Bossco82

Taz no doubt your right mate. I had a dabble with pbo2 undervolting. I didn't seem to get any extra performance/lower temps out of it myself. Not sure if I got it wrong. My 5600x came up as a golden sample so I locked those settings into Ryzen Master. Ill check that video out to see if there is something I'm missing.

A super quick way to setup your 5600x and undervolt it at the same time. Open Ryzen Master and select a profile 1 or 2 doesn't matter. At the top select manual overclocking. It might want to restart, thats fine. Then set all six cores to 4600 and lock the voltage to 1.25v. I can do 1.2v on mine but start there. Select Apply & test at the bottom. Load DCS and see how it goes. Its an easy way of seeing what your CPU can do while in Windows without having to mess in the Bios. The only thing you should have to change in the bios is your DDR4 settings. Its sometimes more reliable than letting the bios auto manage it via XMP alone. My 5600x runs DCS much better with this locked in via Ryzen Master than if I leave it to its own devices. Doesn't matter so much for other games.

Triggered actions in mission scripts, ah that sounds like the CPU is being impacted for that one. You might not have that problem with a 5600x installed. You can try this with it though. Install Ryzen Master and try locking it to 4.6Ghz @1.2-1.25v. Might help with any temp issues. 4.6Ghz is more than enough when I'm in DCS rarely goes over 4.2 unless its actually loading a mission up. Also I get this with my MSI X570 mobo, put in your ddr4 settings manually. So enable XMP, set speed to ddr 3600 and fsb 1800 then set voltage for ddr to 1.35v. Mine wont work properly without me doing that. If I'm sharing anything you already know, my apologies, just trying to help out by sharing the mistakes I made with mine.

No worries mate, I hit the same wall buying a 4k TV to use for a monitor. I went all in and ended up with my system I have now. It was that or change my knackered banger out on the drive, LOL! I'll enjoy DCS and keep my spanners handy for another year or two. SSAA is a massive killer as are shadows. So if you get chance to borrow it again have a play trying to get MSAAx2 with some SSAO working. I find it a nice balance. However for some reason when DCS is over a standard 1440p resolution the step up required is a big one and need some proper GPU power. Maybe that will change when the core engine gets updated, I dont know. Just didnt want you to go and spend your money to go "oh no 99% usage I need a new GPU" not in todays climate.

Ok, when you have your new CPU, Mobo and Dram setup and stable try a few things out to see how much your GTX 1080 is actually struggling at 1080p. Like I said a 2080ti is good for 4k. If your sticking to 1080p a 2060/2070 Super or AMD 5700xt would be enough, I know Ive installed and tested them at that resolution for friends builds. I had a 5700xt and a 1080p screen and it ran great at high-ish settings. I remember it certainly looked good but I cant remember if I used 2x or 4x MSAA. Its only when I went and bought a 4k screen things got difficult maintaining 60 fps. Its a tricky balance because you use more anti aliasing at lower resolutions but you dont really need it at 4k as all it does then is reduce shimmering on distant objects. It obviously reduces any jagged lines but the question is can you even see them at 4k on a 32" or below monitor. However as you increase the resolution you need more Vram so therefore you need the higher end GPU's. Get MSI Afterburner installed with the overlay setup properly. Plenty of Youtube guides on that. Load up "something" like FA-18 instant action free flight over Persian Gulf and see whats happening especially on approach into Dubai. See what settings work to maintain a solid 60fps. I reckon the textures on high, MSAA x2 and SSAA off would be a start and work from there comparing the impact your settings have on your usage. Point Blank does some good, helpful, optimisation videos on Youtube regarding all this. You can also search on Youtube for DCS using "any GPU" see how it performs. After that also try an overclock/undervolt curve in MSi Afterburner, this really helped my 2080ti. It took some effort to get my GPU and game setting right but its worth it. Best of luck dude.

HI Boosterdog, I have never used CEX and I am sure the 2 year warranty is very tempting. I sold my MSI 2080ti Gaming X on eBay for £800 and it was in as new mint condition. Might be worth keeping your eye out. Also If you look at MSI GTX 1080's on eBay they sell for about £350 plus at the moment, if you got that on one the 80% off final selling fee weekends it might work out better. Just a thought mate, best of luck getting your setup how you want it.

