After getting the setup, I of course bought FS2020 and I have been enjoying it a great deal. However I would recommend the following :
As for going Intel vs AMD, I think AMD is better if you are going to build a dedicated gaming machine. I went the Intel route since I also use my PC for software development and multi-media stuff (mostly video editing).
I purchased the basic edition, and have purchased some additional aircraft and liveries (paint jobs and interior upgrades), along with the IFR flight school. The extras airports and aircraft included in the deluxe versions are not actually important to me. My brother is a longtime airline captain... he would probably be better off with a deluxe version.
I went the Intel route since I also use my PC for software development and multi-media stuff (mostly video editing).
I have done a lot of video editing with AMD and never had any difficulties. I am shocked at how well the little Ryzen 5 2500u with 25 watt TDP performs in my laptop. It didn't make Microsoft's Windows 11 approved list which has got to be some form of planned obsolescence because it runs it with no problems at all.
I also get warnings when starting MSFS 2020 that it does not meet the minimum requirements, but after tweaking and troubleshooting and using a few tricks it works fine as well with half way decent graphics by my standards.
Great advice there.
One way to save a bomb on this is to buy a slightly old Lenovo or HP tower workstation and just upgrade the graphics card.
I got a brand new but overstocked Lenovo P series tower with Zeon and 32GB RAM for about $1200 in your money. With a three year full system warranty thrown in by Lenovo.
Came with 1TB hardware RAID (SATA SSDs, which I use for document libraries and development projects) and a separate 1.5tb of PCIe nvme storage (1TB for operating system and 500gb for a Steam library).
Adding a much better graphics card was the only gap but these rigs are exceptionally reliable. The last one I had was a HP workstation and it was still running after ten years of daily use. I got $500 from selling it.
Yes you can spec up a much better machine with a self built or a custom builder, but after 2 years you’ll have seen it depreciate to half the build cost - it’s not the quality of components that holds value, it’s the warranty cover of the whole system. There’s a guy near me trying to sell a rig he built 6 months ago for $1500 after spending $2000 on parts but someone’s pointed out that the same rig could be built today for $1300 courtesy of extended January sales prices.