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New and Interested


Burt

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Hello all !

 

Well after 3 weeks of DCS videos and the forum I'm finally very interested in this wonderful sim, I mean It's pure awesome! I'm an older guy that use to play the arcade style of sims back in the 90's, Novalogic meanly and it was a blast. Now I know there is a step learning curve with DCS and remember back in the days of learning Janes Longbow2 with the voodoo card so, I'm excited to dig in and learn this awesome sim. I have noticed that this is a great and helpful community too so I have a question right now about my system. I will eventually get a gaming PC but it will take me about 6 months or so and I just want to practice with what I have now if possible.

 

My system is a Dell XPS 8300 that I got in 2015

Came with Window7 and I upgraded free to Win 10

Intel i5-2400cpu@3.1GHz 3.10GHz

8 GB of Ram " I know this needs to be bumped up to 16GB "

video card is a AMD Radeon HD 5450

 

So, is it possible to just upgrade to Ram to 16GB ? Is my system being a i5-2400 to slow?

When I load the game as of now it just freezes and I do understand this is no gaming pc. Is there something I can get to just get me practicing.

 

Thanks for any help,

 

Burt

ALIENWARE R11 - I9 10900KF @ 5.1 GHz - M.2 NVMe 2TB - RTX3090  - XFURY 64GB -3400 MHz RAM

Monitor AW3420DW @ 120Hz - Virpil CM3 Throttle - TM TPR Rudder pedals - Virpil CM2 w/TM Hornet Stick Center - Monstertech Deck Mounts 

RealSimulator FSSB-R3 Lightning Base w/ F16SRGRH SideStick - VR user / Varjo Aero - Big Thx to mbucchia

Start Date April 2020 

 

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To be honest (and I don't want to sound like a bummer here), your system is going to have a very, very tough time dealing with DCS. The system requirements listed are (as always is the case with games) rather optimistic and perhaps lean towards technical rather than practical accuracy. The CPU you might be alright (though probably with lowered settings) but your graphics card is going to be a MASSIVE issue as it is currently well below the minimum requirements. RAM will also be a issue. Even if you do bump it up to 16 gigs, it will probably not do much to offset your older CPU.

 

The next big issue is your hard drive. DCS really should be installed on a SSD these days and due to the size of a DCS install, it can (potentially) be difficult to even install a small (256 gig) SSD for DCS unless that is the only thing on the drive (or very nearly the only thing).

 

There is a larger potential issue at work here. Since you are dealing with a pre-built retail system that is not exactly young anymore, it is quite likely that your power supply would not be up to the task if you were to try to upgrade. Likewise, the rather small case would leave you very little room to add potentially larger parts.

 

I guess what I am saying here is that it might be a good idea to wait. Don't put any money into your current system and instead focus on the one you will be getting six months from now. Also keep in mind that you will want to look at peripherals like a HOTAS, head tracking, and (potentially) rudder pedals. You obviously don't need to get the most expensive stuff but keep in mind that it should at least be part of your budget.

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I had a similar system with a GTX960. Do not spend money on the RAM. I played with 8GB RAM for a long time, it's workable, but you need to adjust some settings down. It's not where you should spend money on that because the next CPU's have different boards and you will not be able to keep the RAM.

 

The CPU is 'OK' (the better part of it all) but DCS will bottleneck there even with overclocking, because DCS is quite harsh on CPU. Actually when I upgraded my 2500K to a 6600 that was when I saw the most performance upgrade for DCS, not when I took the gfx card from 960 to 1070, interestingly.

 

 

Graphics cards are the easiest to upgrade however and you can take your gfx cards through the upgraded boards, unlike the ram and CPU. You will be having hellish loading times and a gfx card that cant really cope with laoding those large textures on that rig. You could get an entry level 2060 right now as long as the power pins and PSU can support that output, but on Dells they put in cheap arsed PSU's that are small and chances are you cant even get a new gfx card in there, because it wont fit or upgrade the PSU because that wont fit or the exisitn gPSU doesnt have the wattage to fire up a modern gfx card. Which will be chain of delights to find in the wrong order.

