Sim racing and flight simulators are a world of their own, and a PC built for Call of Duty is not automatically a great sim rig. Whether it is iRacing and Assetto Corsa across triple screens, or Microsoft Flight Simulator at the edge of what hardware can do, the priorities shift. We build a lot of these, so here is what actually matters.
Why sims are different
- Huge fields of view. Triple screens or VR mean you are rendering far more of the world at once than a single monitor, which is demanding in a very particular way.
- Processor-heavy worlds. Flight sims in particular lean hard on the processor for scenery, air traffic and physics. A great graphics card alone will not save a weak CPU.
- Smoothness over raw numbers. In a sim, consistent frame timing matters more than a big headline frame rate. Stutter breaks immersion and costs you lap time.
The processor is the heart of a sim rig
This is where AMD's X3D chips shine. The large cache is brilliant for exactly the kind of processor-limited, simulation-heavy work these titles throw at you, and it lifts those all-important smooth minimum frame rates. A Ryzen 7 9800X3D is our go-to for most sim builds, stepping up to a 9950X3D if you also stream or do other heavy work.
Graphics: match the card to the screens
- Single ultrawide or 1440p: a strong mid-to-upper card is plenty.
- Triple screen at high resolution: you are pushing a lot of pixels, so this is where a 5080, or a 5090 for the highest settings, earns its place.
- VR: headsets are very demanding and, like triple screens, reward both a powerful GPU and that smooth, high cache processor.
Do not forget the rest
- Memory: 32GB of DDR5-6000 CL30 is the sweet spot, and flight sims genuinely appreciate the capacity.
- Storage: modern sims are huge and stream scenery constantly, so a fast, generous NVMe drive keeps everything loading smoothly.
- Connectivity and quiet: a good sim rig often lives in the same room you relax in, so quiet operation and plenty of USB for wheels, pedals, button boxes and HOTAS gear is part of getting it right.
Built around how you actually play
The best sim PC is the one specced around your exact setup, your screens or headset, your titles, and your budget. That is precisely the sort of bespoke build we love. Tell us what you race or fly and what you are running it on, and we will spec a rig that stays smooth where it counts.
Prices are correct at the time of writing and the GPU, memory and storage markets are moving quickly at the moment, so always check live pricing before you buy. Better still, ask us for a current quote and we will price it up against today's UK stock.
Build it with us
Have a play with our PC configurator, or just get in touch and tell us how you actually use your machine. We are a friendly bunch, every system is hand-built to order here in Stevenage, stress-tested before it ships, and backed by our 5-year warranty.
