SneakyBastd

Agree with Taz. Get 32GB 3200/3600MHz and whatever GPU you can afford. Wouldn't hurt to overclock the CPU also. Check link below. You can see that even with my recent upgrade, GPU is still far and away the limiting factor. The CPU overhead is nice to have - it helps to smooth out frame drops, but a faster GPU is always going to help more.

The TUF Z690 D4 is DDR4 of course, and there is a strix DDR4 mobo for more cash also. It gets you better audio and AI overclocking. NIce to have, but not essential. I was going to throw money at DDR5 if it was any faster, but it simply isn't. Not yet anyway. https://www.asus.com/microsite/motherboard/Intel-Alder-Lake-Z690-H670-B660/websites/download/ASUS_Z690_Full_Specs.pdf

Yeah, it's personal preference. Mainly it is $300AUD cheaper but should still get close enough to what a 12900K can clock. It still has 8 Pcores, don't want to drop to 6 on i5. Doesn't matter for DCS, but other stuff it helps. My overclock tests are very early, but so far it's running 53/53/51/51/50/50/50/50 without issue.

It's fpsVR logging. Top half of top image shows the light blue line, which is CPU frametime in ms. You can see the bulk of it is about 11-12ms, but spreads from 7 to 18ms mostly. The same graph in the bottom half shows the bulk of cpu frametimes has moved to 6 to 11ms. The shaded darker blue area represents GPU frametimes. That doesn't change much of course. The implication is that the cpu is now spending most of its time below 11ms, the crucial cutoff for 90hz. But the gpu is not able to keep up, so it is mostly trying to stay under 22ms. If I had a faster gpu the framerate could just about double. 1/3 of frames were under 11ms, now it is 91%.

I just upgraded to a 12700KF/TUF Z690 from my 7700K@5GHz. Kept the system identical otherwise, 2X16GB DDR4 3600 CL16 and 3080, Win10 x64. Ran the Su25 low level benchmark .miz file attached. You can see it made a nice improvement to CPU frame time. Still GPU bound of course, but more overhead for CPU intensive sessions. This is stock with Pcores at 4.7GHz. I have only just started playing with overclocking. I'll experiment with Ecores off to see what OC head room that gives, HT off to see what single thread boost I get, etc. Let you know. Hope this helps others decide if the upgrade is worth it for them, coming from similar CPU generations as I did. benchmark v1 complex mission.miz

I went from 5k+, which I loved, to the vive pro 2. The fov is decent on the VP2, better than G2. Not nearly as good as pimax, but it sure is sharper. I found it a solid upgrade. But if you stick with the 5k+ I can totally understand why. It is immersive for things like formation flying. But it looks blocky and pixellated by comparison. Reading the cockpit is so much easier with VP2.

Is anyone using eye tracking in their VR headset to point the mouse cursor? I feel like this could be great for DCS. I know you can use the centre of your view to aim the mouse already, but it's near impossible to look at some switches without breaking your neck. Glancing at them would be SO much easier. Then all you need is a button to enable/disable the cursor, and binds for click.

I'd like to upgrade from my 7700K@5ghz to Alder Lake. But there's a lot that remains to be seen. Is the rumoured 20% IPC gain real? If it is that means about 40-50% more IPC over my 7700k. But how much good will that do for DCS? Can I get a mobo that accepts both DDR4 (to use my current ram) and DDR5 (so I can upgrade memory later when it is cheaper). How much will using DDR4 hold back the new cpu? How good will Win11 task scheduling be? As always, bait for wenchmarks.

I was using 1.25 in pitool, and some extra super sampling in steamvr. I just forgot I had this setting when I changed to the VP2.

Have you installed the latest piTool? Have you selected 120hz or lower? I also remember there being some sort of max FoV bug, didn't hear if pimax fixed it or not. Knowing their pace, probably not :/

1600 pixels vertically, vs 2448. A significant increase in quality. I came from 5k+ to VP2, so 1440 vertically. The difference means you can read MFDs without having to lean in, or zoom. The forward/backward position lights on tankers for refuelling were hard to make out on the pimax, but clear on the VP2. Easier to make out the carrier deck in the groove. Everything just looks better and more detailed. Those kinds of changes. Whether that is worth the price difference is up to you. 1400-1600 pixels vertically is certainly decent and good enough to play on. All a VP2 does is make it easier to read dials and things, which is nice to have, but certainly not required. If you think that would be nice to have, and the cost doesn't bother you much, then go for it. Otherwise just wait for something similar at a lower price point. And as speed of heat says, you will want a 3080 or equivalent for a VP2.

Yes you're right, I forgot I had 0.8PD in DCS set... doh.

I went from a 1080Ti to 3080 and also have a vive pro 2. The 3080 is a huge upgrade and well worth it if you can get one near MSRP. I was lucky and got one at launch. The 3090 would obviously be a little better, but not for what they were charging imho. The 3080 is enough to run the VP2 decently, but you have to make some compromises still. That's just VR in DCS. I think a 4080 will run the VP2 with few compromises. I run 150% steamvr, no msaa, and get decent fps. Locked 45 in the air usually, less on busy decks, etc.

Not sure if I did it right, but there was a massive drop in gpu frametime for me. This is the su25 low level benchmark mission. Runs much better in multiplayer servers. (Top image is using the mod if it wasn't obvious) Vive Pro 2 at 150% res with 3080, no msaa. All I did was replace the dll and used the provided config file. Despite the better framerate, there was more shimmering of lines which I hate. I'll have to experiment more. Perhaps it can allow me to run msaa x2 without a performance hit, etc??? Update: i'm not sure it is upsampling properly for me? I get the FPS boost but a lower quality image. Softer, more shimmer, etc. I'd expect fidelityFX to be sharper than this. ATM it is nothing like DLSS for me atleast.

