Critique my list: PC build

4) If he decides to get an SLI setup later on he needs headroom.

If he decide to get SLI, 850w is not enough.

 

5) If he decides to get the next generation graphics card (3xxx TI?) he should have headroom since he doesn't know if those cards will draw more or less power. Do you know how much they will draw right now? If he should decide on getting a AMD card for whatever reason he needs more headroom aswell as of now since AMD cards draw more power, see Radeon VII or Vega 64.

By experience over the years, should be the same. With 750w he has headroom.

Edited February 21, 2019 by Demon_

you might get a PSU with a slightly higher wattage

 

The 9600K and the 9900K will need almost the same wattage when gaming DCS.

Yes you name it, almost.

Any K CPU are overclock able.

Correct, and as far as I can see no one claimed otherwise.

750w is enough for a big CPU and a big video card. Don't think his system will burn 600w when gaming. It's more like 400-450w. That mean less than 60% of the load. Efficiency is almost the same.

So you recommend getting a power wattage you're aiming for when your system is on about 50% to 70% of load instead of taking one with more "headroom"? Is this is what you're implying?

If he decide to get SLI, 850w is not enough.

Correct. Read the thread again and you will see that I didn't name a specific number but I wrote and I quote: "... you might get a PSU with a slightly higher wattage". How is it wrong what I or anybody else recommended to him? I don't see it. Also you are agreeing with me because this is exactly what I said in post #31 number 4, without me naming a number.

With 750w he has headroom.

No he hasn't. How do you know if he will not buy a AMD card, wants SLI in the future or the new cards will draw the same amount of power or less? You can't look years ahead into the future do you?

 

Otherwise it's stunning on how much you insist on your opinion considering the fact people recommended +100W on the PSU or a $$$ difference of literally 40$ on a 2500$+ machine. You're acting like people wanted to rip the thread creator of like 500$ and make him go buy a PSU with a power output way too high. It's ok to have money and spend it. CL30 knows what to do I guess.

Edited February 21, 2019 by Der Hirte

Let's just say for the sake of all involved:

 

- I'm not planning SLI

- I'm not planning AMD

- I will overclock the 9600k (if I get that and not a 9700k)

- I will overclock whatever 2080 Ti I get

 

If I plan to do any of those things in the future (or get the next 30xx card), I'll just buy a new PSU in the future- they're not that much.

 

Right now I feel like I'm just gonna say "screw it" and go with an 850W. Seems like it will provide plenty of comfort and power. If it's overkill that's fine, but if it's not gonna cut in based on this current system configuration, then I'm still all ears!

 

Sorry, I just feel like I opened up a can of worms, lol! Didn't mean for the arguing/debate, but I know it's all good...even if a lot of it might be over my head, hahaha.

CL30 knows what to do I guess.

Yes you name it, I guess.

CL30, don't forget... The case is only ground when the power connector wire (120v) is connected to the wall and the power supply unit (bolted in the case).

Or use this.

Edited February 21, 2019 by Demon_

I used EVGA in both my DCS Rig and now this build and TBH the case fans are the only fans I have heard, keep in mind I have the Rift on so honestly fan noise doesn't come into it. Seasonic are a bit more expensive here and unfortunately EVGA's market presence here is not as strong as it was a couple of years ago.

 

I'd also consider the 9700K if it's within budget my 9600K build was based on having a 1080Ti , case, memory and heatsink on hand and looking for best bang per buck with a limited budget. Oh and I would have picked up the EVGA 850W PSU if it wasn't nearly $100 more.

 

Just to give you guys an idea on costs here.

AUD

8350K $300 $75/core

 

9600K $419 $70/core

 

9700K $699 $87/core

 

9900K $899 $112/core (ignoring HT and that $500 difference buys my wifes Rift ;))

 

I'd also say just get a SATA SSD if that saves enough to maybe go 9700K and or better GPU or RAM the difference in game is negligible just slightly longer loading times.

