I’m new to MSFS. In my early twenties I spend some time flying and have always regretted not getting my pilot’s license. At 68 I feel that Iam a little too old to actually fly so I thought I’d build a flight simulator. I’d like to start off with the basic components needed to start using MSFS. My thought is to give it a try first without spending too much money and then add on as I get more familiar with the SIM. I want to make sure that the components I start with are powerful enough to give me a good initial experience and also provide me the opportunity to enhance the components as I become more proficient. what components you would suggest I start off with in this journey? Thank you!
What kind of aircraft do you plan to fly?
Single-Engine GA
Multi-Engine GA
Business Jets
Military Jets
Airliners
Helicopters
Do you want a 4K cockpit experience with monitor(s)? How about VR?
I’ve built a modest cockpit (since I like interacting with physical controls.)
If I was just getting started, and wanted to build a computer TODAY, I’d go with:
CPU - AMD 7800X3D
GPU - nVidia 4070 Ti Super (or 4080 if I knew I wanted VR.)
RAM - 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5-6400
Power Supply - Highly rated 1000W Gold (don’t cheap out.)
Motherboard - MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
Storage - M.2 NVMe 1TB Gen 4
Secondary Storage - M.2 NVMe 2 TB Gen 4
At least two powered USB 3.0 hubs.
Others will disagree with me on this one: Buy a Sine Wave UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) with enough wattage for your computer. I have a 1500VA unit, and my system typically draws about 650VA (watts.) Clean, stable power can prevent many problems that some people have.
Your flight controls depend a lot on your budget, and the type of flying you want to do.
I would purchase SPAD.Next, join their Discord, and start learning how to use it right from the start. It has a significant learning curve, but it really opens up the sim to your creative ideas, and gives you very granular control over your peripherals in each aircraft you fly.
The next generation of CPU’s and GPU’s are starting to appear, and they’re going to be a significant step up in performance. So if you feel like waiting six months or so…
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Hi @MlplusUSA and welcome to the forums! 
In addition to @BegottenPoet228’s comments above, I’d also ask: How comfortable are you building a PC? Is this something you want to do, would you rather a professional PC builder do it, or would you rather just buy an off-the-shelf PC?
There are pros & cons for each:
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Build your own: Can be a daunting task if you have never done it before, but there are many on these forums that will give advice on hardware, including reviewing proposed components for compatibility with each other, & walk you through the build process. You will also end up with the best PC that matches your budget & what you want / need.
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Buy the parts, have a professional build it. Almost as good as option 1, but will cost more. Not all “professional” builders actually know what they are doing, so it pays to get recommendations of any that you are thinking of using.
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Off-the-shelf PC. The easiest of the three, and often the cheapest, but the PC will not have been built specifically to run MSFS, and MSFS is very demanding on hardware - particularly the CPU / GPU combination, which ideally should be matched to provide the best performance. Often the marketing focuses on the CPU & GPU, and the company makes a bigger profit by skimping on other components like the power supply. This is not to say MSFS will not run on these machines, just that it might not run as well as it could. Also, modifying or upgrading components in the future may be limited or non-existent.
Here are three threads that you may find interesting - all discuss aspects of how to build a PC. I suggest you find a comfortable chair to sit in & have a very large cup of coffee or tea at hand, as there is a lot to read, but by the end you will have a much better idea of what your options are and what is involved in the journey you have just started on… 
Useful if where you live has unreliable electrical infrastucture or your house has flaky wiring and useful if your PC power usage peaks close to your PSU’s power limits (especially if less than gold but IMO a PSU upgrade is probably a better choice). Otherwise an unneccesary expense but there again I’m an old skinflint with a very limited pension.
I bought this already configured and ready to go from a PC shop in NZ. It cost $NZD2000 ($USD1225) all up. Copied MSFS2020 over and and it loaded and ran without a hitch. It is definitely cheaper to go for a pre built and unless you have specific goals in mind, and the easiest route to take. I have built and upgraded my own systems over the years so I have experience in both.
MSI MAG Infinite S3 13NUC-1009NZ RTX 4060 Gaming PC
Intel Core i5 13400F 10 Core - 16GB DDR5 RAM - 1TB SSD + 1TB HDD- Geforce RTX 4060 , AX WiFi 6 + Bluetooth - Win11Home - Keyboard & Mouse - 3 Years Warranty
I run it at ultra settings all maxed out. Resolution 1920-1080. MB on default settings, not overclocking. CPU temp always in the safe zone. FPS. In country areas 80-100 FPS in upgraded cities 40-50 FPS. No CTD, just a few stutters when updating cache. Only peripheral is a joystick. Don’t use VR or any other peripherals.
Really happy with this and it is all ready for MSFS2024. I bought and installed an extra 2 TB SSD specifically for MSFS2024.
You’ve already got the PC advice sorted… But really that’s just the start of it. Key to a good simulation experience is also: the physical setup of your cockpit, the hardware peripherals you use to control and interact with the aircraft and some of the 3rd party software available to you as a PC user.
This video I made of my set up gives you some ideas for a very flexible ‘mid range’ setup I can use to fly pretty much anything between a helo and a 747.
If I have one piece of advice is that it would be to invest in the best yoke/pedals/throttle quadrants you can afford. I started off with cheaper ones and soon ended up upgrading.
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