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DCS required specs!!


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Hi guys :clap:

 

This is my first post, because I didn't get into the DCS business yet, but I hope I do soon. ;)

 

I will try to make it short as possible.

I watched a lot of DCS videos and really got excited to try the simulator. But it seems that I need a proper PC first:cry:. "And here the story begins"

So I did my homework :book:and looked for PC builds that could run the DCS smoothly, there are hundreds of various builds. but what do you guys think about this one:

 

# Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz

# Nvidia Geforce GTX 1050 Ti

# Kingston DDR4 8 GB [RAM]

 

Please feel free to change any of these, it's just my initial specification list.

 

I know, it will depend on my budget. Well, let me say that I want to make it as cheaper as it could be, but at the same time, I want the simulator to run smoothly with decent fps and resolution.

 

another thing to point out, I have a lg a520 laptop with the following specifications:

 

# Intel Core i5-2410M

# Nvidia Geforce GT 540M

# 8 GB RAM

 

I used to run FSX with it and was running really good:thumbup:. The last time I checked, the GPU of the laptop wasn't working properly:crash:, so i need to get it fixed.

 

So, I want your advise: Should I go with a new PC build or just fix (or upgrade) the GPU of my old laptop and use it. Please take it "budget wise:glare:".

 

Sorry for the long thread and hope you find it clear.:bye_2:

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Welcome to the forums!

 

Go with a new build...

 

Preferably a little beefier processer, get the K version if you can - they overclock very easily. I5 or I7 (I7 little more future proofing but I5 runs great as well). If you can get one to run closer to 4+ GHz that is a nice sweet spot. Or as close as you can get to it.

 

Vid card - I would go with at least a 1060, or even 1070 if you can swing it.

 

Ram - I would go with a min of 16 gb.

Don B

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16GB of ram and an SSD, other than that, the PC is ok

 

the laptop might have issues though...

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Definitely go for min 16gb ram. I have 8 at the moment and you will not be able to join some multiplayer servers and have other lags and freezes when ram is full and HDD takes over.

 

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Hmmm,

 

I need to tell you a few things which you may not like:

 

Your laptop wont run DCS, dont try it. The GPU is far too small and the CPU will struggle. Assuming you dont have an SSD in there as well it will not be a pleasant thing to try.

8GB is minimum for DCS and many many pilots have fixed latency and stutter issues by upgrading to 16GB. That is HIGHLY recommended, as well as an SSD for your OS + DCS.

 

 

For the new PC, aim high in MHz with your CPU.

 

You should, even when on budget, surpass the 4GHz barrier towards 4.5GHz to run DCS smooth in all conditions from the CPU side.

 

Many use i5-"K" versions, i7-"K" has Hyperthreading and slightly higher clocks out of the box but a higher price. Choose either one, but get a "K"-UNLOCKED version somewhere 3.5GHz base clock or better. They usually overclock pretty good.

 

If you dont dare to oc it is more expensive as you will need to buy a higher clocked cpu off the shelf. i5-7600k is a good choice if you go i5, i7-7700k is top end 4-core and speed king as of now. Pick one that fits your budget.

 

Dont forget to add 2 x 8GB DDR4 modules for a total of 16GB RAM.

 

 

GPU...dunno.. the 1050 might be too low ended for DCS but it all depends on your resolution and demands.

For example a 1060 GTX 6GB will drive a 1440p screen like I do with my 980GTX, maybe even a notch better. That is ample power for up to 2560x1440 or lower. If you want to go 4k the GPU will easily cost as much as CPU+RAM+MOBO together. Somewhere between 500-1000 € or $ for a proper 4k GPU.

If you can stick with res up to 1440p you can save a lot of money as your GPU will be 250-300€ class, 1/3 of a 4k-GPU card !

 

You have to buy a 3rd party CPU cooler, there is none in the box anymore.

