New to MSFS 2020 - Creating a first setup

Hello everyone, I am one of the tens of, maybe hundreds of, thousands of people who are going to be drawn into the Flight Simulator World by Microsoft Flight Sim 2020. I am a complete novice and am trying to put together a setup which is the best I can get whilst not going broke. I have done a lot of research, some of which has confused me, so I have a few questions.

My two main objectives are:

1) Create a set up that will give the best visual performance possible.

2) The set up should be VR ready, without needing another massive cash outlay, if I decide to take that route.

My problem is that my wife says I cannot afford the first step. So, I ask everyone give me any tips you think will help at this stage in my build, and without reducing the performance too much, tell me if there are less expensive ways of going forward.

1) I am looking at the TCL 43” class 4 – 4K UHD HDR Television. It is an inexpensive option for a monitor. Does anyone have any experience with it?

2) Can I use regular monitors alongside the TV if I move to three screens later?

3) What is the best head tracker I can get? I am looking at the TrackIR 5.

4) What Video Card would I need to support the 4K Television? I do not know if the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is powerful enough but please tell me I do not have to go as expensive as the 2080 Ti to support the TV.

5) Do I need 16 or 32 GB of Ram?

I need to get everything down to a reasonable price. So, if you have a PC in mind that will do the job at the right price, please let me know.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Don, welcome to this fantastic hobby!

 

I actually use three (Panasonic) 43” 4K TV’s. Although I now have an RTX 2080ti I used to use a GTX1080 (not ti model) & it worked ok.

It’s all down to level of graphics settings etc. Even though my TVs are 4K I don’t run it at such a hi-res so to keep frame rates up. If I switch to just one tv though my fps increases.

As for ram.. many people run successfully with 16gb. I personally have 32 & I’d go for that if poss

 

 

Regards

Steve

Hi Steve,

Thanks for replying, it certainly seems that I can do what I wanted to.

Just to let you know while I have lived in the States for 30 years, currently Florida, I was born and bred in Saddleworth. It used to be in the West Riding but they moved the border and put us into Greater Manchester. Not a popular thing to do. I was a member of the White Rose society for many years.

Anyway, could you let me see your set up, it may help me with mine. Following the Nvidia 30 series launch and pricing I have decided to build my own PC. It should be fun. I may have to wait for Black Friday to buy everything I want but I don't think the GPU will be available soon.

A question for anybody - Do you use Air Manager? Is it compatible with MSFS2020?

Thanks again Steve, talk soon I hope.

Hi Don, nice to talk to a fellow Yorkshireman (even if you are in the States now)

I’ve been through Saddleworth many times over the years. Of course the moors there are famous for something else but we won’t go into that.

 

I currently have a I7-7700k 32mb ram RTX2080ti & three 43” Panasonic TVs

I’m at work at the moment so can’t give you more specs but can later.

I have the Honeycomb yoke which is excellent, plus some Saitek gauges but they don’t work fully with MSFS yet.

I’ll let you have a photo of my setup later (just tried but can’t seem to do it on my phone)

 

Regards

Steve

This is my current setup..

The sim showing is actually x-plane as I took the photo a few weeks ago. I'm not using x-plane now of course :)

 

When I upgraded my GPUs to the RTX2080ti I also had to get a new psu as my old one wasn’t quite up to spec. I don’t know how much power the 30 series will need but it’s worth getting s good psu (& at least 700w)

 

Regards

Steve

Edited September 3, 2020 by g7rta

Thanks Steve, the set up looks great. I can't wait to get mine started but I need to be patient to take advantage of any price breaks I can get. It looks like you have two screens in line on the front and one at 90 degrees on the pilots left. Is that correct and if so. why?

I just heard that the Nvidia GPUs specifically the 3080, will be available for purchase on the 16th so that will be a start. I was trying to get all Honeycomb controls but the pedals do not seem to be coming out any time soon, have you heard anything?

I may open some new threads asking questions but will keep this going with photographs of my progress.

Talk soon

Hi Don, no I’ve actually got just the one screen in front, with one to the left at 90degs and the other to the right at 90 degs. I think it’s a bit of an illusion LOL

I have now looked up the 3080 graphics card myself & I'm wondering if I should get one when they’re released. I may have to wait a while. I’ve only recently bought the 2080 & that was expensive!

 

As for the controls, I bought a Logitech/Saitek yoke earlier in the year (plus an additional throttle unit)

I then sold the yoke on eBay two months later and bought the Honeycomb yoke (whixh I should have done all along)

I have got the Honeycomb Bravo throttle unit on order with amazon. Not due till about October 23rd.

The “Charlie” pedals are not due out for some time though & I don’t even think there is a release date yet.

I currently use my old CH Products pedals, which I must have had for about 20 years! :)

They are rock solid & still work well though.

