AtomicMysteryWeasel Posted February 22, 2022 Posted February 22, 2022 OK so it's time to upgrade my machine and I have a question for ED folks. For DCS...is it better to have more RAM or faster RAM? For instance which would work better...32 GB of DDR5 5200mHz or 64 GB of DD4 3200 mHz?
LucShep Posted February 22, 2022 Posted February 22, 2022 (edited) DDR5.... it means you're going for an Intel 12th gen (Alder Lake) based system. Forget DDR5, it's not worth the huge cost over good DDR4 (just 3% difference in whatever games!). For an Intel 12th gen system, get a good Z690 DDR4 motherboard and a good 64GB kit of DDR4 mem. More RAM is better in the case of DCS but, of course, you'll want a fast, low latency memory kit as to not bottleneck things. The best purchase is DDR4 "B-die" 64GB kit (4x 16GB) of either 3600 CL16 (16-16-16-36 timings), or 3200 CL14 (14-14-14-34 timings), such as those of GSKILL (Flare-X, RipJaws-V and Trident-Z kits available). It'll work in "Gear 1" mode and will kickass. There's also 3600 CL14 (14-14-14-34 or 14-15-15-35 timings, GSKILL RipJaws-V and Trident-Z kits) being even better and more often in stock, but it's even more expensive. Yes, the much cheaper 3600 CL18 and 3200 CL16 kits will work fine too, and are OK if on tight budget, but they're higher latency (slower).... Measure your budget and see what you can fit. Edited February 23, 2022 by LucShep CGTC - Caucasus retexture | A-10A cockpit retexture | Shadows Reduced Impact | DCS 2.5.6 - a lighter alternative Spoiler Win10 Pro x64 | Intel i7 12700K (OC@ 5.1/5.0p + 4.0e) | 64GB DDR4 (OC@ 3700 CL17 Crucial Ballistix) | RTX 3090 24GB EVGA FTW3 Ultra | 2TB NVMe (MP600 Pro XT) + 500GB SSD (WD Blue) + 3TB HDD (Toshiba P300) + 1TB HDD (WD Blue) | Corsair RMX 850W | Asus Z690 TUF+ D4 | TR PA120SE | Fractal Meshify-C | UAD Volt1 + Sennheiser HD-599SE | 7x USB 3.0 Hub | 50'' 4K Philips PUS7608 UHD TV + Head Tracking | HP Reverb G1 Pro (VR) | TM Warthog + Logitech X56
BitMaster Posted February 22, 2022 Posted February 22, 2022 Gskill RipJaw 3200-14-14-14-34 overclocked to 3600-14-14-14-34 w/o any issues on sysem in sig. I would get the 3200/14 and oc it to the above values...dial in 1.45v and you are likely set. Cost was 388€ for 64GB. The 64GB kit with those values as stock ( also 1.45v stock ) cost WAY more and likely will not overclock further, given the 1.45v. DDR5....maybe 2023... Gigabyte Aorus X570S Master - Ryzen 5900X - Gskill 64GB 3200/CL14@3600/CL14 - Sapphire Nitro+ 7800XT - 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 XG27ACG QHD 180Hz - Corsair K70 RGB Pro - Win11 Pro/Linux - Phanteks Evolv-X
AtomicMysteryWeasel Posted February 22, 2022 Author Posted February 22, 2022 Thanks Luc! I didn't expect a response so quickly!
AtomicMysteryWeasel Posted February 22, 2022 Author Posted February 22, 2022 Thanks Bit! Additional question for you both... I used to build my own PCs, but now that I'm older I'd really rather just pay someone else for the hassle. That being said I don't want a cookie cutter BrandedTM machine either (no Dell, No HP, etc.). Could either of your recommend a computer builder that uses brand name parts (Asus, MSI, Cooler Master, Gskill, etc.) that you're familiar with and/or trust? Thanks!
LucShep Posted February 23, 2022 Posted February 23, 2022 (edited) TBH I'm so used to messing with it, that - if it's for myself - I actually enjoy the whole process of hardware selection, ordering, box opening, then building it from the ground up, to the final pixel crushing kickass action. Like building your own hotrod within your possibilities. Can't help with the prebuild systems, but I've seen a few users going that route recently, hope they chime in. Edited February 23, 2022 by LucShep CGTC - Caucasus retexture | A-10A cockpit retexture | Shadows Reduced Impact | DCS 2.5.6 - a lighter alternative Spoiler Win10 Pro x64 | Intel i7 12700K (OC@ 5.1/5.0p + 4.0e) | 64GB DDR4 (OC@ 3700 CL17 Crucial Ballistix) | RTX 3090 24GB EVGA FTW3 Ultra | 2TB NVMe (MP600 Pro XT) + 500GB SSD (WD Blue) + 3TB HDD (Toshiba P300) + 1TB HDD (WD Blue) | Corsair RMX 850W | Asus Z690 TUF+ D4 | TR PA120SE | Fractal Meshify-C | UAD Volt1 + Sennheiser HD-599SE | 7x USB 3.0 Hub | 50'' 4K Philips PUS7608 UHD TV + Head Tracking | HP Reverb G1 Pro (VR) | TM Warthog + Logitech X56
Svsmokey Posted February 23, 2022 Posted February 23, 2022 (edited) Pc's are so much easier to build now than they used to be . M2 slots , modular psu's , gui bios , Windows media , boot troubleshooting indicators and no motherboard jumpers all make the process painless , as compared to just a few years ago . Speccing the components is the most difficult part , but you do that anyway with a custom builder . Falcon Northwest (US) has a stellar reputation for premium builds , but it will cost you . 7 hours ago, AtomicMysteryWeasel said: Thanks Bit! Additional question for you both... I used to build my own PCs, but now that I'm older I'd really rather just pay someone else for the hassle. That being said I don't want a cookie cutter BrandedTM machine either (no Dell, No HP, etc.). Could either of your recommend a computer builder that uses brand name parts (Asus, MSI, Cooler Master, Gskill, etc.) that you're familiar with and/or trust? Thanks! Edited February 23, 2022 by Svsmokey 9700k @ stock , Aorus Pro Z390 wifi , 32gb 3200 mhz CL16 , 1tb EVO 970 , MSI RX 6800XT Gaming X TRIO , Seasonic Prime 850w Gold , Coolermaster H500m , Noctua NH-D15S , CH Pro throttle and T50CM2/WarBrD base on Foxxmounts , CH pedals , Reverb G2v2
AtomicMysteryWeasel Posted February 23, 2022 Author Posted February 23, 2022 10 hours ago, Svsmokey said: Pc's are so much easier to build now than they used to be . M2 slots , modular psu's , gui bios , Windows media , boot troubleshooting indicators and no motherboard jumpers all make the process painless , as compared to just a few years ago . Speccing the components is the most difficult part , but you do that anyway with a custom builder . Falcon Northwest (US) has a stellar reputation for premium builds , but it will cost you . I used to really enjoy building PCs. Twenty years ago (wow! has it been that long?!) I even did it as a small side job. It just seems like you get a much better price on a top(pish) of the line video card (3080ti) if you buy it from a builder as opposed to buying it outright. Maybe the prices offset? I'm not sure. I'll start doing some serious comparisons and see what I can see. My old Alienware box has been great (for what it is), but it's not possible to upgrade the video card and while DCS runs great in 2D, in VR (which is how I much prefer to play) it has always struggled.
Recommended Posts