Long story short - me and my dad are building him a new PC, mainly for running Flight Simulator 2024. We figured this would be a great place to ask some questions about things we’re not sure about yet and optimize our hardware choices.
First things first, we want to have our system build by FENN Systems and my dad likes this one the most. Is there a reason we should NOT pick the Fractal Design North XL?
We are using an AOC Q27G3XMN monitor, 1440p 180Hz and would like to run the game as close to this refresh rate as possible. Maybe we will upgrade to an OLED eventually but stay at 1440p is we do.
The most important questions we have at this moment:
Should we go for a Ryzen 9 X3D or is a Ryzen 7 3XD sufficient for MSFS 2024? I read mixed opinions about this. And while our budget is a bit elastic we would prefer not to spend it on things that make little to no difference.
Will MSFS 2024 have enough with 32GB memory? The price of RAM is so stupid at this moment we do not want to go for 64GB if there is no real need for it.
I watched some YT videos on framerate but things are not that black and white. We assume an RTX 5090 will be needed to achieve our 1440p / 180Hz dreams? Or are we wrong?
I would go for a quality 60hz monitor. Those high refresh monitors are designed for competitive first person shooters. 1440p at 60fps would be perfection. You won’t be able to sustain 180fps even with a 5090.
Get 64GB of RAM. Get as much VRAM as you can afford, but at least 16GB.
Happy days ahead!
I would not be scared to go with a Ryzen 7, I have one in a machine here, and to be honest, I dare to say I do not see a big difference with my main machine that has a Ryzen 9. Keep in mind that the base rule for MSFS remains the same. The CPU determines how many FPS you get, the GPU determines how good they look. A Ryzen 7 is very capable of getting 60 FPS when you avoid DLC that is not optimized for MSFS2024. And 60 steady FPS is what you should aim for.
And 32Gb memory is fine, absolutely. You will hit the limit on graphics memory before you hit the main memory limit.
I would never go for a 60Hz screen, 120 is my personal lowest limit (and I never see the need to get more). But it is not really an issue because 60Hz screens are almost gone by now.
And above anything, it is not the hardware that determines how many FPS you get and how they look. It’s the settings. People spend way too much time looking at FPS counters. I have build systems under $1000 for friends that run the sim just fine.
32 year retired IT Engineer here, last 21 in government and have many of the big IT certs. Over the last 6 months, I have completely rebuilt two systems and built a new one for my daughter. While my systems are always Intel based, I have recently started looking at the Rysen 9’s as I will now upgrade my system to a high-end i9 processor, Intel or AMD.
Current System:
Windows 11 Professional, 64bit (would not go with any other ver.)
Intel I7-14700k / 3.40GHz with 64GB DDR5 XMP-II high performance RAM
High-end M.2 hard drive on the dedicated direct-link processor slot
ASUS Gaming 5070 RTX OC with 16GB VRAM (NOT Ti and most have 12GB)
Creative Labs AE-5 Plus gaming sound card / Logitech Z-5300 300W 5.1 speaker system
Corsair RMX-1000 Gold Power Supply.
LG 45 inch ultra-wide curved Vsync gaming monitor @ 144MHz/1520x1440 connected via Display Port with an OPTICAL cable, no issues with frame rates or anything gaming related. The monitor is installed on a wall mounted arm which can be positioned in any configuration including high which really suits the sim at times.
I do have a complete Logitech/Saitek cockpit with 15 devices on two powered USB 2.0 hubs running SPAD.NEXT. My systems performance in flight sim is 99.99% smooth and stutter-free with everything set high and with the big, curved monitor, you MUST configure it’s setting for what you are doing. The visuals are stunning and I’m setting up to do some YouTube recording through OBS. The only time I get any ‘minimal’ lag is low and fast over heavy graphical areas and I have no complaints. BUT, now that I’ve immersed into it, a high-end i9 is in the works and when I get that, I’ll also apt for a 1500W power supply and on the horizon, a 5090 OC from ASUS. I’ve never gone half-way and it shows professionally with the last 21 in Police/Fire and ran a training org for 20 years. There are a number of settings and tweaks with the monitor, the system, flight sim and all the add-ons and I make it sound difficult, it’s not, it’s just complex. Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome and…like a flight simmer…use a checklist!
The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a great choice if it meets your budget. It’s what I’m using.
32 GB should work fine but you may have to adjust / lower some settings in MSFS to ensure higher refresh rate…
I think you will find that 60 FPS in flight sim is smooth. Trying to get 180 FPS will not be easy, or necessary, for good visuals, in my opinion.
