Thanks for that timely info - i’m probably ordering stuff today 
I’ll revisit my specs.
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That looks awesome, I hope you have a lot of fun opening the boxes, putting it all together and running MSFS on it for the first time!
If you put the cpu cooling radiator in the top like in my picture, make sure you fit and wire absolutely everything else first, as it’ll mask the sockets at the top of the motherboard - I found this out to my cost! Since that was taken, I have moved the radiator to the front of the case and found this gives slightly lower CPU temperatures, as well as looking less cramped.
You don’t need any of the rgb turned on if you don’t fancy it, but if you do there is a small button on the top front of the case, which when held down for a few seconds will sync ALL of the rgb together with the case. It’s easy to miss in the manual, but it saved me hours of time messing around with different manufacturers argb software, as they don’t normally play together well.
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Nice, sounds like front is the way to go then, I don’t want RGB, never appealed to me, its the screen I look at not the case
I’ll be ordering today
All the rear sockets, the USB’s, ethernet, audio ports etc. are on the motherboard, and the video outputs from the GPU (HDMI or preferably Display Port) are on the GPU itself. There are holes in the back of the case which the motherboard and the GPU align with, so giving you access to all the sockets.
The little RGB button on the front of the case syncs and cycles through the various RGB settings and can also be used to turn it all off, you just need to keep pressing it.
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Thanks
with the windows 11, do i just do a free download and then buy a keycode/license? I used to do it that way years back, seems the keycodes are around £25 ??
I’m not 100% certain, but I think if you buy a code from anyone other than Microsoft then it’s potentially not an official licensed product in your name. I believe it is exactly the same software though, and most people find it works fine.
I already had an older PC that was running Win 10, and when I built the new one I was able to download the OS onto a USB drive and transfer it over to the new PC using my original activation keycode. I was then able to upgrade to Win 11, which I prefer.
If it was me starting out fresh, I’d buy it from Microsoft on a USB for the security and peace of mind. Then you have a physical product which is legally and officially yours, and you can save updates to it or use it to set up a new PC in the future.
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Is it really a good idea to pay more for a 16 core 3.2ghz processor compared to the cheaper 12 core 3.6ghz? I don’t have a PC for MSFS but everything I’ve read suggests maximum clock speed is the most important factor and MSFS will only use a few cores.
I presumed the same when I built my pc and opted for the i7, but having been stuck with a CPU bottleneck ever since, in hindsight I think the i9 would have been a better bet.
I don’t know exactly how much difference it makes, but the i9 has a faster turbo max speed compared to the i7 and it also has a slightly larger on-board cache. According to users of the AMD X3D processor, a larger cache seems to pay big dividends with MSFS.
Currently MSFS does only heavily use a few cores of the CPU, but as the DX12 implementation evolves and improves, it makes sense to me to have as much processor space and speed available as you can.
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OK USB it is - PRO version or HOME?
I’m definitely not qualified to advise on the precise in’s and out’s regarding the differences between Home and Pro.
I have the home version, and for gaming and general pc usage I don’t think there are any differences in system performance between the two.
From a quick search, it seems the differences in Pro are more for business and enterprise users, but there are also some additional security features:
Windows 11: What’s The Difference Between Home & Pro? | Tech Advisor
Ok, thanks, from past experience the main change was network sharing, screen sharing etc.
Probably ok on Home version.
Talking of security, do gamers lump there PC with antivirus junk or not these days?
FWIW, and IMHO, built-in Windows Defender security (in Windows 11) is perfectly adequate of you are behind a router and are a savvy browser on the internet. If you are conservative about where you browse and you practice safe measures when clicking links in emails, etc., you should be perfectly fine. Third party virus/security apps are fine, but typically heavy on resources. YMMV.
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Agree. I have used Defender in some form or other since Windows 7, possibly Vista, which I ran for two years.
A good NAT firewall, as well as using something like Quad9 for DNS is adequate. If you want to go further, have a look at a Raspberry Pi PiHole, if you feel like getting your hands a little dirty. They can’t get to you, or rather you to them, if your machine cannot even resolve their IP.
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Again, I’m not qualified to advise you on pc security, but I have seen posts on here where people get conflicts and issues / crashes with MSFS, or sometimes problems with add–ons due to 3rd party AV software and firewalls. They have also been accused of slowing games, but Idk if that’s true.
I used Norton for a while, as a year’s subscription came free with my Gigabyte motherboard, and you might find similar with your Asus board. I did a bit of googling and forum searching and lots of MSFS users are satisfied with Windows Defender.
Slightly OT now, but one important thing occurred to me from your last build list - Does the Pure Loop CPU cooler you listed definitely fit the socket 1700 of the 12th gen i9 CPU? I think there is a difference between ‘Pure Loop’ and ‘Pure Loop 2.’ According to the CCL website, only the later model fits the new chip, best to be sure!
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Thanks,
I just rang the supplier and it seems they are all 1700 compatible now so thats cool.
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Awesome build man, nice job.
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Parts are all on order, my wallet looks like a shrivelled prune now
That’s very kind, thank you!
It looks way better and more spacious now, with the radiator in the front instead of the top and the cooler tubes routed better. I keep thinking I should do something about that 24-pin cable though, maybe once I finish the Canada bush trips…