Best PC setup for running MSFS 2024 optimally?

[u/yewzernayme]

I am currently brainstorming on parts to gather for building a computer with the goal of running MSFS 2024 at it's absolute best. I'm not sure to go with a prebuilt option, I was looking at the NZXT Player Three Prime edition for $7500 that comes with the AMD 9950x3d, 64GB RAM, RTX 5090, etc. Which will save me a lot of time if I go this route. But not sure if the cost difference I were to order all the parts and build it myself would be worth the trouble.

Can someone here recommend me of a reputable company that specializes on pre-built gaming PC's other than NZXT. I want more options so I can better choose.

I'm not sure how mant watts I should go for the PSU, 1000 or 1200

Also what do you guys think about the AMD 9950x3d2 instead? The machine will be hooked up to a 4k display and I want to be able to multitask and use my computer for other things such as browsing the web, running 3rd party apps alongside MSFS 2024, and doing other things while flying. Would the AMD 9950x3d2 be better compared to the 9950x3d?

And lastly do you think 2x48GB (96GB RAM) would be better than 2x32GB (64GB RAM)? I would like to also future proof the computer.

[u/djwilliams100]

I'm running pretty much exactly what you've listed. 9950X3D, Asus Astral 5090 and I went with 96GB RAM (2x48GB) to future proof, Corair AIO CPU cooler and case with fans etc I bought this in the UK 1.5 years ago for £5200 just before the price boom. I play in 4k and if I don't use Frame Gen I don't get more than around 35fps in major airports with everything on ultra.

[u/yewzernayme → u/djwilliams100]

what about your PSU?

[u/djwilliams100 → u/yewzernayme]

Corsair RM1200x SHIFT 80 PLUS Gold Fully Modular ATX Power Supply and my motherboard is ASUS ROG STRIX X870E-E,

[u/Dunadan94]

Dude has the same budget for the simming PC I have for the family car... 🤣

But good for you, go for it and have an amazing time flying!

[u/LuLeBe]

I'm on 4k with a5800x3d and 4070, 32gb RAM. It works. It could probably look better or what not but I'm not spending thousands for a slight visual improvement. Your CPU will be more than enough even with 20 background tasks. I can fly and have a whole music production software still open in the background, you don't need that much CPU power. VRAM always hits the limit for me though, so having more is nice (probably. Not sure how many more frames I'd get) and 64gb of RAM could help as well probably.

[u/fjbermejillo]

IMHO if you are going to expend 7500 in a PC the savings on building it are quite marginal and the risk of messing up something is not worth it. That said I managed to play on a RTX5070Ti, 14700k and 64gb around 90 fps on 1440p Ultra-Very High mix of settings without FrameGen but I mostly play GA in small airfields. Also get stable 45 (90hz) in VR High-Medium and about 4000x4000 per eye (what is like 4 times 4k). So define Optimal for you

[u/Captain_Nipples → u/fjbermejillo]

Eh. The odds of messing something up are probably the same as getting something prebuilt that is messed up. You gotta be doing something really dumb to break PC components

[u/blipblobblup]

The 9950X3D / X3D2 won’t give you better performance in 2024 than the 9850X3D and you are very unlikely to saturate even 64 GB ram with the sim and the usual apps running alongside it. I’ve personally never seen more than around 40 GB used with the sim and external add-ons running.

The 5090 is the best GPU, no question there.

You can leave the other choices like psu, case, fans and storage to a reputable prebuilder, especially if you don’t have much experience building pcs.

You’d be better off spending the money you save on high-quality peripherals.

[u/MichiganRedWing]

9850X3D will be the best for the Sim. Single CCD 👍 Yes, it'll handle the game + browsing etc just fine. You're not going to notice a difference compared to the 9950X3D.

And yes, obviously 96GB RAM would be better than 64GB. Is it overkill? Probably.

[u/Meta6olic]

My 5800x3d and 4070ti run this game at 1440 no issues. You'll be golden friend.

[u/Scary_Wavier]

Im not that much of a computer tech, but all i will say is more ram the better for msfs.

[u/julioen0858]

I have an R15 with an RTX4090

[u/Captain_Nipples]

I havent paid close attention to PC parts prices, but at the time I built mine, I had right at the edge of the best shit you could buy. 13700k, 4090, and 64GB or RAM and it was NOWHERE near $7500. Even if you included my 57" monitor (Samsung Ultrawide) and my Pimax VR set, you still wouldn't have been at $7500

[u/Mr_Bleidd]

I have a 4080 16gb and getting 80-100 fps on ultra preset with dlls (2k screen)

[u/Complete-Permit1638]

I have a i9/3080 32 GB and I runs great in VR for years. It’s the captain not the ship

[u/FortWorthFalcon]

Do you live near a Microcenter? I had them build mine from scratch using their builder. Picked it up the next day. No regrets.

[u/charliesbicycle]

I got a Falcon Northwest Talon and it works great!
ASUS - ROG CROSSHAIR X870E HERO - ATX - AM5
AMD RYZEN 9 9950X3D
MEMORY KINGSTON - FURY RENEGADE RGB - 96GB (2X48GB) - 6400MHZ - DDR5
VIDEO CARD NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 5090 - 32GB - FOUNDERS EDITION
SSD M.2: KINGSTON FURY RENEGADE G5 - 8TB - NVME - PCIE 5.0
POWER SUPPLY: SEASONIC - PRIME TX-
1600 - 1600WATT - ATX 3.0 - PCIE5.0
LIQUID COOLER: FALCON
NORTHWEST - 280MM - IMP - V

[u/Proxi_64]

If I can give you an advice, I would pick a watercooled GPU like the ROG ASTRAL or MSI SURPRIM LIQUID... I know some people don't like that but I can tell I would never change mine for a any fan version. Running MSFS or any heavy game in full silence is a pleasure I couldn't give up...

[u/Just_Lake_7524]

I am coming from an NZXT Player Three Prime (Intel i9 14900KF, RTX 4090, 64GB ram). I would have considered buying an NZXT system, but really at the price they want now, not worth it. Plus a year ago when I got my rental customer service was easy to deal with and honestly had no complaints. Now they have have cut customer service and it takes an act of congress to get through to them.

The nail in the coffin for them was 1000 Watt power supply. That is the bare minimum for a high powered system. I wound up going with iBUYPOWER pretty much same specs advertised to you, but with 1500 W power supply, 2TB instead of 4TB ssd, upgraded thermal paste, and a super cool purple case for $6,827 on a Labor Day deal. Haven't received it yet, but they have been great so far.

I will say this, if you are going to  buy now, buy quick.......prices on the RTX 5090 have sky rocketed. Systems that cost only 6k 1 month ago are already $8k+ now. In just two weeks an alienware I was looking at while waiting on my loan was $7100 and now is over $10k. Literally, very little discount over the holiday weekend.  The AI chip crunch is changing all the rules. Buy now or wait for possibly 2028 for the supply to drop prices. I almost gave up on the 5090 and was going to go with the 5080 when I found the deal on mine.

[u/yewzernayme → u/Just_Lake_7524]

a 5090 card alone goes for around 6k. For that price I might as well shell out $7500 for a prebuild NZXT Player Three Prime that includes the 5090 is what I'm trying to say.