 

My DCS rigs motherboard has been sent away for a warranty claim so I get to test this rig for a while, one aspect that blew me away last night after everything was downloaded and I set up the controls, I set up a quick mission all be it in NTTR Groom AFB with Gazelle with constant 90FPS with Rift and 45FPS to 90FPS in Caucasus. I'm going to slot my 2080Ti in over the weekend for more testing umm flying. :thumbup:

CL30, don't forget... The case is only ground when the power connector wire (120v) is connected to the wall and the power supply unit (bolted in the case).

Or use this.

 

Good idea! In all of the build videos I've watched, they say it's not really a big deal, however, seeing as I'm working with almost $3000 worth of stuff, it's probably a good idea anyway. Cheap insurance, thanks! :thumbup:

Well, I've bought several parts! (Case, RAM, PSU, SSDs)

 

Looking at the GPU right now. I can't find the EVGA 2080 Ti FTW3 Gaming anywhere. I can find the XC Ultra Gaming ($1250) and the FTW3 Ultra Gaming ($1400). I don't think I'm gonna spend the extra $150.

 

I was going to stick with EVGA based on their reputation and that their cards get great reviews. Before I order, is there another manufacturer/card at this price point that would also be worth a look? Something better for less money would be awesome, buuuuut I'm not expecting that, lol. :lol:

 

You may begin the debate... *Pokes the sleeping bear* :P:D

Well, I've bought several parts! (Case, RAM, PSU, SSDs)

 

Looking at the GPU right now. I can't find the EVGA 2080 Ti FTW3 Gaming anywhere. I can find the XC Ultra Gaming ($1250) and the FTW3 Ultra Gaming ($1400). I don't think I'm gonna spend the extra $150.

 

I was going to stick with EVGA based on their reputation and that their cards get great reviews. Before I order, is there another manufacturer/card at this price point that would also be worth a look? Something better for less money would be awesome, buuuuut I'm not expecting that, lol. :lol:

 

You may begin the debate... *Pokes the sleeping bear* :P:D

 

RAAWWRRRRRRR :bear:

 

XC Ultra isn't a bad pick just comparing available 2080Ti's alone, FTW 3 comes with a higher power target, higher clocks out of the box and likely more headroom for overclocking than the xc ultra.. but in most cases until you start running at 3440x1440 or 4k even the cheapest 2080Ti is more than you probably need, which means you'll more than likely be happy with the performance. Paying for the XC ultra already hurts. Paying for the black edition still kind of hurts. But, it's a 2080Ti, and at the moment it's king when it comes to framerate.

 

Overclocking a gpu is something I'm only doing because my GPU allows for it. Not something I felt was necessary. If you have the RGB fever, which I think I saw you mention an AUROS board, being gigabyte - a gigabyte auros gpu would be able to sync lighting with your motherboard.

 

I say that, but I have an asus mobo that uses aura, and an EVGA GPU that uses it's own rgb software. But they're all pulsing purple in my black case slighty out of sync and it looks yummy enough.

 

I still like the xc ultra @ $1250 but am not scoffing at that black edition. Personally.. i still felt like I was spending too much but @$1400 yeah I didn't need an ftw3 or an asus strix gpu. and that evga customer service offers some confidence. I think you have a higher chance of getting working hardware than not however, but luck is subjective lol. The ideal period for an error to occur is within the replacement or refund period from the retailer. OUtside of that, I've personally read some horror stories regarding manufacturer RMA processes. But I almost held out for that strix to match the RGB theme myself lol.

 

The FTW 3 is the winner at that pricepoint but that pricepoint is even more up there than the next best which, will probably make you just as happy. Compared to Asus Strix O11G (the $1400 one) comes with 1665 clock in OC mode, and 1650 in gaming mode, where FTW 3 comes out of the box at 1755mhz. Out of the box, that puts the strix just slightly ahead of the XC Ultra, out of the box @ 1650mhz. Gigabyte Auros for $1299 - 1695 core clock. Without overclocking them, you won't notice the difference and the silicon lottery is the silicon lottery no matter what brand you buy. And we're talking like differences of 3-5fps @ 100mhz. Perhaps more, but still negligible.

 

Bottom line I think, is that 100mhz here and there to the clock frequency isn't going to make or break your enjoyment of the video card. If you're going to spend it, make sure you can live with it.

