Posted this in wrong category originally . I think I got it right this time.
For some backstory, I’ve played on at Xbox for 3+ years on Microsoft Flight Simulator. I’ve always wanted to get a PC and use that instead of a Xbox. Now is my chance! I’ve got a couple questions about some of the specs in this computer, I’m a first time buyer and have no clue what everything means.
Here are my specs: NSX GAMING PC Desktop AMD Ryzen 5 5500 3.6 GHz, NVIDIA RTX 3050 Ventus 2X Oc, 480 GB NVME SSD, 16GB ( 2*8GB ) DDR4 RGB RAM 3600, 650W Bronze PSU, W11 Built in USA
Again, I’m not really sure what half of this stuff means lol.
Here are my questions:
1- can I run MSFS 2020 and 2024 smoothly? (I have pretty good WiFi)
2-overall, are these specs ok for running games?
3- how much money should I be paying for this.
If anyone else has PC general information that could be beneficial to me or any other PC buyer, please put it out there. I greatly appreciate all of the help I can get.
Hi there, I would suggest getting a larger size SSD Like around 1-2 TB at the least. As far as I can tell you will be able to run both sims together unless I’m wrong…
The pure technical answer is yes, but the caveat will be at what settings. MSFS is very resource intensive, so you will need to keep your settings pretty low to get smooth frame rates. Not just your graphics settings/resolution, but also the amount of AI traffic you use. The AI traffic and LOD settings can really hammer the CPU, and the one in that system is fairly low end. Ideally you’ll want an x3d based CPU, like the AMD 5700X3D or 5800X3D (or newer generation options) if budget allows. Resolution and graphics-wise, you’ll probably be ok at 1080p. Don’t be surprised if performance is not any better than on console, you get the benefit of flexibility. As such, i wouldn’t pay much for that system. Maybe in the $500-$600 range (but I’m not up on full system prices and that could be a bad estimate).
For reference, I started FS20 with an i5-8400 CPU (worse than the one in your suggested build), 16 GB of ram, and a GTX 1060 3 GB GPU, and was getting about 25-30 fps at low settings at 1080p. And to be fair, the sim still looked surprisingly good despite having everything turned down. Obviously it can look much better with a stronger system, but you’ll do ok enough with that one. My biggest concern would be your long term plans and how quickly it’ll be obsolete for you. It’s already on the verge of that for simming, but it could still do ok on less demanding games.
Hi, I too flew a Series X for years before buying a PC a few months ago. My first impression is just how good a Series X is for MSFS 2020 & 2024. I did a LOT of research before buying and here’s the thing: One has to spend quite a LOT of money to beat a Series X. This is because the sim is coded a little differently for Xbox than PC, and that little bit of difference is the key. The PC versions, while far more capable, also require far more hardware to realize their potential, hence the need to spend big time to beat an Xbox.
Sorry to say there is just no point going from a Series X to a discount or bargain mid-level PC, as it will not really deliver much difference, and it might even be worse in some respects. This is just how good a Series X really is. That said, a mid-high level PC with the latest components does deliver, but at a hefty price. Put another way, a Series X delivers 80% of the experience, and that last 20% is very expensive to realize in a PC. YMMV, so may I suggest keeping your Xbox for now and doing some more research?
Unless you’re absolutely certain you know what you’re doing, and you understand the jobs and specifications of the parts being purchased, you will end up extremely disappointed.
In this case, absolutely do not proceed - you will be totally wasting your money.
A PC with the specs listed in your OP will be worse at MSFS than the XBox X, probably much worse. The XB can run MSFS as 4K - that PC absolutely will not. You would also need to scale back levels of detail, traffic, weather and everything else to get it to run acceptably smooth. Yes, you could use DLSS or other trickery to improve FPS a little, but that adds as many problems as it solves. A PC also introduces A LOT of other variables.
To improve performance over the XBox X in a noticeable way, you would need a better CPU, a much better GPU, way more storage, more (and faster) RAM, and a bigger PSU to run it all. Plus appropriate cooling, and likely new flight controls as well.
It will be tempting to get a PC now, especially as price hikes and shortages are coming, but I think you will be very disappointed and disillusioned with a machine as listed in the OP. Save the cash and wait for things to settle down a bit, is my honest & heartfelt advice.
The Series X is equivalent to a PC that has 16 GB of RAM and a Nvidia RTX3060 GPU. This is already above your PC specs. So you will not see an improvement when going for an entry level gaming PC.
For flightsims I would not buy below 12 GB VRAM (like the new RTX 5070) and RAM 32 GB. This should be future proof, let’s say for the next 5-6 years. Resolution 1440p will work very good and if needed upscaling the output to 4K looks fine as well.
After sleeping on it, wondering if OP has fully maxed out what is possible with an Xbox? Adding a one or two TB memory card; flight stick and/or yoke; throttle quadrant; rudder pedals; and other nice things like an Axair MiapPro 24? Had all that running on my Series X way before buying a PC. And a 4k HDR TV? Heaven!
FWIW, the minimum spec that my research suggested for making the move from Series X to PC cost $2,500-3,000 (not including monitor, if needed). Suggest upgrading your Series X set-up instead and save yourself endless PC heartaches.
Sorry to say, but yes that is WAY too low. Even a decent GPU is around double that (or more).
It may be worth looking at a used system (eBay for example) but even so I think you would need to double your budget to get anything significantly better than Xbox (other than the fact you will have access to more mods / freeware etc. But you will need a decent machine to start running any of these extras that open up to you).
Hi. A question on Xbox peripherals. Ive got a stick, rudder pedals, yoke and two throttle quads. I’m looking for some sort of MCDU or advanced AutoPilot system. Any other peripherals that increase realism would be nice.
Where should I look?
My main motivation for wanting to get a PC was for sayintnetions and VATSIM. Are there any equivalents to say intentions that work with Xbox?
. I think I got it right this time.
