aleader

I just bought some MFG Crosswind rudder pedals and they are in a league of their own IMO. They took 4 days to get to my door (middle Canada) from Croatia. Also, the Mi8 is worth every penny when on sale. I also got it for very cheap a few years back, but it is my favourite thing to fly in DCS (I have all the helis, A10C II, F18, Harrier, Sabre).

Is the AI still 'superman' in DCS (i.e. the unrealistic flight models)? Can the enemy be shot down in this one?

Don't waste your money on a 3090. Worst GPU ever made for gaming. Look at the benchmarks. I have a 3070 and there are still terrain stutters in DCS (at 1440p). I turned the terrain textures down to low on the Syria map, MSAA 4X, and now it's close to 100 fps, but I have it capped at 75. It's the game, not the hardware. A 3060ti will be more than enough, if you manage to find one. The 3070 is getting more available though (or the 6800).

Good to know, thanks. I didn't realize you could use that Hat as a 4-way, I'll give it a go.

I'm currently mapping it for the A10C II along with my TWCS throttle. I have TrackHat and Cougar MFDs, so I am wondering what I can use the smooth hat (top left) for? I also haven't figured out a use for the dials and throttle on the base of the stick. I use the TWCS dial for zoom view. Any ideas? I also have FC3, the Harrier, F18, Sabre, and all the helicopters, although other than the Ka 50, the helis don't really use a lot of buttons to begin with.

Received my NXT after about 2 weeks from the date of order. It was right during Xmas, so I was expecting delays. Oddly it sat in Japan for 3 days before going from there to Memphis to Calgary all in the same day. It then sat for a few more days in Calgary before finally getting to me in Sask. Total cost with shipping, duties and GST was $273 CAD ($207 USD - yes, I had to pay $21.37 CAD for duties + GST). First impressions were that it was very well packaged and quite easy to assemble. Everything that should have been included was. I was a bit worried by how 'light' it was until I attached the baseplate. One small gripe was that one of the screws on the baseplate did not go in all the way to be perfectly flush with the bottom of the baseplate. I tried switching them around, but it was just that one corner that was an issue, but it's very slight, and I'm pretty anal about such things. On plugging it into my PC, Win 10 recognized it right away and installed it, but there was a flashing red light on the stick that wouldn't go away, and I was unable to perform the calibration process outlined in the instructions. I tried other USB ports to no avail. I watched all the videos on the VKB site, and eventually had to google the solution as there was none to be found in the official docs or on the site. This is a pretty common issue apparently, and VKB should at the bare minimum put it into the FAQ, if not right into the calibration instructions. The solution was to install and run the VKBDevCfg software. Neither the quick start nor calibration videos make any mention of this. The downloads section is also quite confusing about what you actually need to install for what stick. I figured it out by watching videos, but shouldn't have to. The UI of the software is very archaic, even by sim standards. The other thing that wasn't explained anywhere was how to lock the twist (on the NXT), but I assumed that the screw in the bag of other screws was for that, and figured it out. Anyways, once that was done it was recognized in DCS and I was able to map keys right away. Overall I love the feel of the stick and it is the perfect size for my hands (large size gloves). The smooth motion is also really excellent, and it all feels very high quality, which I wasn't expecting for a plastic stick. It's a massive upgrade over my 21 year old Saitek X45. That stick was still perfectly good, but the size, motion, and buttons/hats on this one are far more useful and easier to reach. With the MSFS-craze I was able to sell the X45 for $60, hours after listing it locally. I probably could have asked more, but I only paid $100 for it new 21 years ago, so I was happy to get anything for it. I still need to test it in IL2, and will try it in MSFS as well (my son has gamepass) just to see how easily it is to map. I have questions about the buttons, but I'll post that separately.

Just flew the Syria map for the first time (free flight, A10) and noticed almost 29GB of RAM *allocation* right away, which is very unusual as I never see more than around 14GB *allocation* on the other maps (Caucasus, PG). There is also some hard stuttering, also unusual. I figured it was just optimization issues and this thread confirms it. I'll try some of the settings/fixes and see. I'm running W10/Sapphire 5700XT/5600X/B550/32GB RAM/NVME SSD.

I don't really care about synthetic benchmarks, they tell me nothing. I care about real-world gaming benchmarks at 1440p. From those, it seems to me that it's completely dependent on the game. I will be picking up my 5600x tomorrow, so I'll see what improvement it brings, if any. I'm handing my 3600 to my son, along with my B450 MSI Carbon MB. I'm only getting the 5600x because ironically it's all that's available, and I back-ordered it and can actually get that locally. I can't even find a 3600, or I would have just got that for him and kept mine (it's his B-day next week). I'll be putting it into my MSI Gaming Plus B550 MB.

If you're looking at a 3600 for a CPU, don't waste the extra cash on the XT...no benefit. The 3600 is in stock now and the price is starting to come back down to where it should be (I paid $170 USD for mine). For 1440p gaming, the new 5000 series are a waste of cash (look at the benchmarks). You MAY get up to 5% extra FPS (i.e. 1-3fps). Actually anything more expensive than a 3600 is a waste. Spend the extra on a video card instead, you'll be way further ahead. I don't know however how the 5600x does in DCS at 1440p as nobody uses it to benchmark. Also, keep your eye on RAM prices as I have noticed they are starting to creep up again from their lows in Oct/Nov. People will argue on here that 32GB is 'required' for DCS, but that is nonsense. These are usually the same ones that think you 'need' a 5950X. Read up on allocated vs used RAM. I have 32GB just because it was so cheap at the time, but I see no benefit in DCS going from 16GB. If it's cheap however, you may as well.