Invest in a AIO-Watercooler is my personal advice. Look through the reviews and pick one with 2x 120 or 2 x 140mm fans. that will give you some headroom with temps and make overclocking possible.

If you dont like the idea of Watercooling, Noctua has imhop the best overall portofolio of air coolers. the DH15 is an outstanding cooler IF it fits your board and tower. check that before you buy with large air coolers.

 

 

Motherboard: Pick one that is not overdone is my advice. The one I have is OK, fair priced and has all most people need, tho no WLAN - if you need that, pick 1 higher on the ladder.

The higher you grab the more complicated and tricky they get. If you want things simple then dont buy am overdone motherboard for 400€.

 

 

in short:

 

Asus Z270 board 140-200€

Intel CPU i5-7600k or i7-7700k 260 or 360 €

16GB DDR4-2400 or faster 120 €

Nvidia 1060GTX/6GB 250-300€

SSD Samsung 960Evo 256GB or 512GB 150 or 300€

 

+ PSU + TOWER +Win10(?)

 

 

P.S. YOu cannot upgrade that Laptop GPU. You can exchange it maybe against the same make and model but upgrading is 99% impossible. Sorry to say that.

Gigabyte Aorus X570S Master - Ryzen 5900X - Gskill 64GB 3200/CL14@3600/CL14 - Asus 1080ti EK-waterblock - 4x Samsung 980Pro 1TB - 1x Samsung 870 Evo 1TB - 1x SanDisc 120GB SSD - Heatkiller IV - MoRa3-360LT@9x120mm Noctua F12 - Corsair AXi-1200 - TiR5-Pro - Warthog Hotas - Saitek Combat Pedals - Asus PG278Q 27" QHD Gsync 144Hz - Corsair K70 RGB Pro - Win11 Pro/Linux - Phanteks Evolv-X 

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1. As mentioned, don't buy a laptop. Apart of worse performance you'll really appreciate a proper monitor when playing DCS. The bigger the better as spotting targets in DCS is not an easy thing. But then a good monitor is a topic on its own. IMO don't get anything less then 27'' but don't go for 4K without a high end graphics card.

2. GPU is the priority, GTX 1060 should be minimum and better the GTX 1070. It's quite a big step from 1060 to 1070, noticably more then from 1070 to 1080. 1070 is probably the best value for monay at the moment.

3. 16 GB RAM at minimum

4. CPU, save on the i7, get i5 and put the savings into better GPU. Don't get a K version if you're not going to overclock it. Don't assume that you'll overlock a CPU without any experience just by reading some quick tutorials.

5. SSD is nice but if I would have to choose between better GPU and SSD i would again recomend to get a better GPU. Nowadays however, at least the operating system should be run from SSD drive.


Edited by firmek

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GPU...dunno.. the 1050 might be too low ended for DCS but it all depends on your resolution and demands

 

I have 950m on desktop computer, it run 60 fps texture high and terrain high at 1080p and some others settings on, he said he's on budget, and you are totally wrong.

 

I recommand you above 1050/ti (980 included)

 

aim high in MHz with your CPU.
:doh: ...

 

 

as well as an SSD for your OS + DCS.

 

He is on budget so take seagate barracuda 1 TO / 2 TO, SSD is useful only for startup, it just change so secondes, ssd are too much expensive, don't even think about it on budget pc..

 

You know what, there is a config for you :

 

MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4G OC, 4 Go by KFA2 165.90€

Western Digital Caviar Blue, 1 To 56.90

DDR4 G.Skill Aegis, 8 Go, 2133 MHz, CAS 15 x2 (16go) 139.60

Gigabyte Z270-Gaming K3 155.90

Intel Core i5-7600K (3.8 GHz) 262.90

Cooler Master MasterBox 5 - Black Edition 69.90

EVGA 500B, 500W 59.90

Corsair H45 Hydro Series 61.90

 

Total of 972,90 € in dollar = 1.062$

 

But if you want to lower the price, i will recommand you to change the CPU, and remove 8Go of ram,

 

So if you take :

AMD FX 8350 - Black Edition 199,95

-8Go -69.80

 

total = 841 € in dollar = 893.47 $

 

There you go

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I have 950m on desktop computer, it run 60 fps texture high and terrain high at 1080p and some others settings on, he said he's on budget, and you are totally wrong.

