New Simmer - Review of PC & Peripherals Requested

User Support Hub Hardware & Peripherals
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New here, thanks for admitting me. I retired from the Air Force after 38 years and after flying for a living for over four decades domestically and internationally, I’m only just flying for fun. I’m now researching everything so I can buy ASAP a PC to fly helicopters and airplanes with VR goggles first then add the table with avionics and three monitors for the wrap around experience.

This is what I have up to now on my list of things to buy:

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D (8-Core) 5.2 GHz Turbo (3D V-Cache) (Zen 5)
1x GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16GB (VR Ready)
OR
1x GeForce RTX 5080 16GB (VR Ready) ($500 more than 5070 Ti)
64GB DDR5 6000MT/s Kingston FURY RGB
MSI PRO X670E GAMING PLUS (Wi-Fi) (AMD X670) (Up to 3x PCI-E Devices) (DDR5)
1000W Digital Storm Performance Series (Semi-Modular) (80 Plus Gold)
1x SSD M.2 (2TB Digital Storm M.2 Performance Series) (NVM Express)
1x SSD (1TB Samsung 870 EVO) (for backing up the system)
High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
H20: Stage 3: Digital Storm Vortex Liquid CPU Cooler (Triple Fan) (Fully Sealed + No Maintenance)
Microsoft Windows 11 Home (64-Bit)

MSFS 2024 Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 - Microsoft Flight Simulator

SAMSUNG 34" Odyssey G5 Ultra-Wide (Main Monitor) Amazon.com

Next Level Racing Flight Simulator Pro frame https://nextlevelracing.com/products/flight-simulator-pro/

Next Level Racing motion base https://nextlevelracing.com/products/motion-plus-platform/

Butt Kicker seat shakers ButtKicker Gamer PLUS | Haptic Transducer with Power Amplifier – ButtKicker Haptics

Virpil Rotor TCS Plus Collective VIRPIL US | VPC Rotor TCS Plus Base Upgraded

Virpil Hawk-60 Collective Grip VIRPIL US | VPC Hawk-60 Collective Grip

Virpil WarBRD-D Cyclic Base VIRPIL US | VPC WarBRD-D Base

Virpil WarBRD Cyclic Grip VIRPIL US | VPC WarBRD Grip
OR
Thrustmaster F16 grip Amazon.com: Thrustmaster F-16C Viper Hotas Add-On Grip /2960848 : Video Games

Virpil RI-FALCON Rudder Pedals https://virpil-controls.us.com/r1-falcon-rudder-pedals.html
OR
Thrustmaster TPR Pedals Amazon.com

Pimax Crystal Light VR Headset Amazon.com
OR
Meta Quest 3 Meta Quest 3 Mixed Reality Headset - 128gb : Target

Then once I have it working and I can start enjoying it, I’ll order:

Next Level Racing Free Standing Triple Monitor Stand (NLR-A010) Amazon.com

SAMSUNG 34" Odyssey G5 Ultra-Wide Monitor (2 more of these for the sides) Amazon.com

Flight Velocity Pro Series Console Flight Velocity Pro Series Model 6 UDM - FVPro6UDM

FlightSimBuilder G1000 (2 of these for PFD & MFD) FlightSimBuilder G1000 Suite

Honeycomb Alpha Flight Yoke Amazon.com

Honeycomb Bravo Flight Throttle Amazon.com

Am I on the right track? What am I missing? Anything I should avoid or replace?

Thank you again !

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Hi @StopFour4396 and Welcome to the Forums!

I’ve created this topic for you in User Support Hub > Hardware & Peripherals so that other users can assist. I think you’ll get a better response here than in the New Simmers topic where you originally posted (though as a new simmer that was perfectly OK to do). :slightly_smiling_face:

Regards,
The Volunteer Moderator Team

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Thank you !

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If you want to fly ASAP as you said, unfortunately you probably need to skip Virpil. Most of their stuff currently has a delivery time of several months :unamused_face:
Pay attention to their small “back order” info in the shop.

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What type?

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I assume the two graphics cards in the list is just your potential options (you don’t need 2)? Go with the 5080 out of those. EDIT: just seen the “OR”, so yeah! :slight_smile:

The current generation of motherboards is X870 (not 670) so for the same price you could get an X870E I think.

Is the RAM a kit of 2x 32gb or 4x 16gb? I’d say the better brands for AMD are either G.Skill or Corsair Dominator Platinum but you need to check the EXACT model number appears on the motherboard vendors QVL list for whichever board you’re getting, to be safe.

