Components needed to set up MSFS

Hi @MlplusUSA and welcome to the forums! :grinning:

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:

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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… :small_airplane: