Best gaming PC for Microsoft Flight Simulator (2026)
For Microsoft Flight Simulator at 1080p/60 in 2026, you need at minimum a AMD Ryzen 5 7600 paired with a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 8GB and 16GB of RAM (around £799). For 1440p high settings, step up to a AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Super 12GB — about £1,299.
The four PC tiers we'd build for Microsoft Flight Simulator
Budget
£7991080p · 60fps
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 5 7600
- GPU
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 8GB
- RAM
- 16 GB
- Storage
- 1TB NVMe SSD
Comfortably hits 1080p/60fps in Microsoft Flight Simulator on high settings. Note: photogrammetry + CPU sim load.
Build this at Create PCs →Mid-tier
£1,2991440p · 60fps
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 7 7700
- GPU
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Super 12GB
- RAM
- 32 GB
- Storage
- 2TB NVMe SSD
Targets 1440p/60fps on high settings in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The 4070 Super has enough VRAM headroom for ray tracing with DLSS Quality. Note: photogrammetry + CPU sim load.
Build this at Create PCs →High-end
£1,7991440p · 144fps
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
- GPU
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16GB
- RAM
- 32 GB
- Storage
- 2TB NVMe SSD
Built for 1440p at 144fps in Microsoft Flight Simulator with all the visual extras on. The 9800X3D's 3D V-Cache helps in CPU-heavy moments. Note: photogrammetry + CPU sim load.
Build this at Create PCs →Enthusiast
£3,4994K · 60fps
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
- GPU
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 32GB
- RAM
- 64 GB
- Storage
- 4TB NVMe SSD
Designed to max Microsoft Flight Simulator at 4K/60fps with path tracing and frame generation where supported. Note: photogrammetry + CPU sim load.
Build this at Create PCs →What Microsoft Flight Simulator actually demands from your PC
Steam's recommended spec for Microsoft Flight Simulator is NVIDIA GTX 970 | AMD Radeon RX 590 with 16GB RAM and a Intel i5-8400 | AMD Ryzen 5 1500X. 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 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 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 cheapest PC that can run Microsoft Flight Simulator?
- A AMD Ryzen 5 7600 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 8GB build at around £799. That hits 1080p/60 on high settings.
- Is Microsoft Flight Simulator CPU-heavy or GPU-heavy?
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 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?
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 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, 32GB is the sensible answer in 2026. 16GB still works for the budget tier but limits future-proofing.