I dont think the OP is talking about the GPU running the monitor at 60, 85 or 120HZ. Correct me if I am wrong but the OP's asking if his 1080ti can drive that resolution on those DCS settings at 60fps in the game itself. If thats the case it wont manage that resolution with MSAAx2 with SSAAx1.5 and Visibility on Ultra. If my 6800xt and previous 2080ti couldn't a 1080ti cant. Thats 4'953'600 pixels vs 2'764'800, thats a 45% increase. If the 1080ti is already running at 80-85% load it wont take that increase in resolution without turning some settings down to compensate. I didnt want the OP to be mis informed and spend money on the wrong thing.

You won't run that resolution on those settings on a 1080ti. I couldn't on my old 2080ti, not down below about 5000ft ish. It will do more like 45-50 FPS rather than 60+ FPS. However at that resolution and the anti aliasing turned down IE ssaa off and visibility range to high. You might be ok. My previous 2080ti could at that resolution.

I think he might have bought this kit already Taz... As for the 2080ti, try to go for one of the higher spec EVGA, MSI or Asus ones. I had a MSI Gaming X Trio and it was awesome. Put it this way my 6800xt is better. However if I had been able to see how much of a difference before I bought one. I might not have bothered changing. It basically made the Track IR 100% smooth when flying in the weeds. The nicer after market 2080ti's undervolt and overclock better. Mine did 1950mhz on 0.950mv making it never limited by temps. Either way a 2080ti will be absolutely indulgent overkill for 1080p, not break a sweat at 1440p and 4k possible.

Regarding the GPU if you can get a 3070ti for close to MRSP then go for it. Having owned a 2080ti, its so close in performance to a 3080 and a 6800xt in DCS, only DCS. In other games the 3080/6800xt can be a lot faster but in DCS not that much. If you can get a used 2080ti on eBay or CEX for a good price go for it. Especially, if its an aftermarket Asus or MSI etc. The coolers are beefy and you don't have to worry if someone has mined with it. They are really solid cards.

Hi BoosterDog, I dont know where you are in the world to go on used prices. Have a look into this as an option, AMD 3600, X470 mobo, 4x4 ddr4 3200 c16 or 3200 c14 if you can find or afford it. Your GTX 1080 should be good for 1080p, Its my personal opinion to lock it to 60fps Vsync for flight sims. I built this setup for a friend and its good for 1440p in DCE campaigns single player. Its locked to 4.2Ghz @ 1.2v in Ryzen Master. Works well For DDR4 and DCS I believe for Intel the ideal solution is 32gb 3200Mhz C16 2x16 sticks. AMD 32gb 3200Mhz C14/C16 4x8gb sticks. Unless you need 64gb for intense multiplayer. If you do want to go for new components. I run AMD 5600x, X570, 4x8gb G Skill 3200/C14. Thats all with a 6800xt and is good for 4k on high settings. So with a GTX 1080 its more than good enough for 1080p. Something else for you to try before spending any money though... Download MSI Afterburner Beta, you can go into the settings of Rivatuner (thats part of the software)and it can show you your CPU, GPU and Dram usage in an overlay in the game. I think the beta version can show you individual core usage on the CPU. Set Vsync to on so you run a constant 60fps. Go back and check your usage in the missions you want to fly. You will be able to see what could really be the cause of your fps drop. I fly down low too so I have been chasing stutters and fps drops over the past year. Like I said my setup can do 4k even down low over Dubai my 5600x never gets maxed out and I dont remember it happening to the AMD 3600 non X I had before it.

I get what you mean oz555. I have done similar before and fitted waterblocks to GPU's too. Its not that difficult. As long as you check temps afterwards your good. Scan UK are a very reasonable retailer, as it is such an expensive GPU drop them an email and see what there attitude would be to the warranty etc if you were to do the thermal pad modification. Its the route I would take if I bought one.

Hi Hector45, yeah sorry mate I thought I had fully scrolled up for the OP's name. My bad!

HI Hector45, Have a look on Youtube for the JayzTwoCents video, might help give you some more info on your problem. If I had a 3090 I would want to do everything I could to assure its longevity.

