Will an i5-10400 with 8GB RAM run FSX smoothly with modern add-ons?

Hi Al,

An i5-10400 is actually a decent CPU for FSX. FSX tends to lean heavily on single-core performance, and while it won’t use all your CPU cores efficiently, that chip has plenty of headroom compared to what FSX was designed around.

RAM: 8GB will “run,” but it’s the tightest part of your plan
FSX itself is a 32-bit app, so it can’t use unlimited memory, but the rest of the system still needs RAM (Windows, drivers, browser, weather engines, AI tools, tracking apps, etc.). With “modern add-ons” (high-res textures, detailed airports, traffic, weather), 8GB can get cramped fast and that’s when you start seeing stutters from swapping.

If it were my build:

• 8GB: workable for lighter setups, but you’ll be managing settings and background apps.
• 16GB: the sensible “set it and forget it” amount for FSX + add-ons.

Drive: FSX doesn’t require an SSD, but it definitely benefits from one
You’re right that FSX will install and run fine on an HDD. The issue is smoothness during scenery/texture loading. An HDD is more likely to cause:

• texture “popping”
• stutters when turning on final / panning views
• longer load times at complex airports

An SSD won’t magically fix low FPS from heavy scenery, but it does help reduce the pauses tied to disk access. If you’re planning “modern add-ons,” I’d strongly consider putting FSX and your scenery library on an SSD if at all possible.

A couple practical tips to keep it smooth

• Keep AI traffic reasonable (it’s a big FSX performance killer).
• Be realistic with autogen and scenery complexity—FSX can choke on “maxed out” settings even on good hardware.
• Avoid running lots of extra stuff in the background if you stay at 8GB.

Quick questions so I don’t steer you wrong:

• Which FSX are we talking—FSX boxed + Acceleration, or FSX: Steam Edition?
• What GPU is in that machine (and how much VRAM)?
• When you say “modern add-ons,” are you thinking high-end airliners and big hubs (PMDG-level + payware airports), or more general scenery and GA?