Gaming PC For MSFS 2020 ULTIMATE Performance – No Compromise!
MSFS 2020 is a pretty incredible flight simulator and it demands a powerful gaming PC. I thought I would do some research and find the best components to build an awesome gaming PC for MSFS 2020 in 2022.
If you are considering a gaming PC build then best let’s see what’s available now together.
- MSFS 2020 Recommended Specs
- The Fastest Gaming PC CPU 2022
- Gaming PC MSFS 2020 GPU OPTIONS
- Resolution Considerations
- GPU Costs
- Motherboard – Gaming PC MSFS 2020
- Cost CPU – GPU – Motherboard
- RAM – How Much and How Fast!
- Gaming PC MSFS 2020 Storage SSD
- Cooling – Gaming PC for MSFS 2020
- Power a Gaming PC for MSFS 2020
- PC Gaming Case – It’s a Personal Choice.
MSFS 2020 Recommended Specs.
Microsoft recommends a gaming PC for MSFS 2020 with the following specifications. These are deemed to give you a great experience but if you want the best you need to get the best PC you can afford.
These specifications are pretty good. The performance at this recommended level is good for sure. It is certainly not the best currently available. If you want to fly in Virtual Reality (VR ) and get the full fluid experience then get the best and you will be great for years.
The Fastest Gaming PC CPU 2022
Let’s check out what the fastest CPU is currently for our proposed build. This can determine some of our sub components like motherboard and RAM selection as well as it’s speed.
The leader in CPU’s for gaming in 2022 is held by the INTEL I9-12900k which delivers unbridled gaming performance. The performance of the I9 brings 12 cores and 24 threads at a cost of $589 US. It has a good speed range from 3.2 which is a bit low but goes all the way to 5.2Ghz. That’s an impressive high performance CPU for our gaming pc.
There are some other advantages like DDR5 support so our RAM (Random Access Memory) will certainly assist in the realm of performance. The design of the I9 offers 8 specific performance cores as well as 8 efficient cores totaling in 24 threads. We are concerned with the P Cores as they are the one relevant to gaming performance. The efficiency cores are only dedicated to background processors.
The INTEL I9-12900k needs plenty of power with 125 watt at base speed up to 245 watts at max boost performance when achieving 5.2Ghz. Note this when selecting a power supply. Memory is another important factor with the I9 able to utilize DDR4 3200Mhz or even better DDR5 up to 4800 Mhz. That’s fast!
Gaming PC MSFS 2020 GPU OPTIONS
The GPU is going to be hard fought between the AMD or NVIDIA flagships so let’s check out the performance benchmarks in MSFS 2020.
The Best GPU looks to be the Nvidia RTX 3090 with the AMD 6900XT just behind it. The next choice in third place then RTX 3800. It’s a pretty close race and will depend on your resolution choice when playing. You may just want to not compromise and just get the best of everything. There are choices but we are going to be pig headed and just get the best.
Resolution Considerations
If your a 4K pilot then the best will simply be the choice. If your flying in 1440 the GPU is still very important so a 3070 or equivalent may be fine if finances are a consideration. For the 1080P pilots which statistics say is still the most of you then the CPU is more your focus as shown in many gaming benchmarks at this resolution.
GPU Costs
NVIDIA RTX 3090 – $2899 (Amazon)
Motherboard – Gaming PC MSFS 2020
The motherboard is the foundation of a premium PC gaming system for MSFS 2020. The motherboard governs what components and the performance by providing the highest bandwidth for components to share data. It will govern how much RAM as well as it’s maximum speed and type of RAM such as (DDR4/DDR5). Currently it’s being reported that DDR5 with its higher speeds only perform up to 10% better and are more than twice the cost of current DDR4 RAM. I would recommend considering the costs to benefit when your considering your options. Supporting the Intel I9 12600k you require a great Z690 motherboard so let’s see what the experts recommend. NOTE: Ensure your chosen MOB supports the type of RAM your intending buy. Motherboards may support one specific type so check before purchasing.
The ASUS ROG STRIX Z690-E Gaming WiFi 6E LGA 1700 is the winner at Windows Central at around the $399 Price point.
ASUS ROG STRIX Z690 – $399.00 US.
Cost CPU – GPU – Motherboard
Let’s look at how far we have stretched the purse strings with our CPU, GPU and motherboard choices.
- Intel I9-12900K. – $589.00
- NVIDIA RTX 3090. – $2899.00
- ASUS ROG STRIX Z690 – $399.00
- Total so far: $3887
RAM – How Much and How Fast!