For example, I run a 5090 and I cap my frame rate to 60… actually I cap it to 30, and use 2x frame generation on 3x 120Hz TVs, and spend the extra processing power on increasing TLOD. Vertical Sync is the key, as frame rates can fluctuate and VSync keeps the image from tearing. That’s just one example - many people here will have different examples of techniques you can try.
My best advice is actually to start with the LOWEST settings in MSFS, just to see how it looks and behaves, then incrementally increase settings to see the visual benefit and performance cost, and how your system behaves.
A few settings in MSFS have a lot of impact:
TLOD (Terrain Level of Detail) has a very large impact - it is really “draw distance” of scenery
OLOD (Object Level of Detail) also has a large impact - for ojects close to the aircraft, usually at airports, like ground carts, etc.
Terrain Shadows
Trees
Traffic and Parked Quantities
Turbulence also uses a lot of processing power, turn it down if need be.
Just for my understanding. Do you cap the frame rate using the MSFS grafic settings or do you use the NVIDIA driver setting for capping? Same question for the vsync, ingame or driver? Or do you even tweak the MSFS config file?
@SoleNormal1700
Have you considered building PC yourselves instead of going fully prebuilt? That way you could hand-pick every component, maybe go for an even larger, more airflow-focused PC case and make sure you’re not overpaying for parts that won’t make a real difference in MSFS 2024.
I’m positively suprised by the feedback on this board, thank you very much!
So what I picked up - The 9800X3D is sufficient, no need for the Ryzen 9.
32GB is fine too.
I should focus more on tweaking my settings then tweaking my hardware and stick to 60FPS, even if I were to get a 5090. Can I achieve this 60 target without DLSS? I’d like TLOD and OLOD to be very high…
I understand my display might not be the nicest in terms of colors but I’m not swapping it for a 60Hz one lol. One day we’ll probably get an OLED monitor instead.
I’m not going to explain how many years of experience I have or where I gained it. I’m also not going to describe what I currently do, because that’s completely irrelevant here.
What matters is that we’ve been helping choose PC hardware for a long time, and we consistently recommend building a PC yourself instead of buying a prebuilt system. You get better parts, better value and full control over quality.
If, for some reason, you don’t want to build it yourself, then there are a few things you should understand.
First: for gaming, there are currently no better CPUs than the Ryzen 7 9850X3D and the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. As gamers, we care about FPS - not synthetic benchmark scores in PassMark or Cinebench. Bench numbers don’t win you smoother gameplay - real in-game performance does.
I recently owned three CPUs. All of them were cooled with AIO. The last two were cooled by the Arctic Liquid Freezer III 420 PRO.
Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Ryzen 7 9800X3D
currently Ryzen 7 9850X3D
I gave the Ryzen 7 9800X3D to my son, and yes - it’s the cooler chip.
In terms of performance, the Ryzen 7 9850X3D is the strongest of the three, but it does run a bit warmer under load.
That said, I don’t regret switching to the 9850X3D. The slightly higher temperatures don’t bother me at all. There’s no drama - it basically operates within the same temperature range my Ryzen 7 7800X3D used to run at, so it’s completely manageable.
And to be clear: the 9850X3D isn’t my final target CPU anyway. I change CPUs fairly often, so this is just part of that rotation.
You chose the 9800X3D - that’s a very good decision. With proper cooling, it’ll stay cool and deliver top-tier gaming performance
If we’re talking strictly about RAM, I just want to point out something we’ve actually observed in testing.
With a good, fast DDR5 64GB kit (2x32GB), we saw noticeably better 1% low FPS compared to 32GB (2x16GB). Average FPS wasn’t massively different, but the lows were more stable, especially in heavier scenarios. That extra headroom really helps smooth out frametime spikes.
That said, with MSFS 2024 SU5 beta finally being playable, 32GB should absolutely be enough. MSFS 2024 SU5 beta is behaving much better than earlier builds.
Here are a few additional things worth keeping in mind about RAM:
It should be selected based on compatibility with the motherboard and CPU. Currently, DDR5 memory and motherboards supporting DDR5 are the standard. Memory modules are also divided into two categories: those dedicated for Intel with XMP profiles and those specifically for AMD with EXPO profiles.
There are also universal memory kits that support both XMP and EXPO profiles, with Corsair being an example of a manufacturer that produces these. On the other hand, companies like G.Skill produce memory specifically tailored for either Intel or AMD.
Of course there are exceptions. Some G.Skill memory modules are compatible with both XMP and EXPO profiles.
It’s worth mentioning that there is another classification of memory modules. For example, G.Skill produces A-die and M-die memory modules. The key difference between them is that A-die memory typically allows for better tweaking and overclocking compared to M-die.
This detail is crucial because certain timing values won’t work with M-die while they should be fine with A-die.