 

Radeon VII is impressively contending with the 2080 for $700. Both of those are options as well. But you got your eye on something bigger. And ultimately, it's your choice and you get to live with the results. ;)

 

If you go with the XC Ultra, do read up in the EVGA forums, as there was a bios update released after the initial launch that allowed for a 130% power target rather than 120%, and without touching the voltage slider in Precision, my XC Ultra is running at FTW 3 stock speeds +600mhz to VRAM. I personally have no complaints, and frankly haven't put the effort in to see how fast I can get that memory clock and be stable.

Edited February 22, 2019 by Headwarp

I can't find the EVGA 2080 Ti FTW3 Gaming anywhere. I can find the XC Ultra Gaming ($1250) and the FTW3 Ultra Gaming ($1400). I don't think I'm gonna spend the extra $150.

The FTW3 is the FTW3 Ultra Gaming.

I was going to stick with EVGA based on their reputation and that their cards get great reviews. Before I order, is there another manufacturer/card at this price point that would also be worth a look?

There really isn't. The only cards who are better than the founders edition in terms of the components are EVGAs cards, ASUS ROG Strix or Zotac AMP Extreme. All others are basically the founders edition but more expensive. Happy building.

RAAWWRRRRRRR :bear:

 

XC Ultra isn't a bad pick just comparing available 2080Ti's alone, FTW 3 comes with a higher power target, higher clocks out of the box and likely more headroom for overclocking than the xc ultra.. but in most cases until you start running at 3440x1440 or 4k even the cheapest 2080Ti is more than you probably need, which means you'll more than likely be happy with the performance. Paying for the XC ultra already hurts. Paying for the black edition still kind of hurts. But, it's a 2080Ti, and at the moment it's king when it comes to framerate.

 

Overclocking a gpu is something I'm only doing because my GPU allows for it. Not something I felt was necessary. If you have the RGB fever, which I think I saw you mention an AUROS board, being gigabyte - a gigabyte auros gpu would be able to sync lighting with your motherboard.

 

I say that, but I have an asus mobo that uses aura, and an EVGA GPU that uses it's own rgb software. But they're all pulsing purple in my black case slighty out of sync and it looks yummy enough.

 

I still like the xc ultra @ $1250 but am not scoffing at that black edition. Personally.. i still felt like I was spending too much but @$1400 yeah I didn't need an ftw3 or an asus strix gpu. and that evga customer service offers some confidence. I think you have a higher chance of getting working hardware than not however, but luck is subjective lol. The ideal period for an error to occur is within the replacement or refund period from the retailer. OUtside of that, I've personally read some horror stories regarding manufacturer RMA processes. But I almost held out for that strix to match the RGB theme myself lol.

 

The FTW 3 is the winner at that pricepoint but that pricepoint is even more up there than the next best which, will probably make you just as happy. Compared to Asus Strix O11G (the $1400 one) comes with 1665 clock in OC mode, and 1650 in gaming mode, where FTW 3 comes out of the box at 1755mhz. Out of the box, that puts the strix just slightly ahead of the XC Ultra, out of the box @ 1650mhz. Gigabyte Auros for $1299 - 1695 core clock. Without overclocking them, you won't notice the difference and the silicon lottery is the silicon lottery no matter what brand you buy. And we're talking like differences of 3-5fps @ 100mhz. Perhaps more, but still negligible.

 

Bottom line I think, is that 100mhz here and there to the clock frequency isn't going to make or break your enjoyment of the video card. If you're going to spend it, make sure you can live with it.

 

Radeon VII is impressively contending with the 2080 for $700. Both of those are options as well. But you got your eye on something bigger. And ultimately, it's your choice and you get to live with the results. ;)

 

If you go with the XC Ultra, do read up in the EVGA forums, as there was a bios update released after the initial launch that allowed for a 130% power target rather than 120%, and without touching the voltage slider in Precision, my XC Ultra is running at FTW 3 stock speeds +600mhz to VRAM. I personally have no complaints, and frankly haven't put the effort in to see how fast I can get that memory clock and be stable.

Great post, Headwarp! Thank you for all of that. I didn't realize there was an EVGA forum (there's a forum for everything so I should've figured, lol), so I'll check it out. I really appreciate your insight. :)

The FTW3 is the FTW3 Ultra Gaming.

