Waxer

1) I am using a 6 core, 12 thread Intel CPU at 4.8GHz fixed clock. I get good results (with a RTX 2080Ti at 5280x2880 resolution). However, while DCS is running all threads are active / busy. So I am only 2 cores and 300 MHz ahead of you... 2) My CPU does not throttle at all. Hence the solid OC. You said you have a custom loop: how are your temps and is there any CPU throttling? It looks like you are using only a 360 for OCed CPU and powerful GPU... this is bare minimum. Anything you could do to improve your loop efficiency would probably pay off. But I'd need to know your temps to be more confident vs a guess. For example my CPU has it's own loop with 1 D5 and a 480 rad. The GPU has its own D5 and separate rad. If you can't upgrade radiator area, consider upgrading to the best fans you can get. And or make sure that you are getting a high volume of cold air puched from outside, into your case. Best fans are NF-A12x25 in 120mm size. Arguably they are as good as the best 140mm fans. An NF-A14x25 is on the cards but will be at least a year before release. 3) If I were you, I would upgrade (most likely) from the OCed 6700K. But I would definately wait to see what AMD come up with Ryzen 3. It will have more cores, probably run faster (certainly single cores will clock faster) and probably be more energy efficient and therefore cooler running at similar clock speeds. Given that you are using limited radiator space that could buy you some extra performance. So, for now: check on your cooling. And wait a few weeks for the AMD presentations at Computex. Probably in 4-6 weeks you could have attractive CPU / MB upgrade options.

I don't know for sure, as I have not tried. Plus my Warthog base is in storage so I can't easily try it out for you. I would imagine not because the Warthog base uses Target and is programmed to look for the Warthog or (with firmware update) the Hornet grip. I anticipate that you might have problems with the Virpil grip on the Thrustmaster base, even though the pin connectors are the same. However I see no reason why you would match the Virpil grip with the Warthog base: to me the Warthog grip is a good bit of kit, whereas I find the Warthog base quite disappointing. And that is even when it is brand new, let alone a used example. My review was specific to the Virpil grip. However, if I were to review the Virpil WarBRD base, I would be even more enthusiastic with the praise: that really is a quality item. So much so that I am considering a second Virpil base (either the WarBRD or Mongoos to use with my Thrustmaster A-10C grip).

Jezus Krist Jester? You been eating Tex Mex AGAIN!??!!!

There is a Reddit post from a Quality Manager with HP's VR team that posted this. Basically there was a minor issue that they were unhappy with on production units, so they have recalled the initial batch of sets with retailers and have delayed the launch. Read his post for the full detail / exact words.

This seems like good advice for anyone. Even if you have 32GB of RAM.

I am also able to offer first hand experience using the WarBRD grip. For reference, I am coming from at Warthog grip and base and using the WarBRD grip with a WarBRD base. Giving comments specifically on the grip (not the base): 1) Plastic grip feels solid. Even coming from the metal Warthog, I don't have a problem with it being plastic. It still feels solid and good quality. 2) The cable mount PS/2-type connector is a fiddle to install. It pulls out by about 3cm to make it easier, but it is still a fiddle and you want want to damage the pins. Not something you want to be doing with any regularity. 3) The black metal rotational thread at the bottom of the base is nicer looking than the silver cast metal thread on the Warthog. It does take a bit of a tight turn to get it locked firmly. Easier on the Warhog. But I still prefer the looks of the Virpil once set in place 4) The mounting system of the Virpil allows you to set a slight Z-axis rotation to the neutral position on the grip making it more realistic and comfortable for right handers. 5) You can't turn off the Z-axis from moving. It does not move very easily, but if you get exuberant with the stick it will turn. I'd prefer it does not have a Z-axis, but I suppose it is a nice bonus for people that don't want to buy a separate rudder. At least you have the option to not map the Z axis, so while the stick will still rotate, you can set it up so that it does not do anything. 6) The buttons feel good quality overall. I particularly like the trim hat and the 4 way Radar Mode selector switches. 7) The nose wheel steering button is too far low and left for me to easily reach it. While it is out of the way 99% of the time, which is good, it is an uncomfortable stretch (rather than a deliberate stretch) when you need to use it. Version 2... they really need to move this about 5-10mm closer to the palm. 8) While the grip is a close resemblance to the F-5E grip, the stick was in fact modelled on a Russian helicopter, the Ka-26. As such it is missing the F-5E's pitch damper cutoff switch. Kinda annoying... I wish it had this to avoid reaching for the keyboard in a dogfight. 9) I love the little LED on top. You can turn it off completely if you don't care, but I like it on red on minimum brightness. (Full brightness is distracting, low just ads some eye candy without you noticing unless specifically looking at it). Conclusion: I love it. But as an only grip it is too limiting... there are good quality grips out there with more buttons, so if you are flying later generation fighters or things like the A-10C just get a MCF, a Mongoose's T-50 CM2 (if you can find them in stock) or a Warthog (if you can't). But as a second grip for using with the F-5E, the F-4 when it comes out or a Sabre I think it is a great little luxury. I say "little" luxury... while the grip was only about EUR90 when I bought it for a small discount, the problem is that you will not want to be swapping the grip on and off of a base with any regularity. So in this scenario you would then be looking at a base for each grip... which is an additional EUR 150... and then of course it starts to get more expensive.

