OperatorDrewskis rigg for VR

[Skyracer]

Time time has come for me to upgrade. I cant even merge in a dogfight without 0 fps. Of course i can install the game on SSD. But my rigg is 4.5 years old. My plan is to go VR (PIMAX 8K)

CPU

AMD Ryzen 9 5950X

GPU

GeForce RTX 3080 Ti

RAM

64 GB

I have zero interest in building computers and learning this. So here are some silly questions:

• ASUS GeForce RTX 3070 TI ROG Strix OC. What does "ROG strix OC" mean?

• AMD or Intel?

• Same two graphics card 3080  one is called TUF Gaming OC V2 other ends with ROG Strix OC V2. What is the difference between them?

• 1 TB of storage enough for DCS, my plan is to have DCS installed on one SSD? Windows in a different drive. long term ? DCS is the only game i play

[xoxen]

Hi Skyracer,

I will try to answer as good as possible:

• ASUS GeForce RTX 3070 TI ROG Strix OC. What does "ROG strix OC" mean?

ROG stands for Republic of Gamers and is a special brand for the Asus cards, kind of a premium brand. TUF stands for The Ultimate Force and is the budget line. The difference might be in the used components (e. g. condensators), but in reality the difference is not really noticeable in speed. Maybe there is more freedom for overclocking. OC stands for overclocked, so the card is already pre-overclocked by Asus.

• AMD or Intel?

Actually I would say there is no difference. I switched from intel to AMD last year and didn´t regret, the 5800X I have is pretty fast and under the line it was a little cheaper. On the other had the AM4 socket is at the end of lifetime, repesctively the actual available intel stuff might be more future proof when it comes to CPU upgrade in a few years without changing the MoBo.

• Same two graphics card 3080  one is called TUF Gaming OC V2 other ends with ROG Strix OC V2. What is the difference between them?

See above, what I was abe to figure out is that the TUF is slightly below the speed of the ROG, the V2 stands for a limitation in hashrate for mining.

• 1 TB of storage enough for DCS, my plan is to have DCS installed on one SSD? Windows in a different drive. long term ? DCS is the only game i play

1 TB should be future proof. Actually my DCS size is 289 GB and the only map I do not have is the Channel Map. I took the decision to go for 500 GB but would take a 1 TB if I would need to decide again.

 

I hope this helps to take the right decision. If I would need to build a new PC my decision would be Intel, TUF and 1 TB.

 

[Skyracer]

1 hour ago, xoxen said:

Hi Skyracer,

I will try to answer as good as possible:

• ASUS GeForce RTX 3070 TI ROG Strix OC. What does "ROG strix OC" mean?

ROG stands for Republic of Gamers and is a special brand for the Asus cards, kind of a premium brand. TUF stands for The Ultimate Force and is the budget line. The difference might be in the used components (e. g. condensators), but in reality the difference is not really noticeable in speed. Maybe there is more freedom for overclocking. OC stands for overclocked, so the card is already pre-overclocked by Asus.

• AMD or Intel?

Actually I would say there is no difference. I switched from intel to AMD last year and didn´t regret, the 5800X I have is pretty fast and under the line it was a little cheaper. On the other had the AM4 socket is at the end of lifetime, repesctively the actual available intel stuff might be more future proof when it comes to CPU upgrade in a few years without changing the MoBo.

• Same two graphics card 3080  one is called TUF Gaming OC V2 other ends with ROG Strix OC V2. What is the difference between them?

See above, what I was abe to figure out is that the TUF is slightly below the speed of the ROG, the V2 stands for a limitation in hashrate for mining.

• 1 TB of storage enough for DCS, my plan is to have DCS installed on one SSD? Windows in a different drive. long term ? DCS is the only game i play

1 TB should be future proof. Actually my DCS size is 289 GB and the only map I do not have is the Channel Map. I took the decision to go for 500 GB but would take a 1 TB if I would need to decide again.

 

I hope this helps to take the right decision. If I would need to build a new PC my decision would be Intel, TUF and 1 TB.

 

Thank you for reply! Makes it 100% easier to understand.

This is what i put together now, at a decent price. Your thoughts?

So that Trinity OC LHR any good? I understand that OC means overclocked

Quote

 

CHASSI

Corsair 5000D Midi-Tower ZOTAC

GPU

GeForce RTX 3080 Trinity OC LHR

CPU

Intel Core i7-12700KF Processor CM ML240L V2 ARGB

RAM

FURY Beast DDR4 3200MHz 64GB WD BLACK SN750 SE M.2

SSD 1 + 2

NVMe SSD 1TB Kingston NV1

NVMe M.2 SSD 1TB

POWER Supply

ASUS PRIME Z690-P WIFI D4, LGA1700 Moderkort Corsair RM750 750W PSU BLACK

 

 

[Svsmokey]

I would be very careful and research thoroughly the Pimax 8k for DCS .

