Couple of questions on getting a new PC regarding budget and timing (UK)

[Spirit X]

I'm a UK gamer and love my DCS....but I really know bugger all about PCs and techie stuff. Reading the forum, I realise I probably have weeks of reading ahead of me in order to understand what they hell I'm looking at if I want to buy a new PC and would appreciate some advice on getting started please. (Sorry, I bet you guys must get tons of these kinds of posts!)

First and foremost, I'd like to get an idea of how much I would need to realistically spend to get DCS running nice and pretty and nice and smooth (not VR but would like to get into multiplayer eventually). Not necessarily looking for the best of the best, but I do want a machine that will last me at least 5 years or more, primarily for DCS (and some other Steam games). What kind of range should I be expecting to spend?

I've been having a tentative look at Scan UK and the whole thing is just gibberish to me at the moment but one thing I'm wondering is, with the state of the semi-conductor shortage at the moment, is this actually a good time to be thinking about a purchase, or would you guys be more inclined to wait it out for a while?

Many thanks for any advice.

[Grodin]

If you want it to last atleast 5 years or more you kind of do highend-ish setup now. I'd say you need atleast around 2500-3000 pounds budget.

Component shortage seems to have gotten easier, now most shops have plenty of parts. As a basic guideline you might want to look at RTX 3070 or 3080 12gb versions depending on your budget, for a CPU something along Intel i7-11700 or 12700 or similiar AMD processors. Throw in 32 gb ram, case, motherboard with correct socket, a case, monitor (highly recommend big 4k screen for DCS if you dont want to go VR), trackir or similiar is a must, hotas (Virpil, VKB great examples).

I would estimate you just might be able to get on with DCS for 5 years with these, if you don't do VR. But getting it all under 3k will be tight.

[72Stu]

Hello @Spirit X

You will get a hundred different answers and things get confusing. Even though the next generation of CPU and GPU are on the horizon, current offerings (which are dropping in price) will last you, me and many other currently happy PC owners for at least 5 years. There is simply no need to jump on the latest and greatest tech. So that is one thing less to worry about:

Right now, you are looking at a 12th gen Intel CPU (12700 or similar), or AMD 5000 series CPU, whichever company you prefer. All much of a muchness...

Motherboard must suit the CPU - Go B660 for intel (no idea for AMD). You can't overclock a non 'K' Intel CPU so save money on a non-overclocking motherboard! 

GPUs are tumbling in price and the gouging is a thing of the past. A 3080 Ti with 10 or 12 GB of RAM would be a good investment, I use the 10GB version but 12GB would've been slightly better. (There weren't any in my country when I was buying, so I went 10GB).

Go for 64GB RAM now if you want to multiplayer DCS in the future. 

Get a 500GB M.2 for Windows, and a 1 or 2 TB (depending on how many games/pictures etc) M.2 SSD stick.

A gold 850W power supply is a minimum, case reviews are easy to find and come down to airflow, size etc. Make sure the 'form factor' will fit your motherboard! 

'All in one' water cooling radiator and pump kits are awesome and fairly cheap too. This will keep your CPU cool during those long Syrian campaigns!

This lot will last you 5 years plus, without any worries whatsoever. Have a butchers at   https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/ and have a play around. There is a section of completed builds too, which will give you a good idea of what to look for, motherboard CPU pairing etc. There are also many companies who will build for you. 

 

Edited September 2, 2022 by 72Stu

[Bossco82]

Hi there,

I am in the UK and very familiar with Scan and Overclockers. For DCS your CPU, Dram and motherboard setup wont change much. However when we talk about the resolution you will use. Then that changes the power DCS requires from the graphics card and then in turn the power supply comes into play.

A PC to last 5 years, in reality "maybe" but really honestly no chance, not with how fast it all evolves nowadays. 3 years is possible. No such thing as future proofing.

So I will give you a minimum build to start on. To start a case with decent cooling and at least x2 intake fans and x1 exhaust fan. For the CPU an AMD 5600x cooled with a basic aftermarket air cooler, or a Intel 12600k cooled with a 240mm AIO (all in one water cooler). For AMD a B550 motherboard, for Intel a Z690 DDR4 version. For the Dram 2x16gb (32gb) of 3200Mhz C16, you can add two more matching pairs later. That will only be needed for multiplayer and even then only if its one that has 12+ players on at one time.

Ok onto the graphics and resolution. The actual size of the monitor does not affect the performance and how hard your computer has to work. That affects clarity of the image. Its the resolution that makes you need a more powerful gpu. For 1080p an Nvidia 3060 or AMD 6600 (med-high settings). For 1440p  an Nvidia 3070 AMD 6700xt same settings.

If you have a monitor now you want to use, please post the model number it will help. If your just starting out and budget is an issue. I would probably go with AMD, for flat panel it does really well in DCS and can hold 60fps in most busy multiplayer servers.

Please feel free to send me a private message if you need any further help. 

 

[Spirit X]

Thank you chaps, some great info for me to check out.

@72Stu I've just been checking out https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/ and that'll come in very handy.

@Bossco82 I am thinking of getting a new monitor as mine is old but I hadn't considered/ didn't realise that it's the resolution that determines how much grunt you want on the graphics card.

I'm going to check out the hardware in your posts and see what different cominations look like in terms of bang for my buck.

[Bossco82]

The one thing that is different about flight sims compared to fps games is that 60fps is fine. So if that is all your going to do a 60hz monitor is fine also. 4K is amazing visually but target spotting becomes much more difficult. I would say a 32" 1440p monitor is the sweet spot for DCS. A nice balance between visuals and playability.

You can go new and get a 3060/3060ti or better. Or you can go used of somewhere like eBay, something like a 2060/2070 super would be good.

Edited September 2, 2022 by Bossco82

[VR Flight Guy in PJ Pants]

This is just in, via email, OC UK is having a price cut on NVIDIA cards. No RTX 3090 Ti cut at the moment, shame, but I guess you may want to check it out. Anyway, this may be the first shot of stock clearance.

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with any sellers. I am just a person who wishes to build a PC for DCS.