Hi Guys... I know I could go over to the DCS forum and ask, but I also know most of you guys are very knowledgable on PC specs for running DCS.  My old gaming PC using Vista 64 and DDR2 memo MoBo is showing its age and well inline for an upgrade, and as the value of the pound is sliding... I thought I would upgrade before prices rocket skywards.

I have some existing gear that I think I can press-gang into use with the new upgrade gear...  i.e... 480Gb SSD, Corsair TX750 PSU, Blu-Ray DVD, Asus HD7950 (3Gb DDR5 @ 900Mhz) not sure if this GFX is still man enough, but thought I could upgrade the GFX later?  I also have a high quality Zalman server type case with three fans and room for more. Oh, I also have a 27" main monitor and a smaller side monitor...

Basically I think I need a new MoBO, CPU and 16Gb DDR4 memo... I have priced out the following upgrade for about £800 (Overclockers UK).  Does anyone think this is too expensive?

   Intel Core i7 6800K Broadwell-E CPU overclocked to 3.80GHz
   Asus X99-E Motherboard
  16GB of 2400MHz Team Group Memory DDR4
   Dark Rock Pro 3 High Performance CPU Cooler.

I have a Windows 7 (64) Pro OS disk from a low spec computer install I upgraded to W10 with the free M$ update; not sure if the Windows licence would still enable me to use it again on another install though?

What do you guys think... would the above items be a useful system for DCS or could you suggest any alternatives in a similar price bracket...?  Also, any suggestions on an alternative UK supplier for a better deal?

My last gaming PC I built (from Overclockers UK) was several years ago... so my PC knowledge is well out of date!

Any advice appreciated...

Go with an Intel 6700k processor instead of the Broadwell E, thats more of a server chip than a gaming chip. Thats a socket 2011 IIRC. Itll work, but just get a 6700k and save the aggravation and money. Put it towards a new video card instead. The rest looks good.

Hi Utley... thanks, that's just the sort of advice I need. Both chips are Intel 6700k? Is the one you suggest the 'Haswell' type? I did notice in the blurb for the bundle that they mentioned a workstation... so this may not be the combination I need? Anyhow, will go back in the morning and check some more... I'm off't to bed now its gone 3am here in the UK Zzzzzzzz....

I have the 6700k Skylake, it is strictly a gaming chip. Socket 1151, 1150...those are the sockets made in the last 3 years or so that are strictly gaming platforms. The E in most 2011 chips are at an enterprise level, whereas the 1151ish chips are enthusiast grades. The only real difference between the chips are the amount of cores and clock speeds. You dont need a 12 core processor to run DCS maxed out, its just a waste of money.

My setup is Intel 6700k, 32gb DDR4 Gskill RipJaw, MSI z170a ACK9 Pro motherboard, 1000w EVGA psu, GTX1080 FE MSI and I spent over $1500 upgrading my last computer. You should look to do the exact same thing, but fit it inside your budget. A 6700k, any z170a motherboard, any DDR4 ram, and your choice of video card will be better than what you are looking at now on the simple fact that you're better off just getting a great video card instead.


Also, your Windows 10 upgrade is no longer an upgrade if you stayed with it. Your serial is tied to a Windows 10 disk, so before you upgrade you should look into just downloading Windows 10 and installing that instead of windows 7 AND THEN installing windows x.

Don't get suckered into buying a pre overclocked chip either, its a complete waste of money
https://www.scan.co.uk/products/asrock-z170-extreme4-intel-z170-s-1151-ddr4-satae-m2-atx-motherboard-with-intel-core-i5-6500-32ghz-q
This is 300+ £ loads of money left over for extra RAM and a new GPU and that will give good returns in DCS with the potential for a good overclock with a decent cooler

This is what I would seriously consider if I had to add a cooler option and wanted to pay 600+ pounds

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-maximus-viii-hero-intel-i7-6700k-cpu-corsair-16gb-ddr4-(3000oc)-ram-h115i-aio-water-cooler-diy-

Thanks again Utley and Cib... that has enlightened me no end on the hardware requirements. I will check out that www.scan.co.uk site Cib. I don't want a workstation server... so thanks for explaining the differences in hardware. I guess I will go for a new copy of Win10... I did upgrade a Win7 Low quality PC I use for internet browsing to the free Win10 update, but Windows would not allow the update with the Vista OS.

All these product numbers are a bit confusing for someone out of the upgrade loop. I used to build PC's years ago... but it does not take long for your knowledge to be useless if you don't keep abreast of progress; and we all know how quickly things change with PC's

Hi Cib, Utley... well, it looks like you both concur on the hardware I should get ^  So, I that settles that. I also compared the prices like for like between OC.UK and that company you recommended Cib... and their is a £200 difference in price (wot!), so thanks for the heads up on Scan Cib  

Can't thank you guys enough for taking the time to help me out here... without your advice I would no doubt be buying the wrong gear. The DCS Huey is worth every penny in my book.  I might be a crap pilot... but I will be giving it my best shot.

OK, I better scoot, I have to pick my granddaughter up from school...

