Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020

DaveExp

Member
I would like a spec that allows me to utilise the proper monitor stretch of 3 monitors (which I will buy separately), and then a further two or three monitors for the in flight controls, GPS, flight plan etc. I have come to this build config below. I'm not sure what it means when it says doesn't support SLI. Can anyone comment on my choices please? Thanks so much. Dave

Case
PCS PRISM-X ARGB MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 10 Core Processor i9-10900X (3.7GHz) 19.25MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME X299-A II: ATX, USB 3.2, SATA 6 GB/s, ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 Ti - HDMI, DP
Get Guardians of the Galaxy with select GeForce RTX™ 30 Series GPUs
2nd Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 1030
1st Storage Drive
512GB PCS 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (520MB/R, 450MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H60 2018 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 14 to 17 working days
 

JUNI0R

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
I would like a spec that allows me to utilise the proper monitor stretch of 3 monitors (which I will buy separately), and then a further two or three monitors for the in flight controls, GPS, flight plan etc. I have come to this build config below. I'm not sure what it means when it says doesn't support SLI. Can anyone comment on my choices please? Thanks so much. Dave

Case
PCS PRISM-X ARGB MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 10 Core Processor i9-10900X (3.7GHz) 19.25MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME X299-A II: ATX, USB 3.2, SATA 6 GB/s, ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 Ti - HDMI, DP
Get Guardians of the Galaxy with select GeForce RTX™ 30 Series GPUs
2nd Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 1030
1st Storage Drive
512GB PCS 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (520MB/R, 450MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H60 2018 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 14 to 17 working days
Hi there! I reckon we could optimise this spec better for you. Primarily I wouldn't go for X299, it's now a 4 year old platform and really behind on the times. We'll need a bit more info before we can make any suggestions though. What's your budget for the tower? And what monitors are you planning on buying or what's your budget for them? If you can make the afford, something like the Samsung G9 would be incredible for MSFS
 

DaveExp

Member
Thanks for your speedy reply. That monitor was a bit more than i wanted to spend, was thinking 3x samsung 32" or something, but could stretch if i get the cost of the PC down. If the game supports 4k maybe need 4k compatible. I was looking at two graphics cards which might be that i don't need that, if one port will do all the main monitors. Budget for PC and monitors is around 3500.
 

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
It's a little hard to spec a build for MSFS right now because there is a huge update due very soon, with an upgrade to DirectX 12. This should massively affect performance, especially in terms of multi-threading performance. For the DirectX 11 version, there is no significant difference between the 5600X and the 5900X, for example, but that may not be the case after the new release. It's supposed to be released this week (Thursday, I believe), so I'd personally wait until then to spec a build to see what the best option will be for you.
 

DaveExp

Member
Ah I see. That makes sense as i bought the game over a week ago and haven't succeeded in running it yet on my existing PC (i7 16GB RAM), and am in contact with their support. Very frustrating! Maybe the update will at least allow me get the game running.
 

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Ah I see. That makes sense as i bought the game over a week ago and haven't succeeded in running it yet on my existing PC (i7 16GB RAM), and am in contact with their support. Very frustrating! Maybe the update will at least allow me get the game running.
Which i7? The 4770 is a very different beast to the 11700K, but they're both i7s.

MSFS is a very demanding game, so if your system is fairly old, it will struggle. I doubt the update will fix that; it might even make the situation worse.
 

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
It's an i7 920 @2.67GHz 16GB RAM and just put in a GTX 1050 Ti I got from a friend. No joy at all so far.
That won't work with MSFS. The graphics card would work (poorly, but it should work) but the CPU is way too old and way too slow.

Looks like we need to sort you out with a new machine!
 

DaveExp

Member
sounds good to me. I think i would prefer separate monitors rather than the curved as the price is high for what you get, and i think the ratio looks the same as two 1920x1080, i was thinking three. I am concerned about the monitors that it could support though, so thought i would look to get two cards. Very happy for you to help me spec up a machine!
 

JUNI0R

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
sounds good to me. I think i would prefer separate monitors rather than the curved as the price is high for what you get, and i think the ratio looks the same as two 1920x1080, i was thinking three. I am concerned about the monitors that it could support though, so thought i would look to get two cards. Very happy for you to help me spec up a machine!
The Samsung G9 is actually 2 1440p monitors 'stuck together' (2X 1080=5760x1080, G9/2X 1440p= 5120x1440). We have a few members here that own G9's and they all sing it's praises and for MSFS I couldn't imagine anything better personally. This also means you'd be able to get away with having just one GPU instead of needing a 2nd to run the extra monitors you'd want.

If the G9 is something you'd consider, it might be worth waiting to see if it goes on sale for Black Fridy then we know what budget we have left to spend on the PC. That said, it might be worth doing this regardless to see what deals you can get on monitors. You mentioned looking at a set of 32" Samsung monitors, do you know what the resolution and refresh rate for them were or do you have a link to them?

A spec like this would be ideal but it does currently bring us quite a way over budget. Although, swapping from the 3080TI to the 3080 will save about £400 which should bring you more into budget and realistically only lose you a few frames

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX TD500 MESH ARGB GAMING CASE Fantastic airflow case
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4) Great gaming CPU
Motherboard
ASUS® STRIX B550-F GAMING (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready! Motherboard to comfortably handle the 5800X
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB) AMD loves fast RAM so gone with a 3200mhz kit
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 Ti - HDMI, DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 5000MB/R, 2500MB/W) Super fast boot SSD for Windows and applications
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW) Speedy SSD for everything else
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100i RGB PRO XT Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler High quality cooler that'll keep the 5800X cool
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0 If you need WiIFi the AX200 is a no brainer
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE Windows Defender will do a perfectly fine job
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) Well worth the £5
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 14 to 17 working days
Price: £2,673.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/ab96BfHfBN/
 

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
It's the same ratio as twin 1920x1080, but far, far more pixels. So you get larger screens at much higher quality.

But let's assume you're not going for the G9 and are going for a triple monitor setup (dual is not ideal because you get the join right in the centre of the picture -- though maybe that's less important for flight sims? Let's assume you're going to buy three of the VG27AQ1A from Currys at £279 each, making £873 on monitors. That would possibly be an even better experience than the G9 in some ways.

You can plug three monitors into any modern GPU: so you definitely don't need the second one.

And then you go for @JUNI0R's build, either with the 3080 or the 3080 Ti if you can stretrch the budget (though that isn't my favourite case, purely on aesthetic grounds), and you'll get an awesome experience.
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Not the best option. They're not the greatest displays in the world: they're VA, which means worse colour performance (though possibly better contrast in some circumstances), they're 60Hz (which doesn't matter for MSFS, but if you were to play anything else it would) and, as @SpyderTracks says, it would just not be playable with any current graphics card.
 

DaveExp

Member
This is all so helpful thank you. You say those monitors are no good, what should I be looking for spec wise with the monitors?
 

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
This is all so helpful thank you. You say those monitors are no good, what should I be looking for spec wise with the monitors?
I'd suggest the ones I linked above. You should probably be considering 1440p displays, preferably IPS ones. If the only game you will ever play is MSFS, by all means go for a 60Hz one, but if you will play literally anything else, go for 144Hz.

A 60Hz option starts at around £220. A proper gaming 144Hz option, such as the Asus linked above, will be around £280 (with 🤞 for black Friday, maybe).
 

DaveExp

Member
Thank you. Would you ever consider three curved monitors as I see ASU’s to 32” curved ones. And am I right in thinking to get above 60hz need to use display port? If the 3080 then it has 3dp with just one remaining hdmi?
 
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