 

I recommand you above 1050/ti (980 included)

 

:doh: ...

 

 

 

 

He is on budget so take seagate barracuda 1 TO / 2 TO, SSD is useful only for startup, it just change so secondes, ssd are too much expensive, don't even think about it on budget pc..

 

You know what, there is a config for you :

 

MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4G OC, 4 Go by KFA2 165.90€

Western Digital Caviar Blue, 1 To 56.90

DDR4 G.Skill Aegis, 8 Go, 2133 MHz, CAS 15 x2 (16go) 139.60

Gigabyte Z270-Gaming K3 155.90

Intel Core i5-7600K (3.8 GHz) 262.90

Cooler Master MasterBox 5 - Black Edition 69.90

EVGA 500B, 500W 59.90

Corsair H45 Hydro Series 61.90

 

Total of 972,90 € in dollar = 1.062$

 

But if you want to lower the price, i will recommand you to change the CPU, and remove 8Go of ram,

 

So if you take :

AMD FX 8350 - Black Edition 199,95

-8Go -69.80

 

total = 841 € in dollar = 893.47 $

 

There you go

 

By all means, we can talk about anything but not an old AMD CPU for DCS :D

Gigabyte Aorus X570S Master - Ryzen 5900X - Gskill 64GB 3200/CL14@3600/CL14 - Asus 1080ti EK-waterblock - 4x Samsung 980Pro 1TB - 1x Samsung 870 Evo 1TB - 1x SanDisc 120GB SSD - Heatkiller IV - MoRa3-360LT@9x120mm Noctua F12 - Corsair AXi-1200 - TiR5-Pro - Warthog Hotas - Saitek Combat Pedals - Asus PG278Q 27" QHD Gsync 144Hz - Corsair K70 RGB Pro - Win11 Pro/Linux - Phanteks Evolv-X 

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OP asked for a budged solution. So probably new "K" version CPU will not fit.

Madara, if you build a rig specifically for DCS with tight budget, maybe you can use some second hand components:

- CPU 2500K (of course overclocked)

- 16GB DDR3 1866MHz

- video card 780ti (still very good for DCS, at least in 1.5.x, look at the benchmarks) or GTX 970/980.

 

Also, you will need at least one controller (joystick), but better is HOTAS+rudder pedals.

 

Most important is the CPU, you need very high clocked Intel CPU (except AMD Ryzen).

Ryzen 5900X (Water), 64GB DDR4@3600CL16, RTX 3090 (Water), U4021QW, Samsung 980 Pro 2TB, 2x1000GB RAID 1, 2000GB,

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No, i have i5-6400 it's not even at 50%...

 

DCS doesn't use all cores, so you will never see 100% CPU use.

On four core CPU, when one core is fully used, you will see only 25% CPU utilization, when two cores are fully used, you will see 50% utilization and so on.

DCS use one main thread plus one thread for the sound, so it really likes high clocked CPU, with high IPC. Run it on 8 core (low clocked) CPU and you will see probably only 10-20% CPU usage, but the processor will be the bottleneck, believe or not.

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Hi guys (wazzup Demon), sorry for the hijacking, but would a MSI GTX 1060 3GB do a good job with DCS (BOS also) for 2560X1080p? Or should I buy the 6GB version? It can get to a $100 difference in Brazil.

 

My GTX 770 Lightning is unstable in gaming and it might be dying (a couple contact pins have missing tips and that sort of thing -- I was testing various coolers and had to take it off several times. I also replaced the thermal paste and the thermal pads might have lost the grip and the VRM could be overheating (need to check that). But the temps are good -- 67ºC at AIDA64 (all parts checked) with 30ºC room temperature. Anyway, it is getting old.

