Hello,

I am thinking about building a computer for Prepar3d. I have a somewhat limited budget. (About $600 without monitors and keyboard) Does anyone have any ideas about cheep parts for a desktop? Also, I would like to be able to run add-ons like the aerosoft airbus. Thank you.

I would recommend visiting https://pcpartpicker.com/. There are a number of various builds people have completed on a strict budget which you might find useful...

Do you have any parts from an old system you can reuse like a power supply? Or case?

 

I5-4670k $226

 

ASRock H97M Pro4 LGA 1150 Intel H97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard $59

 

Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-14900CL9D-8GBSR $44

 

GTX 960 $165

 

Windows 7 professional 64bit is $60 on Amazon.com. it you want 10 it comes with a free upgrade

Ebay - Tiger Direct - and DO Not Mess around with an Old Power Supply - That's usually the first thing to go on a system - So You Don't want to start out with an old one - However it probably would make a Good Back up ! - and get the most Powderfull - ("D" intended) - P.S. you can afford  - or will bolt into the case - Please note - I have Hundreds of Transactions on Ebay - and have Never been Diddled - Fast Shipping "Yes" - Well Packed "Yes" - and each Seller is Rated by his Past Sales - Poorly Rated Sellers Don't Last Long ! - Johnman B)

After looking at a few options, I thought this would be a good pc: https://pcpartpicker.com/guide/wTp9TW/500-beginner-gaming-pc-great-1080p-gaming-january-2016 I would upgrade it so it has an Intel i5 and a GTX 960. For the GTX 960, there are so many options. Does anyone have an opinion on which one to get? Thanks.

Ebay - Tiger Direct - and DO Not Mess around with an Old Power Supply - That's usually the first thing to go on a system - So You Don't want to start out with an old one - However it probably would make a Good Back up ! - and get the most Powderfull - ("D" intended) - P.S. you can afford  - or will bolt into the case - Please note - I have Hundreds of Transactions on Ebay - and have Never been Diddled - Fast Shipping "Yes" - Well Packed "Yes" - and each Seller is Rated by his Past Sales - Poorly Rated Sellers Don't Last Long ! - Johnman B)

If you have a quality PSU it's safe to reuse,I used my Corsair 850 in my old rig and in my new rig. I've never pushed it hard either,my rig would run fine on a 600 watt but that's how you kill a PSU is by putting one that has to run at full capacity constantly.

After looking at a few options, I thought this would be a good pc: https://pcpartpicker.com/guide/wTp9TW/500-beginner-gaming-pc-great-1080p-gaming-january-2016 I would upgrade it so it has an Intel i5 and a GTX 960. For the GTX 960, there are so many options. Does anyone have an opinion on which one to get? Thanks.

Get one with the most vram you can afford.

You could try to get a GTX 770 4gb it's a great card and in flightsim it's more about cpu anyway and prepar3d loves Vram so 4gb would be better.

FPS is directly related to Processor Speed - The faster the Processor -The Better the FPS - try to find something 4ghz or better - at least Quad core - Video Card - Minimum 2gb - The more Ram the better - and the best one You can Afford - and the most on Board Ram That You can Afford - at least 8gb - 64bit OS - I'm Happy with Win7 - and have heard some not so good things about Win 10  - (and some "its Ok") - Defiantly Not Win 8 - Good Luck  - and Let US know what You Decide -Johnan  B) 

Would it be okay to get an i3 chip because it is cheaper, or is that a bad idea?

Don't skimp on the CPU; faster is better. Fast i5 at minimum, mid to fast i7 would be preferable.

 

The extra $$ you spend now will save you $$ (and frustration/aggravation) down the road.

 

Alan  :smile:

Ok. Thanks.

Go second hand on Ebay or Craiglist. Pick up a GTX 780 very cheap and they are a strong GPU.

CPU is best brand new