← Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
Best gaming PC for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (2026)
For Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, we'd build the CREATE Flight Simulator PC at £4,281 (RTX 5080 16GB) for high-refresh 1080p, up to the CREATE AIRBUS at £7,711 with RTX 5090 32GB for 4K with everything on. Prefer to build it yourself? The component tiers are further down, where RTX 5050 8GB is the sensible floor.
The PCs we'd actually build for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
These are real machines from Create PCs, the UK builder we run, ordered cheapest first, £4,281 to £7,711 depending on the resolution and frame rate you're targeting. Specifications and prices are live, and each link lands on that exact build.
CREATE Flight Simulator PC
High-end
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D 8 Core AM5 CPU/Processor
- GPU
- INNO3D NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 X3 16GB Blackwell Graphics Card
- RAM
- Corsair Vengeance Black 64GB 6000MHz DDR5 Memory Kit
- Storage
- WD Black SN8100 2TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD / Solid State Drive
CREATE AIRBUS
Flagship
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D 16 Core AM5 CPU/Processor Retail
- GPU
- ASUS ROG ASTRAL NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 32GB GAMING OC Blackwell Graphics Card
- RAM
- 128GB (4x32GB) DDR5-5600 ECC RDIMM Workstation Memory Kit
- Storage
- Samsung 9100 PRO 4TB PCIe 5.0 M.2 NVMe 2.0 SSD / Solid State Drive
Prices from Create PCs, the UK builder we run, and include VAT. They're the price shown on arrival, not a teaser, but components get repriced, so treat them as current rather than fixed. Custom-built machines start around £2,400; below that a self-build is usually the better answer, and we say so on our budget guides.
What to expect at each resolution
- 1080p Ultra
- 60+ FPS
- RTX 5070 Ti
- 1440p Ultra
- 60+ FPS
- RTX 5080
- 4K Ultra
- 60+ FPS
- RTX 5090
Building it yourself: the four tiers for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
Custom-built machines start around £2,400. Below that, a self-build is the better answer, so here are the component tiers we'd put together at each level, no assembly service, but far more performance per pound.
Budget
1080p · 30fps
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 5 7600
- GPU
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 8GB
- RAM
- 32 GB
- Storage
- 1TB NVMe SSD
Flight Sim 2024 streams photogrammetry from the cloud constantly, so the 32GB of RAM and an NVMe SSD matter more than they would for most games. 1080p/30 is realistic on the budget tier; 60fps is achievable only if you drop cloud and traffic density to Medium.
Build this at Create PCs →Mid-tier
1440p · 60fps
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 7 7700
- GPU
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB
- RAM
- 32 GB
- Storage
- 2TB NVMe SSD
1440p/60 in major airports with high cloud detail and dense traffic. The 5060 Ti has the bandwidth to handle Flight Sim's texture-streaming spikes. Don't go below 32GB RAM for MSFS, the world data needs the headroom.
Build this at Create PCs →High-end
1440p · 90fps
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
- GPU
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16GB
- RAM
- 64 GB
- Storage
- 4TB NVMe SSD
For VR pilots and triple-screen setups. Flight Sim is brutally CPU-bound at high settings, the 9800X3D's V-Cache adds 20-30% in dense scenarios. 64GB RAM is overkill for most games but exactly right here.
Build this at Create PCs →Enthusiast
4K · 60fps
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- GPU
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 32GB
- RAM
- 64 GB
- Storage
- 4TB NVMe SSD
4K Ultra with traffic and AI density maxed, plus add-on aircraft. Flight Sim 2024's photogrammetry workload genuinely warrants the 5090's 32GB VRAM at 4K. If you also fly in VR with a Pimax Crystal, this is the floor, not the ceiling.
Build this at Create PCs →What Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 actually demands from your PC
Steam's recommended spec for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is Radeon RX 5700 XT or GeForce RTX 2080 with 32GB RAM and a AMD Ryzen 7 2700X. That spec was written for the Xbox Game Studios team's internal "minimum acceptable" target, not for a buyer in 2026 planning to keep this PC for the next four years.
What makes Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 more demanding than its spec sheet suggests: photogrammetry + CPU sim load. We've factored this into the tier picks above.
CPU-bound moments: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 drops frames during specific high-load scenarios more than its average framerate suggests. Invest in CPU single-thread performance, the Ryzen 7800X3D and 9800X3D are particularly strong here.
What you can skip vs what matters
- Worth spending on: GPU first, then a fast NVMe SSD (most modern games benefit from sub-3000MB/s sustained reads), then RAM at the tier amount.
- Worth skipping at this budget: RGB lighting, exotic cooling, brand-name PSUs above 850W (unless you're building enthusiast tier), and motherboards with more than 4 M.2 slots.
- Don't compromise on: The PSU. A reliable 750W gold-rated unit will outlast two GPU upgrades.
Frequently asked questions
- What's the minimum gaming PC for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024?
- AMD Ryzen 5 7600 paired with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 8GB and 32GB of RAM hits 1080p/60 on high settings.
- Is Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 CPU-heavy or GPU-heavy?
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 leans heavily on the CPU, late-game scenarios stress single-thread performance. A modern X3D chip (Ryzen 7 7800X3D / 9800X3D) makes a noticeable difference.
- Do I need ray tracing for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024?
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 does not require ray tracing. Any current-generation GPU will deliver the intended visual experience.
- How much RAM do I need?
- For Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, 32GB is the sensible answer in 2026. 16GB still works for the budget tier but limits future-proofing.