PC Upgrade for MSFS

[Shortboi]

Budget (including currency): €1200

Country: Netherlands

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Mainly for msfs2020 and later maybe 2024. Will also be used for school work and other games like minecraft, cities: skylines and some other light games. My PC right now can run them really well, this upgrade is mainly focused on msfs. I will also be doing some light video editing (Wondershare Filmora 14) and photoshopping (Photoshop 2025)

Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc): 

I play on 2 monitors, one is 1440p 144hz 1ms and the other one is 1080p 60hz. I have another monitor laying around and am planning to add that to the setup (in the process of building a A320 home cockpit). That monitor is 1080p 60hz.

 

The main problems I'm having with my current pc:

- Not a lot of FPS on MSFS (30-40)

- Sound does not work well(static noise every few minutes for a second), tried a lot of things and have come to the conclusion that it is probably my mobo (could also be my Windows install but have not been able to solve the problem with Windows built-in troubleshoothing  

 

My speakers are the Logitech Z533 if anyone has any solutions for this problem

 

Other smaller problems with my current pc:

- I find it too loud, that is mainly because of my psu and gpu. I have already configured my fans to run slower.

- The cables are really messy and there are little places to improve cable management in this case. I've already worked in the Montech XR and cable management in it was a lot easier and turned out better.

- I'm missing a usb-c port on the front of my case

- I'm in need for a bit more storage (I don't have a lot left, 1TB would be enough). This is not a priority, but if you have some budget left, this would be appreciated

 

Current build:

https://nl.pcpartpicker.com/list/w8R82x

Planned upgrade:

https://nl.pcpartpicker.com/list/c4DV9C

 

Important things in my build:

- Has to look good aesthetically

- Has to have good cable management options

- Has to run games named above well

- Has to have a lot of USB ports

- Has to have a good audio chip to stop problems with (except if it's problems with Windows, which I can't seen to find)

- Has to have Wifi, I have no Ethernet near my PC

[Why_Me]

Do a full Windows reinstall, update your drivers and try the sound.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *Intel Core i7-14700F 2.1 GHz 20-Core Processor  (€308.83 @ Amazon Netherlands) 
CPU Cooler: *be quiet! Pure Rock Pro 3 59.6 CFM CPU Cooler  (€54.90 @ Megekko) 
Video Card: *ASRock Challenger Radeon RX 9070 16 GB Video Card  (€659.00 @ Azerty) 
Case: *Montech AIR 903 BASE ATX Mid Tower Case  (€59.00 @ Amazon Netherlands) 
Total: €1081.73
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-07-13 14:42 CEST+0200

[Shortboi]

How much better is the 9070 in comparison to the 7800XT, is it worth the extra €200? Also, on another topic: my audio works normally while having my monitors disconnected, what could that mean and what are the next steps to fix my audio issue?

 

[Why_Me]

17 minutes ago, Shortboi said:

How much better is the 9070 in comparison to the 7800XT, is it worth the extra €200? Also, on another topic: my audio works normally while having my monitors disconnected, what could that mean and what are the next steps to fix my audio issue?

 

Not sure about the audio issues tbh but it sounds like there has to be a fix to it.

 

[Shortboi]

6 minutes ago, Why_Me said:

Not sure about the audio issues tbh but it sounds like there has to be a fix to it.

Yeah, since I discovered this I'm thinking about just buying the new GPU right now and seeing if that fixes the problem. I think my current GPU is causing some sort of interferance in my audio from my mobo since both my monitors also have built-in speakers.

 

This is the full list I'm on at this point:

https://nl.pcpartpicker.com/list/k9R9db

 

Is it neccesary to change the cooler, I really like how it looks in the case, but if my temps will skyrocket I will buy a different cooler. (then maybe the i9 isn't such a good idea...)

[Why_Me]

45 minutes ago, Shortboi said:

Yeah, since I discovered this I'm thinking about just buying the new GPU right now and seeing if that fixes the problem. I think my current GPU is causing some sort of interferance in my audio from my mobo since both my monitors also have built-in speakers.

