So I've resisted the AI bandwagon thing for philosophical reasons, e.g., I still want to think for myself and I'm not jazzed about contributing to Skynet eventually becoming self aware Terminator style.  That said, I was dealing with a work issue recently and a colleague of mine said, "let's see what an AI thinks" and honestly, it gave a pretty good answer lol.  So here I am.

I have asked my AMZN Alexa, "what is the approach speed for [insert plane here]" occasionally.  That's about it to date.

So I replaced my RTX 5080 with a 5090.  Still have the 5080.  I also have some decent PC stuff from my old PC, e.g., a very good 360 radiator (hardware labs), various water cooling supplies, 2x Corsair pumps/reservoirs, etc.  Even still got my 2080 ti and i9-9900 collecting dust in the basement.

I started to think, "ya know, that 5080 would probably be decent for a dedicated AI machine...."

So now I want to explore making a standalone rig that is solely used as an AI.  The primary purpose would be for flight sim stuff (MSFS 2024 and DCS).  Checklists, trip planning, troubleshooting, airplane info, etc. Would be super helpful in DCS for quick questions about systems (I own a lot of modules and just so hard to remember everything as I like to switch aircraft a bit on multiplayer).  I envision it being an HAL of sorts where I can verbally ask questions while flying in DCS or MSFS, and getting helpful information. I frequently google weapon information ("What is the ceiling range of a SA-11 SAM") while playing DCS, and would be cool to get that info from an AI co-pilot of sorts.

The questions:

1) Has anyone done this?

2) Where the heck do I start?  I've been building my own PCs for 20+ years (just wrapped up a 19-14900KF/5090 build for my flight sims and work).  I did the Google thing but just so much information. I'm looking for concise, trusted content that people have referred to get started.  Any suggested youtubers or content providers?

3) Thinking about a linux machine?  I've dabbled with Linux many moons ago and didn't seem all that intense, so willing to get back into it if it makes sense.

4) Hardware requirements?  I'm not spending what I spent on my main rig or I'll be panhandling and missing mortgage payments.  Do I have to go with a i9-14900 or high end AMD CPU? Re-use my i9-99000 which was a beast for 5 years, but I decided to upgrade it.  I'd like to keep it under $2K US (already have the GPU as I'll use the 5080).;

Frankly, any advice, suggestions (yes, I will do a lot of Google and YouTube searches) appreciated.  Thanks in advance.

Edited May 22, 20251 yr by WolverineHusky

Say Intentions AI ATC is already doing all of that.  You can have a "mentor" on board who will answer just about any aviation question.  

Edited May 22, 20251 yr by vp49p3

It's unlikely you'll run a decent LLM on desktop GPU, so a talkful chatbot like Say intention probably will require online for a long time.

Not sure if anyone can make some very strip down non-universal  LM for ATC/FO only, which might or might not be better than the current scripted one (like a notch up to default ATC or FS2Crew etc...)

AI would give you a better flying companion, the issue with Flight Sim is flying solo and no co pilot, especially on long commercial flights, you can buy third party for that already but AI on a dedicated PC is better than scripts running in the background of Flight Sim, over time that capability will improve and can take on those menial planing tasks and calculations, do the callouts, work the radio etc etc etc

AI and Simulations go well together

The next trend in games, is using local AI LLMs to enhance immersion and lots of new release in the AI field are models optimized to run locally, even on smartphones.

That's because online LLMs, while surely more capable, are not sustainable without a recurring pay-for-usage cost, which while is absolutely justified, it's not what most users want, if the goal is provide more variety and immersion.

Instead, we have a new generation of video cards which just the right amount of *extra* VRAM (which MSFS 2024 won't use because it's designed to run on an Xbox) that's just waiting to be used for AI.

Or, if a 5090 look too much for you, it's surely possible to setup a separate PC just for AI. At this time, a very workable solution is an M4 Mac Mini, it's small, easy to use and doesn't consume much energy.

We have been experimenting with this for a while now...:)

Edited May 23, 20251 yr by virtuali

1 hour ago, virtuali said:

The next trend in games, is using local AI LLMs to enhance immersion.....

That's because online LLMs, while surely more capable, are not sustainable without a recurring pay-for-usage cost, which while is absolutely justified, it's not what most users want

^^^ THIS!!! ^^^

Replacing a 5080 with a 5090?  Is that really worth it?

1 hour ago, spilok said:

Replacing a 5080 with a 5090?  Is that really worth it?

I originally wanted a 5090 (came from a 2080 TI) but of course couldn't get one.  I got super lucky and got a 5080 1 day after release (pre-tarrif price) so I snagged it, figuring I could easily sell it (and get my money back).  For me I just really really really wanted 32 GB of VRAM.  The 5080 was very nice, but being candid the 16 VRAM was problematic for me.  MSFS 2024 improved drastically with the 5090, and I typically play AAA titles (MH Wilds, Black Myth, etc.).  Though funny when I got the 5090 I started thinking maybe I should find some use for the 5080.

Thanks all for some really good responses to my questions.  Seems like in the short term for civ sims I can simply leverage existing stuff, though some noted those are pay to play or subscription.

Also after thinking about it perhaps the AI would be better for DCS (I basically play DCS as much as I do MSFS), as I'm not aware of any robust AIs that provide real-time system information for miliary aircraft, but perhaps that exists as well.