Jump to content

What to do when upgrading PC with DCS?


Recommended Posts

Hi,

I am thinking of upgrading my PC’s GPU and RAM from a GTX660Ti and 8GB RAM to an ASUS 4GB GTX 970 and 16GB RAM, because of the new DCS products coming out soon. I also may need a new PSU if my current one is not powerful enough to run that new GPU. I am obviously planning to use the same PC but plan to upgrade these components. Could anyone please tell me what I have to do in regards to DCS etc to avoid problems with this upgrade, in any way including deactivations and reactivations? I use a Helios touchscreen setup also, if that is also a factor. Do I have to deactivate/reactivate my modules/campaigns if I am changing to a more powerful GPU and adding more RAM and maybe a new PSU, when I added a new soundcard a while ago? I read Sobek’s post in which he said the following, ‘

If StarForce detects changes to your computer hardware/software as described below, an

activation will be required.

An activation will be required if the hardware/software changes exceed 12 points as rated

below:

CPU ID: 13

Windows PID: 3

Computer Name: 3

Hard drive volume serial number: 3

MAC address: 6

RAM amount: 6

 

I couldn’t see a GPU, sound card or PSU on the above list, so does this mean I can change to a more powerful GPU and add more RAM and if necessary a new PSU without having to deactivate and reactivate my modules?

If I do need to deactivate/reactivate DCS products then is all I need to do is to go into the DCS World\Mods\aircraft\<module name>\bin’ and run protect.exe and deactivate that way? Then, after upgrading, I reactivate by doing the same procedure as when I first installed the modules. Is this all there is to this process?

I also believe I need to uninstall the old GPU drivers before installing the ones for the new card. Is there anything else that I need to do to avoid problems with DCS etc with a PC upgrade like mentioned above?

I really would appreciate any help with this,

OZTRIPWIRE

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is no need to uninstall drivers. I went from a GTX760 to GTX970 with just a simple card swap and no problems afterwards. Likewise with the system RAM change, it only counts for 6 points so it shouldn't trigger any activation changes.

  • Like 1

Current specs: Windows 10 Home 64bit, i5-9600K @ 3.7 Ghz, 32GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB Samsung EVO 860 M.2 SSD, GAINWARD RTX2060 6GB, Oculus Rift S, MS FFB2 Sidewinder + Warthog Throttle Quadrant, Saitek Pro rudder pedals.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

De-activate your DCS modules before uninstalling them and then you won't use up an activation.

i9-13900K @ 6.2GHz oc | ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO | 64GB DDR5 5600MHz | iCUE H150i Liquid CPU Cooler | 24GB GeForce RTX 4090 | Windows 11 Home | 2TB Samsung 980 PRO NVMe | Corsair RM1000x | LG 48GQ900-B 4K OLED Monitor | CH Fighterstick | Ch Pro Throttle | CH Pro Pedals | TrackIR 5

Link to comment
Share on other sites

De-activate your DCS modules before uninstalling them and then you won't use up an activation.

 

There is no need to uninstall modules when upgrading a graphics card and ram. Probably no need to go through the deactivate and reactivate process either, but if want to be safe can certainly do so.

I doubt a new PSU would count towards this, and it is not clear how many points a graphics card would use...

 

In any event you get 10 deactivations and reactivations, so unless you are doing this often even if it uses one probably not that big a deal. I think it may reset itself after a period of time. I do hardware upgrades on a fairly regular basis and have never bothered with this process and never run into an issue, at least as of yet.

 

There is an activation guide in your DCS World doc folder as well.

Don B

EVGA Z390 Dark MB | i9 9900k CPU @ 5.1 GHz | Gigabyte 4090 OC | 64 GB Corsair Vengeance 3200 MHz CL16 | Corsair H150i Pro Cooler |Virpil CM3 Stick w/ Alpha Prime Grip 200mm ext| Virpil CM3 Throttle | VPC Rotor TCS Base w/ Alpha-L Grip| Point Control V2|Varjo Aero|

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...