new player – need advice for PC to run BoS VR

[jumento]

Hello all,

 

I've been lurking in the forums for a while now... this seems like a GREAT community. Can't wait to play IL2!

 

I've been a mac user since the 80's, so I don't know the PC world at all. I'm hoping to get some advice on a PC specifically for BoS VR. Here's what I'm looking at:

 

ALIENWARE AURORA

Intel® Core™ i7 8086K (6-Core/12-Thread, 12MB Cache, up to 5GHz w/ Intel® Turbo Boost Technology)

Windows 10 Pro

NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1080 Ti with 11GB GDDR5X

16GB Dual Channel DDR4 at 2666MHz

M.2 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD (Boot) + 1TB 7200RPM SATA (Storage)

Alienware™ 850 Watt Multi-GPU Approved Power Supply with High Performance Liquid Cooling

Qualcomm DW1810 1x1 802.11ac Wi-Fi Wireless LAN and Bluetooth 4.1

 

Please let me know if this would work.

 

thanks in advance!

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

That PC would be very good, but not quite the best. 

 

Il-2 VR is CPU-bound. Maximizing single-thread CPU performance is the key. The 8086K is great in that respect. Comparisons with the new 9th gen chips will largely depend on overclocking. 

 

Unfortunately, the 2666 MHz memory is rather low-end. It’s better to be at something like 3200 MHz CL15 if you’re looking for a small performance increase.

 

The 1080 Ti is still an excellent alternative to the 2080 or 2080 Ti. GPU importance really depends on the VR device you plan to use.

[jumento]

33 minutes ago, Mitthrawnuruodo said:

That PC would be very good, but not quite the best. 

 

Il-2 VR is CPU-bound. Maximizing single-thread CPU performance is the key. The 8086K is great in that respect. Comparisons with the new 9th gen chips will largely depend on overclocking. 

 

Unfortunately, the 2666 MHz memory is rather low-end. It’s better to be at something like 3200 MHz CL15 if you’re looking for a small performance increase.

 

The 1080 Ti is still an excellent alternative to the 2080 or 2080 Ti. GPU importance really depends on the VR device you plan to use.

 

thanks! I'll definitely upgrade the ram.

 

not sure what VR device I'm going to go with... with this setup, which would work best?

[jumento]

6 hours ago, Mitthrawnuruodo said:

Unfortunately, the 2666 MHz memory is rather low-end. It’s better to be at something like 3200 MHz CL15 if you’re looking for a small performance increase.

 

should I get even faster ram? 3600MHz? is that worth the extra cost? would it work in this machine?

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

1 hour ago, jumento said:

 

should I get even faster ram? 3600MHz? is that worth the extra cost? would it work in this machine?

What latency with the 3600 MHz? If it's CL 16 or lower, then yes, it would be better. If not, then the 3200 MHz CL 15 would be better. 

 

Regardless, memory suffers from diminishing returns as you go faster. Extremely fast kits will be expensive for a very small performance gain over a solid 3200 MHz setup.

 

 

[jumento]

7 hours ago, Mitthrawnuruodo said:

What latency with the 3600 MHz? If it's CL 16 or lower, then yes, it would be better. If not, then the 3200 MHz CL 15 would be better. 

 

Regardless, memory suffers from diminishing returns as you go faster. Extremely fast kits will be expensive for a very small performance gain over a solid 3200 MHz setup.

 

 

 

got it, thanks again!

 

[jumento]

17 hours ago, Mitthrawnuruodo said:

 

That PC would be very good, but not quite the best. 

 

 

is there some other pre-built option for $2500 that would be better for IL2?

[spitfirejoe]

I use ONLY VR in IL-2 and I am addicted to it.

I use an i7-8700k with 32Gb DDR4 Ram, Z370 Gaming Motherboard and an 1080Ti. I use an Oculus Rift and am happy with the Hardware so far.

I Play on highest Graphic Settings ingame with most on ULTRA and 4k Textures and I am getting a very smooth VR experience.

