PC hardware & software MSFS 2020 & 2024 (update March 2025)

Main PC #1 Hardware

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D (8-Core/16 Threads, 4.7 GHz / 5.2 GHz) with Thermalright Peerless Assassin PA 120SE ventirad
• Graphics Card: Nvidia Geforce RTX 5070ti (Gigabyte Windforce OC SFF 16 GB)
• Screen Display: Dell U3415W, 3440x1440, ultrawide 21-9, curved 800R, 60Hz Max
• Memory: Corsair Vengeance DDR5 64Gb (2x32Gb) 6000MHZ CL30
• Hard Drives/SSD/NVMe M.2
1. M.2: 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD for Windows and MSFS/Community (Crucial P2)
2. M.2 dedicated to MSFS : 1 x TB Seagate Firecuda PCIe 4 Gen4
3. SSD: Samsung EVO 860 1 TB + Samsung EVO 850 250 GB
4. Data: 2TB Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM
5. Dozen of USB external NVME and hard drives for backups
• Motherboard: ASUS ROG STRIX B650E-F Gaming Wifi
• Power Supply: Corsair RM SERIES, RM850 80+GOLD
• Tower : Corsair Obsidian 500D Black

Software and configuration

For more detail on MSFS specific configuration, check this post: https://20-100-video.blogspot.com/2025/05/my-pc-settings-for-msfs2024-may-2025.html

Usage: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024 for VFR flights. Main aircraft is Cessna 172 classic (WB-SIM C172 and the N4975F replica texture) and Just Flight PA28-161 Warrior in Southern California (with my own sceneries) but also sometimes in France region. Ipad tablet with Foreflight and Skydemon connected to MSFS with FS2FF. 

• Flight Simulator: Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020 & 2024) installed in its own dedicated SSD. The Community folder for mods on dedicated  NVME.
• Check this post for MSFS configuration https://20-100-video.blogspot.com/2025/05/my-pc-settings-for-msfs2024-may-2025.html
• Community folder managed with MSFS Addons Linker.
• Dynamic TLOD: MSFS_AutoFPS by ResetXPDR (latest test version here and public version here)
• Live Traffic : FSLTL or Alpha India Group AIG

Simulation hardware devices

• Joystick: Thrustmaster T16000
• Rudder: Saitek Rudder
• Throttle: Saitek Pro flight Throttle Quadrant
• Com/Nav/Switches: VrInsight M-Panel + Streamdeck 
• Head tracking system : Tobii Eye Tracker 5 (head tracking only)

PC #2 (use for testing/Beta/Dev)
end of August'21

Hardware (Alienware Aurora R11)

• Processor: Intel 10th Gen Core i7-10700F (8-Core, 16 MB Cache, 2.9GHz to 4.8Hz w/Turbo  Boost Max 3.0) Alienware High Performance Liquid Cooling
• Graphics Card : nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 10GB DDR6X (OEM) or Gainward GeForce RTX 3060 Ghost (LHR) 12GB GDDR6
• Screen Display : 27" 1920x1080
• Memory : 32GB Dual Channel HyperX Fry DDR4 XMP 
• Hard Drives
• 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD for Windows and software
• SSD dedicated for MSFS 2020 : Samsung EVO 860 1 TB + Samsung EVO 850 250 GB
• Data : 2TB Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM + 1TB Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM  
• Motherboard : Micro ATX Intel Z490 chipset
• Power Supply : 1000 Watt Multi-GPU
• Wireless : Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 (2x2) 802.11ax wireless and Bluetooth 5.1

Software and configuration

For a detail description of the software, BIOS and Windows configuration, please refer to this post blog: https://20-100-video.blogspot.com/2025/05/my-pc-settings-for-msfs2024-may-2025.html

ALL ITEM BELOW BEFORE 11th of February 2021

Changelist

• Sept'20: Prepar3D has disappeared from my setup. MSFS is my only sim installed.
• June'20: add a SSD 1 To (Samsung 860 EVO) for MSFS FS2020 and Track v5 (replace my v4 hardware)
• April'20: Lockheed Martin Prepar3D v5
• June'17: Lockheed Martin Prepar3D v4
• Fev’17: new video card KFA2 GeForce GTX 1070EX
• Jan’16: update is 8 Go of more RAM, for a total of 16 Go and a new SSD dedicated to Prepar3D. 