HI Sun4eg Thanks for the suggestion. I dont thing its HAGS, I am on an AMD card with a VRR monitor, ( I keep vsync on though). Hags is not an option available in my graphics settings. That was in Windows 11 and in Windows 10. To anyone that wants to test regardless, I am sure some of us want to upgrade to Windows 11. I know I am teaching most on here what they already know! Run DCS on Win 10 and check your fps in something like a quick free flight. If you upgrade to Windows 11 and you see a loss on the same free flight scenario. Quickly check the obvious like drivers, VBS, HAGS etc. If you have no luck do this. Windows settings, Updates & Security, Recovery then click Go Back and follow the instructions. The only things you will lose doing this is if you installed something AFTER the update. Anything you had BEFORE the update will be where you left it. I know because I did it. The one thing Microsoft got right was the update and go back process, its really simple.

Hi Mick, I can second that too. It's a good tool. You can point it to your root folder, IE the actual installation folder of DCS. You can also point it to your saved game folder that DCS uses. I think there is a little guide somewhere on the web.

Well I am glad I am not the only one to experience this. The thing for me I dont have much installed on my system, its just a straight gaming rig thats mostly dedicated to DCS. Even my Steam and Origin folders are on another separate SSD. The fps on Windows 10 was pretty much perfect for me regarding DCS. On Windows 11 it was like I was using another machine completely, roughly a 20-25% loss.

I had been aware of the Window 11 AMD problem and following the tech websites for any updates. After upgrading to Windows 11 I made sure that the AMD update was applied along with the latest AMD chipset drivers which address the preferred core problem. I also double checked my graphic settings along with VBS and HDR off. My graphics driver for my 6800xt was also updated. It was just so obvious there was a performance hit beyond my hardware reaching its limits. I fly with 60fps Vsync enabled so my Track IR is in sync with what is on the screen. I could see in the overlay that my CPU was running 4.0Ghz, my GPU was at about 70% and my Dram usage was at about 17Gb. So something else was causing a problem. The stutter panning the Track IR around was constant. This was on all my maps and checked in F-16 and FA-18. Like I said I simply rolled back to Windows 10 and everything is fine now. I just enjoyed a few hours in the F-16 in one of the DCE Persian Gulf campaigns. Butter smooth 60fps as normal. If anyone has an idea on something I might have missed let me know. For now I will stick to Windows 10 for a bit.

Ok so tonight my Windows update notified me that it was ready for Windows 11. Now because I was a bit bored, curious and stupid! I clicked accept. The upgrade is quick and easy and Windows itself feels a bit snappier and looks new and interesting. All my files and programs etc were where they are suppose to be too. I even ran a quick CPUZ bench to check my AMD 5600x score and it was identical. I also updated it and checked for the AMD fixes from Microsoft update and AMD, so all drivers are right up to date. Both DCS and I-L2 performance in game is properly down. I can get a constant 60fps everywhere, I took a F-16 down at 100ft over Dubai to check. This is without Vsync, on Windows 10 68-82fps, on Windows 11 44-64fps. As I said this is with the AMD fix installed. Luckily its very easy to switch back to Windows 10 and DCS is now back to normal. I checked every setting I could nothing made a difference in Windows 11, however. I did notice my Dram usage was much lower showing 17gb usage when its normally around 26gb. I like shiny new things. I like to keep up to date and that. However for DCS and other sims I dont think Windows 11 is quite ready yet. My specs for reference, AMD 5600x, X570, 1tb Nvme Gen 4, 32gb DDR4 320 C14, 6800xt. If you want to try anyway, you should be ok to. I found it dead easy to go back. I upgraded, tested and was back on Windows 10 in under 3 hours. So no real issue or panic its just 3 hours I could have spent shooting Migs!

Yeah this journey began for me last year through lockdown. I pretty much dived in and bought a 4k 50" TV with the attitude "it will probably be ok". It simply wasn't. The colour's were off using a TV for a monitor and the constant stutter from panning the Track IR around was giving me a headache. Luckily for me I bagged a 2080ti in September last year just when the prices completely dropped. Only then did I have a better 4k experience. I would say that to happily play DCS at 4k you need these GPU's in ascending order of how they will perform... 1080ti > 2080ti/3070ti > 6800xt > 3080 > 3080ti > 3090. I've not actually tested a 3090 though. A way around this I found for a friend. We fitted a 32" 1440p monitor to an Invision 12kg swing arm mount. This was so the screen could come closer when flying in DCS. This happily runs on an AMD 3600, X570, 5700x system with the above settings and 2x MSAA. Shadows might be flat only for him but you get the idea. Thats with a head tracker and its a good immersive experience vs PC performance considering the price of components at the moment. The difference between my 4k setup and his 1440p setup was not that much in detail and enjoyment.

