BUILDING NEW PC SEEKING OPINIONS

Guys I would still like some input about the motherboard. Is there any credence to what Der Hirte said about that phase stuff?

 

Also about the RAM.

 

Since the CPU states DDR4 2666 and the RAM is DDR4 3200 (14-14-14-34) do I need to DO anything or will it just automatically work?

The ram should just work.

However when you do get your motherboard decided on, they should have a compatibly list of specific ram modules tested and known to run on the board.

When I ordered my new EVGA Z390 Dark Motherboard on it's initial release, it had not yet had that list but my new G Skill Trident Z RGB Kit recognized it's XMP Profile just fine and is running at 3200 MHz CL14 without any issue.

I am not that familiar with the technical aspects of the power phases, my very general understanding is the more the better for stability especially with overclocking.

Generally speaking, the more VRM phases a motherboard has, the more it allows your CPU to be overclocked. This is because the VRM's not only run cooler, but they also allow lower voltages to be used for your CPU, so you can bump the speed up more before the voltages get too high. Higher voltages also cause higher heat, so lower voltages will also lead to a cooler-running CPU.

However, this really only applies as you get up there with the overclocking speed. At more modest overclocking speeds, nearly any Z390 motherboard will be able to hit 4.9 to 5.1 GHz as long as the CPU itself is able to. Better/more VRM phases might allow you to get to 5.2 to 5.4 GHz with the same CPU, but unless you're joining an overclock contest, the extra 100-200 MHz won't be noticeable in typical workloads outside of benchmarks.

Where more VRM phases really start to make a difference is when you start going beyond 5.4 GHz, but at that point you're also no longer using just air or water coolers and starting to enter exotic cooling territory, such as using liquid nitrogen or peltier coolers. There are of course exceptions depending on the CPU you get (some people just get really lucky and get a good chip that can overclock really well, and we refer to this as "winning the silicon lottery"), but for the vast majority of people, this will be the case.

It's for this reason that I feel that for the vast majority of people, the number of VRM phases a motherboard has is mostly just a number and a marketing tactic; most people won't overclock their chips high enough to the point where VRMs start to make a significant enough difference for it to matter. The whole controversy surrounding the Asus Z390 motherboards is that the marketing materials indicated it has 8 phases, but it actually only uses 4, albeit 4 "fat" phases that are more robust than typical VRMs. Der Hirte's whole argument centers around "4 is not 8, therefore it sucks", but benchmarks have shown that although the VRMs run hotter, the overclocking ability of the Asus boards is comparable to other boards that have true 8 phases.

If this is all confusing to you, just know that the number of VRM phases a motherboard has will not affect you in any meaningful way. By the time you get to the point where it will make a difference, you will have enough knowledge about it to draw your own conclusions, but for now, don't worry about it.

As for the RAM speeds, the CPU will be able to use the higher RAM speed. The only thing that needs to be done is for your system builder to enable XMP (make sure you tell them to do so, it's easy to forget). XMP is a mode that allows the RAM to run at a higher speed than the official specification; it's programmed into the RAM module itself, but needs to be enabled manually on the motherboard for it to work.

Since this conversation applies to a question I had, I thought I just might ask it here:

If I upgrade from 16GB RAM to 32, what differences might I notice in DCS? I’m already running very high settings and playing with VR. I get some frame rate loss when low to ground, as expected, but not sure if RAM would help with this. I assume that’s all GPU. Can the GPU also benefit from me having more RAM? I’m just trying to figure out if it’s worth it to get another 16GB RAM. I’m not sure what it would do for me in DCS, but if it will make things better then I may go for it. My specs are in my signature. Thanks.

I've done an analysis of RAM usage before on Reddit:

Copy and pasted here for convenience:

It depends on your graphics settings and, if you play multiplayer, which server you join. Using Process Explorer, we can see how much RAM DCS is using. I tested Dynamic DCS, a server with very high script usage, and JUST DOGFIGHT, a server with very low script usage. For the following graphs, Private Bytes is the amount of RAM used by just the DCS.exe process.

On the High graphics preset, joining Dynamic DCS will peak memory usage at 22 GB before dropping back down to around 17 GB:

On the Low graphics preset, joining Dynamic DCS will peak memory usage at 18 GB before dropping back down to around 12 GB:

On the High graphics preset, joining JUST DOGFIGHT will stay at around 12 GB memory usage:

On the Low graphics preset, joining JUST DOGFIGHT will stay at around 8 GB memory usage:

From this, we can see that there's about an additional 4-5 GB used for High graphics preset over Low graphics preset, and that joining servers with a high number of scripts will use a ton of RAM at first before settling at a lower level, and servers with a low number of scripts will use a relatively stable amount of RAM.

32 GB will definitely give you the "I can do anything" solution, but 16 GB is fine too as long as you play on lower graphics settings and/or lower resolutions.

Yes, 750w is enough for any big CPU and any (one) big video card system.

https://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=3713321&postcount=51

https://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=3714338&postcount=52

32 GB will definitely give you the "I can do anything" solution, but 16 GB is fine too as long as you play on lower graphics settings and/or lower resolutions.