The Advantage of the Rift is that Oculus Software enables ASW ( Asynchronus Space Warp ) with which you get also a smooth VR experience even when FPS Drops down to 45.

Thanks to ASW even 45 FPS work fine in the Rift for me, just below does not anymore.

Edited October 26, 2018 by spitfirejoe

[jumento]

5 minutes ago, spitfirejoe said:

I use ONLY VR in IL-2 and I am addicted to it.

I use an i7-8700k with 32Gb DDR4 Ram, 370Z Gaming Motherboard and an 1080Ti. I use an Oculus Rift and am happy with the Hardware so far.

I Play on highest Graphic Settings ingame with most on ULTRA and 4k Textures and I am getting a very smooth VR experience.

The Advantage of the Rift is that Oculus Software enables ASW ( Asynchronus Space Warp ) with which you get also a smooth VR experience even when FPS Drops down to 45.

Thanks to ASW even 45 FPS work fine in the Rift for me, just below does not anymore.

 

thanks so much for the insights... I need to find out what motherboard is on the system I'm looking at!

[spitfirejoe]

I am also new to PC gaming, this July I bought my PC System as described above for the special pupose to do PC Sim Racing and playing IL-2, ALL in VR.

I do Sim Racing in VR ONLY aswell. Once VR....always VR for me. Even with the smaller Field of View and ScreenDoor Effect and lower Resolution inside the Rift......the immersion in VR "being inside the Cockpit" of a warbird or a racing car just wins over a 2D Screen. Immersion is key and even the 4k resolution and nicer graphics on my 4k TV does not deliver for me anymore.

 

VR has a great future for sure, but I found out for myself that VR needs a lot lot lot lot PC power and the better the PC Hardware the better. I have tried the Vive Pro with my system and I found out that it did not work that good even with my good hardware specs, the rift works better for me. I skip the PIMAX 5k plus or 8k, because such HMD´s need way tooooooo much PC power to run smooth and good. For my opinion there is NO GPU available right NOW ( even NOT an RTX-2080Ti ) which is capable to operate the new Pimax HMD´s as it should be, you need to put down the graphics settings ingame and the field of view too much, which would destroy the joy for me personally too much.

So MY OWN PERSONAL conclusion is.....real great VR ( huge field of view, ultra high resolution and no screen door effect ) with Ultra or high ingame graphics Settings in NOT possible with any PC Hardware available on the market NOW. Due to that I will keep my System and wait untill the next or next plus 1 NVIDIA GPU Generation and I am waiting for the Oculus Rift 2.

 

So, jumento.....for yourself you also have to decide which HMD you want to buy!? I have tried the HTC Vive Pro and for me it did NOT deliver at all, I returned it and got the Rift and I am happy for now untill the Rift 2 will be available, PIMAX is NO option for me......I personally hate the Lighthouse System, I had the new Lighthouse 2.0 system and it was crap compared to the Oculus cameras.

HTC was crap, installing and setting up the Oculus Rift is just a dream and pure joy, everything runs smooth from the start without any trouble.......you don´t wanna know how much trouble I had to setup the Vive Pro with Lighthouse 2.0 System ( it NEVER worked ). 

Edited October 26, 2018 by spitfirejoe

[jumento]

4 minutes ago, spitfirejoe said:

I am also new to PC gaming, this July I bought my PC System as described above for the special pupose to do PC Sim Racing and playing IL-2, ALL in VR.

I do Sim Racing in VR ONLY aswell. Once VR....always VR for me. Even with the smaller Field of View and ScreenDoor Effect and lower Resolution inside the Rift......the immersion in VR "being inside the Cockpit" of a warbird or a racing car just wins over a 2D Screen. Immersion is key and even the 4k Resolution and nicer graphics on my 4k TV does not deliver for me anymore.