RAM is a big part of the performance picture for a gaming pc for MSFS 2020. The latest CPUs like the I9 are ready for DDR5. The performance it offers with blistering speeds far beyond DDR4 performance could be worth the spend. Investigating the early release DDR5 modules the expectation was the new RAM could easily double the speeds and performance of current DDR4. It’s proving not to be the case in early 2022. If your keen to tune you can get pretty close performance in DDR4 at the moment.
Let’s look at a 32 Gb kit. The top recommended kit I researched online is the Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 32GB 6000Mhz. This has incredible speed so our performance should be outstanding. Technical specs show its timings to be CL40-40-40 so ensure you enable the correct settings on the motherboard or it will be set at base specs and no where near its full potential.
Price – Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 32GB 6000Mhz – $319.00
Gaming PC MSFS 2020 Storage SSD
The next consideration is storage. With every growing program sizes our gaming pc for MSFS 2020 will need to cope with the constant updates and of yourself your personal purchases from the Microsoft Store. Yes aircraft and even beautiful Orbx scenery could be in your future. Let’s look at the best storage options for our system. The SSD should be a NVME with the latest 4.0 support for blistering speeds and short load times. Loading MSFS 2020 takes long enough normally so if we can improve it would be excellent.
Research shows the WD Black SN850 as a top contender. Offering 2TB of storage with PCIe 4.0 support this should be an excellent choice. Microsoft Flight Simulator should be lightening fast on this great SSD. Offering a blistering transfer speed of 7000mb/s read and 5300mb/s write speed is amazing. The WD Black SN850 comes in at $307.95 on Amazon currently. There are options for heat sinks to handle the heat it will produce with MSFS 2020 so we can spend a few more dollars for piece of mind. That makes our WD Black SN850 = $361.99
Cooling – Gaming PC for MSFS 2020
OK, we are nearly there but there are a couple important items before we are done. We need a great CPU cooler as our Intel I9 12600K does not have one included. So let’s look at a good water cooling option.
Researching All in One water CPU coolers as well as the great air coolers I thought the best cooler for this build would be the Corsair Hydro Series H100i RGB. This has great specs and high recommendations as the premium option so this is our choice.
The Corsair Hydro Series H100i is available on Amazon for $109.99.
Power a Gaming PC for MSFS 2020
Getting PSU is important power your beast PC and not run out of power. One of the best recommendations is the Corsair AX1000. This is regarded as the best power supply under 1200 watts. Plenty of power as well as a full modular setup and plenty of cables to choose from for your build. The Corsair AX1000 costs around the $285.00 US. This amount or power available means in the future you won’t have to fork out for a new one as power requirements for VPU & GPUs grows.
PC Gaming Case – It’s a Personal Choice.
The final part of our gaming pc for MSFS 2020 is the case. This can be both a practical choice as well as a aesthetic choice. PC cases some in many shapes, colours and prices. There are choices with RGB if you love something to stand out in the room or something functional and subtle under the desk.
The Corsair iCUE 5000T RGB is a pretty nice looking case. Functional as well as great on the eyes this could be the one. PC Gaming Case – It’s a Personal Choice at the end of the day. This is the one I’m going for on this build. Plenty of airflow with fans front and back as well as plenty of internal space.
The cost of the Corsair iCUE 5000T RGB $399.00 US.
The Final Costs of our Dream Gaming PC for MSFS 2020.
Let’s look at the machine we have chosen. The motherboard is great quality and certainly appears to have what we need. The I9 is a powerful CPU and will easily power Microsoft Flight Simulator in conjunction with out GPU.
The GPU from Nvidia is the best we can get. The RTX 3090 will run everything at incredible quality and resolution setting. Looking into your 4k monitor will be a Windows into another world. The best storage option, the WD Black SN850 will provide the great loading speeds we need as well as space for your chosen OS. There is plenty of space for future updates as well as adding aircraft and scenery. The power supply and case finish off the build and assembly should be a breeze. So our system will be quick and easy to get flying.
Total Cost : $5361.98
I this has just caused you to take a sharp breath, yes it’s a lot of cash. The cost of the GPU makes it even more expensive than normal with GPU prices between 2-3 times their RRP . It is good news that supply and even new models on the horizon and could reduce this build by $1500 dollars in the future.
I HOPE you have enjoyed this exercise. I certainly enjoyed checking out all the great gear available. If your planning a build let me know below what you settled on for your Gaming PC.
The Author.
Brendon McAliece is a multi lingual expat who brings over three decades of flight simulator/PC building experience as well as over two decades of real world jet fighter experience as a weapons/egress technician. He holds a sport pilot certificate giving him real world flying experience. Hi travels have taken him from Europe to the Middle East, Asia and his home of Australia. He has a passion for travel, languages, flight simulation as well as guitaring and coffee. You can read more in his blogs below.
Learn more @ DreamingGuitar.com – DreamingCoffee.com – LetsFlyVFR.com
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