[Skyracer]

1 hour ago, Svsmokey said:

I would be very careful and research thoroughly the Pimax 8k for DCS .

Why?

[xoxen]

12 hours ago, Skyracer said:

Thank you for reply! Makes it 100% easier to understand.

This is what i put together now, at a decent price. Your thoughts?

So that Trinity OC LHR any good? I understand that OC means overclocked

 

I strongly believe this PC will give you a good performance. I'm running DCS on a tripple screen setup, but I got feedback from a friend, that VR is even more demanding. But I guess that there are good settings possible to get reasonable performance even there with what you plan to buy. Have a look at some threads in that regards.

If you have further questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Take care,

Xoxen

[Svsmokey]

4 hours ago, Skyracer said:

Why?

Pixel count . The Pimax is 3840x2160 per eye . The Reverb G2 is 2160x2160 , and it will tax the best-available gpu's to their limits at native resolution and 90/45 fps . Guys with 3090's are resorting to mods to get decent performance from a G2 at 90/45 full resolution , and even then give up eye-candy settings i personally would not .

I am having a very good experience with the G2 . However , i run at 60 hz , which works well for me , but some see flickering . 

Also , Pimax seems to be more interested in constantly introducing new models , rather than addressing quality issues .

I have no interest in which headset you choose , but as i said , research carefully .

Edited March 27, 2022 by Svsmokey

[BitMaster]

Am 26.3.2022 um 03:32 schrieb Skyracer:

....

I have zero interest in building computers and learning this. ............

Tho I can understand your point, it stands heavily between you and a good DCS rig.

See, I fix PC's and Servers for a living and have had plenty encounters with different people's attitude towards computing and what they themselves can, should and somehow must bring in to make this a fruitful thing.

You may not need to build your rig yourself but you should take some time and convince yourself to dig into the "Gaming PC World". After some time, give yourself 1-2 years, you will have far more understanding how and why things work and if not, you will likely understand the help from others better if you can foot on some own experience and knowledge.

Saying what you said actually turns some people down that wanna help you, as you already say "I don't wanna learn this".  

 

..and yes, the 8k Goggles are for GPU's that dont exist yet and I doubt a 4xxx Series Nvidia will have enough power, despite the 480+Watts it draws.

 

just my 2 cents

 

[Mars Exulte]

On 3/25/2022 at 9:32 PM, Skyracer said:

I have zero interest in building computers and learning this.

  These days it's mostly plug and play, so don't worry.

On 3/25/2022 at 9:32 PM, Skyracer said:

What does "ROG strix OC" mean?

  It's marketing speak for ''See this thing that's almost exactly like this other thing? Yeah, we're gonna charge you 40% more for it cause it has this fancy logo.''

On 3/25/2022 at 9:32 PM, Skyracer said:

AMD or Intel?

Doesn't matter.

Quote

Same two graphics card 3080  one is called TUF Gaming OC V2 other ends with ROG Strix OC V2. What is the difference between them?

Price and the logo.

 

Quote

1 TB of storage enough for DCS, my plan is to have DCS installed on one SSD? Windows in a different drive. long term ? DCS is the only game i play

  Probably will be for a while. I have literally everything and haven't filled up a 500gb yet. You will EVENTUALLY fill that, though, if you buy just scads of modules, but you can also remove the ones you dislike, don't use, etc. So 1TB should be enough for any reasonable future if it's you're ''DCS drive'' only.

 

 

Edited March 27, 2022 by Mars Exulte

[LucShep]

 

On 3/26/2022 at 2:32 AM, Skyracer said:

• ASUS GeForce RTX 3070 TI ROG Strix OC. What does "ROG strix OC" mean?

Asus ROG Strix OC is the top product from ASUS. That "label" means their highest-tier (flagship) product for a given model.
The best components, the best cooling solution (lot more beefier than whatever else they have), better and cleaner power delivery, and out of the box it's pre-overclocked (better performance than original Nvidia or AMD baseline, all safely and in warranty). But you do pay more for it, sometimes too much.
 

On 3/26/2022 at 2:32 AM, Skyracer said:

• AMD or Intel?

AMD vs Intel, when it comes to CPUs, it's "pick your poison". Both are fantastic, performance is +/- similar for equivalent segment products.

On their higher end CPU products, AMD has far better power consuption (than equivalent Intel), which makes it less of a power hog and run with cooler temps when pushed.
Intel is still a bit more "refined" (in my experience), and a lot more familiar to adjust, especially if overclocking (which may or may not be important, depends on user).
 