 

I just own and play occasionally ROF, DCS and BOS and I won't upgrade my monitor to a 3540X1440p that soon. In case I do, it will be along with a beefier card, hence why I do not want to go all in with this upgrade.

 

But if 3GB is not enough for these games (I know that 3GB is more than enough for ROF) I'll rather spend more in a 6GB version.

 

Appreciate any feedback,

SeaW0lf

-- Win10 Pro, Philips 298P4QJEB (2560X1080), i5-9600K, Zalman 9900NT, GA-Z390 UD, GTX 1060 GamingX 6GB, 16GB 3200Mhz CL16, Samsung 970 EVO 250GB, Corsair AX-750W, Carbide 300R, G940, TrackIR 5 --

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Hi SeaWolf, DCS use DX11 instead of DX9 for ROF. I don't know the answer, i'm looking for that for many days.

Maybe it could be enough with some lower settings like terrain texture.


Edited by Demon_

Attache ta tuque avec d'la broche.

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Hi SeaWolf, DCS use DX11 instead of DX9 for ROF. I don't know the answer, i'm looking for that for many days.

Maybe it could be enough with some lower settings like terrain texture.

 

Cool, yeah, if I find anything I'll post here :thumbup:

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-- Win10 Pro, Philips 298P4QJEB (2560X1080), i5-9600K, Zalman 9900NT, GA-Z390 UD, GTX 1060 GamingX 6GB, 16GB 3200Mhz CL16, Samsung 970 EVO 250GB, Corsair AX-750W, Carbide 300R, G940, TrackIR 5 --

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Nevada map is still ridiculously VRAM hungry after more than a year of development, so it's possible that Normandy and reworked Caucasus will be too. My 3GB GTX780 gets topped out in Nevada pretty easily already at 1200p resolution, so forget about anything with 3.

 

I was planning to buy a 6GB 1060 myself, but decided to wait for new NVidia cards coming soon, dropping the prices of older ones somewhat (hopefully!) and going for 8GB 1070 instead, just to be safe for upcoming 2-3 years at least.

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Some guys should just not give advice.

Gigabyte Aorus X570S Master - Ryzen 5900X - Gskill 64GB 3200/CL14@3600/CL14 - Asus 1080ti EK-waterblock - 4x Samsung 980Pro 1TB - 1x Samsung 870 Evo 1TB - 1x SanDisc 120GB SSD - Heatkiller IV - MoRa3-360LT@9x120mm Noctua F12 - Corsair AXi-1200 - TiR5-Pro - Warthog Hotas - Saitek Combat Pedals - Asus PG278Q 27" QHD Gsync 144Hz - Corsair K70 RGB Pro - Win11 Pro/Linux - Phanteks Evolv-X 

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Nevada map is still ridiculously VRAM hungry after more than a year of development, so it's possible that Normandy and reworked Caucasus will be too. My 3GB GTX780 gets topped out in Nevada pretty easily already at 1200p resolution, so forget about anything with 3.

 

Is DCS topping 3GB at 1920X1200p? Geez... Then I'll wait for Volta because I think a 1060 6GB is not worth the investment.

 

I just found out that my problem was PSU overheating -- mine has passive cooling below 50% usage and was overheating (RM750W). Which is insane -- why not set the passive cooling by temperature? Or it was because I re-made the connections and I'm thinking it's the PSU. We never know with PCs.

-- Win10 Pro, Philips 298P4QJEB (2560X1080), i5-9600K, Zalman 9900NT, GA-Z390 UD, GTX 1060 GamingX 6GB, 16GB 3200Mhz CL16, Samsung 970 EVO 250GB, Corsair AX-750W, Carbide 300R, G940, TrackIR 5 --

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Many Corsair units have the "zero rpm fan mode" (under 20%-60% of load): http://www.corsair.com/~/media/corsair/download-files/manuals/corsair-psu-spec-table.pdf

 

Power supply made by Seasonic are the best. Delta Electronics are good too.

