Looking for PC specs for an X-Plane 12 upgrade (coming from X-Plane 11 on Windows 10)

X-Plane 12 upgrade PC specs + what’s really going on with the ATC/Alaska issues

Brian — a new PC for X-Plane 12 is a good move, but I’d separate your questions into two buckets: (1) what hardware best supports XP12, and (2) what’s causing the terrain/ATC and Alaska crashing you’re seeing in XP11 (because a faster PC doesn’t always fix those).

1) Practical PC spec guidance for X-Plane 12 (what matters most)

X-Plane performance is usually limited by a mix of CPU (main thread) and GPU (rendering), plus having enough RAM/VRAM so you’re not constantly shuffling data.

1. CPU – Prioritize strong single-core performance first (X-Plane still leans heavily on the main thread), while also having a reasonable number of cores for background loading and add-ons.
2. GPU – XP12’s lighting/weather can push the GPU harder than XP11. If you want “best possible,” don’t skimp here.
3. RAM – Enough memory to avoid paging when you’re running ortho, custom airports, weather plugins, traffic, etc.
4. Storage – SSD is not optional for a smooth experience (faster loads, fewer stutters when streaming scenery).

2) A sensible “aim for this” checklist (no brand wars)

Rather than chasing a single “perfect” build, here’s the practical target most folks are happiest with for XP12:

• CPU: Modern high-performance desktop CPU (strong single-core boost; 8 cores is a comfortable place to be for sims/add-ons).
• GPU: Modern mid-to-high end GPU with plenty of VRAM (VRAM matters a lot if you use higher texture settings, heavy clouds, higher resolutions, or multiple monitors).
• RAM: 32 GB is the “easy button” for XP12 if you run add-ons/scenery. 16 GB can work, but it’s easier to run into limits.
• Storage: NVMe SSD preferred; SATA SSD still fine if that’s what you can get. Keep X-Plane and your scenery on SSD.
• Power/Cooling: Don’t underestimate this—X-Plane will happily load a system for long periods. Stable boost clocks and temps matter.

If you tell people “I want to run XP12 at 1440p (or 4K), with high objects, high textures, lots of weather, and add-on airports,” that’s the info that determines how far up the GPU ladder you need to go.

3) About ATC: don’t expect XP12 to “guarantee” terrain-safe vectors

Even with improvements over the years, the built-in ATC (in any sim) can still give questionable vectors/altitudes in mountainous areas, especially with bad weather and when you’re close to terrain. Alaska is basically the worst-case scenario for that.

A couple of practical reality checks:

• If you’re flying an instrument approach in IMC, the safest baseline is to fly a published procedure (STAR/approach) and use ATC mainly for sequencing, not terrain clearance.
• On final in mountains, any ATC instruction that puts you below a published segment altitude (or below a safe minimum altitude for the area) should be treated as suspect.

So yes, upgrading to XP12 may improve the overall experience, but it won’t necessarily eliminate “ATC tried to kill me” moments in mountainous terrain.

4) Alaska crashes in XP11: likely scenery/add-on/graphics driver, not “Alaska itself”

Stock XP11 generally shouldn’t “constantly crash” just because you’re in Alaska. When I hear “Alaska + crashing,” the usual culprits are:

• Corrupt or conflicting custom scenery (duplicate airports, mesh conflicts, broken libraries, bad ortho tile).
• Running out of VRAM/RAM (often shows up when you turn toward dense areas or heavy clouds and then things fall apart).
• Plugin crashes (weather, traffic, avionics, shader tools, etc.).
• Over-aggressive graphics settings for the hardware (especially texture quality + antialiasing + world objects).

5) Quick troubleshooting checklist (XP11 right now, to confirm the root cause)

If you want to pin this down before you buy the new system, do this in order:

1. Check the log after a crash
   Open your X-Plane folder and look at:
   Log.txt
   Right after a crash, the end of that file usually points to a plugin, scenery, or Vulkan/OpenGL issue.

2. Test with a “clean” run
   Temporarily remove third-party plugins (move them out of the plugins folder), and try a stock aircraft at a default airport in Alaska. If the crash stops, it’s almost certainly add-on related.

3. Reduce load
   Temporarily lower texture quality and world objects, then retest the same flight/area. If stability improves, you’re hitting memory limits (VRAM/RAM) or driver sensitivity.

4. Scenery sanity check
   If you use lots of custom Alaska scenery/mesh/ortho: temporarily disable it and re-test. Mesh conflicts can be brutal in mountainous areas.

A few targeted questions so people can recommend specs accurately

• What resolution are you planning to fly at (1080p / 1440p / 4K), and is it single monitor or multi-monitor?
• Do you plan to fly in VR?
• What are your current PC specs (CPU, GPU, RAM, and whether X-Plane is on SSD or HDD)?
• When XP11 crashes in Alaska, what’s the last ~20 lines of your Log.txt?
• Are you using any custom Alaska scenery (ortho, mesh, payware airports), and do you run third-party plugins?

If you post your current specs plus the end of your Log.txt from one of those Alaska crashes, we can usually tell pretty quickly whether you’re dealing with a scenery conflict/plugin issue or a hardware limit — and that will also drive a smarter XP12 build recommendation.