On 3/26/2022 at 2:32 AM, Skyracer said:

• Same two graphics card 3080  one is called TUF Gaming OC V2 other ends with ROG Strix OC V2. What is the difference between them?

A high end GPU like an RTX3080 (and RTX3080Ti) has GDDR6X memory, which runs very, very hot. It's also a high power consumption GPU.
Therefore, cooling and components quality are of the most importance in this category/segment of GPU (whereas it's not as important in lower category/segment GPUs).

The TUF Gaming OC V2 will not be as good as the ROG Strix OC V2.
All in all, the latter (the Strix) has better components all around, and better cooling. Not a gimmick, it's better if gaming demanding sim/games (like DCS) for hours on end (day after day, month after month, etc). 
Sure, both are very good, and both also come pre-overclocked, but the Strix will have noticeably lower "hotspot temps", which will help with long-term reliability, and also keep the "boost clocks" at their best (if you imagine a combustion engine, think of it as peak horsepower at sustained high RPMs).
So, if it's between those two, and if you can afford the price difference, go for the Strix.
 

On 3/26/2022 at 2:32 AM, Skyracer said:

• 1 TB of storage enough for DCS, my plan is to have DCS installed on one SSD? Windows in a different drive. long term ? DCS is the only game i play

1TB of storage is enough for DCS, that's for sure (and a few other sim/games will also fit, if ever desired).
Make sure to get an NVMe (PCIe gen.4), as it's much faster (it's an SSD that looks like a stick of memory, goes into the motherboard's respective slot, no cables needed).

Although not necessary, you can use a dedicated drive for the Operating System (Windows), and DCS running its own separate (fast) drive with its performance for itself.
It's been recommended to do it this way because this has one other advantage -  if something horrendous happens with the Windows O.S., your other drive with DCS files is left intact, and ready to be used again (thousands of files, DCS is very big and very slow to redownload!), in case if you need to reformat/reinstall the Windows O.S. for whatever reason.

If this is your idea, and merely as a suggestion, you can get a separate regular SSD SATA-3 2.5'' (those that look like a flat plastic drive) for the Windows O.S. and/or archive storage (downloads, etc), for example, with 500GB storage space. If you already have one yourself, maybe reuse that.
This will keep your second NVMe slot free on your motherboard for yet another ubber fast drive, in case you ever need to get another one later.
Yes, SSD SATA-3 2.5'' is slower than NVMe PCIe gen-4, but still quite fast today for common storage and regular use, it won't make much of a difference for Windows itself.

Edited March 28, 2022 by LucShep

[Skyracer]

Thanks guys, its alot of help! But 3 more questions;

• Is 750 W PSU enough? 
• What about read/write speeds for SSD. Is 2100 MBps (read)/ 1700 MBps (write), enough? My main concern here is should go for a faster ssd. Is it worth the money? I just want to have a stutter free gameplay. But i assume that this effects the load times only.
• Should i go for a extra WIFI-card or is the one built in on the MB good enough performance wise (talking about DCS gaming here)?

Quote

CHASSI

Corsair 5000D Midi-Tower ZOTAC

GPU

GeForce RTX 3080 ROG Strix OC V2

CPU

Intel Core i7-12700KF Processor CM ML240L V2 ARGB

RAM

Kingston FURY Beast DDR4 3200MHz 64GB

SSD 1 + 2

NVMe SSD 1TB Kingston NV1

NVMe M.2 SSD 1TB

POWER Supply

ASUS PRIME Z690-P WIFI D4, LGA1700 Moderkort Corsair RM750 750W PSU BLACK

 

[LucShep]

 

19 hours ago, Skyracer said:

• Is 750 W PSU enough? 

I don't think 750W is safe enough for RTX3080 and i7 12700K.
850W+ should be considered for that system, and would actually recommend going for 1000W if possible (which should be good also for future GPU upgrade).

I say so because there are some good quality and reasonably priced 1000W 80+Gold PSUs worth looking for, for just little more money than 850W counterparts.
For example, and among others, check the Corsair RMx 1000w, EVGA SuperNOVA GT (or G6) 1000w, Seasonic Prime (Gold) GX1000 and SuperFlower Leadex (Gold) 1000w.

19 hours ago, Skyracer said:

• What about read/write speeds for SSD. Is 2100 MBps (read)/ 1700 MBps (write), enough? My main concern here is should go for a faster ssd. Is it worth the money? I just want to have a stutter free gameplay. But i assume that this effects the load times only.

Yes, it is perfectly enough - but that is today (who knows tomorrow). 
About 4 years ago any SSD SATA-3 would be all you need for DCS, but today an NVMe is recommended because its files have grown immensely both in number and in size.
As to say, if price difference is small, you should go for faster models of NVMe.
 