 

https://www.thetechgame.com/Archives/t=5613293/power-supply-guide-the-good-and-the-bad.html

 

http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/psu_manufacturers


Edited by Demon_

Attache ta tuque avec d'la broche.

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Many Corsair units have the "zero rpm fan mode" (under 20%-60% of load): http://www.corsair.com/~/media/corsair/download-files/manuals/corsair-psu-spec-table.pdf

 

Power supply made by Seasonic are the best. Delta Electronics are good too.

 

https://www.thetechgame.com/Archives/t=5613293/power-supply-guide-the-good-and-the-bad.html

 

http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/psu_manufacturers

 

Yeah, I need to open a topic at Corsair forum to complain about it. A serious engineer would never believe what they did. But nowadays most graphics cards have this problem as well. They keep making these worthless gimmicks. Right now I think it was dust in the cable, because I closed the case and it is no craching, but the PSU is hot as hell.

 

And Corsair has lots of rebranded Seasonics. My old AX750W was a Seasonic (or the HX of my backup system I am not sure). I was considering a Be Quiet (has no passive cooling last time I saw). But this is for the future. The good part about it is that these PSUs don't collect dust at all :lol:

-- Win10 Pro, Philips 298P4QJEB (2560X1080), i5-9600K, Zalman 9900NT, GA-Z390 UD, GTX 1060 GamingX 6GB, 16GB 3200Mhz CL16, Samsung 970 EVO 250GB, Corsair AX-750W, Carbide 300R, G940, TrackIR 5 --

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Yeah, I need to open a topic at Corsair forum to complain about it. A serious engineer would never believe what they did. But nowadays most graphics cards have this problem as well. They keep making these worthless gimmicks. Right now I think it was dust in the cable, because I closed the case and it is no craching, but the PSU is hot as hell.

 

And Corsair has lots of rebranded Seasonics. My old AX750W was a Seasonic (or the HX of my backup system I am not sure). I was considering a Be Quiet (has no passive cooling last time I saw). But this is for the future. The good part about it is that these PSUs don't collect dust at all :lol:

 

My 1st Corsair AXi-1200 went to RMA because the built-in thermistor did not work and such the PSU overheated occaisionally and shut off.

 

I got a replacement unit 2 years ago and since then I have no complains. It is impossible for me during non-summer days to heat that PSU up beyond 45°C, even at 600w, which is most I ever saw it consume with Kombustor ansd prime95avx on same time. During hot summer days and heavy tasking it sometimes spins the fan.

 

I have not regretted I got the AXi version, but tbt, since I diodnt go SLI as intended back then a 850 was plenty, this 1200 is WAY overdone.

 

Tho I still have 89% eff minimum in idle and as soon as I consume more it goes up till 94% eff.. This high efficiency is what I like, it would be even better with a 850 model, I know :(.

 

Afaik my 1200er AXi is not Seasonic but most others from AXi are.

 

 

edit*: I was wrong: look that link http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page447.htm

 

AXi is Flextronics, AX is mostly Seasonic.


Edited by BitMaster

Gigabyte Aorus X570S Master - Ryzen 5900X - Gskill 64GB 3200/CL14@3600/CL14 - Asus 1080ti EK-waterblock - 4x Samsung 980Pro 1TB - 1x Samsung 870 Evo 1TB - 1x SanDisc 120GB SSD - Heatkiller IV - MoRa3-360LT@9x120mm Noctua F12 - Corsair AXi-1200 - TiR5-Pro - Warthog Hotas - Saitek Combat Pedals - Asus PG278Q 27" QHD Gsync 144Hz - Corsair K70 RGB Pro - Win11 Pro/Linux - Phanteks Evolv-X 

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