Best PC for DCS?

[EasyEB]

So, 2.5 tanked my old workhorce PC (well, actually imac but let’s not talk about it) and it’s time for me to invest in a new PC. Basically, I have a wall socket, Track IR and a TM WH, so every other component needs to be acquired.

 

Since DCS is my life, it is basically the only thing this PC will run. Therefore I want to make it as best I can for just that. Thing is, I know nothing about pc components, and I could use all help and input on how to set up a PC as best as possible for no VR single player DCS extravaganza.

 

So if there’s anything that is better or worse than anything else, please share it here!

 

Cheers guys!

[dax]

I would start with a high frequency cpu that you can overclock.

No need to have many cores for DCS right now. Raw speed is all DCS needs.

E.g. a quad core i7 7700K @ 4.2Ghz that you could probably overclock to 4.8Ghz.

Then at least 16Gb of DDR4 RAM.

A Geforce 1080.

An SSD drive.

 

If you're not interested in VR, this should give you plenty of fps... :)

 

By the way, that's more or less what I have (cf. my sig) and it's great maxed out without VR.

With VR, that's another story... :(

[hannibal]

best DCS PC is any quad core with high clock (6700K, 7700K, 8700K) with 1080Ti

[Gearbox]

If you're starting from scratch you should strongly consider the 8700K over the 7700K. The price difference isn't huge, you're getting the latest generation hardware, and it can OC a little higher. The two extra cores will likely come in handy later when Vulkan API happens, and could also be useful for running accessory software like HELIOS and voice attack.

[Mr_sukebe]

OP> You might want to get an understanding of whether DCS has now really gone multi-core or not. Looks like it "might" have done 2.5, in which case I think we need to re-evaluate the viability of using an 8 core AMD CPU instead as that "might" now have the edge.

[SliderCDN]

There is no best PC because there are so many optimization issues, you'll never be able to run DCS the way they show it in their promo videos :)

[EasyEB]

Thanks for the input so far. I really appreciate it. I know I wont get trailer fps, but compared to what I’m on now that gives me a solid 21 fps in 2.5 in A-10C with TGP on and a couple of tanks on the ground...

 

2013 IMac

• 3,5 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7

• 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2 x 8 GB

• 3 TB 7200 rpm hdd

• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M med GB GDDR5

[Mr_sukebe]

Bit of a key question, budget? As otherwise we'll be suggestion 1080ti, 8 core i9, 64GB ram, SSD etc.

[EasyEB]

Good question.

 

I was hoping to keep it below 2000 €.

[Mr_sukebe]

Good question.

 

I was hoping to keep it below 2000 €.

 

To include or exclude monitor, keyboard, mouse, headsets etc?

[Gladman]

I'll suggest something like this to you.

 

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/NvW2QV

[Gearbox]

Good question.

 

I was hoping to keep it below 2000 €.

 

That's going to be a tall order because GPU prices are so high and availability is so constrained. Any 1080ti that's in stock is over $1000 by itself. Newegg has this special with a 1080ti and a decent looking mobo though, but I don't know if they have that in Europe: https://www.newegg.com/Special/ShellShocker.aspx?cm_sp=Homepage_SS-_-P4_3745104-_-02042018&Index=4

 

Is your iMac one of the models that you can use as a monitor via displayport or are you going to need to buy a monitor too? Or you could sell it and buy a monitor I guess.

[EasyEB]

To include or exclude monitor, keyboard, mouse, headsets etc?

 

Include monitor only.

[Mr_sukebe]

Include monitor only.

 

It's worth defining that first then.

If it were me, I'd suggest a cheap 24" and an Oculus Rift as the starting point. VR play really is awesome, and I say that despite having a 27" Gsync monitor.

[dax]

Include monitor only.

If you want to keep below $2000 for cpu, mb, ram, gpu, ssd and monitor, I would definitely forget about the very latest gen of all components. There is always a big price gap between the very best and the models just below for a not so high performance gain.

Hence my suggestion of choosing an Intel X700K cpu, but not the latest, and a 1080, instead of a 1080ti.

Note also that in order to decently overclock your cpu (which is one of the biggest gain you can get in DCS), you'll need a decent cooler.

[Cibit]

My PC was a lot cheaper than 2000$ and runs in 2d 1920x1200 @180 fps without V sync

And the coffee lake i5 and i7 are both Hex core. Of which DCS seems to like a lot :)

Play around on PC part picker

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/

 

And don't skimp on your PSU :thumbup:

[BitMaster]

8700k 32gb 1080ti z370 nvme = done

[Demon_]

On the budget? 8600K, 16GB, Samsung 250GB NVMe, 1080.

Gigabytes Z370 AORUS Gaming 5 or Ultra Gaming, Asus Prime Z370-A.

Seasonic FOCUS Plus Gold 750w (10 years).

 

At 1.94Ghz: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/kzwqqs/gigabyte-geforce-gtx-1080-8gb-aorus-xtreme-edition-video-card-gv-n1080aorus-x-8gd

Edited February 5, 2018 by Demon_

[D.Va]

I'm going to write a computer guide for everyone upgrading, but maybe not before this weekend.