So 32GB vs 64GB? If money wasn’t an issue, I’d go 64GB for future-proofing, but RAM prices are crazy right now, so it’s fine to wait and maybe upgrade later - swap 2x16GB for 2x32GB if needed.
I’ve got G.Skill 2x32GB DDR5 6000 CL26 from when prices were reasonable, and it’s been great.
Yes and No
It’s not that simple. Maxing LOD to 400 is brutal on the CPU - there isn’t a CPU yet that can handle LOD 400 on ultra settings in 4K without stutters if you’re not using DLSS or Frame Generation. Some people will say, “Hey, I run LOD 400”, but they forget to mention that they’re mostly flying between islands or over Africa with NVIDIA Frame Generation DLSS or AMD FSR3. That said, as I mentioned before, MSFS 2024 SU5 beta is better optimized, so if the final release ends up similar to the version we’re testing, who knows … maybe LOD 400 could be achievable without stutters or FPS drops even without Frame Generation or DLSS.
Keep in mind, LOD 400 isn’t an issue if you’re flying bush flights, but it can be a problem if you pick something like the Inibuilds Airbus, turn on full traffic, and try landing at KLAX. Many posts on the forums and elsewhere show that such a setting can definitely cause issues.
Anyway, Ryzen 9800X3D is a solid CPU, so LOD shouldn’t be a big concern. Asobo is constantly improving MSFS 2024, so everything should get smoother over time.
Until recently, I had a Gigabyte RTX 4090 Gaming OC. I ran it with the three CPUs I mentioned above at 2K resolution on an MSI MAG 271QPX E2 OLED monitor, and let’s be honest, 2K on ultra settings was really pushing this GPU to its limits - it was maxed out without DLSS or Frame Generation.
I realized it wasn’t really up to snuff for 4K when I switched to a 4K monitor and still played without DLSS or Frame Generation, since those technologies aren’t for me - I can clearly see their drawbacks. After moving to the OLED 4K AOC Agon Pro AG326UD, I confirmed exactly what I suspected: RTX 4090 just isn’t strong enough for 4K ultra settings without DLSS or FG. So, I went ahead and got the RTX 5090 Gaming OC. As you can see, it’s the same model but a newer generation and again Gigabyte - here’s why I stick with Gigabyte …
I recommend choosing a Gigabyte model due to its high-quality coils, which do not produce coil whine like those of other manufacturers.
I had the chance to test RTX 4090 GPU from MSI and Gigabyte. 3 MSI cards had loud coil whine which was very annoying.
RTX 4090 Gaming OC from Gigabyte didn’t have any issues with coil whine.
I still have my RTX 4090 Gaming OC, packed in its original box and still under warranty, waiting for the moment I’m ready to sell it.
As for the RTX 5090 Gaming OC that I currently have, I can’t imagine using any other GPU for 4K gaming without DLSS and FG. If you don’t want to get frustrated, grab an RTX 5090 while they’re still in stock. Yes, I know the price is shocking … so much that when I was finalizing the purchase, my bank actually called to make sure I really wanted to spend that much on a GPU. After confirming I wasn’t crazy, they approved the purchase (I even wrote about this on a forum). So, if you’re going 4K, it’s RTX 5090.
You mentioned wanting to play at 60FPS, 2K with LOD 400, and this is exactly where the RTX 5090 can help - you’ll be able to play on max settings, and as for LOD, I already mentioned that above.
If you don’t want an RTX 5090, keep in mind that for MSFS 2024, a GPU should have at least 16GB of VRAM. To run the game in 2K at ultra settings and maintain 60 FPS, you’ll need a GPU that’s powerful enough to handle that workload - for example: RTX 4090, RTX 5080 or RTX 5070TI.
Just a heads up, VA panels aren’t really the best for flight sims like MSFS because of the color handling - they’re more geared toward esports, though TNs might even be better in that regard.
You’re right not to swap for a 60Hz one, don’t limit yourself for no reason.
About picking a monitor - you’ll definitely notice the difference if you move to a good IPS, but here’s a tip: once you see how colors pop against true black on an OLED, you won’t want anything else. I know because I switched from IPS to OLED.
OLED is pure magic on its own - that black isn’t that silvery-grey you get on IPS. Now I really know what true black looks like flying at night in MSFS 2020/2024 or playing Elite Dangerous. OLED is absolutely something you’ll fall in love with.
Don’t worry about OLED burn-in, modern monitors have lots of tech for that, like pixel shifting, pixel refresh cycles … Manufacturers even include warranties that cover burn-in.
Even if I buy a new monitor every 3 years, I don’t want to go back
(I even wrote about this on a forum). So, if you’re going 4K, it’s RTX 5090.