There really isn't. The only cards who are better than the founders edition in terms of the components are EVGAs cards, ASUS ROG Strix or Zotac AMP Extreme. All others are basically the founders edition but more expensive. Happy building.

 

Well, that would explain why I can't find it, but it's certainly an option on the EVGA website. :huh:

 

https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=11G-P4-2483-KR

 

https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=11G-P4-2487-KR

Well, that would explain why I can't find it, but it's certainly an option on the EVGA website. :huh:

 

https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=11G-P4-2483-KR

 

https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=11G-P4-2487-KR

Heh they keep bringing out new configurations. I also see different cards for Germany than you it seems. Then you probably could order from their mainpage. All the cards are almost identical, the highest price card is the fastest. Choice on you.

Well, that would explain why I can't find it, but it's certainly an option on the EVGA website. :huh:

 

https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=11G-P4-2483-KR

 

https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=11G-P4-2487-KR

 

They've put out several new versions of the FTW 3 since I was shopping for GPUs it looks like.

 

Several hybrid air/water cooled versions with a closed loop or no maintenance liquid cooling system + fan(s), and a custom loop ready version, that you'd have to buy a pump, radiator and bend your own tubes for as well as maintain your coolant.

 

3 of those have the 1755Mhz boost clock and they are all FTW 3 Ultra. 1 being a hybrid and the other being the custom loop ready, the other being the triple fan version.

 

IMO - these are for the highest of tech nerds, who crave the fastest absolute extreme speeds they can reach, not because performance but to be able to say they have the fastest. I'm talking spending more time benchmarking than gaming, breaking out the liquid nitrogen trying to break records. Although that doesn't exclude eager gamers who just want highest performance out of the box offering.

 

 

Nothing wrong with that turning out to be you or anybody else. But bang for buck i'm still stuck on the XC Ultra and the black edition when it comes to 2080Ti. Hybrid might offer a decibel solution, but frankly the fans on the XC Ultra at 100%, despite being audible, are still not as loud as previous gpu's I've owned. I think you'll be able to set up a fan curve profile that keeps the gpu cool enough without being too loud. Being someone who doesn't fancy building a custom loop if I were aiming at a FTW 3 I'd just go for the ultra triple fan setup. If you want a custom water loop later, aftermarket custom waterblocks can be found with compatibility with motheboard branded RGB lighting, or evga might sell one seperately as well. Haven't felt the need myself.

 

I'm like 99% certain, that EVGA warranty still stands, even if you were to use a custom waterblock. But this process takes some know how. Don't go all willy nilly on that one without some diligent research on how to guides.

Edited February 22, 2019 by Headwarp

Yeah, sounds like the XC Ultra is probably gonna be the one then. You brought up the 3440x1440, which looks like what you're running. I think that would probably be the highest I'd go - that and VR, eventually. My buddy has an ultra wide monitor that I still need to check out, but I could see myself doing that. That and VR, eventually, would be it.

 

 

ETA: Haha, actually, looking at your specs, I probably should have just built what you've got! Very similar to what I'm doing after all of this, lol. And heck no, no custom loops for this noob! :lol:

Edited February 22, 2019 by CL30

Yeah, sounds like the XC Ultra is probably gonna be the one then. You brought up the 3440x1440, which looks like what you're running. I think that would probably be the highest I'd go - that and VR, eventually. My buddy has an ultra wide monitor that I still need to check out, but I could see myself doing that. That and VR, eventually, would be it.

 

 

ETA: Haha, actually, looking at your specs, I probably should have just built what you've got! Very similar to what I'm doing after all of this, lol.

 

I bought the 21:9 for DCS and "my other sim" when I was using trackIR and a 1080p monitor for added field of view, and did enjoy that until the Samsung Odyssey price got low enough to convince me to try VR and now the monitor doesn't get used for simming. But I've grown fond of it for titles that I don't use VR with. After using a 980Ti for a couple years @3440x1440, the 2080Ti is a wonderful upgrade for certain.

 

Here's the catch however - in buying a higher resolution monitor, I pretty much locked myself in to wanting to pair it with a beefy gpu. In half a decade as software development catches up with hardware, I'm probably looking at another high end gpu. The price of luxury.

