Running triple screens need opinions on next hardware update

[Strong05]

Hey all,

 

New to DCS (but not flight sims i.e. Fighter anthology, USAF, longbow, etc) I'm really impressed that the software supports triple screens, however my frame rate is terrible, with any action it easily drops well below 10 fps (pretty sure I've seen 1 or 0 on occasion). I'll list my system spec's below and would love to hear your recommendation as to what my next upgrade should be to run the game smoother (I suspect graphics but I just want to make sure).

 

i5-3570k at stock clocks (3.4-3.8ghz)

8 gb ram (1300 mghz I think)

ati 6850 with 1 gb ddr5 ram OC'ed to 850 gpu, 1110 memory

3 1080p 24" monitors

win7

dont' remember what motherboard, it was a recommended board from tom's that was budget...

 

as for game settings, I've disabled AA, cockpit shadows are off, HDR is off, civilian traffic is off, cockpit screens are set to 256, and everything else is set to high I believe.

 

Thanks in advanced for any advice/help!

 

Cheers,

Brad

Edited January 21, 2014 by Strong05

[cichlidfan]

The very first thing that jumps out, is that you are trying to do triple screens with only 1GB of VRAM. That is definitely part of the problem.

[Strong05]

The very first thing that jumps out, is that you are trying to do triple screens with only 1GB of VRAM. That is definitely part of the problem.

 

Agreed, to be honest I'm surprised it runs it this good. At the very least I plan to upgrade to a 7870 or 660 with 2 gb. Do you think 3 or 4gb would be more appropriate I've only got about $200 at the very most to work with here)?

 

Thanks again,

Brad

[cichlidfan]

Agreed, to be honest I'm surprised it runs it this good. At the very least I plan to upgrade to a 7870 or 660 with 2 gb. Do you think 3 or 4gb would be more appropriate I've only got about $200 at the very most to work with here)?

 

Thanks again,

Brad

 

I don't have any current hard data, though some here might. The first criteria is the resolution of your monitors. My main monitor is 2560x1440 which is a bit shy of 2 1080p monitors in total pixels. Running that with Helios on a 1080p monitor, used to use pretty close to 2GB of VRAM with nothing special going on. It has been about a year since I looked at it, though, and things have changed.

 

With that in mind, I would not consider less than 3GB. Currently I am running a 3GB GTX780 with reasonably good performance using the displays described.

[Iku_CC]

I have GTX670 4Gb and in my tests (MSI Afterburner) with 3 1920x1200 monitors DCS use 3Gb memory....

[Strong05]

Thanks guys! I have 3 1080p monitors so it sounds like I might be able to sneak by with 2gb of vram.

[Nascar]

I am running two screens with a gtx 560 ti 2gb. I see in Msi Afterburner that my ram gets maxed out. Both gpu processor and ram. I can go from 100 fps to 0. The screen just sits and waits to catch up. I would go for more vram if possible.

[cichlidfan]

I agree, try to find a 3GB solution that you can fit into your budget. Iku64 is only using 10% more pixels than you are.

[Strong05]

Thanks guys, gonna see what I can do!