tower59

My son opened his birthday present today- a collection of VIRPIL controls! We plugged in the CM3 throttle, Constellation ALPHA grip and an extra control panel. Downloaded VIRPIL installation software, updated firmware, and we are able to adjust the LEDs on each of the controls and have calibrated the stick response. But now, our internet access is 0 to extremely slow. We've never had internet service problems before on the PC and typically have download speeds of 600+ Mbps. Have re-set router and re-booted PC multiple times. WIFI signal is good as laptop in the same room has great signal and good speeds. Running Windows 10 but admittedly know little about PCs. Birthday went from great to not so great all with a firmware update. Appreciate any advice- thanks!!! (Posted originally in PC section then remembered VIRPIL subsection. Sorry for the duplication.)

My son opened his birthday present today- a collection of VIRPIL controls! We plugged in the CM3 throttle, Constellation ALPHA grip and an extra control panel. Downloaded VIRPIL installation software, updated firmware, and we are able to adjust the LEDs on each of the controls and have calibrated the stick response. But now, our internet access is 0 to extremely slow. We've never had internet service problems before on the PC and typically have download speeds of 600+ Mbps. Have re-set router and re-booted PC multiple times. WIFI signal is good as laptop in the same room has great signal and good speeds. Running Windows 10 but admittedly know little about PCs. Birthday went from great to not so great all with a firmware update. Appreciate any advice- thanks!!!

We got the Reverb up and running! We'll work on getting things fine tuned over the next couple of weeks. Thanks again to everyone here who has helped us get this far!

Thanks for all of the responses- my son & I found the HP Reverb G2 on sale for under $499+ free shipping at the HP Store and figured it was a sign, so we should be joining the VR community any day. Will be looking through the optimization steps on the forum as we try to figure out how to make this thing work smoothly- appreciate any suggestions to that end. Gamersbynight site looks like a good resource-thank you for that. We are PC novices so we'll take all the help we can get! What do you guys recommend for frame per second/CPU heat & frequency tracking utility as we adjust settings? Thanks again!

Finally have a PC up and running and would appreciate your current recommendations on VR devices for a machine dedicated exclusively to DCS & MSFS. The market changes so quickly, I wanted to poll the experts here. Want to be able to read cockpit gauges and have reasonable frame rate (so I don't throw up!), price is secondary consideration at this point. Appreciate your suggestions. Thanks!!! 3090/12th gen Intel 12700K/64 GB RAM

Thanks for the help with the memory question. I've put G.Skill Ripjaws V 64 GB (4 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL14 Memory for $540 in my parts list as you suggested. Any thoughts on the motherboard? I need Wifi and I also anticipate needing a good number of ports for USB devices (flight controllers) + audio out capabilities. Is the Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Elite AX DDR4 ATX LGA1700 $265 appropriate? Do I just get a USB hub if I need it? Any suggestions? Appreciate everyone's help here- my first PC!!!

How much in game FPS difference does RAM latency make? RipjawsV 3600CL14 (4 x 16GB) is about $540 while Ripjaws 3600CL18 is $270.

Yup, it's two sets of 32GB (2 x 16GB) x 2. Just cheaper that way Amazon- so a total of 4 16 GB sticks for a total of 64 GB RAM. I've edited the original post to make it clearer-thanks!

Hey, guys! For the last two+ years, my son & I have been building an F/A-18C simulator. (See link below for that thread.) Now, it's time to stop thinking about plywood and aluminum and think instead about the PC. Our goal is to have a system that will drive a VR setup with good resolution and smooth frame rate. We've invested two years and countless man hours, and I don't want to skimp on a PC that doesn't deliver. That being said, I have almost zero real experience with PCs and don't want to burn dollars that won't have benefit for a dedicated DCS machine. Last summer we purchased a custom built PC from Xidax but UPS repeatedly used the system as a soccer ball, so we've decided to order parts ourselves and start again. Planning around $5,000 for the system. I want to future-proof as much as practical and prefer not to run out of RAM or storage in a year and have to mess with upgrades (unless we can get our hands on a 4090!!!) We would greatly appreciate any suggestions for the build. Here's the current plan. We appreciate any and all suggestions. How would you build this system? (1) CPU: Intel i9 12900K $600 (2) CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 360 $115 (3) MOBO: Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Elite AX DDR4 ATX LGA1700 $265 (4) G.Skill Trident Z Neo [64 GB TOTAL] 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) [x 2] DDR4-3600 CL14 $290 + $290 (5) Storage: Western Digital Black SN850 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME [x2] $260 +$260 (6) GPU: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3090 24 GB Gaming OC $2700 (7) Corsair 5000D Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case $120 (8) PSU: Seasonic Prime Gold 1300 W $250 (9) Case fans: Arctic P12 PST 120mm fans 5-pack $40 Appreciate your comments!!!