 

Truth be told though, I'd be alright still gaming at 16:9. But I already have it, so why not enjoy it? You might be able to find a decent 4k 16:9 monitor for less money than an x34 or asus alternative costs. In most titles my minimum framerate equals or bests my 100hz refresh rate. Other titles I'm at least above 70fps with eye candy maxed.

 

You have choices here.. and the gpu is aimed at 4K@60fps gaming. If you were to go 2560x1440, you'd want to use supersampling to justify the power of the GPU in dx11 or older. DX12 can put a gpu to work @ 1080P.

 

VR - right now the benefit of a 2080Ti vs 1080Ti or equivilant is up in the air, as in most cases you won't be able to maintain 90fps and will rely on motion reprojection or ASW or motion smoothing, @45fps depending on your brand of headset. Vulkan could change that maybe. With the 980Ti (comparible to a gtx 1070) i had to use low/medium textures, and native headset resolution, anything 1080Ti, 2080 or above should allow for you set textures to high as well as increase the pixel density to a setting that allows you to read gauges and text as it stands. Still not quite as crisp as monitor display, but I just don't have enough words for how the pros of VR seem to outweigh the cons when it comes to combat flight sims. Everything's lifesized, in 3d with depth perception, and while some things can look blurry from far away, the sensation of being IN the cockpit just takes the cake for me personally. More of my wingmates are using VR lately than not.

 

I will say - I love my PC. It's one of the most valuable items in my household, and I use it a LOT. This sim convinced me to chase the best I could when i built.. and I don't regret it one bit. But - you can play DCS World comfortably for less money most certainly.

Edited February 22, 2019 by Headwarp

The FTW3 is the FTW3 Ultra Gaming.

No it's not. https://www.evga.com/articles/01249/evga-geforce-rtx-20-series/

FTW3= 11G-P4-2483-KR

FTW3 ULTRA= 11G-P4-2487-KR

I have been running the EVGA RTX 2080 Ti FTW3 Ultra for a few months now and absolutely loving it. Great card.

I have been running the EVGA RTX 2080 Ti FTW3 Ultra for a few months now and absolutely loving it. Great card.

 

I may have drooled a little bit there.. but am still too happy with my XC Ultra to be disappointed ;P

I bought the 21:9 for DCS and "my other sim" when I was using trackIR and a 1080p monitor for added field of view, and did enjoy that until the Samsung Odyssey price got low enough to convince me to try VR and now the monitor doesn't get used for simming. But I've grown fond of it for titles that I don't use VR with. After using a 980Ti for a couple years @3440x1440, the 2080Ti is a wonderful upgrade for certain.

 

Here's the catch however - in buying a higher resolution monitor, I pretty much locked myself in to wanting to pair it with a beefy gpu. In half a decade as software development catches up with hardware, I'm probably looking at another high end gpu. The price of luxury.

 

Truth be told though, I'd be alright still gaming at 16:9. But I already have it, so why not enjoy it? You might be able to find a decent 4k 16:9 monitor for less money than an x34 or asus alternative costs. In most titles my minimum framerate equals or bests my 100hz refresh rate. Other titles I'm at least above 70fps with eye candy maxed.

 

You have choices here.. and the gpu is aimed at 4K@60fps gaming. If you were to go 2560x1440, you'd want to use supersampling to justify the power of the GPU in dx11 or older. DX12 can put a gpu to work @ 1080P.

 

VR - right now the benefit of a 2080Ti vs 1080Ti or equivilant is up in the air, as in most cases you won't be able to maintain 90fps and will rely on motion reprojection or ASW or motion smoothing, @45fps depending on your brand of headset. Vulkan could change that maybe. With the 980Ti (comparible to a gtx 1070) i had to use low/medium textures, and native headset resolution, anything 1080Ti, 2080 or above should allow for you set textures to high as well as increase the pixel density to a setting that allows you to read gauges and text as it stands. Still not quite as crisp as monitor display, but I just don't have enough words for how the pros of VR seem to outweigh the cons when it comes to combat flight sims. Everything's lifesized, in 3d with depth perception, and while some things can look blurry from far away, the sensation of being IN the cockpit just takes the cake for me personally. More of my wingmates are using VR lately than not.

