Build intended for (almost solely) MS Flight Sim 2024

[scanon]

Hi Forum members
I must say this forum is great for those of us less technically minded to make sure we get what we need. Thank you for providing this.

FS2024 isn't out until November, but from posts I've seen about it, they say the ideal spec would be:
CPU: Ryzen 7 Pro 2700X
GPU: NVidia RTX 2080
VRAM: 8GB
RAM: 32GB
SSD: 150GB
Bandwidth: 50Mbps

I am also looking to get a Thrustmaster TCA Boeing Yoke and 3 x 27" QHD (1440) curved monitors to go with the following system. My question is, does my choice at least match the spec above, or preferably beat it comfortably (as there will inevitably be all sorts of terrain/airport bolt-ons to add to it)? My attempt at a build is below, my budget is around £3K just for the computer:

Case
CORSAIR 5000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE - WHITE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D 12 Core CPU (4.4GHz-5.6GHz/140MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG CROSSHAIR X670E HERO (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 6E)
Memory (RAM)
128GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 3600MHz (4 x 32GB)
Graphics Card
16GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4070 Ti SUPER - HDMI, DP, LHR
2nd Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3050 - HDMI, DP, LHR
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti / RX 7700 XT AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 4400 MB/W)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive
2TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 4400 MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
External DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x Slim USB 2.0 External DVD-RW
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre European Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H150i ELITE LCD XT RGB CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Extra Case Fans
1 x 120mm Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 Case Fan
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NOT REQUIRED
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language

Thank you very much for having a look into this for me. It is greatly appreciated.

 

[TonyCarter]

Your budget is fine for a monster build, and it easily beats the recommended spec, but the config above is all over the place.

That 'recommended spec' will probably be to run the sim on a single 1440p screen. If you're trying to drive 3x1440p monitors then you'll need a decent 4K build (which means a 4080 Super GPU).

Could you add your config link to the bottom so that the helpers can reconfigure it to be more suitable (and remembering that the CPU you really want is the 7800X3D (8 X3D cores). The 7900X3D has more cores, but only half of them are the gaming-accelerated X3D cores.

 

[FigmentOfYourImagination]

I've just done another spec for MSFS for someone else and I am still dubious about the need for 128GB RAM....however, Microsoft are recommending 64GB for the "ideal" spec (it's related to how a lot of stuff is through the cloud or something)....128 may end up being overkill but possibly a future-proofing for future titles. Not sure about the CPU...whether the 7800x3D (the best gaming chip around) is the better or whether MSFS24 would benefit from the extra cores the 7950x3D brings:

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER ATX CASE - WHITE - Kept with a white case but pivoted to the 5000x RGB as it has more fans. You can always buy the airflow front panel for around £15 direct from Corsair or simply remove the front while it's in heavy use (I just remove the front of mine whenever I'm gaming as it just clips on)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D 16 Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.7GHz/144MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5) - Mentioned above
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING X670E-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 6E) - Ample for what you need. The Strix has white accents which look nice...might look really good in the white case...it's an extra £38 so up to you
Memory (RAM)
128GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 3600MHz (4 x 32GB)
Graphics Card
16GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4080 SUPER - HDMI, DP, LHR - Highest level for your budget..should be plenty
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti / RX 7700 XT AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 6500MB/sW) - Smaller primary drive for Windows and programs..you don't want a big drive else it gets cluttered and the second drive is plenty for MSFS
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1200W RMx SHIFT SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET - 850w was lowballing it. The Shifts are the newest gen of PSUs and are better all around..plus they handle GPU transient spikes much better
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H150i ELITE LCD XT RGB CPU Cooler - Left this in as it's cheaper than the non-LCD version...plus it looks cool
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING - The Corsair coolers come with high grade paste pre-applied so no need for this option
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 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
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 3 to 5 working days
Price: £2,962.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/wMMrnmhtdd/

I didn't put the external drive in as I am sure you can get a better, known brand outside of PCS but that's your choice; wasn't sure about the HDD so left it off but you know about your needs more than me.

I would definitely wait for a second opinion from someone with more MSFS knowledge though

 

[scanon]

Your budget is fine for a monster build, and it easily beats the recommended spec, but the config above is all over the place.

That 'recommended spec' will probably be to run the sim on a single 1440p screen. If you're trying to drive 3x1440p monitors then you'll need a decent 4K build (which means a 4080 Super GPU).

