Best Flight Simulator Hardware

Rankings by simulator

Every product is scored separately for each sim, with that sim's own weighting. How we score

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• PC finder

  Get the pre-built PC that fits your screen, budget and sim.

• Cockpit planner

  Get a complete list of controls for your first home cockpit.

• Controller compatibility checker

  See which joysticks, yokes, throttles and pedals work on PC, Xbox or PS5.

• VR headset finder

  Match a VR headset to your graphics card and budget.

All 11 tools →

Top Picks by Budget

The highest-scoring desktop or laptop in each price tier, across both simulators.

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• Budget
  ASUS TUF Gaming A15 · RTX 4070 RTX 4070 Laptop · Ryzen 7 7745HX · 16 GB RAM
  62.5 /100 X-Plane 12 score
  Check price on Amazon
• Mid-Range
  HP OMEN 16 · RTX 4070 RTX 4070 Laptop · Ryzen 7 8745HS · 32 GB RAM
  62.5 /100 X-Plane 12 score
  Check price on Amazon
• High-End ZOTAC MEK · 9800X3D + RTX 5080 RTX 5080 · Ryzen 7 9800X3D · 32 GB RAM
  88.2 /100 MSFS 2024 score
  Check price on Amazon

Latest guides

• 

  Best GPU for VR in 2026: 5 Graphics Cards for Every Headset

  The best graphics card for VR in 2026, by headset: Quest 3, PS VR2 and Pimax. Five picks, how much memory VR needs, and which cards to skip.

  Updated October 8, 2026

• 

  Google Earth Flight Simulator: How to Use It + All Controls

  Google Earth's free flight simulator now runs in your browser, too. How to open it on the web or in Earth Pro, every control for PC and Mac, and how to land.

  Updated October 8, 2026

• 

  Microsoft Flight Simulator History: Every Version (1982–2024)

  Microsoft Flight Simulator came out in 1982, three years before Windows. Every version since, the 40th Anniversary Edition, and what each one needed to run.

  Updated October 8, 2026

All 10 guides →

How we research

One method for every page, published in full so you can check any score.

1. Start from the sim

   Microsoft's and Laminar Research's own requirements set the bar for every PC we recommend.

2. Add independent benchmarks

   Processor and graphics card ratings come from independent benchmark rankings, each with its date.

3. Score with one formula

   Each sim gets its own weighting (MSFS 2024 puts 45% on the processor, X-Plane 12 puts 55% on the graphics card), and the same formula applies to every product.

4. Keep it current

   The site rebuilds twice a day, so picks follow what Amazon actually has in stock, and every guide shows when it was last updated.

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