 

I will say - I love my PC. It's one of the most valuable items in my household, and I use it a LOT. This sim convinced me to chase the best I could when i built.. and I don't regret it one bit. But - you can play DCS World comfortably for less money most certainly.

 

I guess the good thing in my situation is that I'm building the PC first, and then will figure out a capable monitor second, haha! I plan to play with the monitor and TrackIR for a while. It would be wonderful if VR would improve/next gen or something like that in the meantime, but I'm sure that probably won't happen. I'll probably ask Mrs. CL30 for a VR headset for my birthday in August. :D

 

I mainly settled on the 2080 Ti because I want to have the best experience with VR when I'm ready for it. I almost wonder if I should just do a good 2080, be happy with the monitor and TrackIR, wait for VR to catch up, and THEN buy the latest GPU. Who knows how long that would take. I mean shoot, that $500 gap on a 2080 to 2080 Ti would buy my Warthog, lol. :joystick:

 

I was PM'ing with one member here who said his 2080 maxes all the graphics out, but that he hadn't played multiplayer with it yet. I just don't want any hiccups with this thing, and since I primarily want to play multiplayer, I'm not sold on whether a 2080 would be good enough on heavily traffic'd multiplayer servers. I want a decent display (2560 or 3440, and thinking at least 32" monitor) with high textures and I want it running smooooooth. That's why I figured getting a 2080 Ti would help ensure that. I don't "need" 4k, but I want it to look really nice. I'm just SOOO sick and tired of playing "that other sim" (the Viper one) on my POS machine now that freezes constantly on the lowest graphics settings. I can't believe I haven't thrown my computer through the window yet! :lol:

I guess the good thing in my situation is that I'm building the PC first, and then will figure out a capable monitor second, haha! I plan to play with the monitor and TrackIR for a while. It would be wonderful if VR would improve/next gen or something like that in the meantime, but I'm sure that probably won't happen. I'll probably ask Mrs. CL30 for a VR headset for my birthday in August. :D

 

I mainly settled on the 2080 Ti because I want to have the best experience with VR when I'm ready for it. I almost wonder if I should just do a good 2080, be happy with the monitor and TrackIR, wait for VR to catch up, and THEN buy the latest GPU. Who knows how long that would take. I mean shoot, that $500 gap on a 2080 to 2080 Ti would buy my Warthog, lol. :joystick:

 

I was PM'ing with one member here who said his 2080 maxes all the graphics out, but that he hadn't played multiplayer with it yet. I just don't want any hiccups with this thing, and since I primarily want to play multiplayer, I'm not sold on whether a 2080 would be good enough on heavily traffic'd multiplayer servers. I want a decent display (2560 or 3440, and thinking at least 32" monitor) with high textures and I want it running smooooooth. That's why I figured getting a 2080 Ti would help ensure that. I don't "need" 4k, but I want it to look really nice. I'm just SOOO sick and tired of playing "that other sim" (the Viper one) on my POS machine now that freezes constantly on the lowest graphics settings. I can't believe I haven't thrown my computer through the window yet! :lol:

 

2560x1440 + RTX 2080 isn't going to be a horrible experience at all and still on the edge of enthusiast level. above that is going to extremes, and paying a hefty price for it.

 

I have a friend running a 1080Ti and a Vive Pro, and I haven't heard complaints about it from him. the difference in cost like you said, could be a warthog, or maybe your VR headset

 

Least expensive 2080 $699, and the higher clocked versions $800-$900.. and then you're nearing that Black Edition for $1k again. But it's the same deal, even the least expensive 2080 is still a 2080.

 

In your post specific about video cards I'm pretty sure I've stated whether you go 2080ti, 2080, or maybe even 2070, you'll be able to have a good time. In that regard, the Radeon VII and it's 16GB of HBM2 also comes to mind again as well.

 

But yeah I do emphasize the 2080Ti being aimed at high resolution gaming. I do apologize if I've nudged you in any direction, I'm mostly just trying to be informative to help you make the decision that fits you. I still advocate Best Buy's return policy for you here if they have what you want to experience for yourself in stock, which looking at the website, they do. Free shipping, BFV and Anthem for an RTX 2080 or better.

