Advice on PC specs

[Yankee30]

Hi Folks.

In need of a little advice. I'm in the process of setting up my flight sim. "cockpit" having been away from simming for some years. Basically going for a four screen set-up, with FSX and Windows 7. Considering a 10 core 5.2 GHz CPU, 32 GB RAM and AMD Radeon 12 GB graphics card. Are these likely to be man enough for the job? I will want to turn the detail up to take full advantage but have no experience of using FSX to know what hardware specs are required to keep it running smoothly. (I'd rather rely on experience than what it says on the tin any day!) Can any time served FSX pilots help, please?

Wolfie

[PAULCRAIG]

If I were you I wouldn't bother with FSX, go for the new Microsoft Flight Simulator (MSFS), you will need Windows 10 or 11 though.

[mallcott]

If I were you I wouldn't bother with FSX, go for the new Microsoft Flight Simulator (MSFS), you will need Windows 10 or 11 though.

 

I go the other way: MSFS is not yet fit for purpose, in my view, and requires a fast internet connection.

I'd go for P3D which is now at 5.2. FSX is obsolescent - and abandoned - by MS.

[plainsman]

Several things. If you go with FSX, it won't use those 10 cores, you would be just as well off wikth a four core processor. It will also not need 32 GB of ram. If you go up to P3D V5.2, the cores will be used more. The 32 GB of ram would also apply. Even that version of P3D is far inferior scenic wise to MSFS FS20020. It depends what you fly and what you want to maximize. The only real deficiency with FS2020, is if you like to fly very system oriented airliners. That isn't modeled well yet. The GA aircraft are actually quite good. The KingAir and the airliners are a notch below the GA aircraft, but are satisfactory if you are not a system guy. Once you experience the scenery, you will find it difficult to use anything else. The scenery is order of magnitude more realistic. FS2020 does need a reasonably strong computer and GPU and a internet speed >30 mbytes/S.

[Yankee30]

Hello Paul. Many thanks for your reply. My interest is mainly for airliners of the 1960s and 70s; I find I can access a lot of freeware that models these and also airports of the period, but almost solely for FSX or earlier, hence my thoughts in that direction. I must admit my main concern was for the graphics card being able to support the four screen set up - I felt the CPU and RAm would probably be a bit ott for FSX, but would allow me to dabdle with eurotruck and train sims when I fancied an occassional change of challenges.

Kind regards

[Yankee30]

Hello mallcott. Many thanks for your reply. My interest is mainly for airliners of the 1960s and 70s; I find I can access a lot of freeware that models these and also airports of the period, but almost solely for FSX or earlier, hence my thoughts in that direction. I must admit my main concern was for the graphics card being able to support the four screen set up - I felt the CPU and RAm would probably be a bit ott for FSX, but would allow me to dabdle with eurotruck and train sims when I fancied an occassional change of challenges.

Kind regards

[Yankee30]

Hello Plainsman. Many thanks for your reply. My interest is mainly for airliners of the 1960s and 70s; I find I can access a lot of freeware that models these and also airports of the period, but almost solely for FSX or earlier, hence my thoughts in that direction. I must admit my main concern was for the graphics card being able to support the four screen set up - I felt the CPU and RAM would probably be a bit ott for FSX, but would allow me to dabble with eurotruck and train sims when I fancied an occassional change of challenges.

Kind regards

[PAULCRAIG]

X-Plane could be another to look at.