Compare X-Plane 12 and MSFS 2020 system requirements for CPU, GPU, RAM, storage and internet, with clear advice for older PCs and laptops.
X-Plane 12 has the lower storage and internet burden, but it does not have clearly lower CPU or GPU requirements than Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. Both list 8 GB RAM and 2 GB VRAM minimums; X-Plane 12's Vulkan 1.3 requirement is stricter, and its recommended processor and graphics tiers are at least as demanding.
How do the official PC requirements compare?
The published minimum specifications are close until storage, graphics compatibility and recommended hardware are considered. These figures are entry points rather than guarantees of smooth performance with detailed airports, complex airliners or high settings.
| Component | X-Plane 12 | Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 | Practical difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Processor | Minimum: four-core Intel Core i3/i5/i7/i9 or AMD Ryzen 3/5/7/9; recommended: Core i5-8600K or Ryzen 5 3500 or better | Minimum: Core i5-4460 or Ryzen 3 1200; recommended: Core i5-8400 or Ryzen 5 1500X | X-Plane 12's published recommended processors are slightly stronger. |
| Memory | Minimum: 8 GB; recommended: 16–24 GB or more | Minimum: 8 GB; recommended: 16 GB | The minimum is identical. Both benefit noticeably from more than 8 GB. |
| Graphics | Minimum: Vulkan 1.3-capable NVIDIA or AMD card with 2 GB VRAM; recommended: GTX 1070-class card or better with at least 4 GB | Minimum: GTX 770 or Radeon RX 570 with 2 GB VRAM; recommended: GTX 970 or Radeon RX 590 with 4 GB | X-Plane has the stricter API requirement and the higher named recommended GPU tier. |
| Storage | 25 GB listed minimum, with more needed for installed scenery and add-ons | 150 GB in the published PC requirements, before optional content, cache and add-ons | X-Plane 12 has the clear advantage. |
| Internet | No continuous scenery streaming required for normal offline use | The original specification lists 5 Mbps minimum and 20 Mbps recommended for online data | MSFS can operate with local offline data, but streamed scenery is a major part of its visual system. |
Microsoft also published a separate higher “ideal” tier, while X-Plane uses minimum and recommended categories. Comparing minimum with minimum and recommended with recommended gives the fairest result. Our practical X-Plane 12 component targets and breakdown of MSFS 2020's minimum, recommended and ideal hardware tiers cover each simulator in more depth.
Which simulator is easier to run on an older PC?
Neither wins on every older PC: X-Plane 12 is easier on storage and bandwidth, while MSFS 2020 may accept an older graphics card that does not support Vulkan 1.3.
- Check graphics API support first. Having 2 GB VRAM does not prove that a card can run X-Plane 12. Install the graphics manufacturer's latest suitable driver; if the hardware itself lacks Vulkan 1.3 support, lowering settings will not fix it.
- Treat 8 GB RAM as a launch-level minimum. A machine shared with browsers, planning tools and detailed add-ons can exhaust that quickly. Sixteen gigabytes is a far more sensible baseline for either simulator.
- Identify the actual bottleneck. Lowering resolution helps when the GPU is overloaded, but it does little for a main-thread limit caused by dense objects, traffic or a complex aircraft. Reduce world detail, traffic or aircraft complexity instead.
- Do not compare laptop and desktop GPU names directly. Laptop power limits, cooling and shared memory can materially change performance. Our guide to choosing flight-simulator laptop hardware explains the extra headroom portable systems need.
How much storage and internet do they really need?
X-Plane 12 needs substantially less initial storage and does not stream its normal scenery continuously. Its 25 GB listing is not a sensible long-term library allowance, however: additional scenery regions, aircraft, custom airports and orthophotos can consume many times that amount.
MSFS 2020's published 150 GB requirement can also grow through world content, updates, rolling cache and packages placed in the Community folder. It can use locally installed offline scenery, but this lacks much of the streamed world's detail. A slow or capped connection therefore affects MSFS more heavily even when the computer itself meets the CPU and GPU requirements.
What hardware should you target for either simulator?
A sensible shared target is a modern six-core processor with strong per-core performance, 16 GB RAM or more, a Vulkan-capable GPU with at least 6–8 GB VRAM, and an SSD with generous free space. Thirty-two gigabytes of RAM provides useful headroom for complex aircraft, large scenery packages and background applications.
Verdict: X-Plane 12 has lower storage and connectivity requirements, but not lower core hardware requirements. If an older PC passes X-Plane's Vulkan 1.3 check, the two simulators need broadly similar machine classes; X-Plane's published recommended CPU and GPU levels are actually higher than MSFS 2020's original recommended tier.