Our promise
Every page on Simulator Hardware exists to help you understand the hardware, narrow down the choice and buy the right thing for the simulator you fly. Hardware for flight sims is expensive, and most buyers aren't PC experts, so we write for the person who wants a clear answer and the reason behind it.
Where our information comes from
- The simulators' own requirements. Microsoft's minimum, recommended and ideal specs for MSFS 2024 and 2020, and Laminar Research's for X-Plane 12, are the starting point for every PC recommendation.
- Independent benchmark rankings. Processor and graphics card ratings come from published, independent benchmark testing. We record the date of every ranking we use, and our methodology names the month each one was updated.
- Manufacturer specifications. Axes, sensors, resolution, refresh rate, build materials, platform support and compatibility come from each manufacturer's published specs.
- Live retailer data. Product photos, availability and current prices come from Amazon's product data, refreshed on every rebuild of the site, twice a day.
We use what other people have measured, and we say so. We don't run a hardware lab or our own benchmarks, so we never describe a product as "tested" by us and we never present a score as a measured result.
How we rank
Each product gets a score from 0 to 100 from a published formula, weighted for each simulator. The same formula is applied to every product in a category, and the methodology page lists every factor, weight and price band. Rankings follow the scores; "best value" and "best budget" picks follow the rules written on each page.
How we keep pages current
- Picks follow stock. The site rebuilds twice a day. Products Amazon no longer sells drop out of the picks, and discontinued products are marked as discontinued.
- Ratings follow the rankings. When the independent benchmark rankings we use are updated, we update our ratings and the date on the methodology page.
- Guides are reviewed and dated. Each guide shows the date it was last updated. We update guides when a simulator update, a new product generation or a price shift changes the advice.
How we use AI
We use software to calculate every score and AI to help draft some written summaries, verdicts and FAQ answers, always from the same product data that drives the scores. A person reviews every AI-assisted draft before it goes live. AI never supplies a benchmark number: every figure on the site comes from a cited source or from our published formula. Some older product summaries still quote frame rates marked "estimated"; those are expectations based on the hardware scores, not measurements, and we are rewriting them.
Independence
- We earn commissions as an Amazon Associate when you buy through our links. Commissions never change a score, a rank or a pick. See our affiliate disclosure.
- No brand, retailer or agency can pay for a placement, a higher score or a "best" badge.
- We don't accept free products in exchange for coverage.
Corrections
If you find a wrong spec, an outdated fact or a score that doesn't follow our formula, tell us through the contact page and choose "Data correction / spec error". We check every report. When a correction changes a page, we fix it and update the page's date.
Images
Product photos come from Amazon's product data. Other images, such as simulator screenshots and box art, come from official press material, Wikimedia Commons or other openly licensed sources, credited where the license asks for it. Our charts and diagrams are drawn by us.