 

 

Regards

Steve

Hi Steve, Thanks for the clarification on the screen layout. I should get my eyes checked before I start flying. I have ordered the desk, chair etc to get me going but the Honeycomb Yoke and Saitek Pedals are on backorder and I may not see them until mid October.

Nobody will allow me to order the Bravo Throttle unit so I am on "Notify Me" status with Honeycomb. This will only become an issue if I receive the Nvidia 3080 GPU before that becomes available, then, I might have to make a choice and go for something else.

Any advice on this would be gratefully received. Maybe someone knows where I could at least place an order.

Did you see the stores selling the Yoke for almost $500.00? Wow.

Talk again soon

$500 for the yoke? I paid £225 back in May from Amazon (UK)

They are now showing it as “currently unavailable” and there’s no price.

Amazon.com aren’t even listing it, as I’m sure you’ll already know.

 

It’ll be interesting to see how you get on with the RTX 3080. I only bought my 2080ti four months ago but the 3080 is tempting.

The Honeycomb Bravo throttles aren’t due until mid October now. Enough time for you to persuade the boss? :)

 

Regards

Steve

This is my current setup..

The sim showing is actually x-plane as I took the photo a few weeks ago. I'm not using x-plane now of course :)

 

When I upgraded my GPUs to the RTX2080ti I also had to get a new psu as my old one wasn’t quite up to spec. I don’t know how much power the 30 series will need but it’s worth getting s good psu (& at least 700w)

 

Regards

Steve

 

Sweet set up. I haven’t touched X-Plane either since the release of FS2020. By the time the Falcon 8X is released by Aerobask, hopefully some study level a/c will be available for FS2020.

Hi, It really is a sweet set up and I am going to use it as a base for mine if you don't mind.

Could everyone look at the computer parts I have selected for my PC. I have put in a Nvidia GPU but will actually wait for the 3080 to come out and use that. It is my first build and I would really like some input or some confirmation that it is OK. I look forward to hearing from you all.

 

Component Selection Price

CPU

AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT 3.9 GHz 8-Core Processor $383.99

 

CPU Cooler

Corsair H100i RGB PLATINUM 75 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler $233.72

 

Motherboard

Asus ROG Strix X570-F Gaming ATX AM4 Motherboard $329.92

 

Memory

Patriot Viper Steel 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory $109.99

 

Storage

Team GX2 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive

From parametric filter: Capacity: 960 GB - 10000 GB; Type: SSD $74.98

 

Video Card

NVIDIA 3080 $800.00

 

Case

Fractal Design Meshify S2 ATX Mid Tower Case $181.53

 

Power Supply

Corsair RM (2019) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply $293.98

 

Operating System

Microsoft Windows 10 Home Full - USB 32/64-bit $129.99

 

Case Fan

Fractal Design HF14-BK 118.2 CFM 140 mm Fan $20.99

 

Case Fan

Fractal Design HF14-BK 118.2 CFM 140 mm Fan $20.99

 

Keyboard

Corsair K68 Wired Gaming Keyboard $89.99

 

Mouse

Corsair Harpoon RGB Wired Optical Mouse $29.97

 

Headphones

Corsair HS60 Surround (Black) 7.1 Channel Headset $89.89

Hi Steve,

 

I saw your September reply where you explained that you sold your Logitech and bought the Honeycomb yoke. I am just in the shopping stages and have been running through more and more reviews saying the Honeycomb is much better. Would you recommend I get the logitech rudder pedals or wait for Honeywell to make some? Not sure how much more realistic the rudder pedals are. My computer won't be dedicated for simming since I'll use if for work too.

 

Thanks,

Johnny

Hi Johnny, the Honeycomb yoke is fantastic, as are their throttles. The main problem at the moment is availability. I ordered their “bravo” throttle unit in May last year from Amazon. It finally arrived 1st March this year!

It was worth the wait though.

As for pedals, I’m still using my (20 year old?) CH Products pedals. No doubt I will order Honeycomb’s “Charlie” pedals when they become available ...

but it think it maybe a while.

 

 

Regards

Steve

Thanks Steve, I'm going to switch my plans to the Honeycomb setup. I'm showing mid April delivery but that might just be their guess. I'll keep my expectations low! Edited March 29, 2021 by johnnywon

Thanks Steve, I'm going to switch my plans to the Honeycomb setup. I'm showing mid April delivery but that might just be their guess. I'll keep my expectations low!

 

It’ll be worth the wait though :)

 

Regards

Steve

I'm psyched the yoke arrives tomorrow! The bravo isn't expected to ship until middle of April but considering how long the wait was last year I'm pumped for this. I need a hobby.

Hi Don, welcome to this fantastic hobby!

 

I actually use three (Panasonic) 43” 4K TV’s.

Why only three, and why so small?

Why only three, and why so small?

 

I rarely use them now Steve, as I tend to use the VR headset now :)

 

Regards

Steve