CL30

Awesome! I was just out to dinner with the other pilot I'm with, and we were just talking about contract stuff. Neither of us have ever done it. What do you fly? Are you US-based? If you float through ICT, give me a shout.

Good idea! In all of the build videos I've watched, they say it's not really a big deal, however, seeing as I'm working with almost $3000 worth of stuff, it's probably a good idea anyway. Cheap insurance, thanks! :thumbup:

Let's just say for the sake of all involved: - I'm not planning SLI - I'm not planning AMD - I will overclock the 9600k (if I get that and not a 9700k) - I will overclock whatever 2080 Ti I get If I plan to do any of those things in the future (or get the next 30xx card), I'll just buy a new PSU in the future- they're not that much. Right now I feel like I'm just gonna say "screw it" and go with an 850W. Seems like it will provide plenty of comfort and power. If it's overkill that's fine, but if it's not gonna cut in based on this current system configuration, then I'm still all ears! Sorry, I just feel like I opened up a can of worms, lol! Didn't mean for the arguing/debate, but I know it's all good...even if a lot of it might be over my head, hahaha.

Lol! Gotcha, thanks! :thumbup:

I'm certainly not opposed to an EVGA PSU. Actually, EVGA and Seasonic were the only two I was really considering based on reviews and forum replies. The main reason I threw Seasonic in the build (both brands were within a couple dollars of each other at the time) was I read several reviews where the EVGA PSUs were pretty darn loud. Do you guys have any insight or experience with that? As has been said, EVGA's customer service sounds absolutely top notch. I would be happy to go the PSU route through them as well.

Thanks! It's gonna be awesome. I can't wait. I've spent entire 4-day trips sitting in hotels doing nothing but watching DCS videos! Drove myself absolutely crazy waiting for this build. I'm in the most awkward position now where the days off ordering stuff are finally upon me, but I'm still so hesitant to pull the trigger on stuff I've been looking at for months! :surrender:

Thanks for your helpful insight, Headwarp! You do make some good points about using a SATA drive instead of an NVMe. I'm not going to be doing lots of data transfers and stuff like that. Mainly, I'll load Windows and load some games. I think a slightly longer load time for the maps could be a good thing...will give me time to grab a beer from the 'fridge, lol. As for the GPU, I considered that point about the Black card. You may have been the one make that statement to me quite a while back in another thread, that even though it's on the low rung, it's still a 2080 Ti. I think a little room for overclocking would be good. I don't want to paint myself into a corner so-to-speak and end up wishing I would've spent a couple hundred extra for a little better card. :)

Ok, thanks. If I end up going up into those higher-tiered components, I'll up the PSU as well. :thumbup:

Ehhhhh...I'm pricing out a build with a 9900K and FTW3 (non-Ultra). - I've dropped the Aorus Master for the Aorus Ultra. - Went with cheaper G.Skill Ripjaws V RAM (still 32GB @3200). - Also dropped the 500 GB Samsung 970 Evo Plus for a Crucial P1 500 GB M.2. - Kept the Seasonic Focus Plus Gold 850W PSU. Is that enough for that CPU/GPU though?! This build is still pushing $2900. I don't think I'd feel good about doing that, lol!! I'll keep toying with it, and maybe try for a 9700K at least. I think I'll be pretty happy for a while though with the current CPU and GPU. If/when Vulcan ever arrives, I'll worry about upgrading then. This system, no matter WHAT ends up in it, will be a massive upgrade from my current PC. My wife will probably still be talking to me this way, too! lol :chair:

Haha, it very well may! Do you fly the 300 as well?

I don't know if the site has that kind of compatibility testing, but for the RAM/Mobo combos I'm considering I have checked the QVL lists and they're all good-to-go. Thanks for thinking of that though!