The Virpil collective is really great. Depending what type of helis you want to fly consider a different grip. I went with the Sharka as it’s easier to grab in VR and more like a regular civilian type grip. Don’t regret it.

As for 3 screens I’d say once you’ve been in VR, you won’t want to fly on flatscreen except maybe for large passenger airliners where you don’t really need to be looking around a lot (hence my question in the post above) so you could probably save a lot there.

I don’t know how the NLR motion rig compares to DOF Reality ones but I think the latter are much better.

There are 4 new VR headsets coming out this year so depending how much you can wait, it would be worth deferring that. But maybe for now get a used Quest 3 and then you could sell it and not lose too much if one of the newer ones ends up looking like a worthy upgrade.

Either way, if you really want flat screens as well as a motion rig I’d say you DON’T want free standing stand. If the rig is moving but your screens stay where they are that would be super duper weird!

Also there are a lot of new force feedback devices coming very soon (yoke, stick, rudders, even throttle quadrants!) which I think you’d enjoy. So again maybe the kit you buy now should be just to get you going and leave options open for upgrades.

The upgrade and improvement road is never ending anyway, so you won’t really be missing out in the short term as it’s always fun to look for the next thing you want to add or replace! :slight_smile:

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Just looked and this is very very expensive for what you get. It only moves the chair, right? So your controls stay in fixed place. That is bad!

For the same sort of price you can get a DOF H3 (and I know how I can get you a discount on top). Take a look at this:

In actual fact it’s cheaper as you won’t also need to buy a separate frame from NLR! I think you need to buy a seat though (not sure).

The H6 is a bit more expensive but has heave and sway movements too.

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Digital Storm is a company that builds pre-built PCs, but their “Performance Series” components are usually OEM parts - produced by other manufacturers and rebranded under their name. So, for example, the “1000W Digital Storm Performance Series” PSU is likely made by a bigger brand, but without specific details, it’s hard to judge its quality. More importantly, their 1000W PSUs are only ATX 3.0 ready, not ATX 3.1, which means they’re basically worthless in terms of future-proofing.

On top of that, the “2TB Digital Storm M.2 Performance Series” SSD is only Gen3 - not even Gen 4. This clearly shows they’re cutting corners and stuffing their builds with outdated hardware while still charging premium prices.

Because of this and other reasons, I wouldn’t recommend buying from Digital Storm. If you want a high-quality PC, it’s much better to build one yourself with properly branded components.

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The Wilga, because I own one in real life, is the one I’ll fly the most but of course I’ll try most of the light single and multi engine planes.

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Oh wow!! The Wilga is my favourite plane in the sim! I’m sure “VR Only” is the way forwards then!

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This is why I posted here !!! Thanks guys for the advice. I’ll go back to the drawing board and start reading up more regarding the individual parts. It took me over 4 days of reading just about CPUs and GPUs to come up with the 9800X3D and RTX-5070ti, so I should have just asked here first, but now I have a better starting point to keep searching.

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Here it is in my new hangar beside my RC WIlga. Redirecting...
This is my grass runway in Texas Vaca Moo Airport: A Little Facility with Texas-Sized Heart - FLYING Magazine

Carlos

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Lots of good advice in here, but of course I have to add my two cents… :wink:

I’ll disagree with my friend Baracus here and recommend the X670E motherboard. Why? The only real difference between it and the X870E is USB 4. Not enough to justify the higher cost of premium X870E motherboards. There are differences in each based on choices made by the manufacturers. Check out this video for an X670E tier list. And this one for an X870E tier list. If you want the latest and greatest (and it sounds like you have the budget) then by all means get an X870E. But get a Tier 1 board, whichever chipset you choose.

RAM: Make sure the RAM you choose is on the motherboard QVL. I also like G.Skill and Corsair. Look for Hynix-A (Hynix-M is fine, but A gives you better voltage tolerances.) I think 2x32GB DDR5-6400 is the sweet spot (look for CL32 or less.)

I don’t do a motion platform, but I hear DOF Reality is a better choice. The suggestions about making sure the 2D monitor is attached to the platform is a good one.

I have the original Honeycomb Alpha/Bravo and it works fine, but if I had the budget (and space) I’d focus on the new force feedback offerings from companies like FlightSim and Brunner (high-end) Moza (mid-range) and WinWing (more budget-oriented.