Hardware before April 2025

• Processor: Intel 10th Gen Core i7-10700KF (8-Core, 16 MB Cache, 3.8GHz to 5.1Hz) with Noctua NH-U14S ventirad
• Graphics Card: Nvidia Geforce RTX 5070ti (Gigabyte Windforce OC SFF 16 GB)
• Screen Display: Dell U3415W, ultrawide 21-9, curved, 3440x1440
• Memory: 64GB DDR4 2666MHZ
• Hard Drives/SSD/NVMe M.2
1. M.2: 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD for Windows and MSFS/Community (Crucial P2)
2. M.2 MSFS : 1 x TB Seagate Firecuda
3. SSD: Samsung EVO 860 1 TB + Samsung EVO 850 250 GB
4. Data: 2TB Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM
5. Dozen of USB external NVME and hard drives for backups
• Motherboard: ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-G Gaming (Wi-Fi)
• Power Supply: Corsair RM SERIES, RM850 80+GOLD
• Tower : Corsair Obsidian 500D Black

Hardware before August 2021

• CPU / Processor: Intel Core i7-4770K- Quad Core (3.5 GHz) overclock via Asus AI Suite @4GHz with fan Noctua NH-U12P SE2
• GPU / Graphic Cards: nVidia GTX 1070 8 Go (KFA2 GeForce GTX 1070 EX + Bios Update to EXOC model) 
• Display: Dell U3415W, ultrawide 21-9, curved, screen resolution 3440x1440 
• RAM: 16 Go. G.Skill RipJaws X Series  (4 x 4 Go) DDR3-SDRAM PC17000 CL9
• Disk capacity : total of 4.5 To splitted as this :
  
  • SSD for Windows and regular software : 1 x Sandisk Ultra Plus 256 Go (MLC) Serial ATA
  • SSD for MSFS 2020 & P3D : Samsung EVO 860 1 To + Samsung EVO 850 250 Go
  • Other data : Seagate 7200.14 - 2 To (7200 RPM 32 Mo Serial ATA III) + 2 x 500 Go Sata.
• Motherboard : ASUS Z87-Pro C2 (Chipset Intel Z87 Express)
• Power supply : Seasonic X-750 80PLUS Gold
• OS : Microsoft Windows 10
• Simulation control devices: Saitek Rudder + Thrustmaster T16000 + Saitek Quadrant Throttle, VrInsight M-Panel and TrackIR v5.

Software and configuration

• Flight Simulator: Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) installed in its own dedicated SSD 
• Main MSFS configuration (Dec'20) : preset Graphic settings: HIGH except "SHARPEN 0" set manually into C:\Users\<yourname>\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\UserCfg.opt.
• Main MSFS usage: VFR, slow&low with Cessna 172 classic (with the N4975F replica texture) in US west coast

Prior to Sept'20 and for the record, here are info on my preivous Prepar3D usage:

• Weather generator P3D: Active Sky for Prepar3D (sometime the freeware FSxWX)
• Texture enhancement P3D : Orbx FTX Global Base Pack, Orbx FTX Trees HD and Turbulent Tree + Toga EnvTex and EnvShade
• Main addons: A lot of Orbx products : Orbx FTX Global Base Pack, Orbx FTX Vector, Monterey, Palm Springs, Sedona, TrueEarth Washington, North California, South California region, FSUIPC (+ WideFs), a lot of Alabeo and Carenado aircrafts and the A2A Cessna 172 Trainer are my favorite airplanes. Flight1 Garmin GTN 650. EditVoicePack to enhance ATC speech engine