Edited February 23, 2019 by Headwarp

2560x1440 + RTX 2080 isn't going to be a horrible experience at all and still on the edge of enthusiast level. above that is going to extremes, and paying a hefty price for it.

 

I have a friend running a 1080Ti and a Vive Pro, and I haven't heard complaints about it from him. the difference in cost like you said, could be a warthog, or maybe your VR headset

 

Least expensive 2080 $699, and the higher clocked versions $800-$900.. and then you're nearing that Black Edition for $1k again. But it's the same deal, even the least expensive 2080 is still a 2080.

 

In your post specific about video cards I'm pretty sure I've stated whether you go 2080ti, 2080, or maybe even 2070, you'll be able to have a good time. In that regard, the Radeon VII and it's 16GB of HBM2 also comes to mind again as well.

 

But yeah I do emphasize the 2080Ti being aimed at high resolution gaming. I do apologize if I've nudged you in any direction, I'm mostly just trying to be informative to help you make the decision that fits you. I still advocate Best Buy's return policy for you here if they have what you want to experience for yourself in stock, which looking at the website, they do. Free shipping, BFV and Anthem for an RTX 2080 or better.

 

Nah, you really haven't nudged me in any direction at all! You've given me info and options based on the questions I asked, and now I'm making the decisions, albeit horrible and painstakingly slow, ha! I really didn't have much to go on when I began on this whole "build a PC for the first time" venture. My work buddy got me into it as it's something he has done for years. I had basic knowledge of computers, though dated. I just needed to get up to speed on what was out there, but I really needed help on the best options for DCS since that's my #1 goal.

 

I have gone back-and-forth a lot on the GPU mainly because I was originally expecting to do the entire build, with HOTAS, TrackIR, monitor, everything all at once. In doing so, I was trying to cram the best performance in while keeping the expenses in check. The GPU was the hardest to decide on. Now that Mrs. CL30 and I decided to do everything in a couple phases (PC this month, peripherals next month, monitor after that), it opened up the 2080 Ti for me. That's why I was so wishy-washy. ;)

 

I looked into Best Buy and, honestly, I may still use them. The primary reason I haven't (yet) is because I will get knocked on sales tax. However, some online vendors have been charging tax, so if that ends up being the case, then yeah, I'll do Best Buy for sure!

Nah, you really haven't nudged me in any direction at all! You've given me info and options based on the questions I asked, and now I'm making the decisions, albeit horrible and painstakingly slow, ha! I really didn't have much to go on when I began on this whole "build a PC for the first time" venture. My work buddy got me into it as it's something he has done for years. I had basic knowledge of computers, though dated. I just needed to get up to speed on what was out there, but I really needed help on the best options for DCS since that's my #1 goal.

 

I have gone back-and-forth a lot on the GPU mainly because I was originally expecting to do the entire build, with HOTAS, TrackIR, monitor, everything all at once. In doing so, I was trying to cram the best performance in while keeping the expenses in check. The GPU was the hardest to decide on. Now that Mrs. CL30 and I decided to do everything in a couple phases (PC this month, peripherals next month, monitor after that), it opened up the 2080 Ti for me. That's why I was so wishy-washy. ;)

 

I looked into Best Buy and, honestly, I may still use them. The primary reason I haven't (yet) is because I will get knocked on sales tax. However, some online vendors have been charging tax, so if that ends up being the case, then yeah, I'll do Best Buy for sure!

 

I get charged sales tax with any online retailer like I would locally personally. The return policy @Best Buy is really awesome though, some retailers don't allow for refunds on GPUs, only replacement of the same model, or require a re-stocking fee. I'd def shop there when you can if you aren't sure about how much you'll like something. You can always go to the store and ask someone who works there :) But I'm pretty sure you can get 100% of what you paid back from best buy on a GPU within 14 days if you're for any reason unhappy with your purchase.

Update in OP! Everything is ordered! Thanks, everyone! Can't wait to meet you in the skies.

Update in OP! Everything is ordered! Thanks, everyone! Can't wait to meet you in the skies.

Good one on the GPU :thumbup: happy flying.

Edited February 27, 2019 by Der Hirte