VR PC build hardware

[Packy_OC]

HI all, I plan to build a VR PC strictly for DCS VR.  I'm new to the PC build thing so go easy on me. Not exactly sure what my budget is but I don't want to get too crazy.  Can I do this for 1500ish? I plan to take my time and shop for sales.  With that being said, as per the DCS download page: 

Recommended VR systems requirements (VR graphics settings): OS 64-bit Windows 10; DirectX11; CPU: Core i5+ at 3+ GHz or AMD FX / Ryzen; RAM: 16 GB (32 GB for heavy missions); Free hard disk space: 350 GB on Solid State Drive (SSD); Discrete video card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 / AMD Radeon RX VEGA 64 or better; Joystick; requires internet activation.

Is this recommendation outdated? I think I would go with the Intel CPU and GeForce GPU.  Does anybody see any obvious things they would change? In the limited amount of research and learning I've done, it seems like maybe an RTX would be better than GTX?  Does anybody use the RTX 2060? For ram I would just go with 2x16 GB sticks so I can easily go up from there.  For this system, what would your motherboard, case, and cooling recommendations be? Would I need liquid?

Also, thinking about getting a T. Flight Hotas X for a joystick.  I'm guessing everybody is going to try to steer me clear of that but I really don't want to get the $500+ Warthog setup.  Also, I have a playstation so I can mess around with PS4 flight games with this hotas until I get my system built.  Lastly, I already have a Quest 2 VR headset so I think I should be good there.  Looking forward to reading responses.

[edmuss]

You might be able to build a box for 1500 but you'll be limited on the GPU front.

Essentials to look for: -

CPU with fastest core speeds, currently DCS is mostly single threaded so the faster the better. This will hopefully change soon as ED are working on the multicore engine upgrade. Make sure whatever you get is overclockable.

32gb ram, faster should be better if built into a balanced system.

All thing's Windows and DCS installed on SSDs.

For DCS VR you want the biggest GPU you can afford, it well never be big enough so you will have to make a compromise.

With a lot of tweaking I can get good stable frametimes of 12-24ms with my 3070 running a g2 @100% - 60hz.

In the current market I would look to get a 3070fe and then you should be able to build a reasonable machine for the budget.

[Morat]

IMO 1500 (dollars? Euros?) is ambitious for a VR build but if you have the Quest2 already I can see why it's tempting.

The biggest issue is going to be getting hold of a GPU. I'd recommend holding onto the cash until you can find a GPU with an acceptable price. In a sane world you'd walk into a store and buy a 3080 for RRP and build the rest of your system around it. Sadly we left that world far behind

VR in DCS is an absolute GPU killer, you'll almost certainly end up GPU constrained no matter what you buy so concentrate here first. IMO, YMMV etc Even if ED manage to release a wonder-patch this year that fixes VR optimisation and allows true multicore, you'll just crank up the settings 

[edmuss]

Brand new RTX FE card from nvidia is the cheapest GPU, there are monthly stock drops here in the UK and you'll pay 469 for a 3070 and 649 for a 3080 etc. etc.

I think if you can build it around a 3080FE then you might just be able to squeeze it into budget but then you might be making compromises elsewhere.  Have you got all the necessary peripherals (monitor/mouse/keyboard/hotas/rudder etc.) an as that could add a significant cost on as well.  Also possibly look at a prebuilt system with a lesser card in (gtx1660ti) and make do till you can grab an RTX FE at msrp and sell the old card on ebay.

[DeltaMike]

It's gonna be tough. 

I'm in the middle of building a rig for G2, although before I succumbed to mission creep I was looking at quest 2, having flown the rift S successfully back in the day. 

Look up the thermaltake reactor 370.  That should be about the right spec to get ya started, and be advised, it's tough to beat that price even if you win the Newegg Shuffle and source the remaining parts on your own, and build it yourself.  So, figure something in the neighborhood of  $2300 us...

If you're not against going used, I would not personally be against sourcing a 3600x on a b450 mobo.  Can't think of a used gpu I really like though. The 2000 series didn't improve much, if any on the 1080ti, which was great on the rift s, in older versions of DCS but that was then. Considering the price the used ones are going for I don't feel it's a good investment. GPU-wise I just don't see a good alternative to a 3070 or better