Anyway, you'll want something along the lines of:

Case: personal preference. I recommend a quiet one!

Motherboard: Any that matches your processor, don't overspend here!

Processor: i5-8600K

Memory: 8GB RAM (yeah, it's enough)

Graphics card: as expensive as you can afford!

Storage: Samsung 860 EVO 500GB

Optical: if you want an optical drive (aka CD/DVD), get any

Power supply unit: any that supports your CPU/GPU, don't overspend here!

Additional cooling: none!

Operating system: Windows 10 64-bit

 

These are the 10 components of a computer.

 

All of this, excluding graphics card, should go for less than £1000. In other words, your budget is a lot of money and I would spend that money on a 4K monitor (500€-ish) and 1080 or 1080 Ti card (500€-ish).

 

Regarding monitors, you will have to choose 60 Hz with higher quality image or 120/144 Hz with lower quality image.

Edited February 7, 2018 by D.Va

[MegOhm_SD]

There are decent prices in the $800s (USD) for 1080ti cards on the evga website. U have to ask for notification for one.

Actually, the same price I paid for mine last summer. If I were considering a 1080, I would definitely spend a couple of hundred more and get a ti.

 

https://www.evga.com/products/productlist.aspx?type=0&family=GeForce+10+Series+Family&chipset=GTX+1080+Ti

 

Scroll down past the King Pins and Hydro Copper, unless that is what you want.

 

My system, which is coming up on 5 Years old (except for the 1080ti), runs DCS with everything maxed out. This has been true with all DCS Versions since I built the system including with my previous card which was the R9 295X2.

 

Man that card sold on ebay the day I listed it. Miners...Lol!

Edited February 7, 2018 by MegOhm_SD

[BitMaster]

D.Va,

 

have you ever played DCS online ?

 

8GB is the BARE MINIMUM and won't get you far in DCS's everyday use.

 

We can argue about 16+GB yes or no, but 8GB is a bad advice, sorry to say so.

 

 

I had lots of screenshots posted here with "old" 1.5.x and it already consumed no less than 10-14GB when playing on well visited servers, and this is common knowledge, no need to argue about that 8GB, honestly, this is plain wrong.

 

If you give advice, do it properly :book:

[dax]

D.Va,

 

have you ever played DCS online ?

 

8GB is the BARE MINIMUM and won't get you far in DCS's everyday use.

 

We can argue about 16+GB yes or no, but 8GB is a bad advice, sorry to say so.

 

 

I had lots of screenshots posted here with "old" 1.5.x and it already consumed no less than 10-14GB when playing on well visited servers, and this is common knowledge, no need to argue about that 8GB, honestly, this is plain wrong.

 

If you give advice, do it properly :book:

I agree.

I would definitely not go below 16Gb...

 

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

[Gearbox]

Processor: i5-8600K

Memory: 8GB RAM (yeah, it's enough)

Storage: Samsung 860 EVO 500GB

Optical: if you want an optical drive (aka CD/DVD), get any

Power supply unit: any that supports your CPU/GPU, don't overspend here!

Additional cooling: none!

Regarding monitors, you will have to choose 60 Hz with higher quality image or 120/144 Hz with lower quality image.

 

A couple comments:

You need an additional cooler for that processor, the K models don't come with a stock heat sink anymore, I assume to save money because they expect you to OC it and use a fancy aftermarket one.

 

8GB is not enough for a modern computer for any purpose IMO, and we have been seeing reports of DCS 2.5 using a lot of RAM.

 

Optical drive: I bet you have an old PC you can pull it from.

 

Power supply: a fancy one could save you money in the long run if you live in an area with expensive power. Breakdown of the math here: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/327742-28-80plus-bronze-silver-gold-platinum

 

Monitors are a tradeoff. For business desktop work I always recommend nice IPS panel monitors that are 60Hz and have excellent color fidelity at all angles. For gaming you will often see ghosting on these though because of the high pixel transition time. Gaming monitors generally use TN panels and have much faster pixel transition times even if they are only capable of 60Hz, but have lower total color gamut and can look bad at high angles (though this has improved a lot in the last few years). Most gaming monitors can do 120 or even 144Hz now though, and the difference is definitely noticeable. Monitors are also very durable and become obsolete more slowly than other components, so spending a little extra is justified. As I type this at my office I'm using a Samsung IPS monitor that I bought in 2006 that still looks fantastic.

[JG3Siggi]

I'm running on a pretty dated system but with high settings and 2560 x 1600 (30" monitor) I find it pretty decent. 2500k, 8GB 1600mhz RAM and a GTX 780 Classified I get around 45fps above 1000m altitude (x4 109s vs x2 Spits) and not seen it go lower than 28fps on the deck over lots of trees and buildings (Normandy).

 

So I'm thinking another 8GB of RAM and a GTX 1060 should do it.

Edited February 7, 2018 by JG3~Siggi

[Demon_]

In term of GPU performance, the x70 serie of the new generation is similar (it's almost the same GPU) to the x80 serie of the older one. Then, GTX780 to GTX970 to GTX1060. Almost the same performance (fps), but you will have more Vram.

 

Is that true?

Edited February 8, 2018 by Demon_