This $20,000 Microsoft Flight Simulator rig is more expensive than some real planes

ZAH Computers Tech Editorial

ZAH Computers Hardware Research Desk

Nvidia's modding team, known as GeForce Garage, has put together an irresponsibly large and immersive Microsoft Flight Sim rig that may only be rivaled by flying an actual plane. Amateur pilots eat your heart out. The rig's PC portion uses a beefy EK water-cooled system, powered by none other than the Geforce RTX 3080, running Microsoft Flight Simulator on three LG CX 65" TVs linked together via Nvidia Surround, at an ultrawide 5760 x 1080 resolution. All of the flight controls and avionics displays are from the Logitech G series of accessories, and the motion platforms are from Next Level Racing. That gear helps step up the immersion by tilting your cockpit as you roll and pitch your plane. We are only talking about 10 degrees so, don't expect to perform barrel rolls in your own home, but still pretty cool. There's even a ButtKicker transducer attached under the seat so you can feel the rumble of your landing gear and engine as you take off and land. We've not seen one of those in use since the early 2000s.

Honestly, outside of strapping a super high-res VR headset to your head as well, this is probably about as immersive a Flight Sim set up as you're going to get. You just need a whole bunch of cash and somewhere for it to actually live. It's not like this thing is going to fold up under your couch. Here's a breakdown of all of the gear used in the video, and it's one hell of a shopping list.

Chassis: CoolerMaster SL600M
Graphics: GeForce RTX 3080
Motherboard: ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XII Formula
Processor: Intel i9-10900k
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 32GB (4x8) 4000Mhz
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 1TB (x2)
Power: SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Platinum 850W
Cooling: EKWB- Quantum-Velocity CPU Block with Monoblock, Founders Edition GPU Quantum-Vector waterblock, Quantum-Torque Fittings, and two CoolStream Radiators
Cables: Mainframe Customs

Rig - Logitech G Peripherals

Flight Yoke System + Flight Rudder Pedals
Flight Throttle Quadrant
Professional Simulation LCD Multi-instrument Controller (x6)
Professional Simulation Radio Controller (x2)
Flight Switch Pane
Flight Multipanel
G703 Lightsync PC Gaming Speakers
G915 Lightspeed Wireless RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
G560 Lightspeed Wireless Gaming mouse

Next Level Racing Platform & Extras

Traction Plus Platform
Motion Platform V3
GTTRACK Flight Simulator
Free Standing Single Monitor Stands (x3)
LG OLED 65" 4K TV x3

The price tag on this extravagant cockpit is roughly around $20,000 and took over 12 hours to build by one person. In case you're wondering you can score yourself a sweet bird for just over $10,000, assuming you have a place to store it and a pilot's license.

The GeForce Garage team is currently running a contest to go with its latest creation, where one lucky winner with the best in-game screenshot of Microsoft Flight Simulator can win an elusive RTX 3080 GPU. That's live later today over on the Microsoft Flight Simulator Forum, and might be your best chance to bag a new graphics card right now.