 

 

In the meantime, you have that 2015 Dell to sort out and I'm afraid its a complete replacement, dont even try to think of keeping anything save for the hard drive as a spare cheap storage. I don't understand why Intel decided to be so consistently awkward and change the pins and render boards and memory obsolete so often in the last 5 years, but they did and curse them for it.

 

tomshardware is a useful resource. As is a fairly badly guarded bank to rob.

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SIMPLE SCENERY SAVING * SIMPLE GROUP SAVING * SIMPLE STATIC SAVING *

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OMG ! Thank you so much for the advice. I was really thinking there is no way around getting this machine to work.. I'm glad I got the balls to ask before spending wasteful money when it could go to other things for DCS. Thx Syran for the link I will definitely check it out for sure.

statrekmike thx for your honesty and advice. Pikey thanks for replying.

ALIENWARE R11 - I9 10900KF @ 5.1 GHz - M.2 NVMe 2TB - RTX3090  - XFURY 64GB -3400 MHz RAM

Monitor AW3420DW @ 120Hz - Virpil CM3 Throttle - TM TPR Rudder pedals - Virpil CM2 w/TM Hornet Stick Center - Monstertech Deck Mounts 

RealSimulator FSSB-R3 Lightning Base w/ F16SRGRH SideStick - VR user / Varjo Aero - Big Thx to mbucchia

Start Date April 2020 

 

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There is nothing wrong with trying (but don't get your hopes up high) on your current system. Once in game, i would then set all setting to minimum and see how it runs and the move upwarts to a level your system can handle (most people do it the other way around and then get dissapointed if they have to lower the settings). You can then and play a bit and look for things to upgrade on a longer term.

Win11 Pro 64-bit, Ryzen 5800X3D, Corsair H115i, Gigabyte X570S UD, EVGA 3080Ti XC3 Ultra 12GB, 64 GB DDR4 G.Skill 3600. Monitors: LG 27GL850-B27 2560x1440 + Samsung SyncMaster 2443 1920x1200, HOTAS: Warthog with Virpil WarBRD base, MFG Crosswind combat pedals, TrackIR4, Rift-S.

Personal Wish List: A6 Intruder, Vietnam theater, decent ATC module, better VR performance!

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just install DCS and see what happens, the benefit of a free2play core version ;)

[sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]

"There's nothing to be gained by second guessing yourself.

You can't remake the past, so look ahead... or risk being left behind."

 

Noli Timere Messorem

"No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always been there first, and is waiting for it."

Terry Pratchett

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just install DCS and see what happens, the benefit of a free2play core version ;)

He did - read OP.

 

 

I think the HD 5450 is the biggest problem here as it's below the minimum system requirements. Try to update the graphic drivers first. If not - even the cheap card like GT1030 could get you started depending on the monitor resolution. Of course I would not recommend it for the new system.

 

 

DCS 1.5 is way easier on the hardware and that is a good suggestion too for the time before the upgrade.

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questioned Alienware units

 

Great advice everyone thanks!!! I will try to run DCS 1.5 for now. This is driving me crazy, it may be earlier then 6 months :music_whistling: I've been looking at systems every hour since yesterday haha ! so much to choose from but i will definitely get a good machine for DCS only.

 

Any Thoughts on the Alienware units? or that may be a different thread/topic.

 

Thx again and have a great day !!!


Edited by Burt

ALIENWARE R11 - I9 10900KF @ 5.1 GHz - M.2 NVMe 2TB - RTX3090  - XFURY 64GB -3400 MHz RAM

Monitor AW3420DW @ 120Hz - Virpil CM3 Throttle - TM TPR Rudder pedals - Virpil CM2 w/TM Hornet Stick Center - Monstertech Deck Mounts 

RealSimulator FSSB-R3 Lightning Base w/ F16SRGRH SideStick - VR user / Varjo Aero - Big Thx to mbucchia

Start Date April 2020 

 

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Great advice everyone thanks!!! I will try to run DCS 1.5 for now. This is driving me crazy, it may be earlier then 6 months :music_whistling: I've been looking at systems every hour since yesterday haha ! so much to choose from but i will definitely get a good machine for DCS only.