Could you add your config link to the bottom so that the helpers can reconfigure it to be more suitable (and remembering that the CPU you really want is the 7800X3D (8 X3D cores). The 7900X3D has more cores, but only half of them are the gaming-accelerated X3D cores.

Thank you Tony, I'll try and do that!

Thank you again for your trouble

 

[scanon]

Your budget is fine for a monster build, and it easily beats the recommended spec, but the config above is all over the place.

That 'recommended spec' will probably be to run the sim on a single 1440p screen. If you're trying to drive 3x1440p monitors then you'll need a decent 4K build (which means a 4080 Super GPU).

Could you add your config link to the bottom so that the helpers can reconfigure it to be more suitable (and remembering that the CPU you really want is the 7800X3D (8 X3D cores). The 7900X3D has more cores, but only half of them are the gaming-accelerated X3D cores.

Hello again Tony, does this work? https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/computers/amd-am5-pc/

 

[SpyderTracks]

Hello again Tony, does this work? https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/computers/amd-am5-pc/

That's just a link to the configurator, need to paste the full specs including the configurable link

How to Post Your Specification to the Forum - Check this Spec

Just a first note, if you've been provided this link, don't amend your first post as it won't update the queue, please add an additional comment to the thread, that way it will go back to the front of the queue. Otherwise we don't know it's been updated. When creating a forum post looking to...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

 

[scanon]

I've just done another spec for MSFS for someone else and I am still dubious about the need for 128GB RAM....however, Microsoft are recommending 64GB for the "ideal" spec (it's related to how a lot of stuff is through the cloud or something)....128 may end up being overkill but possibly a future-proofing for future titles. Not sure about the CPU...whether the 7800x3D (the best gaming chip around) is the better or whether MSFS24 would benefit from the extra cores the 7950x3D brings:

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER ATX CASE - WHITE - Kept with a white case but pivoted to the 5000x RGB as it has more fans. You can always buy the airflow front panel for around £15 direct from Corsair or simply remove the front while it's in heavy use (I just remove the front of mine whenever I'm gaming as it just clips on)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D 16 Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.7GHz/144MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5) - Mentioned above
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING X670E-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 6E) - Ample for what you need. The Strix has white accents which look nice...might look really good in the white case...it's an extra £38 so up to you
Memory (RAM)
128GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 3600MHz (4 x 32GB)
Graphics Card
16GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4080 SUPER - HDMI, DP, LHR - Highest level for your budget..should be plenty
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti / RX 7700 XT AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 6500MB/sW) - Smaller primary drive for Windows and programs..you don't want a big drive else it gets cluttered and the second drive is plenty for MSFS
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1200W RMx SHIFT SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET - 850w was lowballing it. The Shifts are the newest gen of PSUs and are better all around..plus they handle GPU transient spikes much better
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H150i ELITE LCD XT RGB CPU Cooler - Left this in as it's cheaper than the non-LCD version...plus it looks cool
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING - The Corsair coolers come with high grade paste pre-applied so no need for this option
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 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
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 3 to 5 working days
Price: £2,962.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/wMMrnmhtdd/

I didn't put the external drive in as I am sure you can get a better, known brand outside of PCS but that's your choice; wasn't sure about the HDD so left it off but you know about your needs more than me.

I would definitely wait for a second opinion from someone with more MSFS knowledge though

That's extremely helpful, thank you!
I modified my build to include the 7 7080X3D, but I'm unable to save the config as the 'chip is unavailable til mid October' error message comes up, and then I'm taken back to the build page with the chip highlighted (and round I go in a circular fashion...)
Thank you again, for your trouble with this. I'm so grateful to you.

 

[SpyderTracks]

That's extremely helpful, thank you!
I modified my build to include the 7 7080X3D, but I'm unable to save the config as the 'chip is unavailable til mid October' error message comes up, and then I'm taken back to the build page with the chip highlighted (and round I go in a circular fashion...)
Thank you again, for your trouble with this. I'm so grateful to you.

Yes, just put a placeholder cpu in there for now around the same price

 

[scanon]

That's just a link to the configurator, need to paste the full specs including the configurable link

How to Post Your Specification to the Forum - Check this Spec

Just a first note, if you've been provided this link, don't amend your first post as it won't update the queue, please add an additional comment to the thread, that way it will go back to the front of the queue. Otherwise we don't know it's been updated. When creating a forum post looking to...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/WuTRM4kH5F/
Thank you for sharing that how-to, the copy to forum link wasn't showing in Chrome, so opened it in Edge.