 

VR has a great future for sure, but I found out for myself that VR needs a a lot lot lot lot PC power and the better the PC Hardware the better. I have tried the Vive Pro with my System and I found out that it did not work that good even with my good System, the rift works better for me. I skip the PIMAX 5k plus or 8k, because such HMD´s Need tooooooo much PC power to run smooth and good. For my opinion the is NO GPU ( even NOT an RTX-2080Ti ) which is capable to operate the new Pimax HMD´s as it should be, you need to put down the graphics settings ingame and the field of view too much, which would destroy the joy for me personally too much.

So MY OWN PERSONAL conclusion is.....real great VR ( huge field of view, ultra high resolution and no screen door effect ) with Ultra or high ingame graphics Settings in NOT possible with any PC Hardware available on the market NOW. Due to that I will keep my System and wait untill the next or next plus 1 NVIDIA GPU Generation and I am waiting for the Oculus Rift 2.

 

So, jumento.....for yourself you also have to decide which HMD you want to buy!? I have tried the HTC Vive Pro and for me it did NOT deliver at all, I returned it and got the Rift and I am happy for now untill the Rift 2 will be available, PIMAX is NO option for me......I personally hate the Lighthouse System, I had the new Lighthouse 2.0 system and it was crap compared to the Oculus cameras.

HTC was crap, installing and seting up Oculus is just an dream and pure joy, everything runs smooth from the start without any trouble.......you don´t wanna know how much trouble I had to Setup the Vive Pro with Lighthouse 2.0 System ( it NEVER worked ). 

 

I'm all about immersion and NOT hi-res images [although I look forward to having BOTH some day!]. thanks so much for the advice! I think the Rift is sounding better and better for me.

 

[dburne]

2 minutes ago, jumento said:

 

I'm all about immersion and NOT hi-res images [although I look forward to having BOTH some day!]. thanks so much for the advice! I think the Rift is sounding better and better for me.

 

 

 

Wise choice !

[spitfirejoe]

YES, get the RIFT for NOW. Believe me, I did a lot of Research about VR and PC Hardware and I am still doing, every day.

VR is a real passion for me since my 1st VR experience, which was with Playstation VR on my PS4 Pro.

If you buy exactly my system with a Rift I promise that you will have a very good VR experience with IL-2 BOX. I play it daily in VR for many hours, because I am really addicted very much.

 

VR is still at the beginning and in 2-3 years there will be much better HMD´s and PC Hardware available and then I will upgrade aswell! But NOT before.

On Youtube there are many Benchmark Videos available now with the new PIMAX HMD´s and the NVIDIA RTX-2080Ti and for me that combo is just not delivering when I see that for instance "sweviver" ( a youtuber ) is getting very low FPS numbers on medium or low graphics settings with a fully overclocked new High End PC ( i7-8700k and RTX-2080Ti ). The german VR youtuber "VoodooDE" was so crazy to use 2 RTX-1080Ti as SLI with PIMAX 5k and 8k and found out that he got only 3-5 FPS more!!!! 

Others may see that different, I do the way I do and I have some experience with VR now and I have learned my lesson.

Edited October 26, 2018 by spitfirejoe

[jumento]

9 minutes ago, spitfirejoe said:

 

If you buy exactly my system with a Rift I promise that you will have a very good VR experience with IL-2 BOX. 

 

 

is the system I'm looking at close enough to yours? I need to call and find out what motherboard I'd be buying but the other numbers seem 'close enough' [reminder: I'm a mac guy... so, all these PC details are very foreign to me!]

[spitfirejoe]

Yes, the System is good. 

I would go for 32Gb DDR4 Ram and an i7-8700k as I have. The Z370 is a great gaming Motherboard, you could also go for a Z390 if you like.

The 1080Ti is a must have for VR and the best buy for buck right now, since the new RTX GPU´s still have a lot of trouble. There are many defective, I know 1 personally with a brandnew defective RTX-2080Ti and dealing directly with a very bad customer support of NVIDIA, he is so pissed......he will go back to the 1080Ti. Besides, the 2080Ti  just doesn´t deliver for the high price, not worth the money

Go online on YouTube and check out the new Benchmarks of "swevier" and you will find out what I mean.

