Getting back in....Advice on PC for VR

[Falcaw]

Hi Guys,

I use to play DCS during the 1.5 days in VR (Oculuts rift cv1) Absolutely loved it. My 1070 card was just enough at the time but once 2.5 came out and kids came along I decided I needed to wait a little bit to upgrade and get back into DCS.

I have been following along VR progress compared with the hardware and now I have a bit more time on my hands I felt it was time to get back in! I started playing on my 1070 i5 computer just on a monitor with trackIR. Fun, but just not the same as VR. 

 

So i really wanted to take the plunge to get a good VR setup.

 

But I cant quite decide on the specs of the PC and a certain price jump. I am looking to run a hp reverb g2.

 

Option 1)

Intel Core i7-12700KF, 32 GB RAM, 1000 GB SSD, GTX 3080 - around $3000

Option2)

Intel Core i7-12700KF, 64 GB RAM, 2000 GB SSD, GTX 3080Ti - around $4300

 

It will be a dedicated DCS machine so I was thinking Option 1) would be enough but from what i have read on here I am wondering about option 2) as the syria map might need more Ram, and the extra Vram and cores on the 3080TI would be worth it. 

 

Cant decide though. I was wondering if I could get your advice?

-Falcaw

 

 

 

[Ala12Rv-Tundra]

I would go option 1.

Ram is cheap and easy to add afterwards. 

Did you consider i9 cpus? 

[Hoirtel]

I think the bigger the better. Yes DCS will use whatever you can give it really. If you can afford the higher spec machine its worth it. However worth noting that the 40 series GPUs are set to release later this year and so while you can always wait for the next PC hardware building, building the same PC with a lower spec secondhand stop gap GPU might be worth while and have it ready for the new thing when it comes along. This is what I did just before the 30 series came out. I decided not to spend $1200+ on a 2080ti and got a secondhand 1080ti instead to fill the gap. Did not regret it.

[DeltaMike]

3080 can (barely) run the G2 at native resolution.  Which is fine. Computer equipment is always an investment in the past. 

[dburne]

When it comes to VR get the best system you can reasonably afford.

[WipeUout]

I would suggest that 64 GB is a waste since DCS will not use even half of it.  I have 32 GB and I never saw more than 12 GB being used by DCS.  

I recommend you look at other HMD option.  If a smooth experience and wide field of view is what you want then the Pimax 5kS would be a good choice.  It will not be as clear as a G2 but coming from an Oculus rift, you will be blown away.

As far as the CPU, there is no gain in going for the i9 vs i7-12700k, both have almost the same single thread performance, or no significant difference.  Single thread performance is, for now, the most critical CPU metric for DCS.

For your GPU go for the max you can afford.  Even though massively more performing GPU may come this later year, you can always sell a top GPU easily and switch to a new one with less cost impact.

Update: tried again in MP with 38 players and used memory reached 7.5 GB with an F-14B.  Tried also Liberation campaign, which is the most demanding missions generated I tried so far, and almost reached 11 GB...  You do not need more than 32 GB with DCS.  Put your money on better HMD or GPU instead.

Edited March 16, 2022 by WipeUout
update

[CptBligh]

I've had over 34GB memory committed on Georgia at War, that's why my new system has 64GB DDR4 (and easier on the IMC running 2x32GB rather than going to 4x16 later).

I dropped 3 grand on my PC and it is still limited by CPU or server side in multiplayer unless I throw on MSAA.  This sim has terrible performance and it's hard to spend that kinda cash and still be somewhat disappointed when everything else performs wonderfully

[Falcaw]

On 3/16/2022 at 2:00 PM, CptBligh said:

I've had over 34GB memory committed on Georgia at War, that's why my new system has 64GB DDR4 (and easier on the IMC running 2x32GB rather than going to 4x16 later).

I dropped 3 grand on my PC and it is still limited by CPU or server side in multiplayer unless I throw on MSAA.  This sim has terrible performance and it's hard to spend that kinda cash and still be somewhat disappointed when everything else performs wonderfully

That is exactly what I am worried about.

Thanks guys, I think you have given me some very good information. I think actually it might be best to stick with the flat screen for now, still have fun until the next gen GPU's and maybe better optimizations come this year. I really dont want to drop that amount of cash on something that I will be disappointed with performance wise.

Not too long to wait I guess.

Hope you are all enjoying the apache! Especially those able to fly it in VR

-Falcaw

 

[DeltaMike]

It's really the next gen headsets you want to watch, I think. Suspect the G2 is gonna be the last of the "brute force" hmd's that actually work, and that the pimax 8k will prove to be the bridge too far.

We are almost there, our early adapters seem to be loving the varjo

[Falcaw]

Thanks Guys,

 

Some great advice. Almost there....just need to wait a little bit longer. Will stay 2d for a little while longer.

 

[Burt]

Honestly I wish I never got into VR . Before I did I was playing on a 34” ultrawide 120hz monitor with a 3090 with TIR and man was it beautiful … so crisp like Wags videos. The clouds , clarity and texture are what makes this sim so superb with 2D. But once I got a G2 and did all the tweaking and start using it more it was all over. Every once in a while I will go back to 2d but the feeling of pulling G’s just ain’t there like it is in VR. I miss the full screen clarity the most and stutter free. 
 

[Al-Azraq]

3 minutes ago, Burt said:

Honestly I wish I never got into VR . Before I did I was playing on a 34” ultrawide 120hz monitor with a 3090 with TIR and man was it beautiful … so crisp like Wags videos. The clouds , clarity and texture are what makes this sim so superb with 2D. But once I got a G2 and did all the tweaking and start using it more it was all over. Every once in a while I will go back to 2d but the feeling of pulling G’s just ain’t there like it is in VR. I miss the full screen clarity the most and stutter free. 
 

Yeah same here.

I miss the clarity and clear image of 2D as well as the sutter free (most of the time) but somehow I just can't come back.

[edmuss]

1 hour ago, Burt said:

Honestly I wish I never got into VR . Before I did I was playing on a 34” ultrawide 120hz monitor with a 3090 with TIR and man was it beautiful … so crisp like Wags videos. The clouds , clarity and texture are what makes this sim so superb with 2D. But once I got a G2 and did all the tweaking and start using it more it was all over. Every once in a while I will go back to 2d but the feeling of pulling G’s just ain’t there like it is in VR. I miss the full screen clarity the most and stutter free. 
 

Have you tried the openxr mod, a good bump in clarity over steamvr and generally much smoother

[Burt]

25 minutes ago, edmuss said:

Have you tried the openxr mod, a good bump in clarity over steamvr and generally much smoother

Not yet but I heard good things about it. Going to enjoy the updates first then give it a go. I have the worst luck changing things around. But will try it sooner or later.