Thanks. That was plenty of great information. I got same day shipping from Amazon and already have the extra 16GB added now. I'm now at 32 :)

... However, this really only applies as you get up there with the overclocking speed. At more modest overclocking speeds, nearly any Z390 motherboard will be able to hit 4.9 to 5.1 GHz as long as the CPU itself is able to. Better/more VRM phases might allow you to get to 5.2 to 5.4 GHz with the same CPU, but unless you're joining an overclock contest, the extra 100-200 MHz won't be noticeable in typical workloads outside of benchmarks.

Which means you agree with what I said right from the start if you read between the lines, this is what I said ... you literally claimed that VRM phases on a board have no impact on overclock performance, which is just a blatant lie ...

If this is all confusing to you, just know that the number of VRM phases a motherboard has will not affect you in any meaningful way.

... and then you back-paddle and add the "in any meaningful way" phrase to your sentence which wasn't there before and this gives your criticism of my initial statements a new meaning. Atleast you learned to express yourself precisely. The amount of VRM phases have an impact on overclock performance, you got it. Good that you don't disagree with what I said anymore, because what I said was right all along. Cute how you've tried to portray me as being wrong though when it really was you being wrong all the time Mr. 5.1 Ghz pro overlock master. It's my honor.

Der Hirte, since it seems like you can't be arsed to have a civil discussion...

Nice try shifting the blame although I've exposed you but who was it again attacking others, claiming they are wrong when instead he is wrong? Oh I remember - it was you.

Thanks. That was plenty of great information. I got same day shipping from Amazon and already have the extra 16GB added now. I'm now at 32 :)

... how much improvement have you noticed?

My reason for asking is that I am in the same boat

I have 16GB Cosair Vengeance DDR4 and I am thinking about going to 32GB as a short-term measure as I may upgrade the whole system some time next year

My current spec is below - primary use DCS in single player

i7-5820K 3.30Ghz | Asus X99-S | Sapphire R290X | R7 240 | 16GB DDR4 PC4 2800MHz | Samsung 850 EVO 500GB SSD (OS) | Samsung 840 EVO 500GB SSD (DCS) | Noctua NH-D14 2011 Cooler | OCZ ZT 750W '80 Plus Bronze' Modular PSU | NZXT Phantom Enthusiast Full Tower Case | 3 x IIyama Prolite E2473HDS 24" | 1 x Dell S2240T 21.5" Touch Screen | Windows 10 64-Bit | AMD Eyefinity 5760 x 1080 | TrackIR5 | TM Warthog HOTAS | MFG Crosswind 1771 | Vaicom Pro + VA (Licensed) | Sennheiser Game Zero [Nov 2018]

I would like to start off by thanking everyone who gave suggestions and posted information.

I have built my PC.

Here are the components I chose.

CPU

Intel Core i9-9900K Desktop Processor 8 Cores up to 5.0 GHz Turbo Unlocked LGA1151 300 Series 95W

CPU COOLER

NZXT Kraken X72 360mm - All-in-One RGB CPU Liquid Cooler - Infinity Mirror Design - Powered by CAM

MOTHERBOARD

MSI MEG Z390 ACE LGA1151 (Intel 8th and 9th Gen) M.2 USB 3.1 Gen 2 DDR4 Wi-Fi SLI CFX ATX Z390 Gaming Motherboard

RAM

G.SKILL TridentZ RGB Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600) Desktop Memory Model F4-3200C14D-32GTZR

SSD (FOR WINDOWS)

SanDisk Ultra 3D NAND 2TB Internal SSD - SATA III 6 Gb/s, 2.5"/7mm - SDSSDH3-2T00-G25

M2 (FOR DCS)

Samsung 970 EVO Plus Series - 500GB PCIe NVMe - M.2 Internal SSD (MZ-V7S500B/AM)

GRAPHICS CARD

Gigabyte AORUS GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Xtreme 11G Graphics Card, 3X Stacked Windforce Fans, 11GB 352-bit GDDR6, Gv-N208TAORUS X -11GC Video Card

POWER SUPPLY

EVGA Supernova 750 PQ, 80+ Platinum 750W, Semi Modular, EVGA ECO Mode, 10 Year Warranty, Power Supply 210-PQ-0750-X1

CASE

anidees AI-Crystal-AR Mid Tower Liquid Cooling, Gaming ATX Case w/Tempered Glass Side Window and Front Panel, Black Interior, RGB LED Fans, E-ATX, 360/280 Radiator Support - Black RGB Version

THERMAL COMPOUND (EVEN THOUGH COOLER ALREADY HAD SOME APPLIED)

Arctic MX-4 - Thermal Compound Paste for Coolers | Heat Sink Paste | Composed of Carbon Micro-Particles | Easy to Apply | High Durability - 4 Grams (1 Pack)

EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE (SAW THIS FOR HALF PRICE FIGURED I COULD STORE MANUALS, MAPS, CHECKLIST, ETC EVEN IF IT IS ONLY 5400)

WD Elements 10TB USB 3.0 Desktop Hard Drive WDBWLG0100HBK-NESN Black

TABLETOP

Titan Universal Desk Top - 30" x 60" Black

FRAME

Manual Stand Up Desk Frame - EleTab Height Adjustable Sit Stand Desk with Crank System Standing Workstation (I GOT THIS DUE TO THE 220 POUND RATE WEIGHTING)