Not to be horrible to you guys struggling with 16GB... while I feel you pain (well I don't actually, but what I mean is I sympathise), it is what it is. Rather than complain do one of two things: 1) Play single player campaigns with your 16GB setups. Or better 2) Upgrade to 32GB RAM. Forget all the marketing spin about fast RAM. Yes, it does make a marginal difference. But the difference between 16GB and 32GB is orders of magnitude in situations - like multiplayer - where you would be memory limited. Like Pilotasso said, the cost of 32GB is less crippling these days especially for the modest clock speed stuff. [One other option is an Optane memory / accelerator drive. Intel was pushing this towards people using Star Citizen a while back. But that is only an option for Intel CPU users, not AMD.] - nah forget Optane... I had not looked recently. Price is crazy. Just get the extra RAM.

Thank you for the information / discussion folks. Okay, so basically Eagle Dynamics are aware but are doing nothing about the spotting mechanic because it is realistic. Seems reasonable. But what is therefore unreasonable - as pointed out by the last guy - is someone on 1080p getting a spotting buff due to unrealistic sprite blocks appearing early on their low resolution screen. And answering the OP asking about me running in a lower resolution, yes that does make spotting easier. My 5K monitor is 5120x2880 and scaling that to 1080p would look horrible. But scaling to 1440p does not look too bad as 2560x1440 is an exact 1/2 fraction of my monitor scale on each axis. Also there are some other settings that help: turn off anti aliasing totally for example. On such a high resolutions screen you don't need it anyways. And set draw distance from High to Ultra. Much as I love my 5K, 60Hz 27" monitor, I was looking at a new 1440p, 120Hz 49" monitor as a complement. I'd keep the 5K for another productivity / photography focused PC.

Not to mention that there is nowhere to put my Starbucks.

Friendly. Anyways, answer is: I did search this topic. I found the Phil Daly video cited which was the best video based discussion on the problem. And I saw some very old threads that didn't seem to get any answers or reach any conclusion. There was some stuff that I did not understand about people on low res. sets ups complaining about something or other... but like I said I didn't understand that part of the discussion very well. I hoped to understand from someone at Eagle Dynamics what the current situation is. But thank you for your contribution.

This is an interesting discussion. My 2 cents: I am new to DCS. And I have very little real stick time in civilian putt-putt planes let alone anything with a jet engine and teeth. Yet I am draw to DCS because it is challenging and much more realist than a pure computer game. If easy modes are available as a user selectable option, and are switch on / off-able then I don't see a problem with it. It can make the beautiful flight sim more accessible to people that are learning DCS. And it can enable hardcore SIM enthusiasts with some kind of disability the ability to enjoy their life online without being bound by their real life challenges. Awesome. But I agree that DCS having its heart and soul directed towards immersive and realistic simulation is what makes the simulator interesting for so many people. I really don't think I would be interested if it were just a pew-pew zoom around game with pretty graphics. I've got Flaming Cliffs and hardly spend any time on it. Instead my time is going into the F-5E, which following advice on this forum seems to be a good place to learn the ropes with realistic simulator settings. And I am enjoying it. With the proviso that spotting mechanics on differing monitors needs a rethink. See here: https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=240993 Honestly, right now I think the developers have gotten the balance really correct and that they deserve credit for doing so.

