Aapje

The 2080 Ti is very similar to the 5090. 20-30% performance increase, but with a price to match. So not sure why you would classify them differently. And I would argue that the 1080 Ti was the good release. People generally ignore the 2080 Ti. And the 3090 Ti was never considered good by those in the know.

This one? https://www.vrsimsolutions.nl/product/15828489/vr-f18-cockpit-panels-add-on-for-winwing-mip

AMD doesn't seem to learn their lessons, and if they just keep repeating their strategy of making their cards slightly more attractive than the Nvidia alternative in their own eyes, then they will make the following mistakes: Assuming that the Nvidia cards are attractively priced, which is probably not the case in the long term (when there is more supply than just a trickle) Assuming that buyers have the same pro-AMD bias that AMD has But perhaps they'll surprise me and the cards will come out with a truly attractive price, but the general strategy with AMD is to wait until the prices drop to something that is more reasonable. They usually need some time to sort out their drivers anyway, although due to the delays the drivers may be better at launch than usual.

The connector are interchangeable, but they already started replacing 12vhpwr connectors with 12V-2x6 connectors for the 40-series cards, so presumably they have now transitioned over fully. However, this merely reduces the risks a bit, it is not a full fix.

All the 50-series cards presumably use the 12V-2x6 connectors, so all those that melted count.

Yeah, my advice would be to only get a 5090 if you are sure that it is a design that has separated power rails. Definitely not the FE. If you get a 5080, this is not needed if you undervolt the card. You can typically cut the wattage a lot by doing this. Apparently it undervolts very well and you should easily stay under 300 watts at all times: https://old.reddit.com/r/nvidia/comments/1ikev2d/the_rtx_5080_fe_undervolts_really_well_im/ Although all undervolts are subject to the silicon lottery of course.

The F-16 has a strongly reclined seat, so such a seating position is fairly accurate for that plane at least. Anyway, my advice would be: Get a rig based on 8020 aluminium bars that work with t-nuts. This is very popular because it gives immense flexibility on how the frame is set up and what you attach to it, and where. This is extra important if you want to have a dual setup. It's best to get advice from simracing sources, like the simracing subreddit, since you want a formula-style setup. Simracers can also give advice on side-mounting stuff, since they are used to mounting shifters and handbrakes there. These rigs also tend to be quite affordable for what you get and you are not locked into a brand. Brands like Simlab and Advancedsimracing are popular, but what options you have depends in part on where you are located (these things are obviously very expensive to ship, so it has to be available locally). Your current seat should mount with no problems. Get the quick release system from QR4Rigs. It seems to be the best designed QR for pedals on the market. They have standard support for a large variety of the most popular racing and rudder pedals. Sim-lab has a keyboard tray and a mousepad plate, that are both designed for 8020 rigs. However, most people seem to forgo the mouse and instead get the Logitech K400 Plus, with an integrated mousepad. Cheap and low quality, but it they prefer it over a mouse. I would suggest using a trackball if you do want to use a mouse, since a regular mouse will vibrate off the rig and with a trackball, you can use a very small plate for it, so it is easier to mount next to a stick. A good future upgrade is to add bass shakers to the system. People tend to think that it adds a lot and it is relatively cheap, especially if you do a DIY-solution. You might want to already put your rig on 'washing machine anti-vibration feet pads' to isolate the rig from the environment.

https://discord.gg/VHvxaKcP

VKB tends to offer both options, to change it yourself or have them do it. And this is what VKB said two days ago on the EU forum:

Nvidia made a big mistake by making the 3080 so powerful compared to the 3090. They more than rectified that with the 4090 and 5090.

Practically the same then. Benchmarks do not show a significant difference:

There's more reason for them to do this for an FFB base, since there are surely way more people who will want to use the FFB base with other grips, than those that want to use a non-FFB Winwing base with a Virpil grip.