If this was directed towards me, I'm doing all of my shopping on PCPartpicker, and then will just buy where the best price is. I think I'm just going to stick with my original plan of 2x16 3200. ;)

Ok, thanks. Yes, the O11 Dynamic is a beautiful case! I think I'll revisit that. I had it on my build list for a while at one point. :thumbup:

You guys are great! Thanks for getting these wheels turning. One other question I just thought of: right now I have a 360 AIO. Wanted to see if you think stepping down to a 280 would be okay cooling-wise for an OC'd 9600k. What about a 9700/9900k? Just wondering where to draw the line. The reason I ask is I'm toying with a "theme" in my mind for how I want this thing to look, and I think I may not have to pull the little panel out of the case if I do a 280 instead of a 360. I could be wrong. Looking at that now, actually.

Well, you're certainly right about DCS keeping me busy. I remember the learning curve when I started playing BMS, so I can only imagine what DCS will be like. Throw in learning the commands of a HOTAS, and then trying to master each plane I get. I imagine the only shooter I'll have for a while would be Battlefield V, as it comes with the GPU. I think I'll just do that one 500 GB SSD as you suggested. I might throw in a cheap HDD to keep photos and other "stuff" on. They're pretty darn inexpensive as it is. I don't have the cash to do both the 9900K and step up higher in GPU, so if I do anything it'll be one or the other. I'll probably do a better GPU if that's the case. It'll be easier to spend a little more on that monster purchase now, and will be a little easier spending $400-500 later on for a 9900k once Vulkan arrives. Of course, Mrs. CL30 may not be happy with these changes, if I do them! :helpsmilie: Also, I stepped back up to the SeaSonic Focus Plus Gold 850W PSU.

Any comments on that GPU? Good choice in the 2080 Ti offerings?

Ok, good info. This will be purely for gaming, with DCS the ultimate goal. (I'll get some shooters like Battlefield, etc) I was planning on everything DCS on the 1 TB SSD, and then the OS and other games, etc. on the smaller M.2. However, you do make a good point. I figured having the OS on a separate drive could be handy if there were ever problems with Windows. Honestly, I guess maybe I was wrong in estimating my storage needs??? I thought each module required 120 GB of space. I thought I would run out of space after I bought a handful of planes and maps. Not the case? One other thought, I will be transferring all of our family photos onto this computer as well. I am planning on OC'ing. I figured the 9600k would be a great initial chip: lower price, great performance for pure gaming. I'm planning on a better motherboard now as I figure I'd upgrade to a better CPU once the prices are down in the future. I didn't want to burn extra money since DCS wouldn't really take advantage of the 9900k at this point. I'll look at bumping up the PSU, thanks!

Good insight, FragBum/cichlidfan. I hadn't thought about sourcing the same modules again if I wanted to go up to 64 GB. Well, something to think about.

Glad you're having good results! Wow, DCS doesn't take much space then? I just saw the space requirements per airplane of "120 GB free on SSD" and thought I would end up filling 1 TB pretty quick. Thanks!

Sorry, it'll be on a Z390 Aorus board, most likely. Posted my tentative build in another thread a bit ago.

