What are the best CPUs and GPUs for MSFS 2020?

For Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the best all-round CPU choice. Pair an RTX 5070 Ti or RX 9070 XT with 1440p, an RTX 5080 with 4K, and reserve an RTX 5090 for maximum-detail 4K, high-resolution VR or multi-monitor cockpits.

Those are balanced targets rather than minimum requirements. Aircraft complexity, airport scenery, AI traffic, Terrain Level of Detail, render resolution and frame-rate expectations can change which component becomes the limit.

Which CPU is best for MSFS 2020?

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is our first choice for a new MSFS 2020-focused system because the simulator benefits heavily from fast cores and AMD's extra 3D V-Cache. An eight-core X3D processor is generally more useful here than adding many conventional cores.

Dense airports, complex glass cockpits, traffic and high Terrain Level of Detail settings load the simulator's main thread particularly hard. This is why total CPU utilisation can show 30 or 40 per cent while MSFS still reports Limited by MainThread.

• Best new high-end choice: Ryzen 7 9800X3D.
• Good discounted alternative: Ryzen 7 7800X3D, provided it costs meaningfully less than the 9800X3D.
• Best AM4 upgrade: Ryzen 7 5700X3D. It can extend the life of an existing DDR4 system without replacing the motherboard and memory.
• For simulation plus heavy production work: a higher-core-count X3D processor can make sense, but its extra cores are not necessary for MSFS 2020 alone.

Before fitting a 5700X3D, check the motherboard's CPU support list and install any required BIOS update while the old processor is still available. Moving to a 7800X3D or 9800X3D requires an AM5 motherboard and DDR5 memory.

Which GPU should I buy for 1080p, 1440p, 4K or VR?

An RTX 5070 Ti or RX 9070 XT is the strongest balanced choice for 1440p, while the RTX 5080 is better suited to 4K Ultra and demanding VR rendering.

For a new graphics card, we favour at least 12 GB of VRAM and prefer 16 GB for 1440p Ultra, 4K, detailed airport packages or several monitors. An 8 GB card can run MSFS 2020, but exhausted VRAM can produce stuttering, delayed texture loading or reduced texture quality.

NVIDIA is usually the safer choice for demanding VR, DLSS and supported frame-generation features. AMD can offer better conventional rendering performance or more VRAM for the money. Our detailed AMD-versus-NVIDIA MSFS comparison explains those trade-offs, while our resolution-by-resolution flight-simulator GPU guidance covers broader card requirements.

Frame generation works best when the simulator already has a stable base frame rate. It can make motion appear smoother, but it does not accelerate the main thread, remove CPU stutters or improve control latency to the generated frame rate.

Should I upgrade the CPU or GPU first?

Upgrade the component identified by MSFS 2020's frame-time bottleneck, not the one showing the lowest headline utilisation figure.

1. Establish a clean baseline. Temporarily disable frame generation, V-Sync and external frame caps so they do not conceal the underlying limit.
2. Repeat one demanding flight. Use the same aircraft, airport, weather, traffic settings and cockpit view for each comparison.
3. Read the developer FPS display. Limited by MainThread points towards the CPU or CPU-heavy settings; Limited by GPU points towards the graphics card or graphics settings.
4. Change render scaling. If substantially reducing resolution or render scaling creates a large frame-rate gain, the GPU is the likely limit. Little or no change usually indicates a CPU-side limit.

When CPU-limited, reduce Terrain Level of Detail, Object Level of Detail, AI traffic and airport ground traffic before buying hardware. When GPU-limited, lower render scaling, cloud quality, shadow settings or anti-aliasing quality. We explain the useful compromises in our MSFS settings guide for recovering performance without ruining image quality. For a deeper explanation of the bottleneck indicators, see how Microsoft Flight Simulator shifts between CPU and GPU limits.

What hardware mistakes should MSFS 2020 builders avoid?

The costliest mistake is pairing a flagship graphics card with an older CPU and expecting every airport to run at the GPU's maximum potential.

• Buying core count instead of gaming performance: MSFS 2020 usually gains more from cache and fast main-thread performance than from 12 or 16 ordinary cores.
• Overbuying the GPU at 1080p: an RTX 5080 or 5090 can spend much of its time waiting for the CPU at busy airports.
• Using frame generation as a hardware fix: it improves presented smoothness but does not cure MainThread pauses.
• Ignoring supporting hardware: 32 GB of system memory and an SSD are sensible for a new MSFS machine. Heavy add-ons and background applications can justify 64 GB, but unused RAM does not increase frame rates.
• Forgetting physical and electrical requirements: check graphics-card dimensions, power-supply capacity, power connectors and case airflow before ordering a high-end GPU.
• Testing different scenarios: benchmark changes are meaningless if the aircraft, airport, traffic, weather or camera view also changed.

For most serious MSFS 2020 systems, the practical combinations are a 9800X3D with an RTX 5070 Ti or RX 9070 XT at 1440p, or a 9800X3D with an RTX 5080 at 4K. Existing AM4 owners should consider the 5700X3D before paying for an entirely new platform.