Edited October 26, 2018 by spitfirejoe

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

5 hours ago, spitfirejoe said:

I would go for 32Gb DDR4 Ram and an i7-8700k as I have.

There is no reason to buy 32 GB of RAM for Il-2; 16 GB is more than enough. What matters is fast RAM. 

 

5 hours ago, jumento said:

is the system I'm looking at close enough to yours? I need to call and find out what motherboard I'd be buying but the other numbers seem 'close enough' [reminder: I'm a mac guy... so, all these PC details are very foreign to me!]

The recipe for the best VR experience in Il-2 is simple.

• CPU with highest single-thread performance, i.e., any unlocked 8th or 9th generation Intel CPU around 5 GHz (likely through overclocking).
• Fast RAM with low latency, e.g., 3200 MHz CL 15 or better.
• Top-tier GPU, i.e., 1080 Ti, 2080, or 2080 Ti.

Other stuff is largely tangential. The benchmarks make this clear.

Edited October 27, 2018 by Mitthrawnuruodo

[jumento]

2 hours ago, Mitthrawnuruodo said:

There is no reason to buy 32 GB of RAM for Il-2; 16 GB is more than enough. What matters is fast RAM. 

 

The recipe for the best VR experience in Il-2 is simple.

•  CPU with highest single-thread performance, i.e., any unlocked 8th or 9th generation Intel CPU around 5 GHz (likely through overclocking).
• Fast RAM with low latency, e.g., 3200 MHz CL 15 or better.
• Top-tier GPU, i.e., 1080 Ti, 2080, or 2080 Ti.

Other stuff is largely tangential. The benchmarks make this clear.

 

nice and simple, I love it. thanks!

 

what makes a motherboard good/bad for gaming?

 

I put this parts list together for a build but I don't know which Z370 mobo to choose: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/CcGjsZ

 

I don't know if I should live with the stock ALIENWARE AURORA [listed above – with who knows what mobo] or build my own... I'm currently leaning toward building my own. it seems a lot more fun/satisfying.

Edited October 27, 2018 by jumento

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

45 minutes ago, jumento said:

what makes a motherboard good/bad for gaming?

Assuming that it's a Z370 board with all the features you want, e.g., number of USB ports or expansion slots, the differences are minor. The motherboard won't really affect gaming performance.

 

Extreme overclocking is one exception. The design of the VRMs that supply voltage to the CPU affects your ability to keep the CPU stable at the very edge of its envelope. If you're not into that kind of tweaking, any Z370 motherboard with the features you like will be great.

 

57 minutes ago, jumento said:

I'm currently leaning toward building my own. it seems a lot more fun/satisfying.

It certainly is. Quite addicting, in fact. Besides, you can hand-pick quality components to know exactly what to expect. Furthermore, future upgrades are easier if you're already familiar with the internals of your PC. Sometimes, you can even save money by prioritizing only the components that really matter.

[jumento]

is there a Z370 board that players regard as 'best' for IL2? or better than most?

[Alonzo]

17 minutes ago, jumento said:

is there a Z370 board that players regard as 'best' for IL2? or better than most?

 

You want one that does best CPU overclocking. So check the reviews of the board you're interested in, and see how it does for overclocking. Unfortunately some review sites don't go into much detail on overclocking; you might need to hunt around to find sites that have the info. When I was looking for a board I looked for a solid board that had lots of VRM power phases for smooth CPU power delivery. I think mine has 10 or 12 phase power on it. A lot of the cheaper boards don't have that. I would be looking to pay US$100-150 for a board most likely.

[jumento]

3 hours ago, Alonzo said:

 

You want one that does best CPU overclocking. So check the reviews of the board you're interested in, and see how it does for overclocking. Unfortunately some review sites don't go into much detail on overclocking; you might need to hunt around to find sites that have the info. When I was looking for a board I looked for a solid board that had lots of VRM power phases for smooth CPU power delivery. I think mine has 10 or 12 phase power on it. A lot of the cheaper boards don't have that. I would be looking to pay US$100-150 for a board most likely.

 

VRM power phases... got it. thanks for the tip!