Update - Ordered EVERYTHING!! Gahhhhhh, I'm so glad to be done with this part. Thanks for all of the help and guidance. You all are awesome! I'll put the final ordered parts list at the bottom of this post. :D So I'm FINALLY to the point where I can start ordering things! :D Thank you, all, for the responses and guidance you've given me in my several threads. I can't wait to start flying with you folks. (Ready to get my butt handed to me!) This month will be the PC. Next month will be the HOTAS and other peripherals (and monitor at some point). Unfortunately, I caught some of the PC components on the upswing for pricing...like the motherboard that just went up about $50 a few days ago. Bah!! :doh: So I may take my time a bit to see if anything falls again in the short term. One thing I still am uncertain of is which GPU to go with. This XC Ultra Gaming seems pretty middle of the road. Not the highest, but not the Black like I'd considered at one point. Also not sure if I'll stick with the Meshify S2 or find something with a front USB-C port as well. I'm open to recommendations and tweak ideas! I may still change somethings if I decide to do some RGB. Right now, this one's pretty much all black. DCS will go on the 1 TB Samsung. Question: does ALL of DCS, everything to do with it, have to be on the same drive? Just thinking about the future when it's getting filled up and I want to buy more planes. If you have time, I would appreciate any input on each component to make sure I haven't missed something. Thanks! PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant CPU: Intel - Core i5-9600K 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor ($261.98 @ Newegg) CPU Cooler: Fractal Design - Celsius S36 87.6 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($115.04 @ Newegg) Motherboard: Gigabyte - Z390 AORUS MASTER ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($294.98 @ Newegg) Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($219.99 @ Newegg) Storage: Crucial - P1 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($79.99 @ Adorama) Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($147.99 @ Amazon) Video Card: EVGA - GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11 GB XC ULTRA GAMING Video Card ($1249.99 @ B&H) Case: Fractal Design - Meshify S2 Black – Dark TG ATX Mid Tower Case ($162.98 @ Newegg) Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.89 @ OutletPC) Total: $2617.83 __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Here's the list. Everything ordered, in-transit, or already delivered. - i5-9600k - Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Master - Thermaltake Floe Riing 360 RGB Premium Cooler - G.Skill Trident Z RGB 32 GB (2x16) 3200 Mhz - Crucial MX500 M.2 500 GB - Samsung Evo 960 500 GB SSD - EVGA RTX 2080 Ti XC Ultra Gaming, lol!! :chair: - EVGA G3 850W Gold PSU - Thermaltake View 71 TG Snow Edition - Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS Still to come are the pedals, TrackIR & VR (later), headset, a powered USB hub, and at some point a monitor, new keyboard and mouse.

Good to hear the performance increase is justified! Good eye - yep, Challenger 300 and Lear 45. :)

I had that thought as well. 32 GB sounds like it's overkill for most gaming these days, but I wonder what the future holds? Only building with 32 as many have said DCS favors it on heavier MP missions.

From all that I see online, it sounds like 2x16 modules would be better as it doesn't make the memory controller work too hard, but I think the PC would look nicer with 4x8 (if I go RGB). What do you guys think? Has anyone run both configurations?

Sorry for the delayed response fellas, I was getting beat up in ground school and sim today. Recurrent week, bleh. :joystick: Headwarp and etherbattx, thank you both for taking the time to respond. You're right, Headwarp, that as I was eyeing the 2080 Ti and 9600k means I can afford it, but my problem is exactly as you all have been saying- don't think too much about the hardware, lol. I keep reading and watching YT videos and am driving myself mad. I suppose if I had the funds already that I would've just decided what I wanted and bought it. Having these weeks/months to wait gives me ample time to research and second guess myself to death. Plus, I still have my peripherals and DCS modules to consider, so I'm weighing all of the avenues and at what point I'll buy them. By the way, Headwarp, it (GPU) will DEFINITELY put a smile on my face as I don't have a 970...rather a GTX 560 SE. I'm not even playing DCS yet, haha. I'm long overdue for a new gaming PC. :cry: I do have a Best Buy about a mile or two from me. I didn't realize I could buy online and have it shipped to store, but I guess they do that with everything else! If I can do that (and not get hit with sales tax), then that's a fantastic suggestion! I'll start looking over their website. And yes, depending on how beefy of a graphics card I end up with, I'll want to buy a monitor to suit it. As you know, based on questions here and in my monitor thread, trying to figure out what kind of monitor/resolution to get before having my parts finalized has been tough for me. I'll save that for after it's settled. It'll be easier for me to say "I have this PC with these capabilities, and it's best for these monitors," lol. As a non-PC guy, I need hand-holding at times as figuring out the capabilities of my planned system ahead of time is tough, for me, anyway. I've read through everything you guys have posted, and will keep re-reading. I appreciate it more than you guys know!