 

Any Thoughts on the Alienware units? or that may be a different thread/topic.

 

Thx again and have a great day !!!

 

 

I guess building your own is out of the question? I wouldn't go Alienware, your paying for the name really. Try some custom build websites, such as this one.

 

https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/

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I guess building your own is out of the question? I wouldn't go Alienware, your paying for the name really. Try some custom build websites, such as this one.

 

https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/

 

 

Not really out of the question but I have thought about it. It may be a bit challenging but possible. I guess the more research i do the more everything making sense, I just never even thought about building one until I got into watching all this DCS stuff. Thx for the lis ink :thumbup:

ALIENWARE R11 - I9 10900KF @ 5.1 GHz - M.2 NVMe 2TB - RTX3090  - XFURY 64GB -3400 MHz RAM

Monitor AW3420DW @ 120Hz - Virpil CM3 Throttle - TM TPR Rudder pedals - Virpil CM2 w/TM Hornet Stick Center - Monstertech Deck Mounts 

RealSimulator FSSB-R3 Lightning Base w/ F16SRGRH SideStick - VR user / Varjo Aero - Big Thx to mbucchia

Start Date April 2020 

 

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Welcome Burt:pilotfly:

MODULES: A10C Warthog,AH-64 D APACHE,AJS Viggen,AV8B Harrier,BF109 K4,C101 Aviojet,F14 Tomcat,F15E Eagle,F16 Viper,F5 Tiger,F86 Sabre,FA18C Hornet,FW190A8,FW190D9,I16 Ishak,JF17 Thunder,KA50 Blackshark,L39Albatros,Mirage2000C,Mirage F-1,MI24P,MI8MVT2,MIG15BIS,MIG19P,MIG21BIS,Mosquito FB VI,P51D Mustang,P47D Thunderbolt,SA342 Gazell,SpitfireIX,TF51D,UH1H Huey,Yak52.

OTHER:Flamming cliffs,Combined Arms,WW2 Assets Pack,SuperCarrier.

TERRAINS: Nevada,Caucasus,Normandy,Persian Gulf,Syria,Channel,Marianas. 

 

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If your not going the high end VR (index etc) route for now....?

 

We have been discussing pc builds for DCS down in the

PC Hardware and Related Software section

 

One of the latest threads is best bang for $

DCS 2020 and Beyond PC Build!

For trackir head tracking software works better if you can lock DCS to 60 fps (frames per second)

So you basically need a PC that can hold that all the time with high graphic settings. (That is if you want all the eye candy turned on lol...)

 

So the best bang we think is a Ryzen 7 3700X with 5700XT ( New cards coming "5800/5900" this could drive prices down soon?)

 

Blue team

i7-9700k and the RTX 2070 super (Little More Expensive)

 

This is also good for a 1440P monitor. No GPU card can hold a 4K screen at 60.

1440p 2K is the sweet spot at the moment.

 

That system would also be good for light/med duty VR work in DCS also.

 

You could lower the specs down and save a dollar if your only going 1080p (Old school...lol)

 

Start a thread when your ready to build or buy and the guy's will help you.

PC Hardware and Related Software section

 

 

See some of my videos about Trackir


Edited by David OC

i7-7700K OC @ 5Ghz | ASUS IX Hero MB | ASUS GTX 1080 Ti STRIX | 32GB Corsair 3000Mhz | Corsair H100i V2 Radiator | Samsung 960 EVO M.2 NVMe 500G SSD | Samsung 850 EVO 500G SSD | Corsair HX850i Platinum 850W | Oculus Rift | ASUS PG278Q 27-inch, 2560 x 1440, G-SYNC, 144Hz, 1ms | VKB Gunfighter Pro