I can't believe nobody has mentioned the VKB Gladiator NXT yet. I just received mine last week (finally retired my perfectly good 21 year old Saitek X45) paired with a TWCS throttle. To Canada, the total cost with shipping/GST/duties was $276 CAD ($210 USD). Really nice for those of us that refuse to spend $650 on a stick (GF3)...I need a new pontoon boat instead Also, unlike the Warthog, they are in stock at their regular price.

I ordered an NXT today, should be here by the 23rd if all goes well. The CAD dollar is quite high right now and it doesn't look like the Warthog is back in stock anytime soon for a reasonable price, so I'll see how VKB is. Maksim's review swayed me as I do fly all of the helicopters and play IL2, not just modern jets. I will post my impressions when I get it going.

Bottlenecking is 'mostly' nonsense at 1440p and higher. At 4K, the CPU is almost meaningless. Hardware Unboxed just answered this for the umpeenth time in a recent video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bf10uBW3w6U (21:44) Also, check out the scaling benchmarks: https://www.techspot.com/review/1968-ryzen-3600-vs-2600-gaming-scaling/ This one's not the most up-to-date and only goes to 1440p, but the differences at 4K are even smaller. There are many scaling benchmarks out there that show this. TL:DR, as long as you have the performance of a 3600, you're good. Now, DCS is an old, unoptimized beast that does however like high clock frequency. More cores are a complete waste. It's all about clock speed and IPC. Personally, if you're even considering a 3070/3080, I'd wait until the Ti models come out. You can't get any of these cards right now anyways. Best bang for your buck RIGHT NOW is the 3060ti, if you can actually get it close to MSRP, but I wouldn't get that if you're thinking 4K.

We're not being impatient at all...it's been a while since a stable update was released. I'd use OB, but I don't want to, because like most, I don't care about Multiplayer, and I don't like dealing with bugs. The OB fiasco of several months ago turned a lot of us off of it. Thanks for your really helpful advice though.

Thanks. It has rudder if you select that option I believe. I have rudder pedals already so wouldn't need twist. I'll see what kind of deals come up on the Warthog in the next few months. At the current price the NXT is about $150 cheaper for me, and looks like it won't ship to me until Xmas or after anyways. I don't anticipate that price difference will last however.

And quality-wise (feel of buttons, etc) how does the NXT compare to the Warthog?

Small compared to the Warthog? What was your previous stick?

As I said in my initial post, for me, they are the same price. I can get the Warthog here from several retailers including Costco off and on for $529 CDN ($398 USD - with the throttle). The stick alone I've seen as low as $279 CDN ($210 USD). The peripherals are cheaper in Canada for whatever reason. I'm in no hurry to buy as I have a HOTAS already, so I can wait for stock/sales. I know it's a personal choice, which is why I'm asking people that know what the differences are (that have actually tried both). I've read that the NXT has 'cheap' feeling buttons (and is all plastic) and switches compared to the Warthog for example, but a 'smoother' feel. What I'm getting from your post is that prices being equal, the Warthog is better? The Gunfighter III is a nice stick I'm sure, but I'm not paying $700 just for a joystick to play games...

I know this doesn't help you, but I have been using a Trackhat (clip) for about 3 years now and it's every bit as good as TrackIR for 1/5 the price. And before the TrackIR 'fanboyz' jump on me, I had a TrackIR before the Trackhat, but it's so flimsy it broke when I swatted a mosquito. Of course they wouldn't replace it either. Trackhat has been rock solid ever since.

Anyone?

So you think it's worth the same price as the Warthog? Have you owned a Warthog?

I just realized that this existed. I was going to get a Warthog stick to go with my TWCS throttle, but this one (the premium) will cost me about the same or less...under $300 CDN all-in. How does this compare to the Warthog (i.e. why should I buy this instead)?

They did several bundles in the spring, some were fantastic deals (i.e. the helicopter bundle for $69.99). It's a great idea to bundle Syria with the Hind or the F16.

$13 CDN? Great deal, very smart move by ED. I would think every single person that bought the A10C will upgrade for that price, which was probably the plan. I paid $26 CDN for the A10C when it was still cheap...so less than $40 for both...can't complain.

Rumours seem to be that there will be no 'Super' or 'Ti' cards this go round. Recall those were only announced to counter AMD's releases and price drops. Nvidia seems much better prepared this time around, although I to am hoping that AMD drops a few bombshells, and soon. Again, just because Afterburner shows 'usage' doesn't mean it's actual usage and not just reserved. Stutters tell the true story.

It's not 'obvious'. Many will call 'High' settings everything EXCEPT AA turned to high. All AA on in-game DCS would be more like an 'Ultra' setting. And no, there's no way everything was turned up to max at 1440p. I can attest to this with my 1070 at 1440p.