Good gaming PC... from Amazon?

[SeaQuark]

I recently received a hefty Amazon gift card balance, plus I qualify for their no-interest-for-12-months thing. So I'm thinking it's finally time to get a good rig.

 

I'm starting from scratch: all I have currently is a MacBook Pro, which is of course less than ideal for DCS. Is it possible to find on Amazon a good gaming PC (or PC + parts) that will allow me to run DCS at:

 

• 1920x1080

• MAX graphics

• 60 FPS even

 

My price range is between 1000 and 2000, assuming I can purchase everything I need from Amazon. Is this doable?

 

I'm willing to mess around with parts a little, but not sure how I feel about building a PC completely from scratch, as I am a total newb at that sort of thing.

 

Also: should I wait 'till after EDGE comes out before pulling the trigger? Would it affect what I should purchase?

[agrasyuk]

My computer purchase is waiting for edge, in your case however you can use better hardware right now. Budget-wise 1000-2000 will buy you parts to build adequate-excellent machine. With that in DCS even excellent does not guarantee 60fps.

Good luck!

[cichlidfan]

Buy parts. The key is not building, since that is a lot easier than you would imagine, but selecting compatible parts (which isn't overly difficult but is very important).

 

In that price range it is easily doable and, of course, Amazon carries everything that you could need.

[KLR Rico]

That budget will enable you to build an excellent sim machine.

 

I bought pretty much all my parts for my latest build from amazon, I found their prices to be pretty good and I know I can count on their customer service.

[Gladman]

I agree with most everything here. I will state that buying 2400mhz ram however will not be worth the extra 50-80 dollars. In the analysis I've seen the difference between 1600 and 2400 was so small nobody would notice.

 

Dale

[Pikey]

All above is correct including the RAM statement on speed above. Make sure you buy Intel processor and base your board around that. Spend about a quarter of your budget on a graphics card. You can check the board manufacturer site for compatible RAM/processor combos or check overclockers.co.uk for what they call matched RAM, but all this is a lot less worrysome than in years gone past.

 

There's a small saving to be made in build your own, but generally what you gain is named parts rather than cheapest parts which is much more comforting, plus if you feel that way inclined you can colour match your internals and have an open view case which is part of the build your own fun.

 

Anything build now with that budget gets you something well in excess of what is needed.

 

Beware, the process of picking out and researching does take some time and you should expect that.

[Python]

I had my PC built by a great company, but on reflection I do wish I'd done it myself as I would have saved a fortune. This one is good for a few more years yet with updates, but next time I need a new set up I'll be buying the parts and building it. The parts CaptainPecan listed are a very good start, best of luck.

[Pikey]

Just a note on the 120MHz monitor. If you cannot achieve 120 FPS it's pointless so i'm not in complete agreement with that, smoothness of trackir seems to be associated to the CPU mostly as it can grab as much as 25% at peak.

 

I assign TS, trackir to their own cores and exclude DCS from those so they can each have dedicated processing, trackir has never been anythign but smooth and my i5 isn't the fastest even when clocked.

[fixen]

120hz makes a difference even when not getting 120fps.

I would go for:

Proper z97 motherboard, though don't spend to much.

I5 4690 or 4690k If you like to overclock.

Good cpu cooler.

Gtx 970. I got the gigabyte version and its awesome.

8 gb ddr 3 ram. 16 gb is still not necessary for gaming. 1600mhz is enough. Their was a test wich showed no difference in fps even against ddr4 3000mhz. Only some specialized things like running virtual machines benefit from it.

Ssd crucial mx100 series is very good at a reasonable price.

550 watt quality power supply is enough.

 

The above is what I have. Ill post my exact parts when im on my pc again (mobile Phone now). I am getting 90 fps or more on the ground.

Edited October 22, 2014 by fixen

[Gladman]

I've ordered all my parts for my new build. Maybe you can benefit from the list.

