Can you provide guidance on constructing a new system?
Can you provide guidance on constructing a new system?
I need assistance with a new "budget" system focused on Microsoft Flight programs. My current setup includes a Prime Asus Z270-A motherboard, an Intel i5 7600K processor, 32g of DDR4 3000mg memory, a 750w power supply, and an Nvidia 750Ti graphics card. It has served me well but struggles with newer software. I'm unsure where to begin. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Ron.
How much will it cost?
Do you need to check the full parts list? It’s important to see what’s worth keeping.
Without more info, I’d recommend a 5060 Ti 16GB, 12700K, DDR4 motherboard, plus your memory, storage, chassis, and power supply.
Start here: *How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice* How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice First off, respect where respect is due - this is an adaptation of the Animal's *How To Ask For New Build Advice* Sticky. I created this because there's a lot of posts nowadays asking for upgrade advice both on here and on the CPU forums, and I feel... forums.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024 are among the most challenging games to run, possibly the toughest. They place significant strain on the CPU and demand high-performance storage and ample fast memory because of their streaming architecture. To successfully play these titles, particularly the 2024 version, I would need a Ryzen 7800xd3 or a 9800x3d processor, a reliable gen 4 NVMe drive (such as WD black or Samsung pro) with at least 1 TB capacity, and 64 GB of 6000 MT/s CL30 RAM. The graphics card's performance is closely tied to the desired screen resolution.
If the user has limited funds, this selection should work well.
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
*
Intel Core i7-12700KF 3.6 GHz 12-Core Processor
($179.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler:
*
ID-COOLING FROZN A620 PRO SE 58 CFM CPU Cooler
($29.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard:
*
Gigabyte Z790 S WIFI DDR4 (rev. 1.0) ATX LGA1700 Motherboard
($119.99 @ Amazon)
Memory:
*
Klevv BOLT X 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory
($49.99 @ Amazon)
Storage:
*
Silicon Power UD90 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME SSD
($94.97 @ Newegg Sellers)
Overall cost comes to $474.93, covering shipping, taxes, and any available discounts
*Selected components based on price limits*
Created by
PCPartPicker
2025-05-23 21:50 EDT-0400
OP also needs to upgrade the graphics card :
luckily enough this thing runs great even with older radeons like 6800xt or 7700xt
so if tight budget is a concern i would look at a second hand market for a video card with at least
12gb of VRAM (this simulator loves to "eat" resources which applies to both VRAM and system memory)
2x16gb will not suffice for this game -
it can easily eat up to 30gb and you need stuff to run in the background as well -
having to turn everything else off just to play one game gets pretty annoying pretty fast ...
2x24gb should be a bare minimum - ideally 2x32gb .
when it comes to processor X3Ds are the best ,
but as pointed above even 12600K/12700K or 7600x/7700x will do on a tighter budget .
system with 7600x and 7700xt and 48-64gb of memory should net you 50-55FPS ultra at 1080p
of course with numerous settings you can lower the demands of the game and
also the VRAM usage and game will run even smoother and still look very good .
just to give OP an idea this is the cheapest brand new setup i would personally recommend for this game:
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
Intel Core i5-12600KF 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor
($137.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler:
ID-COOLING FROZN A620 PRO SE 58 CFM CPU Cooler
($29.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard:
MSI PRO Z790-S WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard
($129.99 @ Amazon)
Memory:
G.Skill Ripjaws S5 48 GB (2 x 24 GB) DDR5-6400 CL32 Memory
($134.99 @ Amazon)
Storage:
Western Digital WD_BLACK SN7100 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
($139.99 @ SanDisk)
Video Card:
Asus PRIME GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB Video Card
($479.99 @ Amazon)
Case:
Montech AIR 903 BASE ATX Mid Tower Case
($65.00 @ Newegg)
Power Supply:
ADATA XPG Core Reactor II 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total:
$1206.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by
PCPartPicker
2025-05-24 04:06 EDT-0400
you can save additional $50 by going with the motherboard that supports DDR4 instead of DDR5
memory and get 2x32gb DDR4 modules for cheap :
(memory scaling in games is pretty good with both options , although in majority of games
even DDR5 6000 cl36 will give you slightly better performance compared to DDR4 memory
when paired with alder lake architecture)
in addition MSI motherboard above has better VRMs and also supports pcie 5.0 x16
which is better than the gigabyte motherboards pcie 4.0 x16 especially with video card like 5060Ti
which has its pcie lanes cut in half to 5.0 x8 (this would be more of a concern with an 8gb model but still)
PCPartPicker Part List
Motherboard:
Gigabyte Z790 S WIFI DDR4 (rev. 1.0) ATX LGA1700 Motherboard
($119.99 @ Amazon)
Memory:
Corsair Vengeance LPX 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory
($85.99 @ Newegg)
Total:
$205.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by
PCPartPicker
2025-05-24 04:15 EDT-0400
if you can buy a graphics card on a second hand market place
that would help you a great deal with the budget
i7 would be better but that is already approaching close to $200 mark for the processor in which case i would opt for ryzen 7600x/9600x which has better single core performance
and also much better upgrade path in the future ...
PCPartPicker List of Components
CPU:
AMD Ryzen 5 9600X 3.9 GHz 6-Core Processor
($179.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler:
Thermalright Assassin King SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler
($19.39 @ Amazon)
Motherboard:
Asus PRIME B650-PLUS WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard
($129.99 @ Amazon)
Memory:
TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory
($91.99 @ Amazon)
Storage:
Western Digital WD Blue SN5000 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME SSD
($59.79 @ Amazon)
Video Card:
Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB Video Card
($379.99 @ Amazon)
Case:
Aerocool Prism V2 RGB ATX Mid Tower Case
($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply:
ADATA XPG Core Reactor II 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
($89.99 @ Amazon)
Overall Cost:
$1010.13
Includes shipping, taxes, and applicable discounts
Created by
PCPartPicker
2025-06-17 04:07 EDT-0400
(Probably sleepiness made me overlook the 8GB video card choice)
I primarily make my buys through Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist, though eBay is also an option. In general, rely on your instincts—if something feels off or overly attractive, it likely is. I also added a new parts build that exceeds the budget but should be durable.
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700X 4.5 GHz 8-Core Processor ($249.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Assassin King SE 66.17 CFM ($19.39 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B650 PRO RS ATX AM5 ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper Venom 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME SSD ($56.95 @ iBUYPOWER)
Video Card: Asus PRIME OC Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Aerocool Prism V2 RGB ATX Mid Tower ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX650M (2021) 650 W, Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $1076.27
Shipping, taxes, and available discounts are included
Created by PCPartPicker
2025-06-16 22:41 EDT-0400