Honeycomb has gone through some turbulent times, and I’m unsure about their future.

I have the Virpil joystick/collective controls, and they are excellent. But like Baracus said, the wait time is significant.

I think both of the rudder options you listed are good. I personally have the MFG Crosswinds, which I love.

I’ve been waiting for VR headsets to catch up with my wish list so I can replace my old Reverb G2 anchor. I’m finally interested in one - the Bigscreen Beyond 2e.
It starts at $1219.00 (extra for the audio option and the upcoming halo strap) but for the money it’s hitting all the right buttons for me.

Looks like you are on your way to a great setup!
And I’m jealous you have a real Wilga! Like Baracus, it’s one of my favorite planes in the sim.

AND you own an airfield!!! I’m going to find it, fly there (in the sim) then hop out and drive to Ben Wheeler’s in my //42 Juice Goose!

If you have Lat/Long coordinates that’d make it easier. :wink:

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Thanks for that reply, lots to google now. The airport is TA37 and a friend of mine did a pretty good rendering of it here. I don’t know how to download it or anything, he just sent me this link and it looks a lot like my airport used to look about 5 years ago LOL. https://flightsim.to/file/59664/vaca-moo-airport-ta37?fbclid=IwAR2-yr0iRti3wF8ydmS2XtZyAtbXhOfPKRWWMnF_hl2FCza2oRNMmZnRgog

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Your about to get as many varied answers as the length of your list.
I won’t begin to make any real recommendations as EVERYONE has different needs and requirements.

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Yes, I know, but the more recommendations, the better I can get at learning everything I’ll need to know, like AI :laughing:

Of course it might take me until summer to get through everything and finally place my order and by then new cards will come out and I’ll have to start all over again :rofl: :rofl:

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Oh great :laughing: I watched both of the videos about the X670E and the X870E and lots of great info, then I read the comments. There seems to be no rhyme or reason for the selections. Some do mention why they chose a specific one but in order to understand that I must be way more knowledgeable. Like how many ports do I need? How many lanes? How many HDMI ports? How many USB ports? :exploding_head: :exploding_head: :exploding_head:

Then I realized that the video is 2 years old so is this still reliable?

By the time I get my sim computer put together and I get the collective and cyclic from Virpil to fly my sim helicopter, I’ll be so old I won’t be able to fly my real plane.

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I wouldn’t over think it mate! Either of those will be fine. More USB ports on the board is always good but you can always get a USB hub (powered) to expand.

With hardware there will always be something better “coming soon” but at some point you just have to go for it.

Any current generation system will see you right for a good few years using MSFS. Just dive in and deal with it a bit at a time after that and it will be easier!

YOLO so get going and have fun!

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Agreed. I’ll get something together this weekend and post it. As long as you guys don’t find anything that will stop it from working, I’ll order it !

I’ve already flown my real Wilga and my RC Wilga, now I want to fly the MSFS Wilga !!

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With all this recent knowledge you guys have given me I couldn’t just go watch TV so I kept researching and made sure I found the motherboard and RAM to be compatible, less than CL32, G.Skill, Tier 1, name brand power supply, ATX3.1 compliant, Gen5 SSD,

I came up with these parts and I included links to make it easy for you to see which one I’m talking about in case the name isn’t clear. I don’t care about the case being all colorful and I’ll never have even close to 150Mbps internet here where I live.

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D (8-Core) 5.2 GHz Turbo (3D V-Cache) (Zen 5)
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/amd-ryzen-7-9800x3d-8-core-16-thread-4-7-ghz-5-2-ghz-max-boost-socket-am5-unlocked-desktop-processor-silver/6606318.p?skuId=6606318&ref=212&loc=20967693763&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwnPS-BhBxEiwAZjMF0q2cYNmkTI7KRCgNMfdkA5VR4yq-QAmezaotjghifNvMq71hb0QGwBoC8pEQAvD_BwE

Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5080 GAMING OC
https://marketplace.nvidia.com/en-us/consumer/graphics-cards/gigabyte-geforce-rtx-5080-gaming-oc/

G.SKILL Trident Z5 Neo RGB Series 64GB (2x32GB) PC RAM DDR5 6000 CL30 (PC5 48000)

Gigabyte GA-X870E AORUS ELITE WIFI7 (54)