Chuck's DCS Tutorial Library

Download PDF Tutorial guides to help get up to speed with aircraft quickly and also great for taking a good look at the aircraft available for DCS before purchasing. Link

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Thx David OC thats just what I need to here and the direction to go...thx :thumbup:

 

Thx fatboy :thumbup:

ALIENWARE R11 - I9 10900KF @ 5.1 GHz - M.2 NVMe 2TB - RTX3090  - XFURY 64GB -3400 MHz RAM

Monitor AW3420DW @ 120Hz - Virpil CM3 Throttle - TM TPR Rudder pedals - Virpil CM2 w/TM Hornet Stick Center - Monstertech Deck Mounts 

RealSimulator FSSB-R3 Lightning Base w/ F16SRGRH SideStick - VR user / Varjo Aero - Big Thx to mbucchia

Start Date April 2020 

 

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Burt, there's a website called PCpartpicker that helps with checking if any custom build you're trying to make would fit together and if you're actually missing stuff. They also have a number of reasonable designs already preconfigured in the "build guide" section. Premium vendors such as Alienware can be more than half as much extra costly for the same perfomance. The only caveat is that you have to do the building yourself, which will take about one afternoon and a screwdriver. Alternatively, you can have it build for you by various shops for usually around $50-100 for the delivered work.

Check my F-15C guide

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Yes SYRAN, out of the the research and videos I have been watching and reading I have seen and heard about them and actually been clicking around in there. I want a machine for DCS only and want it to perform great under hours... hours of operation dew to the learning curve of DCS. Mostly I would want a machine that runs quite, cool and be able to tend with all the future upgrades and mods that this sim will produce over the years. I have a lot of research to do for sure.

 

Thx SYRAN ! For the advice.

ALIENWARE R11 - I9 10900KF @ 5.1 GHz - M.2 NVMe 2TB - RTX3090  - XFURY 64GB -3400 MHz RAM

Monitor AW3420DW @ 120Hz - Virpil CM3 Throttle - TM TPR Rudder pedals - Virpil CM2 w/TM Hornet Stick Center - Monstertech Deck Mounts 

RealSimulator FSSB-R3 Lightning Base w/ F16SRGRH SideStick - VR user / Varjo Aero - Big Thx to mbucchia

Start Date April 2020 

 

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https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/

 

 

This comes in handy if you wish to do a pure component to component comparison, get a rough idea how they stack up against each other.

 

Thanks Nodak ! I will definitely check it out.

ALIENWARE R11 - I9 10900KF @ 5.1 GHz - M.2 NVMe 2TB - RTX3090  - XFURY 64GB -3400 MHz RAM

Monitor AW3420DW @ 120Hz - Virpil CM3 Throttle - TM TPR Rudder pedals - Virpil CM2 w/TM Hornet Stick Center - Monstertech Deck Mounts 

RealSimulator FSSB-R3 Lightning Base w/ F16SRGRH SideStick - VR user / Varjo Aero - Big Thx to mbucchia

Start Date April 2020 

 

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I used to run DCS A-10C on my crappy non-gaming laptop for the longest time. If you're ok with flying just the Hawg, version 1.1.1.1 can be found on the DCS website. You're limited to just the Hawg since this version predates World, but with your setup you should be able to run the training and simple missions just fine.

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I just replaced an 11-year old Puget Systems computer with a new Digital Storm gaming computer -you can get those custom built to whatever specs you want. I got a glass Lumos case which really shows off all the interior RGB lighting. Selected the i7 9700k CPU, with an RTX 2070 Super GPU, 32 GB of Corsair RAM and a Samsung 970 1TB Evo Plus, SSD M.2 drive. Got that for well under $3,000 (including Corsair magnetic fans - virtually silent).

 

I paired that with a new curved 34" Alienware AW3418DW 1440p monitor - great panel for gaming and business use. This panel also supports Nvidia G-Sync.

 

Good idea to now what resolution of monitor you will be using so that you can pair that with an appropriate graphics card.