HI there, I use a 4k single screen with Track IR. Three things to warn you about, before you go spending any money. 1st "IF" your going to use a 43" TV, be careful they use 8+2bit with FRC panels, these can cause, I think the term is dithering on transparent textures. In DCS its noticeable and shows as either a violet or lime green shadows around some objects. Its hard to describe, almost like an aura or halo. Its not in your face visible. However if you fly a lot and sit close you start to pick up on it. I had it using a Hisense 50" TV for a monitor after a while it did my head in. It was also worse on AMD cards but also present with Nvidia. I now have a AOC 32" 4k PC monitor. If your going to use a TV, make sure it has game mode and the latest HDMi interface on the inputs, 2.0 will be ok 2.1 would be better. I will add if you play I-L2 or the Sniper Elite series this problem is even more noticeable and does spoil the gameplay. 2nd. The jump in graphics load going from 1080p or 1440p to 4k with DCS is a bigger leap than you might think. I run a MSI 6800xt Gaming X Trio, before that I had a Nvidia 2080ti and before that I had a Sapphire 5700xt Nitro and before that I had a 2060 super. The 6800xt will do it on high settings with 2x MSAA on most maps but not Syria. The 2080ti did it on high without 2x MSAA. The 5700xt and 2060 super just about coped with a mix of medium ish settings but no MSAA bells and whistles etc and down low was dodgy. The final thing regarding Track IR, you want to maintain a solid 60fps to have smooth movement looking around without micro stutters. The best scenario would be that if Vsync was off you would get above 70ish fps to maintain a solid 60fps. DCS has random dips in fps mostly down low like when your at take off or landing. The 6800xt handles this no problem. The 2080ti would even fall down slightly on this one when flying low over Dubai or on the Super Carrier. On the 5700xt and 2060 super it was noticeable if I did not keep the view distance to medium. Something to have a think about. A 32" 1440p monitor will make DCS look good, very good. A 6700xt or a 3060Ti will drive that along nicely. Especially as your running an ITX setup, temps wont be such an issue. If you really want 4k, its 6800xt, 3080 or 2080ti minimum. From experience I look at my 6800xt and wish I had spent the extra on a 3080ti. I underestimated the jump to 4k in early 2020 and upgraded my system to eliminate annoying micro stutters, but, I really like the eye candy. These are my specs... 5600x @ 4.6Ghz 1.2v, X570, 32gb 3200Mhz C14 DDR4, 6800xt @ 2450Mhz 1050Mv, 1tb Nvme Gen4 SSD, I can run 2x MSAA on some maps but I tend to leave it off because its not completely needed using 4k on a 32" monitor. This is for a solid 60fps with Vsync.

Hi Belphe, whats your current specs? Straight off the bat, to do that resolution at high settings with any form of AA applied you will need a 3080 minimum. I run 4k and I own a 6800xt and have tested a 3080 and a 3080ti. At that resolution go with Nvidia. I'm having an educated guess but I think the memory bandwidth is strangling the AMD cards potential at these resolutions. The AMD cards can do straight forward 4k, but I doubt they will push much past that. As for a CPU, I am being a bit vague here but a relevantly recent Intel or AMD 6 core CPU running over 4Ghz is enough (for DCS). Just pair that with 32gb of as close to 3200Mhz memory and you should be ok. If I knew your current spec I could advise you more on which way to go with your system.