CORSAIR RM1000e (2025) Fully Modular, Low-Noise ATX 3.1 & PCle 5.1 Compliant, (80 Plus Gold)
https://www.amazon.com/CORSAIR-RM1000e-Modular-Low-Noise-12V-2x6/dp/B0DPR5RZ1T/ref=sr_1_9?c=ts&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.FGQwOr1MKzGorLT1qZyJjiXTiKN1RBVmgi9RHc2o8soAReXMHNP53S9fuJHpEemqGRT1PVNeN4XIAzJbCQsIM-WVL0leAvCnT7b3y7Y4gH3HI8d0I5KoIt3hm0fnISI_0yCKiH2tbPX6DQ250kAKAXrIJfG0de3HCHv3RwyF9xyCSE2TMZrkXD7NIL7IR8XVbcbeecev668uwQhUprups1kbWh-7dsJhQilQyaen9qh0qvR1eZfDBYeYa6JVgKJWCR3oP2DHrkc287HOHNkqRebWp6dfCvy1ckvVy4zsVCAcCXqPKeBQO8Ifd6byw__jmtMBgUrnB4YEEpsy3aJwCqyCEde5I4wId-0c9AXzfXU.OmTNT773JdjdmXBYsji3AlniIL4lgOcrFpbFMjdwCws&dib_tag=se&keywords=Computer%2BPower%2BSupplies&qid=1742608426&refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_two_browse-bin%3A6906988011&rnid=6525659011&s=pc&sr=1-9&ts_id=1161760&th=1

SAMSUNG 990 PRO SSD NVMe M.2 PCle Gen4, M.2 2280
https://www.amazon.com/SAMSUNG-Internal-Expansion-MZ-V9P2TOB-AM/dp/B0BHJJ9Y77?th=1

SAMSUNG 990 PRO SSD 1TB PCle Gen4 M.2 2280 (for backing up the system)
https://www.amazon.com/SAMSUNG-Internal-Expansion-MZ-V9P2TOB-AM/dp/B0BHJF2VRN?th=1

Fractal Design Pop XL Silent Black ATX Sound Damped Solid Panel Full Tower Case
https://www.newegg.com/black-fractal-design-pop-xl-atx-full-tower/p/N82E16811352181?Item=N82E16811352181

TP-Link 2.5GB PCle Network Card (TX201)
https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-2-5GB-PCIe-Network-TX201/dp/B0BG685PKM?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&gQT=1

MSI MAG Coreliquid A13 360 - AIO ARGB CPU Liquid Cooler - 360mm Radiator - LGA 1700/1851 /
AM5/AM4 Compatible - Triple 120mm ARGB PWM Fans, Black
https://www.amazon.com/MSI-MAG-Coreliquid-A13-360/dp/B0DM4BRSV5/ref=sr_1_11?crid=MLXUWYSCGR0A&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.S_bQa9OrzBciBSnhdWryEwpqOHmuhuPVhvHullhSD8z4LfjGi7J-44zTqj-Q2bmlXDwX3omrARHmAS73SvKYQXT6XkB5nNfnJEdfpgE79UbV1A4d-vpMXTNqZbFL-GsQLO89GtL2DCGV0bEvxCBUxJd6J2kV60H4ZWlLYCI3CG-7wYaRkTkQlR75UMwY5ALskAdmA8tCTEj_Y3PMNkfJ5B-Yk9Xp9mtWxw6iODIczZRr0qXgCXfkHTCcq2SDDdx5jQGbY9IKQU1_aOQ5ksgruKM20mEnXuVBareCepsvW6UaMwvW6f9Pdc8V5vX1jM1tYVvYSB0fUnHxoRREFSQx25f4SSmkjKPYu4o-Qp4F-00.74E0xfUoqaHk1_NHnFtnKQvaMxSlGwqk2osLNvhmDdc&dib_tag=se&keywords=Vortex+Liquid+CPU+Cooler&qid=1742613418&s=electronics&sprefix=vortex+liquid+cpu+cooler%2Celectronics%2C110&sr=1-11

Microsoft Windows 11 Home (64-Bit)

MSFS 2024 Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 - Microsoft Flight Simulator

SAMSUNG 34" Odyssey G5 Ultra-Wide (Main Monitor) Amazon.com

I have to study more to decide between the two motion bases, and the 2 VR goggles. I also have to decide if I want to wait for Virpil or I’m going with Thrustmasters, Moza, or Winiwngs. I can’t find another collective besides Vitpil so any advice qould be highly welcomed.

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