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Yes SYRAN, out of the the research and videos I have been watching and reading I have seen and heard about them and actually been clicking around in there. I want a machine for DCS only and want it to perform great under hours... hours of operation dew to the learning curve of DCS. Mostly I would want a machine that runs quite, cool and be able to tend with all the future upgrades and mods that this sim will produce over the years. I have a lot of research to do for sure.

 

Thx SYRAN ! For the advice.

 

I would strongly advocate self building. It really isn’t hard and you get exactly what you want, with the added bonus that you’ll be more confident fixing it if it goes wrong in the future and upgrading as you wish.

 

If you do decide to self build go for a very large case. It makes the build easier and less nerve wracking, from experience trying to jam stuff into tiny spaces is the best way to break things... in a large case you can install the best cooling for reliability and make the thing run much quieter if that’s important to you.

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It's good to take it slow, gather information and make a plan with priorities.

 

I guess what I am saying here is that it might be a good idea to wait. Don't put any money into your current system and instead focus on the one you will be getting six months from now. Also keep in mind that you will want to look at peripherals like a HOTAS, head tracking, and (potentially) rudder pedals. You obviously don't need to get the most expensive stuff but keep in mind that it should at least be part of your budget.

 

Obviously getting a system that can run the game is the most important. I get very good results with a well built mid-tier gaming PC (without VR).

 

The next important thing I would say is a good joystick. I started with just a good cookie cutter joystick (Logitech) and you don't really need anything else to enjoy DCS. The other peripherals are more of a "full experience" thing and I upgraded to them little by little over time... still running that very old joystick which is now the weak link :D I would say take your time and don't buy crap because eventually you might want the top of the line kit that is popular here. Saves you some money :smilewink:

 

I would strongly advocate self building. It really isn’t hard and you get exactly what you want, with the added bonus that you’ll be more confident fixing it if it goes wrong in the future and upgrading as you wish.

 

If you do decide to self build go for a very large case. It makes the build easier and less nerve wracking, from experience trying to jam stuff into tiny spaces is the best way to break things... in a large case you can install the best cooling for reliability and make the thing run much quieter if that’s important to you.

 

The main advantage may well be that the system is easy to keep up to date over the years as DCS grows and evolves. A prebuilt PC can also serve as a good starting point if you've done your research and gone for a good one. Probably requires you to learn about the components though.

 

I find decent air cooling very easy to build nowadays. There are very good cases like the mid towers from Fractal Design, the fan slots are large and quality fans are both quiet and effective, components don't often have a huge TDP for what they do - if you go for higher end components the heat dissipation increases and then you have to plan more carefully. In conservative mid-tier systems it's easy to go for an overkill, I have 5 case fans and think 3 would easily do the job. There is a big benefit from doing your research on the fans, though.

SA-342 Ka-50 Mi-8 AJS-37 F-18 M2000C AV-8B-N/A Mig-15bis CA --- How to learn DCS

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Thank you for all the great advice. I have a few more months to get a great rig for DCS. As for now I updated my old 3.5 hard drive for a Samsung SSD 860 EVO i believe, reinstalled the operating system and for right now while I'm waiting I'm running DCS 1.5.8. just to get ready and practice the feel of a real sim. So, the update went well and now I may be thinking of building a rig myself. There's so much great advice and info. and tutorials out that just makes me want to self build a great machine. This is an awesome forum.... thx everyone :thumbup:


Edited by Burt

ALIENWARE R11 - I9 10900KF @ 5.1 GHz - M.2 NVMe 2TB - RTX3090  - XFURY 64GB -3400 MHz RAM

Monitor AW3420DW @ 120Hz - Virpil CM3 Throttle - TM TPR Rudder pedals - Virpil CM2 w/TM Hornet Stick Center - Monstertech Deck Mounts 

RealSimulator FSSB-R3 Lightning Base w/ F16SRGRH SideStick - VR user / Varjo Aero - Big Thx to mbucchia

Start Date April 2020 

 

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