I'm new and need help choosing equipment

Hi everyone,

I'm considering building a basic beginner sim set up. I'm going to use an older 37" Samsung TV as my display and want to buy a yoke, throttle quadrant and pedals. I also need to buy the right computer.

What requirements should a computer meet?

-I'm going to buy MS Flight Sim 2020

-I plan on using this computer for photo editing software and playing online games

-If I end up expanding the sim setup, I will be using multiple displays, and building a larger cockpit

I also need advice on the other peripherals.

-For a yoke, I'm consider the Yoko (I know it's pricey) or the Honeycomb (never in stock).

-For a throttle, not sure. I want something that has a great feel (not cheapo) and will fly single and multi-engine planes

-Pedals..again nothing cheap feeling and appropriate for a multitude of planes.

Any other advice would be GREATLY appreciated; caveats, other beginner equipment I'm forgetting and that sort of thing.

Hi everyone,

I'm considering building a basic beginner sim set up. I'm going to use an older 37" Samsung TV as my display and want to buy a yoke, throttle quadrant and pedals. I also need to buy the right computer.

 

What requirements should a computer meet?

-I'm going to buy MS Flight Sim 2020

-I plan on using this computer for photo editing software and playing online games

-If I end up expanding the sim setup, I will be using multiple displays, and building a larger cockpit

 

I also need advice on the other peripherals.

-For a yoke, I'm consider the Yoko (I know it's pricey) or the Honeycomb (never in stock).

-For a throttle, not sure. I want something that has a great feel (not cheapo) and will fly single and multi-engine planes

-Pedals..again nothing cheap feeling and appropriate for a multitude of planes.

 

Any other advice would be GREATLY appreciated; caveats, other beginner equipment I'm forgetting and that sort of thing.

DON'T buy MSFS 2020 without doing research first, it may not be ready to meet your needs.

FSX is tried and tested, P3D likewise. Neither of them affect other games or photo editing software.

Thrustmaster throttle

CH Product Flight Sim Yoke

Saitek Rudder Pedals

Better for the budget! Stay away from Honeycomb or Yoko. This will enable budget to be spent elsewhere.

DON'T buy MSFS 2020 without doing research first, it may not be ready to meet your needs.

FSX is tried and tested, P3D likewise. Neither of them affect other games or photo editing software.

Is it because FS2020 is new? It was either that or XPlane.

Is it because FS2020 is new? It was either that or XPlane.

MSFS is very new and has some rough edges, however, many people do find it works very well for them. Take a look at what you like to do in the sim, and then see which one offers that. GA and bush flying is quite good with the default scenery in MSFS, whereas there aren't many add-ons yet, especially the high end type from the like of PMDG. These are coming, but are still waiting for the SDK and some functionality to be built out. There are also projects working on enhancing the included airliners as well. One tip is that it does work differently in how you set up things like controllers in the sim, so keep an open mind if you do go that way. Many questions have answers in the MSFS forum here already.

For the hardware, what's your budget? Do you want to build it yourself, or buy it pre-made? If you want pre-made, Jetline Systems gets good reviews and specialize in flight sim PCs.