Advice on a DCS build

[fargo007]

Hi everybody,

 

First post here. I played Falcon way back in the day.

 

Long story short, I came across DCS and I'm literally flabbergasted at how awesome flight sims have become.

 

I've read up on it as much as I can. I'm a Linux guy and don't understand gaming PC's.

 

Here's my potential build. I'd like it to run 1.5 and possible 2.x.

 

I would add a TM Warthog setup with rudder pedals (for the helos) as well. Let me know if I am on the right track. If I can cut costs anywhere and not lose performance, please point it out.

 

Thanks!

 

 

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Intel - Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor $323.73

 

CRYORIG - C7 40.5 CFM CPU Cooler $29.89

 

MSI - Z270-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard $109.99

 

Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory $136.88

 

Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive $47.88

 

Asus - GeForce GTX 1080 8GB ROG STRIX Video Card $559.99

 

NZXT - S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case $69.99

 

EVGA - 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply $39.99

 

Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit $99.89

 

Asus - Xonar DGX 24-bit 96 KHz Sound Card $47.88

 

Asus - PB277Q 27.0" 2560x1440 75Hz Monitor $329.99

 

Total: $1748.09

[Esac_mirmidon]

With a SSD you will have a very nice PC for DCS.

[DocSigma]

Maybe a bit more power. 500W seems a little low to me for that system. Also, do you need the sound card? May be able to cut a few dollars by using the mobo's onboard audio. Other than that, with the included SSD, that is a really nice rig, especially if it's just for DCS.

 

You can go the Ryzen avenue. Ryzen chips may not have the single core performance I7's have, but they are comparatively cheaper for more cores/threads with a very minimal performance hit in certain gaming applications. With the money saved on a Ryzen system, you could add the savings to upgrading from the 1080 to the 1080ti, which will pay huge dividends if you're gaming at 1440p.

[Demon_]

You know for gaming, the i5 7600K is as good as the i7.

This Cryorig C7 is too small and unknown, find something bigger.

I don't trust any 500w psu at $40.

The GTX 1070 is probably enough for a 2560X1440 resolution.

MSI motherboard are good but Asus or Gigabytes are better.

Maybe you can begin with the inboard (motherboard) sound card and see how it goes.

You have a TrackIR?

[David OC]

Hi fargo007,

 

Welcome to the forums

 

If you're going with the Kaby 7700K, get the best cooler you can, you will want to overclock this CPU and they can get hot if not cooled properly.

 

For an air cooler, the Noctua NH-D15 seems like one of the best if you want to push for a good overclock on the 7700K. Big cooler! if you go this way make sure it fits in the case! I went straight for the water loop (AIO) all in one setup, as I planed to push this chip to it's limit to get the best bang for my buck.

 

The Z270-A PRO ATX supports 1 M.2 slot, use this for at least windows, I have the Samsung 960 EVO M.2 500G and have both windows and DCS installs on it, if you dont want the blazing speeds and cost of the M.2 drive, than at least grab an SSD drive for windows and DCS.

 

I only run at 2560 x 1440, 144Hz with G-SYNC, more expensive but recommended!

 

Keep the 1080 or 1080ti, if you want to move to 4K or get into VR in the future.

 

I was looking for a good balance with my new PC build for DCS and other flight sims, with good speed and smooth flow, so I'm not running 4K, instead running 2560 x 1440,144Hz, 1ms and G-SYNCed, more expensive yes, this really changed DCS for me, plus getting to 5 Ghz.

 

As Demon said, dont skimp on the PSU if your looking to overclock a little and have a nice stable system.

 

You can see the system I just built here for some reference.

 

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Edited July 27, 2017 by David OC

[cichlidfan]

SSD, a better PSU and cooler are the mandatory changes that I would make to that set of components.

[Von Esch]

Yeah. With the prices 2.5 drives are, it's a definite improvement in loading times and map loading. Make sure to have good air cooling, as non reference video cards dump hot air into the case

 

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

[fargo007]

Wow,

 

What awesome responses. Thank you all.

 

I'm totally in the right place guys. Points noted and I am adjusting accordingly.

 

This is gonna be fun. I'm ready for frustration on the front end with the steep learning curve, but eventually really fun.

[BitMaster]

SSD, a better PSU and cooler are the mandatory changes that I would make to that set of components.

 

+1