Simulator Hardware
Best Flight Simulator Hardware
Hardware recommendations for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and X-Plane 12, scored by actual game performance requirements.
63 products scored across 2 simulators
Browse by Simulator
Select a simulator to see hardware ranked for each category.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
Photorealistic world with live weather and AI traffic — balanced CPU/GPU demands with DirectX 12 and native DLSS/FSR support
Computer Hardware
Peripherals
X-Plane 12
Blade-element theory flight physics preferred by real-world pilots — more GPU-bound than MSFS, with physically-based rendering and Vulkan renderer
Computer Hardware
Peripherals
Top Picks by Budget
Highest-scoring desktop or laptop in each budget tier, across both simulators.
Skytech Shiva Gaming PC Desktop – Intel Core i5-13600KF, RTX 4060 Ti, 16GB DDR4, 1TB NVMe SSD
Intel Core i5-13600KF · NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti
61.2 /100
CLX SET Gaming Desktop – AMD Ryzen 7 7700X, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super, 32GB DDR5, 2TB NVMe SSD
AMD Ryzen 7 7700X · NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super
82.2 /100
Alienware Aurora R16 Gaming Desktop – Intel Core i9-14900KF, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Super, 32GB DDR5, 2TB NVMe SSD
Intel Core i9-14900KF · NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Super
88.2 /100
Flight Sim Guides
In-depth articles on hardware, peripherals, and simulator setup.
How to Build a Home Flight Simulator Cockpit (2026 Guide)
Step-by-step guide to planning and building a home flight simulator cockpit — from setting a budget and choosing software to selecting controls, displays, and a cockpit frame.
Read guide →Types of VR Headsets: Which Works Best for Flight Simulators?
Breakdown of every type of VR headset — PC-tethered, standalone, and console — with recommendations for MSFS 2020 and X-Plane 12 sim pilots.
Read guide →X-Plane 12 vs Microsoft Flight Simulator — Which Should You Choose?
X-Plane 12 vs Microsoft Flight Simulator compared — flight physics, visuals, hardware demands, add-ons, and which simulator suits your flying style.
Read guide →How We Score Flight Simulator Hardware
Scored per simulator
Each product is scored using that simulator's exact performance weighting — MSFS 2024 is 45% CPU and 40% GPU, X-Plane 12 is 55% GPU. The same hardware scores differently depending on which sim you fly.
Specs, not hands-on tests
Scores are calculated from each product's published specifications. We don't own or test this hardware, so we never present a score as a measured result.
AI-assisted summaries
Verdicts, pros and cons are drafted with AI from the same product data that drives the scores. Frame-rate figures in them are estimates, not measurements.