I am a bit nervous making a request like this as a new user. However I feel that it is worth raising and asking Eagle Dynamics for a response. I've recently come to DCS. I am using a high end rig. 4.8GHz CPU, RTL 2080 Ti and 27" 5K monitor (5120x2880 resolution). The game looks absolutely stunningly beautiful and the frame rates are buttery smooth. Lucky me. So what is my problem? I can't spot targets. Even non manoeuvring AWACs that I know are sitting right in front of me at 8nm in a tutorial! So, I've done some reading around online before posting here and I see that this is an already identified problem: people with 1440p monitors are complaining that their squadron buddies with 1080p monitors are consistently outspotting them. People with 4K monitors wish they could see things at the same as the 1440p crowd. And here I am sat at 5K, glorying at the beauty of it all but with the situational awareness of a Spalax (a type of blind mole). So here are my questions: 1) Is Eagle Dynamics aware that there is a problem where people with different monitor resolutions are having significantly different ability to spot targets in game. 2) What are the technical issues around solving this inequality... is it an easy thing to fix, or are the technical problems preventing an easy fix? 3) Is anything being done currently, or is this a low or zero priority issue for developers. A lot of highly skilled graphic graphic designers have done incredible work creating textures and artwork for DCS. It looks stunning in 5K... it would be a shame to make the game unplayable and uncompetitive for those lucky enough to run the game in at maximum detail. Thanks for any constructive response. (Here is a video by Phil Daly from almost a year ago that also constructively discusses the issue).

I'm glad I read this. I am doing the training missions and thinking to myself that the whole radar search business is taking an age even when I know where the target is. This saves me wasting more time trying to perfect something that is almost useless in most situations. Besides flying around the dirt is a blast in an F-5E.

nVidia limit the power draw of their graphics cards by setting a TDP limit. RTX 2080 Ti in particular clock so fast that the limiting factor on their performance is usually not their bus speed, but their power draw hitting the limits set by nVidia in GPU BIOS. (Either that or Voltage limits). With a GPU OEM manufacturer software utility like MSI Afterburner or EVGA Precision X1, you can overclock the GPU using a simple slider to increase the TDP limit from 100% to something higher. The limit allowed by the software utility will now be an OC TDP limit decided by the OEM of your graphics card and depends on the voltage phases of your card. Higher end cards like Kingpins and Hall of Fame have higher OC TDP limits. My mid / low end card allows 130% for example. My suggestion: play around with OCing your GPU. It is easy and the settings will not allow you to brick your GPU. Listen to an OC video by one of the Youtubers. Jayz2Cents is usually okay for this kind of stuff. Regardless, you were wise to upgrade from a 600W to 850W PSU on your system. (You have a powerful rig there with 9700K and RTX 2080 Ti).

Just seen your question; in answer: You need to optimise four things: 1) RAM capacity: you need as much as you need, but buying 2x what you need will not help you. Might even make the memory controller work harder and limit your memory OC. 2) Cost: up to you. 3) Memory speed: faster the better, ceteris paribus. But... 4) Memory timings. And here is the problem. Usually the faster the memory is rated to run, the "looser" the memory timings. Meaning that it takes more clock cycles to safely perform a memory operation. So while the clock cycles are faster, it takes more cycles to get the job done. True memory speed is determined by Reaction time (in ns) = Latency * 2000 / Memory speed in MHz So for example CL 14 3200 MHz memory has a CL time of 14*2000/3200 = 8.75ns. Meanwhile CL19 4133 MHz memory has a CL time of 19*2000/4133 = 9.19ns. So it is actually SLOWER. CL18 4133MHz is <1% faster than CL14 3200 MHz memory. Hopefully you see my point. To make like even more complex there are different memory timings for different operations. But for more you will need to do your own reading on the subject. One other downside of faster memory is that it places the memory controller of your CPU under more strain and also requires stable voltages from your motherboard and PSU. Otherwise while the memory has been tested to run at high speeds, your CPU, motherboard or PSU might not be up to it. Hence motherboards targeted at memory overclockers. (Boards like Asus's Apex, ASRock's OC Formula and EVGA's Dark series.)