This is only for users on this forum who want to build or upgrade a PC for DCS, nothing else. Unless you are going to use a 4k monitor/TV, A multi screen setup or high resolution VR setup. You probably dont need the very latest kit to fly in DCS with some if not all the eye candy turned on. I advised on two setups for friends who have families and other financial responsibilities during the lockdown in the UK. They wanted to get into PC gaming more, both systems were eBay specials because of the supply problems. Both could run DCS just fine on high settings at 1440p resolution. This is just an example guys... Setup #1. AMD 3600 non X, X470 mobo, 32gb 3200 DDR4, 5700XT, 1tb Sata 3 SSD, 120mm AIO, 650w Gold PSU, overclock with undervolt on CPU/GPU using Radeon and Ryzen Master. Setup #2 Intel 7600k, Z270 Mobo, 32gb 3200 DDR4 with XMP, 2070 Super, 1tb Sata 3 SSD, Be Quiet 120mm Cooler, 600w Gold PSU, Overclock with offset voltage in bios on CPU, undervolt on close to max boost clock on GPU using MSI Afterburner. All this stuff was used but sourced carefully over a couple of weeks. They were put together last Autumn for the Intel system and this Spring for the AMD system. Like I said both happily run DCS at 1440p as well as all the games in these guys Steam libraries etc. Now if you are going for high setting using high resolution such as 4k or in VR. You will probably benefit from the latest GPU's and will probably need a CPU/Mobo from AMD 2000 series or even the 3000 series. If its Intel then a 7700k and upwards. You will need 32gb of dram. Something like a 5700xt or a 2060 Super can do it but at the cost of sacrificing the detail in DCS settings. It will not look terrible. Finally as for the AMD vs Nvidia battle regarding the latest high end GPU's. My MSI 6800xt will run DCS just fine at 4k. However I have had my hands on a 3080 and 3080ti. The 3080 is slightly better for DCS at high resolution but not worth it if its going to costs loads more. The 3080ti I tested is definitely better than my 6800xt. Once you turn the resolution up, the high end AMD cards can do it and well, but Nvidia still hold the crown I'm afraid. Please remember that all this is "advise" based on my actual experiences putting together gaming PC's with various parts and seeing how they perform in DCS.

Replying to Specter1075... I dont see any major reason to jump and upgrade your CPU, Mobo or Dram right now. Sit tight and see what prices Intels Alder Lake comes out at. Or see how low the prices for AMD 5000/X570 series drop to when Alder Lake is released. I will offer this advise. I am not an expert but a long time PC user (since the 90's) who happily plays DCS at 4k 60fps without chasing stutters. See how your PC is performing and what parts are reaching their limit for yourself. Whether you are on AMD, Intel or Nvidia it doesn't matter. Download MSI Afterburner Beta, the latest one at the time. If you dig around in the setting you can set up the in game overlay to show all your PC components usages. Another useful tool is the Windows "Resource Monitor" open it up before you open DCS. While flying if you notice a fps drop. Pause and "ALT/TAB" out as quickly as you can. See if an individual core is maxed out in a certain area. Then you will know for sure if your CPU is reaching its limit. A few hours loading up DCS for the purpose of evaluating your PC's performance within DCS can save you a lot of money and guide your upgrade requirements if you have them. Addressing the mining kills GPU rumours on the internet. If someone does mining it is mainly using the memory and the memory bandwidth, thats one of the limiting factors. They will attempt to run the GPU at a much lower and limited clock speed often half of what a gaming clock speed would be. They will also try to run it under the lowest core voltage possible. So they will mine on a low clock speed with sometimes lower than idle voltage on the core. If someone does not mine this way they are stupid, dont look after their stuff and you dont want to buy anything off them anyway. The only real thing to check on a GPU that has been used for mining is dust in the heatsink as they are often run 24/7. That and check the fans spin up ok. they might be worn out if its a couple of years old. At worst the performance of the thermal pads could have degraded, no more though than if someone gamed on it for playing esports for 8 hours a day. Buying a used GPU. Just look at the advert closely. If someone has put effort into a description and well taken photos then you a probably ok. Look for if it is boxed and comes with everything as if it was new. There is no 100% certainty, but looking for these signs reduces the probability. If you buy a used GPU when you install it. Run a game with vsync off and the settings maxed out, drive it as hard as you can for an hour. If there are no artefacts then it is probably ok. Check the temps, if these dont go up too high then the fans, thermal pads and heatsink are ok. Another thing to do, check that model of GPU on a review site, look at how it performed in the games list then do a comparison if you have one of those games. Taking a little time to learn how all this stuff ticks will really help you out and give you a better understanding and experience enjoying PC gaming.

Ive got that hotas and I use Saitek/Logitech pedals. Works well and good if you have larger feet.