I actually use it so that should make a positive difference

 

[baltej777]

RAM: Just be aware that your RAM may not be compatible with the one in the PCS system..you can't just put in one type of 3000MHz RAM and bundle it with another one..they have to be the same sticks...same latency, model etc.

As to the GPU, the 3070 is definitely worth the extra...it massively outperforms a 2070 Super, never mind a 2060S. The 2060S is a good low end 1440p card but I'd want more on a high refresh screen

Good point on the RAM. The one I have is also Corsair Vengeance so it should be compatible. I will try anyway or just have it as back up or sell it if it doesn't work.
As for the GPU yes I agree the 3070 is definitely worth the extra money however what would be the one thing you coulddowngrade in the pc

 

[baltej777]

For MSFS20, you could drop down to a 6 Core....from what I understand, this iteration is much more GPU dependent, though CPU is useful.

If you could stretch to £1600, then this would be good (£1700 would get you the 5800x which would be another level):

Case
CORSAIR 275R AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Eight Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster MasterLiquid Lite 240 High Performance Liquid Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Price: £1,605.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/3Y!eJRgzfn/

Thanks for the advice!
Do you reckon it could be worth going to a Ryzen 7 3800 or something along the lines of that to bring the cost abit down. As my CPU usage isn't not high apart from flight summing as my ideal budget would be £1500. Any suggestions?

 

[baltej777]

Another question I have for you guys...
I have been looking at the PCS Spectrum RGB mid tower case and has stood out to me as its cheap, has ample space for the storage that i need and in the future, has great airflow due to the front mesh and has 3x120mm fans that are RGB addressable. However i have seen on many forums that this is a cheap case...
Why is it considered a cheap case and in what way, as the airflow seems alot better than the thermaltake and has better airflow than it without breaking my budget, has anyone had first had experience with the case?

 

[Scott]

The Spectrum is probably the best PCS case for airflow. It actually does a bang up job on that front. The cheap aspect comes from both the price and the limitations of the parts that come at this price.

As the case comes the fans are either on or off, there is no speed control. I believe it's a button to change the RGB colours so if they are addressable, I think this is new. Even if they are indeed addressable, you'll struggle to attach 3 to the motherboard without a controller (Which they come with but is limited to colour by button I believe).

By the time you swapped out the fans for decent, fairly quiet ones, with a controller... you would be FAR better off with the TD500 which is another "Cheap" case that doesn't come with the limitations.

The lowest end case that we generally recommend is the Focus G. It's fantastic value for money and even though the price tag is low, it's a very well built and high end case with a perfect starting base for any system.

For FS2020 at 1440p I would recommend:

8 Core AMD chip, newer the better
16GB of the fastest RAM you can get
3060Ti+ GPU (3070 MORE than has you covered)
A fast secondary 1TB M2 drive just for the game (and others) as you can download areas you wish to frequent. It's a long load time at the best of times so the faster the drive the better.

As you can see this would also match the advice from @Nursemorph

 

[baltej777]

Thank for all your help so farI have amended my build to the following now:
Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX MB530P RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT Eight Core CPU (4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 4GB) (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
1TB PCS 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (520MB/R, 470MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
256GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (1900 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W CV SERIES™ CV-650 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 V2 Series High Performance CPU Cooler (AMD)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Extra Case Fans
1x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Price: £1,559.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/MQRem9qu9g/

now this build does fit in with my budget of £1500 however is there anything else I could do to save costs in some respect for flight simulator gameplay

 

[baltej777]

Also, if anyone as any experience with this CPU paired with a 2060s or 2070s for Flight simulator 2020 running at 1440p that would be greatly appreciated

 

[Bigfoot]

Your memory selection is odd, as memory works best in pairs. Why not select 2x8GB? Silver warranty costs only £5 extra, so is worth selecting. It is generally recommended to remove the Bullguard antivirus.

 

[baltej777]

The OP has only selected 8GB overall on the build (2x4GB) as they already have an 8GB stick....you are right about the pairs though..would be better to select 1x8GB so it is 2 sticks overall rather than 3 but it's not guaranteed the extra RAM already to hand will be compatible

Hi thanks for your advice. I actually already have a 8gb corsair vengenence 3000mhz ram module from my old PC that I will be putting into this rig (as i don't want to sell it or waste it!) however i couldn't find a 1 x 8GB stick 3000mhz corsair vengeance on PCS... or i might be looking in the wrong place 🙃

I think the frost flow cooler along with 5 x 120mm in total should be adequate enough for cooling? As long as the fans are PWM i don't mind the noise as my speakers are all the way up anyway listing to those awesome rolls Royce engines on the Boeing 747 on take-off! The PC would be connected via ethernet to my router mesh network so WiFi is just a nice addon for me to be honest.
The only thing that differentiates me now is the 2070 super vs the 3070. As its early days its hard to judge whether the extra £100 n the GPU would be worth it (especially if its only a couple more fps difference)