19 hours ago, Skyracer said:

• Should i go for a extra WIFI-card or is the one built in on the MB good enough performance wise (talking about DCS gaming here)?

I'd consider the built-in WiFi from the motherboard to be good enough, even for gaming.
But, of course, WiFi will never be comparable to the good old internet cable plugged into the mobo.... 

Edited March 28, 2022 by LucShep

[WipeUout]

On 3/26/2022 at 5:32 AM, Skyracer said:

• AMD or Intel?

•  

DCS uses about 10-20% of your CPU power.  This is because only two cores are being used instead of taking advantage of the multi-core capability of modern processors.  There is a plan to modernize the graphic engine of DCS to take advantage of this technology but we have no idea when this will come.  As of now I would say go for the CPU that has the highest single core performance to ensure you can generate all those pixels to your VR headset.  The Single core speed champion now is intel's Alder Lake, or the 12th generation.  I just upgraded to a i7-12700KF and it significantly improved my experience.  It did not made the GPU go faster but gave it some extra breathing room, especially in MP. 

[KoN]

VR wise I would go Quest2 . It's cheap and has good res per eye .

Some people buy VR and hate it   . DCS is demanding on VR . 

I know some have gone back to flat screen as the performance is not there . My two bit . 

[DeltaMike]

PSU:

Use this calculator.  Don't go cheap on your PSU.   Way I look at it, you have two options.  Get a "cheap" PSU and buy about twice the amount of wattage you need, or buy a really good PSU and cut things a little closer.  How well it's certified (is it bronze or platinum certified?) gives you some idea of quality but be sure to read reviews on your finalists.  

CPU:

You want maximum single-core performance for DCS.   Buying more cores doesn't help you any.  AMD ships their CPU's optimized for single core performance and they work fine right out of the box with DCS.  Seems like a lot of people are overclocking their Intel CPU's to get the most out of DCS.  If you're gonna go Intel, read up on that and regardless, make sure you understand what it'll take to keep the CPU cool.  Hint: not the stock cooler.  Even for AMD.  (I'm using a Noctua tower cooler, not particularly expensive and it's fine)

GPU

Let's start with the proposition that a 3080 will run a Reverb G2 at native resolution -- about 9.4m pixels -- but not with high graphics settings.  You get your choice of shadows, clouds, or MSAA basically. But only one of those.  A Quest 2 (7m pixels) will be easier to drive.   A Pimax 8K (16.6m pixels) will be harder, and perhaps impossible to drive.  Nothing is gonna run that thing at native resolution.  I mean you can run it at lower resolution if you want.  A Pimax at Quest 2 resolution?  Not a horrible choice I guess -- the peripheral vision would be cool -- but is the cost expenditure worth it? DCS is a game of visual detail.  You need to be able to see your instruments and displays, and see the bad guy. That's why the G2 is so popular.  For all its faults, it's the least expensive way to get the best central detail.  Theoretically the Pimax 8K will give you the same central resolution as the G2 and on paper it would be a great choice for DCS.  If you can figure out how to run it without lighting your computer on fire. 

For the money, I'd do Varjo all day long.   But then I don't mind fiddling with stuff, ymmv. (It's still an early-adapter product.)

You wanna bend DCS to your will?  Consider Quest2 or G2 with GPU to match (say 3070(ti) and 3080(ti) respectively) and take the win, for now (it'll be obsolete in two years anyway).   With the money you save, invest in some fine controllers that you'll still be using ten years from now.  Winwing or Virpil HOTAS, MFG pedals, a button box or two.  Some nice monstertech chair mounts (every fighter jet needs a swivel seat and cupholders).  A decent gaming keyboard and mouse with macro buttons.  You can then fight them on the beaches and landing-grounds, fight them in the fields and streets, and never surrender.  

[Skopro_PL]

On 3/31/2022 at 7:33 AM, WipeUout said:

DCS uses about 10-20% of your CPU power.  This is because only two cores are being used instead of taking advantage of the multi-core capability of modern processors.  There is a plan to modernize the graphic engine of DCS to take advantage of this technology but we have no idea when this will come.  As of now I would say go for the CPU that has the highest single core performance to ensure you can generate all those pixels to your VR headset.  The Single core speed champion now is intel's Alder Lake, or the 12th generation.  I just upgraded to a i7-12700KF and it significantly improved my experience.  It did not made the GPU go faster but gave it some extra breathing room, especially in MP. 

What he said, single core "IPC" is where you want to be, even the 12600k is excellent. Until ED releases a multicore engine update, IPC is still the king for DCS.