 

Asus Maximus VII Hero Motherboard (Contains RAMDISK)

I7-4790K CPU

16GB Corsair 1600mhz RAM

I already have a GTX780 Poseidon GPU

Corsair 1000 Powersupply

XSPC water cooling system (I overclock)

NZXT Phantom case (lots of cooling and open space)

 

I don't plan on buying a SSD drive right away. I want to see how I do with my current SATA HDD and the Asus Ramdisk feature work but I will get one eventually just to load the operating system (Win 7 Pro) and DCS.

 

Now that will cost more than 2K but it should give you an idea of what I'm looking for when I buy.

 

Dale

Edited October 22, 2014 by Gladman

[fixen]

Still not on my pc, but these are my parts:

Mobo: Asus maximus VII ranger

Cpu: intel i5 4690k

Cooler: scythe mugen 2 rev b

Graphics: gigabyte GTX 970 G1 gaming

Ram: corsair vengeance 1600mhz 8gb

Power: cooler master g550m

Ssd: crucial mx100 256GB

 

I wouldnt recommend the same Mobo unless you use the features. Otherwise you can go cheaper. I would get a proper cpu cooler, thats a personal decission though.

[cichlidfan]

Still not on my pc, but these are my parts:

Mobo: Asus maximus VII ranger

 

Interesting. I didn't know ASUS had different mobos in Europe. At least that one doesn't appear to be available in the US (without buying from outside the US).

[fixen]

Yeah it is strange. All mobo are the same except for the ranger. That is the only one wich is only available in europe to my knowledge .

[Beaver McFanny]

Please be aware if you want to use the Ramdisk software with DCS World you will need more RAM. I also have 16Gb and it isn't enough i'm afraid.:thumbup:

[fixen]

Actually I wouldnt use ramdisk at all. Just install it on your ssd. You wont notice the difference except you will first have to load it on your ram If you use ramdisk. The money you save on the extra ram you can put in an ssd wich you can also use for other stuff.

[SeaQuark]

OK, this is all very helpful.

 

Is overclocking even something I should worry about? Since I am about to buy a new CPU, I should just get one that can ace DCS by default, right? What CPU speed would be sufficient for this task?

 

I assign TS, trackir to their own cores and exclude DCS from those so they can each have dedicated processing, trackir has never been anythign but smooth and my i5 isn't the fastest even when clocked.

 

This is interesting, I didn't know you could assign functions to cores manually. How does one go about that?

[fixen]

Not trying to sound like a ****, but when you ask that question i would not bother going for a cpu you can overclock. Just go for a fast intel i5 (the 4690), without the k. The overclockable CPU's are more expensive, so you can put that money into something you actually get a benefit from. Overclocking is not usefull for (most) gaming at all. I like to overclock, but it is more like a hobby. Some other uses will benefit from it though.

 

I don't do anything special to my core assigning and i get a buttersmooth experience with ts and trackir too. But i would like to hear more about it.

Edited October 22, 2014 by fixen

[Demon_]

Yep! Agree with fixen.

 

Beaver! Try that, to know how much of RAM or CPU your system use:

 

If you have a 120Hz monitor, you need a video card able to run the game at 120fps. I mean a big expensive card.

This guy run is 144Hz monitors at 60-94fps :huh: :

Edited October 23, 2014 by Demon_

[Gladman]

Beaver.

how much ram would you suggest?

 

Dale

[KLR Rico]

Not trying to sound like a ****, but when you ask that question i would not bother going for a cpu you can overclock. Just go for a fast intel i5 (the 4690), without the k. The overclockable CPU's are more expensive, so you can put that money into something you actually get a benefit from. Overclocking is not usefull for (most) gaming at all. I like to overclock, but it is more like a hobby. Some other uses will benefit from it though.

 

I don't do anything special to my core assigning and i get a buttersmooth experience with ts and trackir too. But i would like to hear more about it.

 

Except flight sims aren't "most games" and you want the fastest (single threaded performance) CPU you can buy. With DCS, performance pretty much scales 1:1 with clock speed (given the same architecture).

 

Buy a processor with an unlocked multiplier.