 

[Scott]

Similar to the previously suggested build. Changed the RAM, Case & a couple of odds and sods. If you're after white I think the Strix is a good shout.

Case
CORSAIR 5000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE - WHITE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D 16 Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.7GHz/144MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X670E-A GAMING WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 6E)
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 32GB)
Graphics Card
16GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4080 SUPER - HDMI, DP, LHR
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti / RX 7700 XT AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 4400 MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
External DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x Slim USB 2.0 External DVD-RW
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1200W RMx SHIFT SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H150i ELITE LCD XT RGB CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 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
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 3 to 5 working days
Price: £3,019.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/gKcF9au3M7/

 

[scanon]

Thank you kindly, much appreciated! Please forgive the naivety of this next question, but could you explain why you've recommended a smaller 1st SSD drive, and smaller RAM? This might help me understand how it all works together (as opposed to my thinking that bigger everything must be better). Please don't think me rude or ungrateful for asking - I'm just trying to understand. Thank you again!

 

[Scott]

The primary drive that has windows on it you want to keep as slim and trim as possible. 500GB is more than enough for a Windows installation and typical standard software installs.

Games are best kept separate. I've actually added a 3rd drive in the build in case you wanted MSFS on its own entirely. I have MSFS on it's own dedicated 1TB drive at the moment.

I posted up a sticky on storage a while back:

Why more than one storage drive?

I've been meaning to put something like this together for a while. In recent weeks I've found myself writing this more and more so thought I would just post my thoughts in a thread that I could link to. So the reason for this thread is to try and give insight as to the reasoning behind having...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

The "Ideal" requirement for MSFS is listed as 64GB. I think they're over-shooting this requirement purely for the optional addons and 3rd party development mods that will be available. 64GB is ideal as it's the fastest you can get. Anything over the performance is going to tank with as it can go as low as half the speed. Anything not 64GB is considered not ideal for various reasons. 64GB of 6000Mhz frequency RAM will allow for the best performance.

 

[scanon]

You're a legend! Thank you so much for your trouble. You've explained that brilliantly.

Would you recommend me sticking with the Ryzen 9, or to wait till the 7800x3d comes back into stock (performance wise)?

Thank you again.

 

[Scott]

You're a legend! Thank you so much for your trouble. You've explained that brilliantly.

Would you recommend me sticking with the Ryzen 9, or to wait till the 7800x3d comes back into stock (performance wise)?

Thank you again.

I have the 7800X3D and I have no fears whatsoever about it being a great chip for the sim. The 7950X3D did score very slightly higher than the 7800X3D but it's a big difference in price for such a small margin. There can be other complications with core parking, although it's not as much of an issue now.

For simplicity I would wait for the 7800X3D, no real down side with the 7950X3D other than cost though.

 

[scanon]

It's ordered! The next 3-5 working days are going to feel like months!

Thank you all for your kind help in pulling this together.

 

[SpyderTracks]

It's ordered! The next 3-5 working days are going to feel like months!

Thank you all for your kind help in pulling this together.

Ok, take it easy, breathe, we can offer some guidelines to get you through the wait! You won’t be sleeping until a good while after the pc has arrived, so you’re in this for the long haul!

1/. Call work, tell them you’ve caught Ebola while in the Ganges finding ancient artifacts in your lunch break today, and you’re going to need at least a month off.

2/. Go to the shops and pick up 6 cases or so of Pot Noodles (nice and spicy), and some offensive booze such as Cinzano or Stella

3/. Get the kettle and setup on your desk

4/. Thoroughly wash out your wheelie bin, and place in reaching distance of your desk. Get a hosepipe, attach it to your bathroom sink and lead to your desk

5/. Move the kitchen fridge near your desk too. Load with any soft and hard drinks you may require

6/. Get a spare 6 way surge protected multi socket for all the kitchen appliances and to power the pc when it arrives

7/. As you won’t be around people for a while, get rid of your clothes and sit down at the computer. This lessens any washing you’ll need to do

8/. Load the pcspecialist main web site, log in and go to your order to see the status

9/. Press F5 repeatedly until the DPD man rings the doorbell

10/. set up the pc, and game the rest of the month away

Sleep is optional although highly frowned upon during this time

You're not alone, we’ve all been there, whenever you see an Ebola outbreak in the papers, that’s some new PCSpecialist customer preparing themselves. Stay strong, brother 💪

N.B. Other deadly diseases are available, Leprosy is another alternative found to be quite effective for this challenge.

 

[scanon]

😀 Love that!

Thank you!

PMSL