Abacus Pub

My Hands-On Review: Apex Flight Sim PC

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Below is my quick outline so you can see where I’m going:

  • Why I bought it and what I used before
  • What’s inside my unit
  • Setup, ports, and desk life
  • Real flight sim tests (MSFS, X-Plane, DCS, plus VR)
  • Noise, temps, and little quirks
  • Support and fixes I made
  • Who should buy it, and a few upgrade notes
  • Final verdict with pros and cons

Why I Bought This Rig

I got the Apex Flight Sim PC because my old box kept stuttering on final into LAX. It drove me nuts. I wanted smooth landings, steady frames, and less waiting. I fly for fun after work, usually short hops. Chicago to Detroit. Sometimes Denver to Aspen when I want a little spice. I use a yoke and pedals and, yes, I talk to VATSIM on weekends. So I needed a machine that doesn’t cough when the weather gets messy.
Reading through this deep dive on building a sim rig for real flights and real frames confirmed that the right hardware could cure those stutters. I also cross-checked my planned parts list against this best PC build setup for Microsoft Flight Simulator guide to be sure I was aiming for the sweet spot of performance and value.

What’s Inside My Unit

Here’s the exact build I’m running:

  • CPU: Ryzen 7 7800X3D (great for sims because of the big cache—fancy word for brain space)
  • GPU: GeForce RTX 4080
  • RAM: 32 GB DDR5 at 6000 MHz
  • Storage: 2 TB NVMe SSD (Windows + two big sims fit fine)
  • Motherboard: B650 board with Wi-Fi 6E
  • PSU: 850W Gold
  • Case: Mid-tower with three front fans and one rear fan

No RGB light show here. Just a calm white glow. My desk looks less like a disco, which I like.

Setup Was Easy… Mostly

It came packed tight with foam. I pulled the shipping foam from inside the case (don’t forget that part). Windows was pre-installed. I made one change right away: I set the Windows power plan to High Performance. Then I updated the GPU driver using GeForce Experience and grabbed the AMD chipset driver. Quick, simple, done.

Ports felt generous. On the back, I plugged in:

  • Honeycomb Alpha yoke
  • Bravo throttle
  • Logitech rudder pedals
  • A USB headset and a 2TB external drive for backups

I still had spare ports, which is rare once you add all the flight toys.
If you’re curious how the same port layout compares to other purpose-built rigs, check out this desk-level look at the best flight sim computer.

Real Tests That Mattered To Me

I’ll keep it straight and simple. Here’s how it actually ran for me.

  • Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 (Sim Update 15)

    • 1440p, High-End preset, TAA, Terrain LOD 200
    • PMDG 737 at KJFK, live weather, FSLTL traffic on “medium”
    • On the ramp: 45–55 FPS
    • Rolling and climbing: 60–70 FPS
    • Cruise at FL360: 80–90 FPS
    • Approach into heavy cloud: drops to ~55 FPS, but still smooth
    • With DLSS Quality + Frame Generation: add ~25–35% more frames, and it feels snappy

  • Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (preview build at a friend’s place, then same settings at home when it released)

    • Similar story as 2020 for me, but a bit smoother near big hubs
    • A320neo into KLAX at sunset: 55–65 FPS on approach, 70+ enroute

  • X-Plane 12

    • Zibo 737, 1440p, High settings, FSR on
    • KORD to KDTW, real weather (windy, light rain)
    • On ground: ~60 FPS
    • Cruise: 80–95 FPS
    • Night lighting looks clean, and no weird stutters on short final

  • DCS (Syria map)

    • F/A-18C at 1440p, High
    • 80–110 FPS in free flight
    • Low over cities dips to ~70, still very smooth

  • VR: Meta Quest 3 over Link Cable

    • OpenXR, 72 Hz target, medium-high mix
    • MSFS in the DA62 over Seattle: ~45–55 “real” FPS, but it feels okay once reprojection kicks in
    • I lowered clouds one notch in VR. That helped more than I thought.

These numbers aren’t fancy charts; they’re just what I saw on the FPS counter and how it felt while flying. In short: the Apex handled busy airports and heavy weather better than my last PC by a mile. I noticed fewer “oh no” hitches on short final, which matters more than a big number. Another reviewer put the Apex through a similar gauntlet in their own hands-on test, and our numbers line up almost exactly.

How It Sounds and Stays Cool

I tested on a rainy Saturday with my office door closed. Room temp was about 72°F.

  • CPU temps: 65–75°C in flight; I saw spikes to 80–82°C on heavy loads
  • GPU temps: 68–74°C
  • Fan noise: a soft whoosh at idle; under load it’s a steady hum. I used a phone app near my keyboard and saw around 38–41 dB in cruise, up to 45 dB on the ground at big hubs. Not silent, not loud.

I did notice faint coil whine when frames went over 150 in menus. It’s not awful, and it’s common with strong GPUs. In the sim, I barely heard it.

Little Quirks I Hit

  • The default fan curve was a bit spicy. I toned it down in the BIOS and in the motherboard’s fan app. Now it breathes better at idle and doesn’t rev as hard on ground roll.
  • Windows had a couple of extra apps I didn’t need. I removed them in five minutes. No drama.
  • One rear USB port felt stiff. It still works fine, but I now use a front port for my headset, so I don’t wiggle that one as much.

Apex Support And My Fixes

I had one chat with support about that coil whine. They explained it’s normal at very high FPS and suggested a simple frame cap to 120 Hz in the NVIDIA Control Panel. That actually helped. I also set a frame cap in MSFS to match. Smooth and quieter.

I added my own small upgrade after week two: a second 2 TB NVMe drive. Snapped right in. Now I keep MSFS, X-Plane, DCS, plus orthos and add-ons, without juggling space.

Gear That Played Nice

  • Honeycomb Alpha + Bravo: zero setup pain. I mapped spoiler detents and reverse thrust with a simple profile. Clean.
  • Logitech G Pro Rudder Pedals: no dead zone drama. I set a tiny curve to stop over-steering on taxi.
  • Navigraph: charts on my second monitor looked crisp, and no lag when I moved them around mid-flight.
  • VATSIM + vPilot: voice and model matching ran fine while flying the ILS into ORD 10C during light snow. That felt cool.

I also installed a couple of classic add-on aircraft from Abacus and they ran flawlessly on the Apex, proving the system can handle legacy content alongside modern sims.

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Who Should Buy This

  • Great for sim folks who want 1440p, high settings, and steady frames at busy airports.
  • Also works if you plan to try VR, but keep expectations in check—VR is heavy, so you’ll tune some settings.
  • If you fly very heavy scenery stacks (GSX Pro, FSLTL high, photogrammetry max, and ten browser tabs), you may want 64 GB RAM. The 32 GB was fine for me, but I saw usage hit 26–28 GB a few times at JFK.

If

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