Thanks for all who offered suggestions. We ended going with: •Intel i9 11900K •NVIDIA RTX 3090 •64GB RAM 3600MHZ •MSI MEG Z590 UNIFY motherboard •WD BLACK SN850 NVME GEN4 1TB M.2 [for Windows OS] •WD BLACK SN850 NVME GEN4 2TB M.2 [for DCS] •1000W power supply •DEEPCOOL CASTLE 360EX 360MM •Extra fans Thanks again!

We are getting closer! We've completed the aluminum skin, installed the windshield, and attached the LEX! We're working on designing a ladder and work platform that will allow us to climb up into the aircraft, following the same route the pilots do up and over the LEX. This simpit is massive now and boy is it heavy. It's 8 feet long, and a little over 6 feet tall. We were worried about stability initially, but this thing is rock solid and has not even a wiggle in it. We have a few more minor details to add (like bird slicers & HUD), but we are seriously close and will soon disassemble and move inside to my son's room. (If he had 4 more feet in his room, we could add an extra seat and pilot station and make this thing a two seater -D version!) We're getting ready to order a PC and would welcome any suggestions on a computer that will drive VR smoothly. See thread here:

Those prices listed are the differential price over the part initially selected at base. We don't want to build our own PC, and I want a reputable company with support to help us if we have any problems. Would be interested in looking at other well-regarded companies if there is an issue with Xidax. My understanding is that Xidax has a great reputation with real, live support.

Hey, guys! For the last two years, my son & I have been building an F/A-18C simulator. (See link below for that thread.) Now, it's time to stop thinking about plywood and aluminum and think instead about the PC. Our goal is to have a system that will drive a VR setup with good resolution and smooth frame rate. We've invested two years and countless man hours, and I don't want to skimp on a PC that doesn't deliver. That being said, I have almost zero real experience with PCs and don't want to burn dollars that won't have benefit for a dedicated DCS machine. (Have owned Macs since 1984 but do use a PC at work.) We don't want to build a PC and likely will buy one from Xidax, since they seem to be well regarded and have a great warranty. Planning around $5,000 for the system. I want to future-proof the system as much as practical and prefer not to run out of RAM or storage in a year and have to mess with upgrades. We would greatly appreciate any suggestions for the build. Here are the options and prices. We appreciate any and all suggestions. How would you build this system? Xidax X-6 GPU: NVIDIA 3090 24GB GDDR6X CPU: Intel Core I9 10900K 5.3GHZ or Intel Core I9 11900K 5.3 GHZ (+$127) Motherboard options: Asrock Z590 Phantom Gaming 4AC, MSI Z590-A Pro (+$16), ASUS Z590 Prime-P (+$16), MSI Z590 Pro Wifi (+$30), MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Edge Wifi (+$42), MSI MEG Z590 Unify(+$217), MSI MEG Z490 Godlike Wifi (+$529), MSI MEG Z590 ACE (+$334), MSI MEG Z590 Godlike (+$822) Memory: Xidax Extreme DDR4 3200MHZ 32GB (4 x 8GB), or 64 GB (4 x 16GB, +$197), or Trident Z DDR4 3600MHZ G.Skill 32GB (4 x 8 GB, +$51), or 64 GB (4 x 16GB, +$277) Power Supply: Seasonic Focus Gold 550W, Seasonic Gold 750W ($47), Seasonic Focus Plus 850W Gold (+$77), Seasonic Focus Gold 1000W (+$107) Storage: Samsung 970 EVO Plus NVME SSD vs 980 PRO vs WD Black SN 850 NVME Gen 4 M.2. Size? 1 TB x 2? Cooling: Be Quiet Rock Slim, Be Quiet! Dark Rock TF 220W (+$74), or DeepCool Castle 360EX 360mm (+$140) Paste: Is thermal paste worth it for $20 for CPU or $50 for GPU? Many thanks for your suggestions!!!

We've made some more progress: we've completed the aluminum skin on the lower level, added ribs and frames for the upper level, installed the windshield, and installed the LEX. Upper level skin and cockpit interior are next!

We're starting the process of attaching the skin to the frame of the lower level. Using sheet aluminum cut to fit, with torx screws that match the real ones. Starting to look like a fuselage!