Here are some good specs for a brand new PC if you want to play MSFS 20 or 24 in 2024 and beyond.
Here are some good specs for a brand new PC if you want to play MSFS 20 or 24 in 2024 and beyond.
Hi there! I need to buy my first computer mainly for school so it can run MSFS smoothly. I am hoping to get something under $2700 AUD that has good parts. Since MSFS is really hard on a new PC, I want to pick high-end stuff just in case it breaks later. Currently, I'm thinking about buying specific things like a great graphics card but maybe not the best processor (like an AMD 7700 or 7800x3D), and I am still unsure about my motherboard. The rest of my choices include at least 32GB or 64GB of RAM, a big hard drive that holds 1TB space. As you can see, I just know very little about how to make a computer work properly. If you could help me figure out what parts I should get, it would be great!
Welcome to the forums, new friend! In my opinion, this is the right build for you. Here is what we picked: CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D at 4.2 GHz with 8 cores costs $708.21 on Amazon Australia. Cooler: Deepcool AK500 has a speed of 68.9 CFM and costs $75.00 from Centre Com. Motherboard: MSI MPG B650 EDGE WIFI ATX uses AM5 socket and costs $319.00 from MSY Technology. Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws M5 Neo RGB holds 64 GB total (2 of 32 GB) running at DDR5-6000 with a latency of CL36, priced at $288.00 on JW Computers. Storage for fast apps and games uses two Crucial P3 Plus drives: one small 500GB M.2 SSD costs $55.00 from Centre Com, while the big one is 2TB also M.2 SSD costing $179.00 from Centre Com. Video card: Sapphire NITRO+ Radeon RX 9070 XT with 16 GB of graphics power costs $1499.00 on Centre Com. Case: Lian Li Lancool 207 fits as an ATX Mid Tower and costs $134.00 from BPC Technology. Power supply: MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 rated at 850 Watts with a gold certification fully modular setup for $157.77 on JW Computers. The total cost comes to $3414.98, including shipping and taxes when discounts apply. This tool was made by PCPartPicker on April 24, 2025 in Australia time zone plus 100 minutes difference. You did not say anything about the operating system or screen or extra gadgets. Two separate SSDs are used: one small for your programs and launchers while the big one holds all your games. It might be good to add a spinning hard drive like a mechanical drive of 2TB so you can save things easily. Hard drives make bad storage devices compared to these SSDs. I moved this post from the Components section to Systems section.
Here is the plan for your new PC. I picked a powerful AMD Ryzen processor called the 7800X3D, which runs at a speed of about 4.2 GHz and has eight cores. It costs around $708 in Australia. To keep it cool, I bought an ID-COOLING fan named FROZN A620 PRO SE with 58 CFM airflow. That cooler is only $59.
The motherboard is a MSI PRO B850-P WIFI with the ATX form factor and AM5 socket. It runs at $309 from JW Computers. For memory, I chose Patriot Viper Venom with 2 sticks of 16 GB each running at DDR5 speeds of 6000 CL30. That costs $144 from MSY Technology.
For storage, the Klevv CRAS C910 offers a big 2 TB M.2 drive using PCIe 4.0 technology for $159. The video card is a Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 9070 with 16 GB of graphics memory at $1049 from Centre Com.
For the case, I selected Montech AIR 903 BASE which fits an ATX tower and costs $89 from PLE Computers. The power supply is an ADATA XPG Core Reactor II VE rated for 750 Watts with a Gold certification. It comes fully modular and costs $129 from Mwave Australia.
The total price for all these parts is $2646.26. You can expect to pay that much including shipping, taxes, and any discounts available. The prices I found are the lowest options based on computer parts criteria. This whole thing was made by PCPartPicker back on April 24, 2025 at 9 PM AEST+1000 hours. You can check out the official site or read about Windows 11 for free and cheap there.
I just figured out something you forgot. You said this PC is your first one, but didn't tell me about the monitor. Is that supposed to come with it? Wait for a second... I was thinking about the cost of the computer itself when I saw the list. Oh wow, look at all these numbers on here! The CPU costs $544.77, and the cooler adds another $59.00. That's already over half a thousand dollars just for the processor stuff alone. Plus, the motherboard is $298.77, memory is $289.00, storage is $206.00, video card is $1079.00... yeah, that's a lot of money. The case comes in at $123.00 and the power supply costs another $189.00. When you add up every single thing, the total comes to $2788.54. Now I understand why people say buying parts is expensive. Oh wow, look at all these numbers on here! The CPU costs $544.77, and the cooler adds another $59.00. That's already over half a thousand dollars just for the processor stuff alone. Plus, the motherboard is $298.77, memory is $289.00, storage is $206.00, video card is $1079.00... yeah, that's a lot of money. The case comes in at $123.00 and the power supply costs another $189.00. When you add up every single thing, the total comes to $2788.54. Now I understand why people say buying parts is expensive.