Im not sure how much that setup Cib is in USD, but it looks fairly close to how much money I spent on my upgrades minus the video card. Itll work for sure, and it will be a kickass system even with a low end GTX10xx video card (or a high end GTX9xx). That kind of upgrade is almost future proof at under 1000 USD and will slightly be more if you plan on going VR. My next advice would be to get a GTX10xx card with a high onboard memory capacity. If you want to squeeze a little bit more money into your budget, you can always sell the older stuff you are replacing to someone who needs it more than you do.

Wow, Utley... I checked out the price of your GTX 1080 FE here in the UK...  it's almost the price of what I am intending to spend on the other upgrade items  so, that grade of GFX card will have to wait awhile... but hopefully the Mobo, CPU and memory will stand me in good stead for the moment... and then upgrade the GFX card later.  The pace of PC upgrades is frightening; still, if you want to run software like DCS its the price/penalty you have to pay I suppose. I have also read your opinion of the VR stuff and as I have impaired vision... I will wait awhile until they have improved the resolution; quite happy with the monitor system at the moment.

I will see how my HD7950 (900Mhz) 3Gb DDR5 holds up, if it is really dragging the other gear down, then I will have to shell out some more as soon as I can.  I am retired now and on a fixed income... so I have to watch the penny's
Later....

You dont need a 1080, a 1070 or a 1060 would be just as good for DCS.

Thanks Utley... just checked out 1060 range, looks like a step up on my HD7950 and runs at a 50% increase in speed...
Blimey, PC upgrades are worse than HiFi stuff I used to chase LOL

JUst going on-line, hoping to catch up with Cib...

Ill chime in the like the others and say the 6700k is great value not only for DCS but for pure CPU grunt as well (ie FSX, Prepar3d and other games). One thing to note is that being an enthusiast/performance chip it doesn't come with a fan and what ever you choose will normally be a fair bit bigger (might need to take into account depending on your case). For $30 US a decent fan can be had letting you hit 4.4GHz fairly easily.

from another site wrote:The 3 mentioned cpu aircoolers are the all good, actually exceptional air coolers for the money.
Cryorig H7, Noctua NH-14 and Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo - take a pick, it´s just preferences really.
Personally I´m using 212 Evo, which is an awesome cooler, with the option to add another fan for even more cooling.

I personally use a Thermaltake Nic F4 which is a little old and even in the middle of summer run 4.2GHz on a 6600k without having to really push the voltages.

Motherboard wise I have the Asus Z170 Pro gaming, again a great balance between cost and features.

Ram - make sure your 16GB is 2 sticks of 8GB to help future proof the move to 32GB :O

With regards to the GPU, its fine for DCS at 1080p resolution; As long as you dont crank all the settings to super high Nevada is awesome (I have the r9 280 which is effectively the same GPU). Out in the desert i get around 90fps and in the middle of vegas I get 40-60fps depending on altitude (this was a few months ago so im not sure how well the map is running these days).

All up go with at least the CPU, ram and mobo as that will still get you a great performance jump. As others have said a 10X0 GPU would also give you a huge boost but you need the bones to run it first and if you dont have the money at the moment dont sweat it.

Thanks for chipping in Frenchy with some good points and confirming on the items already mentioned. You can't have too much information And I shall be glad to leave 10-15 FPS behind... the closer to the action and or ground I get the more the frame rate plummets! Strangely, this old PC still manages to run iRacing @ 80FPS plus... smaller virtual world I guess? I could use the old PC just for iRacing if I decide to save it and then stop sharing my cockpit between helo's and race cars

I hit 4.6ghz easy on my 6700k. After that I have to tweak the voltage a bit higher, but I can do that because my stuff is cooled with a Captain 360 radiator...and no I dont recommend it. Those Noctua fans are fairly big too, and I would highly suggest on keeping it as simple as possible. The Coolermaster EVo 212 is a damned good HSF, Ive had one for the longest time before I found my radiator. Dont expect to get high overclocks though since it is still air cooled after all...and honestly you dont have to overclock anyways.


Heres an upgrade I would recommend if money is important:
6700k Intel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117559&cm_re=6700k-_-19-117-559-_-Product

ASrock Fatal1ty
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157676

Corsair Vengeance 16gb DDR4
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233831

Coolermaster 212 EVO
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

EVGA GTX1070
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487265

All of this adds up to just over $1,000 USD, and im not sure what your budget is. I just pretended you will be reusing your old tower, optical drive, hard drives and power supply, but I would highly recommend getting an EVGA 1000w power supply for piece of mind. That video card is a great card for the price, but theres also better choices too and you can also downgrade to something cheaper too but at least current. Dont let the cost of the motherboard fool you - ASRock motherboards are awesome!

not sure if id go with an EVGA gfx card atm

Hardware Nvidia GTX 1080 & 1070 EVGA Cards Reportedly Catching Fire & Dying Due To Overheating VRMs

Thats a shame too, I never had problems with EVGA, but it seems their quality went downhill after the gtx970 release. MSI is still a good brand!

Hi Utley, Cib, all... new fast peddling gear on its way Taking your advice Utley, I will probably be ordering a GTX 1060 as well with a plan to upgrade later.