 

This is the full list I'm on at this point:

https://nl.pcpartpicker.com/list/k9R9db

 

Is it neccesary to change the cooler, I really like how it looks in the case, but if my temps will skyrocket I will buy a different cooler. (then maybe the i9 isn't such a good idea...)

That cpu cooler isn't going to handle that unlocked 14 gen i9. Look at a locked 14 gen i7 and upgrade your cpu cooler.

 

[Shortboi]

4 hours ago, Why_Me said:

That cpu cooler isn't going to handle that unlocked 14 gen i9. Look at a locked 14 gen i7 and upgrade your cpu cooler.

What CPU Cooler would you reccomend? I was looking at a 240mm AIO but the ones from NZXT/Corsair are not cheap. A air cooler would also be fine, but as one of my goals with the upgrade was to make the pc quieter a AIO makes more sense (I think)

 

EDIT: I have actually found a pretty decent cooler: https://nl.pcpartpicker.com/product/LfKscf/corsair-nautilus-240-rs-7437-cfm-liquid-cpu-cooler-cw-9060088-ww

Is it a good cooler? Should I buy it for this build?

[Why_Me]

2 minutes ago, Shortboi said:

What CPU Cooler would you reccomend? I was looking at a 240mm AIO but the ones from NZXT/Corsair are not cheap. A air cooler would also be fine, but as one of my goals with the upgrade was to make the pc quieter a AIO makes more sense (I think)

It's rare when a air cooler is louder than a AIO.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU Cooler: *Thermalright Royal Knight 120 80.45 CFM CPU Cooler  (€35.90 @ Amazon Netherlands) 
Total: €35.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-07-13 20:52 CEST+0200

[Shortboi]

1 minute ago, Why_Me said:

It's rare when a air cooler is louder than a AIO.

Yeah, that's possible. It was some information I got a long time ago from a friend. I think this cooler fits really well into the build, thanks!

 

Also, I have fully reinstalled Windows and so far, it looks to have fixed the audio issue I had

[KidKid]

7 hours ago, Shortboi said:

Budget (including currency): €1200

Country: Netherlands

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Mainly for msfs2020 and later maybe 2024. Will also be used for school work and other games like minecraft, cities: skylines and some other light games. My PC right now can run them really well, this upgrade is mainly focused on msfs. I will also be doing some light video editing (Wondershare Filmora 14) and photoshopping (Photoshop 2025)

Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc): 

I play on 2 monitors, one is 1440p 144hz 1ms and the other one is 1080p 60hz. I have another monitor laying around and am planning to add that to the setup (in the process of building a A320 home cockpit). That monitor is 1080p 60hz.

 

The main problems I'm having with my current pc:

- Not a lot of FPS on MSFS (30-40)

- Sound does not work well(static noise every few minutes for a second), tried a lot of things and have come to the conclusion that it is probably my mobo (could also be my Windows install but have not been able to solve the problem with Windows built-in troubleshoothing  

 

My speakers are the Logitech Z533 if anyone has any solutions for this problem

 

Other smaller problems with my current pc:

- I find it too loud, that is mainly because of my psu and gpu. I have already configured my fans to run slower.

- The cables are really messy and there are little places to improve cable management in this case. I've already worked in the Montech XR and cable management in it was a lot easier and turned out better.

- I'm missing a usb-c port on the front of my case

- I'm in need for a bit more storage (I don't have a lot left, 1TB would be enough). This is not a priority, but if you have some budget left, this would be appreciated

 

Current build:

https://nl.pcpartpicker.com/list/w8R82x

Planned upgrade:

https://nl.pcpartpicker.com/list/c4DV9C

 

Important things in my build:

- Has to look good aesthetically

- Has to have good cable management options

- Has to run games named above well

- Has to have a lot of USB ports

- Has to have a good audio chip to stop problems with (except if it's problems with Windows, which I can't seen to find)

- Has to have Wifi, I have no Ethernet near my PC

It's good but if possible, try to get an RX 9000 series. Much better ray tracing and AI and driver support.