Real quick: 1) AMD 7nm just around the corner... announcement at Computex, availability Q3. I know... Intel still faster currently, but we have to see just how good the 7nm process is. Specific thoughts: CPU i7-9700K £400 If you are intent buying now, sure why not. Is a good CPU with fast clocks and still lots of cores. H/S Noctua NH-D15 £80 Personally I'd get the NH-U12A despite it "only" having 120mm fans. The new Sterrox fans are incredible. (I currently use 7 of them which replaced Noiseblocker and Vardars). GPU EVGA GTX 1080Ti FTW3 Fine for 1440p. No comment. RAM G.Skill Trident Z 32GB (2x16) 3200MHz CL14-14-14-34 £405 Excellent choice: this was my choice too. Best balance between bus speed and timings and good value still. Difference between Trident Z and the Ripjaws is just the heatsink I believe... all B-die. But you might check G.Skill's website to check validation on the motherboard of your choice. G.Skill do keep lists you can look up. M/B Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Elite £163 Excellent choice again... you've done your homework! Storage Samsung 860 Evo 500GB £72 Samsung 860 Evo 500GB £72 1TB SATA2 HD Personally I'd use NVMe SSD slots if I were you. And ditch the spinning rust. PSU Corsair RM750x £90 The RMx is the best choice. Fully digital modern PSU. I think gold rated from memory. Good value for money. And 750W is sufficient. Seasonic's are good too so if you find an incredible deal of them go for it, but the price of the Corsair is already low. Case Anidees AI8 Full Tower Case £90 This is very much personal choice. And I don't know what I would buy nowadays. Both of the case companies I like are out of businesses (Hex Gear and Caselabs). Display Acer Predator XB271HU 27" GSync IPS £600 No comment. Why not. Seems fine. Controllers Thrustmaster T.16000M FCS HOTAS £110 CH Rudder Pedals TrackIR Other stuff Windows 10 Home Retail £100 X-rite i1 Display Pro monitir calibrator £178 Display Port 1.4 cable 3m £10 TrackIR alternative: DelanClip if you want to save a bit of money. Have fun with it... should be cool.

This forum page has the information you need. Rather than me just repeat it all here, just read Lutro0's write up... he does all that for a living but is kind enough to share his knowledge. There is quite a lot to learn and it does take some practice. But the results are worth it. Good luck! https://www.overclock.net/forum/18082-builds-logs-case-mods/1420796-repository-power-supply-pin-outs.html

650W is a bare minimum for the MB, CPU and GPU you have. Typical of manufacture pre builds... they get away with the minimum they can on a secondary specification that people might not pay too much attention to. Basically with 650W you will be okay, but really should not be looking to overclock at all. Like the OP said, 850W is a nice upgrade to what you have. I would spend the extra to get at least Gold certified PSU. Good brands are EVGA, Seasonic, some of the Corsair RMi and AXi models and Superflower. That will give you 1) some overclocking ability headroom, 2) longevity as the PSU will not be running flat out and 3) potentially greater system stability once the rig starts to age a bit. 650W currently... dont sweat it... you already did a massive upgrade from your old rig. But next time you upgrade something that should be on the list.

The answer is possibly you could have problems, but probably not. Specifically memory OEMs manufacture memory specifically for AMD systems and the firmware on the DIMMs is different to that loaded onto DIMMs manufactured for Intel systems. The AMD memory will probably work, but may not work at rated XMP settings (speeds and timings). In fact to be super sure you should choose memory from motherboard manufacturers validated part lists. The memory manufacturers keep lists of supported motherboards for each DIMM and likewise if you can't find that data from the memory company, the motherboard company will keep a list of tested memory modules. So unfortunately life is not 100% simple in this regard. Conclusion AMD memory on Intel... you will probably be okay, but might not. Regarding B-die. That is what I am using, and you can still get B-die currently in stock. But it is no longer being made... replaced by new A-die process. See here: https://wccftech.com/samsung-b-die-memory-production-ceased-replaced-by-samsung-a-die/