Yes, standalone refers to Quest-games that do not run on the PC. They run on the processor in the headset, which is much stronger in the Quest 3 than in the Quest Pro. In fact, it is so much stronger that there is a rather popular piece of software that modifies the graphics settings of older games, that were designed for the Quest 2 (which has the same processor as the Pro), so they look much better on the Quest 3.

In the EU, the CE-marking is merely a legal construct. Putting it on the product is considered to be a promise by the manufacturer that they ensured that their product complies with the EU standards. So if they put the CE-marking on the product without actually doing that, the courts can conclude that it was not a mere oversight, but a willful act of not following the law. But there is no testing required by an independent/government body. Testing it would be hard anyway, since the Low Voltage Directive just uses generic language stating that the product should be safe to use and connect, and that the manufacturer should recall or fix the device if this turns out not to be the case (despite a solid effort to make it safe). Presumably, the courts would create jurisprudence, or it already exists, on what is considered to be safe enough, based on expert testimony or the assessment by national agencies, and when a recall is warranted. In the US, the laws seem more centered around empowering agencies to make and enforce rulings, but GPUs are probably not on the radar of any safety agency right now. So in practice, we probably either need a sufficiently big scandal with people dying for this to get on the radar of the agencies, or people need to sue themselves.

The reporting suggests that Nvidia simply paid off the person who filed the suit and they withdrew the complaint. There was never a ruling.

https://qr4rigs.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=182 In principle, the only thing standing in the way of Virpil support is a firmware change to support the extra Virpil features.

Winwing should come out with their base this year, but I have no expectations beyond that for this year.

Nvidia first makes a design with almost no margin of error, and then they don't even build in some security so that you can't have all the power going over one or two wires: It's an absolute disgrace that this is what you get for (at least) $2k.

The biggest weakness of the Quest Pro was that it has the same CPU as the Quest 2, which makes it rather poor for standalone use. But for simming you don't need a powerful CPU in the headset, so it is actually quite well suited for that use case.

The head strap and facial interface for the Quest 3 can be replaced easily. It's not a good reason to shun it, similar to how you shouldn't discount a smartphone just because it comes with a cheap case that you don't like.

It's an axis (two actually), not a button, so it wouldn't show up as a button. That's why the push button does show up, because it is actually a button. Can you map it in DCS as an axis?

Not sure that is safe for work.

Yes, just give me your credit card

According to Wikipedia, the mid-range model we had was $4,869, although that is a lot more in today's dollars. It was a bit of an extravagant buy at the time, although as a kid I was not exactly given it. It was more like a confiscation. And I did make it last a long time, when others had moved on.

The expectation that a kid should be able to get a mid-range PC is still just that, an expectation. In absolute terms, that 4060 Ti is still way faster than the cards of the past with the same inflation-adjusted prices... And you can play DCS on those 'lower range' cards. Or you can take a card out of the trash bin and play War Thunder, and have a gaming experience that is way better than in 2005. The irony of this statement! In what reality is it reasonable to argue that a kid is entitled to a mid-range PC, even in a rich country (and do you really think that there is no poverty in rich countries)? And to expect it in a relatively poor country... It's just utterly unreasonable. But I guess that this is yet again evidence of the deleterious effects of social media, that spreads unreasonable levels of entitlement everywhere. I was raised in poorer circumstances than average, and certainly compared to my current peers. I played games on this: Including on a DOS-simulator. I literally had no colors! I had no always-on internet. No free games with a War Thunder like budget. I programmed my own games and programs, without access to the Internet to help me out. I subscribed to a service that sent out floppies and later CD's with demos, shareware and freeware. I typed over software programs from magazines. And yet I had no shortage of things to do, because I didn't look at what I lacked compared to others, but I looked at what I did have and could do. If those parents come to you complaining that their kid has to have a 7800 XT, you should ask them whether the kid's school or job requires them to have a 7800 XT. If not, they don't need it. They want it. Again, expectations (or actually, a sense of entitlement, if they think that they deserve to have it). If the kid can't manage to enjoy themselves on a 4060, or heck, a 1060, then they have failed as parents.