Westwood Posted January 27, 2024 Posted January 27, 2024 Hi! I know this is a tough one, but let's try it anyway because I could use your collective wisdom regarding core hardware for DCS World. My focus is on the 2D, with no interest in VR. I'm no streamer, just want to play it in multiplayer, 1440P... Let's assume that money is no obstacle, but I'm keen on avoiding the extravagance of blindly opting for the most expensive combo (e.g., i9-14900 + 4090) if there are potentially more cost-effective options that would give me (almost) the same result. Given my novice understanding of computer hardware, I'm struggling with some basics, such as the significance of core count in the CPU or the relevance of ray tracing and DLSS in the GPU for DCS. I trust the seasoned members of this community to shed light on these nuances and help me make an informed decision. Your assistance in this endeavor is highly appreciated! Thank you in advance for your expertise. i5-9600KF - RX 5700XT Pulse - Patriot Viper Steel 32GB - GIGABYTE SSD 1TB M.2 - WD 2TB SSD BLUE SN570 3D M.2 2280 NVMe
blkspade Posted February 1, 2024 Posted February 1, 2024 If you literally only care about DCS with no VR, any of the modern (released within 2-3 years) 6+ core CPUs will be enough, as well as a GPU with 12-16GB of RAM. You get a lot of bang for your buck in Sims with an AMD x3D CPU. GPU Raytracing is irrelevant in DCS for the time being. The main function of DLSS is just to improve performance when GPU limited, while minimizing hit to image quality. You really don't need upscaling at all if you just have a good enough GPU to drive the screen you have. Even a mid-range last gen GPU from either AMD or Nvidia can run DCS as well as you'd ever need it to on a single monitor. You'll definitely want at least 32GB of system RAM. 1 http://104thphoenix.com/
av8orDave Posted February 1, 2024 Posted February 1, 2024 (edited) The "no-VR" is a major qualifier to the question. If you aren't doing VR, you can get by on much less than the most modern, expensive system and still get great graphics and good performance out of DCS, as blkspade mentions above. If you have any interest whatsoever in VR, and you want to run high settings in complex missions, Wikipedia has an article listing the TOP500 rankings for the world's most powerful supercomputers. I'd recommend one of these. Edited February 1, 2024 by davidrbarnette 1
Westwood Posted February 11, 2024 Author Posted February 11, 2024 (edited) blkspade and davidrbarnette, thank you for your assistance. Your clarification regarding RT and DLSS and what I should be looking for helped me fill in the gaps... Given that I'm not interested in VR gaming at the moment and will be primarily utilizing a single 1440P monitor, I'm hopeful that my new rig will offer a degree of future-proofing beyond my current setup. Sure, I'd like to get me 4090, but the price in my country, hovering around 2400-2500 EUR, is a significant deterrent. However, I can procure an RX 7900 XTX or RTX 4080 Super for half that price (1100-1200 EUR). The prospect of spending significantly more for potentially marginal performance gains doesn't sit comfortably with me. On another note, I'm curious about something. I've come across information suggesting that DCS tends to favor Nvidia over AMD GPUs. Could you confirm if this is indeed the case and provide insight into why? I've noticed that among my preferred streamers on YouTube, Nvidia GPUs are only GPUs in their setups, with no AMD card in sight. This puzzles me, especially since the 7900 XTX offers excellent value for money (IMHO). I've even encountered benchmark tests where the 7900 XTX outperforms all the highest-end 40XX GPUs (excluding the 4090, of course), but those tests didn't include DCS... Edited February 11, 2024 by Westwood i5-9600KF - RX 5700XT Pulse - Patriot Viper Steel 32GB - GIGABYTE SSD 1TB M.2 - WD 2TB SSD BLUE SN570 3D M.2 2280 NVMe
blkspade Posted February 13, 2024 Posted February 13, 2024 On 2/11/2024 at 2:03 PM, Westwood said: blkspade and davidrbarnette, thank you for your assistance. Your clarification regarding RT and DLSS and what I should be looking for helped me fill in the gaps... Given that I'm not interested in VR gaming at the moment and will be primarily utilizing a single 1440P monitor, I'm hopeful that my new rig will offer a degree of future-proofing beyond my current setup. Sure, I'd like to get me 4090, but the price in my country, hovering around 2400-2500 EUR, is a significant deterrent. However, I can procure an RX 7900 XTX or RTX 4080 Super for half that price (1100-1200 EUR). The prospect of spending significantly more for potentially marginal performance gains doesn't sit comfortably with me. On another note, I'm curious about something. I've come across information suggesting that DCS tends to favor Nvidia over AMD GPUs. Could you confirm if this is indeed the case and provide insight into why? I've noticed that among my preferred streamers on YouTube, Nvidia GPUs are only GPUs in their setups, with no AMD card in sight. This puzzles me, especially since the 7900 XTX offers excellent value for money (IMHO). I've even encountered benchmark tests where the 7900 XTX outperforms all the highest-end 40XX GPUs (excluding the 4090, of course), but those tests didn't include DCS... It's mostly just people being more comfortable with the brand, and probably some mild elitism. I use the 7900 XTX myself, in VR. Besides VR, I have an Ultrawide 1440P screen, and it gets more frames than I could possible ever need in DCS on a monitor. I never really fly outside of VR though. It's the better product for the money than the 4080 IMO. If you're not completely enamored with RT in other games anyway. 1 http://104thphoenix.com/
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