Hi, long time user of MSFS2020 here.
I’m currently running a i7-9700K @ 3.6GHz on a Z390 mobo with 32Gb RAM and a 2080RTX GPU.
I want a new system for MSFS2024 with VR (I will also be using it for photo editing).
I’d like to call on the wonderful community here to help me with required specs for the PC and any advice on VR headsets - I know absolutely nothing about them!
Many thanks in advance 
What is your budget for the computer?
What 2D resolution will you be using when not flying VR?
Are you married to Intel CPU’s?
Are you married to nVidia GPU’s?
Do you intend to overclock anything?
Our resident VR users can advise you on that topic.
(But if it was me, I’d go with the Pimax Crystal Light.)
Hi BegottenPoet228,
What is your budget for the computer? Probably £4k for everything (including VR headset)
What 2D resolution will you be using when not flying VR? 3440 x 1440 @ 60 Hz
Are you married to Intel CPU’s? No
Are you married to nVidia GPU’s? No
Do you intend to overclock anything? Probably not
Thanks. Here’s my initial idea. $3,076.96 (£2427.55) as shown.
Of course my list is showing me prices in the US. YMMV…
Gotta LOVE that exchange rate!
I went with the 7950X3D (which I have) instead of the less expensive 7950X. The difference is that the ‘X’ doesn’t have the Vcore cache, but it’s about $140 cheaper than the X3D version. I thought about the 9900X, but with your budget (and for video editing) you want 16 cores. You could wait for the 9950X3D, but we’re trying to stay in budget, and the 7xxx-series are very capable CPU’s.
If you were just gaming I’d choose the 9800X3D. It’s the best pure gaming CPU available today. But the 7950X3D (or 7950X) is a better choice for balanced gaming/productivity workflows.
Note: I’m not sure whether the X3D cache is being used to advantage by FS24. I’ve seen a couple of reports here that It doesn’t seem to matter. More testing is needed. If it turns out that X3D offers little benefit, then save money and get the 7950X instead.
I chose an nVidia GPU because most video editing software uses CUDA cores, and you want nVidia for that. I picked the RTX 4080 because the 4090 is so ridiculously expensive. The 4090 is the best choice for VR, though…
The 4080 Super doesn’t offer much value over the 4080. The sticking point right now is an issue with how FS24 uses DX12. I think the 16GB VRAM on the 4080 will be fine - once they fix what appear to be memory leaks that chew up all available VRAM.
I hope some of our other knowledgable folks here will review my suggestions, and make some of their own.
The Corsair PSU is Tier A.
That’s the same RAM I have, and it works well.
The AsRock Phantom Gaming is a very good motherboard, and an amazing value.
As you can see, this build leaves you around $1000 for a VR headset, which is about what the Pimax Crystal Light costs, and you have money left for a decent HDR1000 monitor, which will VASTLY improve your 2D experience over the cheaper HDR10 monitors out there.
I did not include an OS, keyboard/mouse, monitor, USB powered hubs, or any other misc. parts.
I did include the 3-pack of Lian-Li fans. You’ll want to replace the 2 front fans that come with the Corsair case. The included rear fan is fine.
Also, I stayed away from RGB. You can substitute flashy light parts if you want. 
I’m running:
7900x3D AIO Water cooled
4090 AIO Water cooled
64GB DDR5 / Gen 4 4TB x 2 NvME
Pimax Crystal headset
Most settings that are GPU constrained are on ULTRA (most settings)
LOD is low at 50 to prevent mainthread overrun
have traffic (air/car/sea) low
I’m running fixed/dynamic foveated rendering (eye tracking)
I get around 33-36 fps around large cities or airports, higher obviously when in the clouds etc… I have the pimax set to 72hz so that 36 is half framerate.
looks pretty good, still have some stuttering once and a while.
Definately not as good performance as 2020.
Also… from what I’ve noticed if I could upgrade my system at all, it would be CPU not GPU that I would need more of at the moment.
That’s brillliant, thanks BegottenPoet228, that gives me a good starting point. You mention video editing a couple of times, I won’t be doing that, but I will be doing photo editing (Lightroom, Photoshop) as photography is my other hobby. Would that make much of a difference?
And I won’t be going RGB, no need for that distraction IMHO!
Thanks trevoC655, that’s very useful info, particularly on FPS. I might stretch myself to a 4090, or should I wait for a 50** series?
For 2020 VR, the answer was “as good as you can possibly afford”.
For 2024, unfortunately it’s “as good as you can possibly afford + more”
I’ve refunded and won’t come back until they optimize something or I can get a 5090, whatever comes first. if that tells you anything 
My inner ‘Carnac The Magnificent’ on point! Somehow I had the feeling you weren’t an RGB guy. 
Video Editing is WAY more demanding on CPU and GPU than Photo Editing.
So in your case I would narrow my focus to the sim and especially VR.
The 7950X3D I spec’d is still a great choice, but really a 9800X3D and a 4090 would be a solid choice. No need to change anything else, unless you want to spend more for the best X870 motherboard out there (which is the AsRock Taichi.)
You could wait until the 5090 is released, but the price will be ridiculous, and the 4090 has proved itself. You don’t need to wait on the 9950X3D.
VR headsets are constantly evolving. You could start saving for the Varjo XR-4, which is the highest resolution, widest FOV offered to the consumer market. It’s only $2,990.00. 
Or you could get a Quest 3 for $500.00. Many people love theirs, but personally, I wouldn’t buy a headset that didn’t have DisplayPort connectivity.
I don’t think you currently need a 5090. My 4090 is never 100%. If I were to piece together a system now it would be a 9800x3D (most imporant part) and a 4090. I’m not sure that you would see 100% with the 4090 and 9800x3D either so a 5090 would be overkill IMO. I have the GPU settings almost maxed. Its LOD (CPU) stuff that has me bogged on the 7800x3D. I’m considering a 9800x3D upgrade soon.
