I need a new PC because my current one refuses to run MSFS anymore. Now I'd like to keep my current 1080p monitor which suits me fine. This will also enable me to get a bettter CPU, GPU, power unit, etc. Problem is that information about systems that are geared to 1080p almost always are low budget all the way. So they show a cheaper CPU, a cheaper GPU, etc. But... I want a TOP OF THE BILL PC that can run MSFS on 1080p on ultra without any problems!

Now the obvious advice might be to get the fastest CPU and GPU anyway but from what I've read so far it is clear that the fastest CPU and GPU will NOT result in the smoothest 1080p performance...! It may even degrade performance and introduce stutters and so on because for instance the GPU is waiting for the CPU or the other way around...!

Two questions:

1. is it indeed correct that getting the best hardware currently available will not only be a waste of money but even counterproductive if you plan to play on 1080p?

2. what is the BEST combination of hardware to get in order to get the BEST performance on 1080p? Regardless of cost?

You'd think it should be possible to run MSFS on ultra, all sliders right, on a 1080p monitor... right?

 

1. Most decent current hardware you can get nowadays should be more than adequate for 1080p at highest settings, provided you get a decent GPU, but high end hardware is not a waste of money. You should get the best you can afford. Note, you should have an Internet connection of at least 40Mb in order to enjoy the Photogrammetry. I turn mine off at the moment.

2. As you said, hardware must be properly matched so as not to bottleneck graphics card vs CPU. A good dealer should advise appropriately. My feeling is go to a reputable PC dealer in your country who already builds Flight Sim PCs and ask them. Most dealers will advertise a range of flight sim PCs from low end to to high end. 

A good top end PC might be: 

• RTX 3080 Graphics - but check ETA for delivery  - otherwise GTX RTX 2080i should be fine 
• AMD Ryzen 7 5800X (or my preference for MSFS would be Intel 10900k) factory overclocked to e.g. 4.9GHz  - this is important for smooth performance. If the builder does it they will exhaustively test it for stability under load. 
• 32 GB 3000MHz DDR4 essential 
• 1TB M.2 NVME Solid State Drive

Not sure if this helps. I have a 2014 PC  - an i5 4690k, with 32Gb RAM, GTX1080i graphics run off an NVMe SSD. I can run most settings on HIGH or ULTRA at 1440p, but as always you'll still have to tune your machine for best performance - even with high end hardware.

Hope this helps.

 

ray

A good 1080 Ultra computer would look something like this:

- RTX 3070 or RTX 2080ti (The 3070 is better if you plan on playing RTX titles. The 2080ti has more VRAM which could help if you plan on upping the resolution in the future)
- R7 5800X or R5 5600X (8 core vs 6 core. Performance almost similar in MSFS)
- 32 GB 3600 Mhz (AMD benefits from faster RAM speeds. And MSFS can consume up to 28+ GB memory while running)
- NVMe M2 SSD (Much faster loading times, snappier)

.. which is just about the same Ray is suggesting. This would also be a good 1440p High/Ultra computer. 

Thanks for the replies, guys. Seems I simply need to get the best hardware my money can buy anyway... 😉