Simulation / VR Specification

[snaggletooth]

Hi everyone.

I currently have the below order in as of 22 May, but I find myself wondering if this is either too much or not enough! I've well versed in computer architecture - ie how it all goes together and am confident adding and pulling parts in the years to come - but beyond my son's older gaming PC (AMD Athlon X4 880K, 16GB, 500GB SSD, GTX 1050Ti), I really do not know what is needed and I would like this to be as future-proof as can reasonable be expected. The last machine I bought for myself was a MacBook Pro in 2012, I specced it to the eyeballs and it's still performing strongly today.

My requirements for gaming are almost exclusively on the simulation side: DCS World, MS Flight Sim 2020 when it launches, BeamNG and similar. I would like to get into VR for DCS World with a headset, perhaps Oculus, in due course but initially would look to connect the PC to my older Apple LED Cinema Display. Would this be OK? I'm aware I will need a Mini DisplayPort to Display Port adapter.

One other thing I am looking for is a quiet PC. I have been a Mac user for many years and obviously these are mostly whisper quiet unless they are doing something seriously intensive.

Would this same spec on a Liquid Series OC machine for a slight cost bump (another £100 or so) be beneficial?

Here is the spec:


Case
FRACTAL MESHIFY S2 BLACKOUT TEMPERED GLASS
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 10 Core Processor i9-10900X (3.7GHz) 19.25MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X299-E GAMING II: ATX, USB 3.2, SATA 6 GB/s, Wi-Fi AC - RGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
11GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2080 Ti - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 860 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100x Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [MUP-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 12 to 14 working days
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Logo Branding
PCSpecialist Logo
Price: £0.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-x299-pc/Sjaeq4cAKa/

 

[Stephen M]

I would cancel the order and go for an AMD build, the i9 is a poor CPU with thermal and security issues, the AMD Ryzens out-perform Intel in all departments.

 

[snaggletooth]

Thanks.

If I were to do this, and I'm sure there is plenty of time to do so, might you be able to suggest a suitable specification, or would an AMD high spec processor with similar overall spec be sufficient? Is there a benefit to the Liquid Series?

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thanks.

If I were to do this, and I'm sure there is plenty of time to do so, might you be able to suggest a suitable specification, or would an AMD high spec processor with similar overall spec be sufficient? Is there a benefit to the Liquid Series?

Liquid series up the price significantly and brings in it's own complications for very little benefit outside of very niche use cases like Big Data Analysis or always on rendering workstations. Plus they take regular maintenance.

As an AMD alternative which would perform significantly better (you didn't post your initial build cost so just built a top tier build):

Case
FRACTAL MESHIFY S2 BLACKOUT TEMPERED GLASS Superb case, really good choice
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 12 Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.6GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4) Equivalent single threaded performance but significantly better multithreaded which Sims make use of
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - RGB Ready! Excellent board with PCIe4
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
11GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2080 Ti - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 5000MB/R, 4400MB/W) 10 times faster main drive, you should consider a secondary drive also, this isn't a lot of space
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET Semi passive PSU, fans only come on when under extreme load, so quieter, also helps with airflow inside the case
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i RGB PLATINUM Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler Top tier cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING Not required as cooler comes pre applied with high quality paste
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0 Modern wifi card
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001] Pretty certain you don't need pro, it's not like previous versions which added features, only allows you to join a domain.
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) Increases return to base for £5
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 12 to 14 working days

Price: £2,784.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/6vqw8WmZJJ/

 

[snaggletooth]

Thanks for your comments. I was considering more storage but I can always add this at a later date via either internal SSD or USB if it's passive storage, at least that was my initial thoughts.

Regarding cost, that's about £200 less than the original Intel spec at £2956.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thanks for your comments. I was considering more storage but I can always add this at a later date via either internal SSD or USB if it's passive storage, at least that was my initial thoughts.

Regarding cost, that's about £200 less than the original Intel spec at £2956.

It's far better than the Intel as well, significantly better

Yes, you can add storage as you like. PCS have an open chassis policy so you can add or make amendments as you wish so long as you don't do any damage in the process and your warrantly is still fully in place.

 

[snaggletooth]

Good to know; thanks once again. I think I'll go ahead and make the changes you have recommended.

Much appreciated.

 

[Scott]

The system suggested above is bang on what I would suggest too. To add to the storage angle, I would personally choose the 500GB evo as the primary M2 drive and select a 1TB Firecuda as a second M2 drive. The second drive would house all sim installs & games etc, leaving the 500Gb drive as the system drive and holding any programs, current files, etc. The main benefit for this, something that I do often, is that you can then wipe your system drive at will without having to worry about your game installs. Even copying them over is a huge chore and uses up a TON of writes.

It's a shame the Firecuda 500GB isn't as fast as the Evo in writes. It seems they missed a trick to me. The evo would be redundant if they were on par with the 1TB drives.

 

[snaggletooth]

I went with the additional drive in the end; thanks for that.

One thing I don't think anyone touched on was my monitor setup. I've an aging Apple 27" LED Cinema Display which will connect via an adapter, but is this going to be sufficient with this kind of graphics card or will I need something with a higher refresh rate?

 

[SpyderTracks]

I went with the additional drive in the end; thanks for that.

One thing I don't think anyone touched on was my monitor setup. I've an aging Apple 27" LED Cinema Display which will connect via an adapter, but is this going to be sufficient with this kind of graphics card or will I need something with a higher refresh rate?

An Apple display is not a gaming display so it's going to be very limited in gaming performance, they're really for designers.

You've got a perfect GPU for 1440p superwide which is the ultimate exprerience for both gaming and productivity.

All depends on your budget for the monitor though as they range enormously in price.

 

[snaggletooth]

Budget isn't really an issue, but out of preference alone it would be three figures. I figure I can sell the LED display for £350-450 given their current price range on the usual sites, so that could fund a large part, if not all of it. Needs to be 27" minimum, and have both HDMI for my Macbook connectivity, and DP for the new PC - and be height adjustable. Other than that I am very open to your recommendations.

 

[snaggletooth]

I bought a Pixio PX7 Prime 27" in the end, now hanging off a monitor stand bolted to the desk; gave the LED Cinema display to my son and have the Pixio hooked up to my Mac via HDMI, with DP available for when the new PC arrives.

Thanks for your help.