With respect, the OP is not refering to a TV. He is referring to a yet to be released* very high end PC monitor with 5120 x 1440 resolution driven by Display Port 1.4. It is effectively 2x 27" 1440p 140Hz gaming monitors (with excellent / accurate colour reproduction) side by side, but without a screen bezel down the middle. * Yet to be released in Europe that is... expected later this month, but it is already available in South Korea. I currently use a 5120x2880 60Hz monitor, but I am considering getting one of these 5120x1440 120Hz monitors for DCS. And it will come in useful for productivity too. Just not sure I want to downgrade pixel density to 1440p... That is actually a good use case / requirement for 2 GPUs. Nice set up! And for the people commenting about Freesync only and not GSync, nVidia GPUs are now unofficially supporting FreeSync monitors so in practical terms you have nothing to worry about. (It is just to be called GSync officially the monitor OEMs need to pay a royalty to nVidia. AMD is less greedy with FreeSync.

Ask if you can do an Advanced RMA. Being helpful so and sos that they are, they might not volunteer if that is an option. Just in case you don't know what an Advanced RMA is: 1) You pay for a new GPU day 0. It gets sent to you day 0. Arrives day 2 or whatever. 2) On day 0 you send Asus your defective GPU. Asus give you a deadline to send then the defective GPU.. say 2 weeks or 4 weeks (check their policy). Maybe it takes five days to get to Asus lets say. 3) Next business day Asus check the defective GPU; make sure you did not cause the damage or modify the GPU in a way not authorised under the warranty terms (again manufacturer policies vary on this). It is best to sent it back as close to stock as possible to avoid problems, but it does not sound like you did anything, so no problem. 4) They issue a refund on the 2nd GPU you bought. Your warranty continues on the second GPU... just be sure to register it. Not sure if Advanced RMA is possible with Asus. It definitely is with EVGA which is one reason that I buy EVGA electronics. But on a brand new card $1000 card that goes wrong on day 1 you can kick up a stink if they give you problems and see if you get a positive reaction.

Ask around on the overclock.net website, if you don't get an answer here. The proportion of gamers using more than 16GB is low, more than 32GB is exceptionally low. However on overclock.net a significant minority of people are running >32GB as they do stuff like rendering, large databases, software development I am using 32GB with a 5k monitor (5120x2880) and I need more than 16GB, but I am not maxed out at 32GB. As you don't need the screen shot, I will not bother. By the way, is there any reason you are using 4133MHz memory... what memory timings are you using with this memory?

If true - IF - this could get me to switch from team blue to team red. (That and the 7nm process and potential I/O possibilities of PCIe 4). In answer, time for release is supposed to be Q3 this year... in time for the holidays and build up of stocks well before Christmas. In other words, DONT build a new PC right now if you can help it.

+1 Buccaneer S.2

Congrats: very nice rig. I agree that your next sensible upgrade would be another 16GB of RAM for 32GB total. Most applications will not use that much but I have 32 and I noticed that DCS uses a lot of RAM. I think that it preloads maps into RAM. You might also upgrade your rig with the best aircooler out there: Noctua's NH-U12A. You might think it a downgrade from a 240 AIO, but it is not... it outperforms 360 AIOs. About $80-100 I think. Sure: some advice on RAM: 1) Get sufficient RAM. Much more important than fast RAM. 2) Always buy RAM in matched pairs, or if you are using 4 sticks it is better to buy in matched quad packs... their XMP settings are validated when working together. 3) Paying huge amounts for the fastest RAM out there is pointless for applications unless you are specifically trying to benchmark. 4) High performance RAM that is not too stupid on a value for money basis, is about 3200 MHz CAS 14. Faster than this and the price goes up and lot and the latency goes up too making it not much faster, actually often slower in use. 5) Intel is not too picky on RAM brands, but generally I prefer G.Skill and Team Group to get Samsung B Die DIMMs (O/C better). But if there is a great bargain elsewhere go for that instead. 6) Beware Corsair... they often bin expensive RAM with headline fast speeds, but they use lousy RAM timings making it much slower than the alternatives. And they charge a lot for it.