Yeah, try different HDMI/DP ports on your video card. They are not created equal. I got bad snow on my pimax using some DP ports, and it was a clean image on another. Go figure.

"This thing is growing on me. Also, people who have used the G2 before, delete or your steamvr.vrsettings file in steam/config file, I had some weird phenomenons with leftover config data from WMR from my G2 in there. " Yes mhe, I had the same thing. Gave me terrible distortion in my image. Deleting everything manually and reinstalling Vive console fixed it all up. The Vive Pro 2 has been great after that.

Yeah it wouldn't surprise me. It must have had some weird as hell stretch applied to the image. You'd think the vive console installer would blow those settings away during setup, but apparently not. Hopefully it helps someone else reading this if they get the same problem. I will have to play with the brightness for sure, it's too bright by default. Makes god rays more apparent. And Virtual Desktop is brilliant now. Everything is so sharp and clear. Watching movies in the imax cinema is awesome. The 5k+ just had too much screen door for me in that particular instance. I can just make out screen door even with the VP2, but only when watching movies at imax screen distance. Impressive!

You won't believe this, but I changed my tune on the VP2... again! Because.... I fixed it. There must have been some software setting or something from a left over headset prior that was it all up. I methodically went through and uninstalled everything I could, manually cleaning up configs too, and reinstalled. I have used vive/pimax/G2 prior. It is a new headset. I feel like a dumbass though. But atleast the hardware is good. So yeah, now I can see what you mean. Pretty clear edge to edge.

Yeah, I guess that is possible. It certainly didn't feel right. I'll ask returns to check the lenses for me. And I'll try to find someone else with one and test theirs to see if it looks the same to me on their unit. Putting my 5k+ back on, and the whole FoV (except for the very extremeties) is clear. An obvious difference. I miss the pixel density of the VP2, but the pimax blows it away for FoV atleast. I'm glad you can get a clear view around near the whole FoV on yours! I can imagine well now from what I've seen just how good that would be. Enjoy it!

I have changed my tune on the Vive Pro 2, and decided to return it. After an hour or so in the headset I was feeling queasy and had eye strain. Did this a couple times, and it persists. The problem for me is the lenses. There is a narrow cone in the middle in which everything is quite clear, and it's great. But if you avert your gaze a little it goes blurry and distorts. Everything outside the center cone is blurred and looks crappy. This means that as you naturally look around the cockpit, it is quite offputting. I thought I could get used to it after awhile, by looking directly at whatever I wanted to see clearly. but it hasn't worked out for me. The outer vision makes me feel sick, and left me with a headache. It feels hard to focus for some reason. I've been using VR for awhile, tried different sets, and this is the first that was a problem for me in this regard. It wasn't a framerate problem, I maintained 45fps for almost all of it. I tried different gasket thicknesses (including none for a test), different IPD settings, etc. Nothing changes the fact the lens have a small zone in the dead middle that is beautiful, but the rest distorts once you look outside it. it's a shame. I like the headset otherwise. The panels are fantastic. They are just let down by lenses that aren't quite up to the rest of it imho. It's not all bad though. I learned that 2448x2448 per eye is a good standard for clarity. But even then, DCS has lots of shimmering lines. I couldn't run MSAA at that res to deal with it. So even though the panels were much higher res, and definitely sharper for cockpit details, the image was also distracting a lot of the time because of shimmer. I didn't expect that. HTC support to my surprise was awesome. They have responded in online chat quickly every time and been very helpful. Not what I expected at all after hearing some horror stories. I'm going back to my 5k+ for now, which has been comfortable to look at and I can easily wear for hours.

Yeah reprojection, though vive console seems to call it motion compensation? Confusing name, that is usually to help with motion simulation rigs. Motion compensation seems to do nothing in my case. Can you play and not be locked at 45fps?

Yeah 150% supersampling looks very nice. It's 45fps for me in freeflight, but haven't tried online just yet. Still can't turn this seemingly default motion compensation on or off. It's always locked at 45fps. I did just get my VRCover pads for the Oculus Quest 2, which I tried on my VP2. The thin one is too thin, and the nose flap thingies get in the way and are annyoing. The thicker one, which is still thinner than the default gasket, is just right. Better fov and I can also keep the headset against my face when looking down, keeping clarity. I strongly recommend it!

For now I've turned MSAA off and just run 100% in SteamVR, which shows 3052 res. I'm holding 45fps which seems to be a motion smoothing feature I can't seem to turn off? Anyone know how to disable that? Headset runs warmer than my Pimax. It also pulls away from my face when I look down, reducing clarity. I think I'll have to mod it a little to hold it in position, but will wait for the thinner gasket before doing that.

Just got my VP2 and had a quick go in F18 caucasus freeflight. I like it! Coming from a 5k+ the FoV was a big concern. But the VP2 FoV is actually decent, and it's considerably clearer. The whole cockpit is readable from the default sitting position. MFDs are clear. It's like a G2 with a much better FoV. The G2 felt like a periscope. The VP2 FoV is good. Not as wide as pimax, and even less so in the vertical, but pretty good. Waiting for the thinner face gasket, as pulling the hmd toward my eyes made a big difference. There is noticeable light leakage I will have to block off - it's distracting. Headset fits well and is comfortable. Lots of tweaking to do, but my concerns about FoV and whether it's worth it to move up from 5k+ are gone - it's going to be a keeper. My 2c!

Thanks guys. I'll let you know what res it ends up running at and what kind of fps I get with 3080. I get plenty of fps with my 5k+ on max FoV running 1.25 supersampling and MSAA 2x. Hoping I can do without MSAA and supersampling due to the higher res panels, and that it won't be much worse performance wise. Fingers crossed!