Want to buy a computer and have it run FS without any issues and have pretty good quality doing so. Without overpaying. Is an rtx gpu necessary? Is 16gb ram or better necessary? This will be what the computer is primarily used for and not worried about other games or video editing and such.
Please see the required specifications below:
I would highly recommend 16GB or better on any new PC build, especially if you plan to play games or do other RAM heavy tasks
I was able to get a decent experience out of my old GTX960 on medium to high graphics. However, I found some areas like KJFK would cause my FPS to drop so low the sim was barely useable. If you can get your hands on an RTX 3060TI, or RTX3070 they offer a good amount of power for a relatively low price point.
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Okay⊠I havenât used AMD for years, so you should definitely get some advice from other users, but Iâll drop a few of my thoughts here as well.
CPU
I am running an i7-8700K which is an 8th gen Intel CPU. They are an older generation now, but they handle the sim very well. Anything along those lines will do well.
Do get a CPU with the âKâ designator. These CPUs are unlocked and can be overclocked. While you may not choose to do this initially, it is wise to preserve the option.
If you are going to overclock your CPU, or you live in a warm environment, consider getting an All in One Watercooler. I recently purchased a Corsair one, it was very easy to install and runs very well.
RAM
Donât get anything less than 16GB. If you can afford it I would recommend getting 32GB.
Before I made my upgrade, I was always running low on RAM. Especially if I had lots of browser tabs open while using MSFS. Since my upgrade, I havenât run into any issues.
Do check the supported RAM speed of your motherboard. I donât know if it is still an issue, but you used to be able to buy RAM that was faster than the support offered by your mobo/cpu. While the RAM still worked it would be slowed down, thus making it a slightly wasted purchase
Storage
At a minimum, you should consider getting a 500GB+ 2.5" SSD for your operating system and core programs. Donât get anything smaller than that as you will find it fills up quick, and it is annoying having to free up space to install Windows updates. I highly recommend the Samsung Evo range, they are fairly cheap and very reliable.
For the rest of your storage needs, you could go for a magnetic hard drive, but I personally recommend sticking with SSDs. The price per GB is higher, but they are smaller in physical size, quieter, and way faster. I phased out all of my magnetics for SSDs about six years ago, and it is one of the best decisions I have made.
GPU
I would suggest buying a new-gen RTX 30X0 card. I canât find it at the moment but Ninvida released a chart during their launch event which showed the newest generation cards (3090, 3080 & 3070) pretty much out preformed the previous generation at every level. They are also fairly cheap.
While you were right in pointing out certain features those cards support are not supported by MSFS yet, they may well be in the future, and they will be on other games. Given the cost of buying a GPU you are better of buying with the future in mind.
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FS doesnât benefit much if any from more than 6 or 8 cores. A 10600k or 10700k would run the game very well.
I will reiterate that an SSD is the way to go for storage.
I would recommend something like a Ryzen 5 5600X or an i7 10700K, 32GB RAM at around 3200MHz and a RTX 3070 (or better). For 4K resolution Iâd consider a 3080.
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I havenât tried using the Sim on a wireless connection as I am generally opposed to WIFI in general so I cannot comment on what impacts it may have.
Download speed is important for two things:
- Downloading and installing updates
- Online services (weather, AI traffic, multiplayer, scenery etc.)
A slower connection, or one prone to failures may limit the quality of (2), and may impact your download speed (1).
So long as you have 20-50Mbps, downloads should not be too bad. They are definitely possible on slower speeds; you just need to be more patient. I have read plenty of reports of people who have a high internet speed who still have slow downloads due to a verity of factors outside of their control.
I would advise against getting the CD version unless you want it as a collectorâs item as:
- It will be horribly out of date and you will still have to install a series of updates.
- If you own the CD version, you are required to keep Disc 1 inserted in your PC while the simulator is running.
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MSFS is licenced in a similar way to Windows 10, namely, it is tied to your Microsoft account. This means if you were to get another computer for whatever reason, you could have it installed on both. However, you can only run one copy at a time.
Game Pass gives you a temporary licence for the Standard version of MSFS. Your licence expires once your Game Pass subscription lapses. It is a really good way to try the simulator and other Game Pass games, but if you want the simulator long term you should buy it outright as you pay a one-time fee rather than a monthly subscription.
Steam vs Windows Store
While Game Pass is only available through the Windows Store, permanent licences are available through Steam and the Windows Store. So you can choose to use whichever platform suits you more.
Please note the Steam version is not an âXbox Play Anywhereâ Title. So if you want to buy one licence that can be used on both Windows and Xbox, you need to buy it through the Microsoft Store
Sim Versions
There are three versions, Standard (the same as Game Pass), Deluxe and Premium Deluxe. Each version has five additional aircraft and five additional bespoke airports over the previous version.
While you can buy a lower version through the Steam or Windows stores and upgrade later on through the in-game marketplace, you will end up paying far more as you miss out on the bundle discount. So if you think you might want the deluxe or premium deluxe versions later, you should buy them now.
Fair warning, some users are rather unsatisfied with the current deluxe/premium deluxe aircraft. Admittedly, Asobo has plenty of work to do here with bug fixes. There will be a sim update targeting airliners this year so my hope is aircraft will start to see significant improvements soon. But these aircraft will not be turned into âstudy-levelâ aircraft. If you are only interested in upgrading for that, I suggest you get a lower level and wait for third-party airliners to come out.
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Donât expect to run MSFS without issue, no matter what system you buy. It has definitely improved since release, and continues to do so.
That being said, there are some very good comments in here. Of course, the more you have to spend, the better. GPU is very important for this game, but without balance in the rest of your system you create bottlenecks that wonât allow your GPU to function optimally.
The simulator is very configurable and can adapt to relatively modest systems. People, including myself get into trouble trying to run settings higher than their systems support. No matter what you buy there will be trade off between quality and performance. If you try to max out both, expect issues.
Closed at the OPâs request.