Question DCS Flight Sim build $1200. Who is up for the challenge?

[ffr2608]

Hey guys,
I FINALLY scraped the money together and could use some help with a build. I know the budget is low but figured someone would be up to the challenge. DCS is still running old architecture and works best using single threading so most are suggesting to spend more on the GPU and RAM. It is apparently a VRAM hog. I am not planning on running VR and was told DCS does not use Raytracing. I still get decent frames on a GTX970 (singleplayer) but have lost the ability to stay in online matches...
Thanks again....

Requirements:
Intel or AMD is fine
64GB of DDR4 required
Black case
6 additional USB's (PCI-e???)

 

[Lutfij]

I FINALLY scraped the money together and could use some help with a build. I know the budget is low but figured someone would be up to the challenge.
You have a thread of the same topic/nature from last year;

Build Advice - PC build for DCS Flight Sim ?

Guys I could use some help with the PC part picker list. My budget is right around 2K but would love to be a bit under. Not planning on a VR rig so I was told to look at the AMD stuff. It's been a while since I did a build (GTX 970) so I could use some advice. This shopping list was from...

forums.tomshardware.com

Save for the GPU now in 2025, the rest of the builds suggested there are actually good and will last you a long while.

 

[ffr2608]

That is my previous post but the budget has been cut.....Drastically...

 

[Eximo]

So basically best possible system only with a $1200 budget. Requirements for that game are pretty mild, so shouldn't be too much of a challenge. Alternative would be the RTX 3060 12GB.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700X 4.5 GHz 8-Core Processor ($273.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B650M Pro RS Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard ($120.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X5 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital WD_Black SN850X 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($139.00 @ iBUYPOWER)
Video Card: Gigabyte GAMING OC Radeon RX 7600 XT 16 GB Video Card ($314.99 @ B&H)
Case: DIYPC DIY-S07 ATX Mid Tower Case ($43.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 - TT Premium Edition 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $1186.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-01-31 14:51 EST-0500

 

[Eximo]

AM4 alternative, 4060 Ti (8GB) or an RX 6750 XT (12GB)

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D 3 GHz 8-Core Processor ($304.81 @ MemoryC)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming 4/ac ATX AM4 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital WD_Black SN850X 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($139.00 @ iBUYPOWER)
Video Card: MSI VENTUS 3X OC GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB Video Card ($399.00 @ B&H)
Case: DIYPC DIY-S07 ATX Mid Tower Case ($43.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 - TT Premium Edition 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $1191.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-01-31 14:53 EST-0500

 

[ffr2608]

AM4 alternative, 4060 Ti (8GB) or an RX 6750 XT (12GB)

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D 3 GHz 8-Core Processor ($304.81 @ MemoryC)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming 4/ac ATX AM4 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital WD_Black SN850X 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($139.00 @ iBUYPOWER)
Video Card: MSI VENTUS 3X OC GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB Video Card ($399.00 @ B&H)
Case: DIYPC DIY-S07 ATX Mid Tower Case ($43.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 - TT Premium Edition 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $1191.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-01-31 14:53 EST-0500

This is great Eximo. Can you recommend a slightly nicer case? I do need the large right panel (looking from the front) to be non vented for airflow as it rests tightly against my simulator cockpit. The main front panel can be mesh or glass.

 

[Eximo]

Nicer is a matter of taste.

This is a common recommendation from me. But it doesn't really come with enough fans, so the price is a bit misleading: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/zJWJ7P/phanteks-xt-pro-atx-mid-tower-case-ph-xt523p1-bk01

This is a popular chassis, also lacks included fans:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/bCYQzy/corsair-4000d-airflow-atx-mid-tower-case-cc-9011200-ww
Smaller version:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/NcRwrH/corsair-3000d-airflow-atx-mid-tower-case-cc-9011251-ww

Other popular chassis:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/RY4Ycf/nzxt-h5-flow-atx-mid-tower-case-cc-h51fb-01

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/QnD7YJ/fractal-design-pop-air-atx-mid-tower-case-fd-c-poa1a-02

These are popular for budget builds that like RGB fans, also regularly available in Europe:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/2MwmP6/montech-air-903-max-atx-mid-tower-case-air-903-max-b

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/HRH7YJ/montech-x3-mesh-atx-mid-tower-case-x3-mesh-black

non RGB options:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/kKcgXL/montech-air-903-base-atx-mid-tower-case-air-903-base-b

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Bcprxr/zalman-s2-atx-mid-tower-case-s2

 

[logainofhades]

AM4 build.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D 3 GHz 8-Core Processor ($260.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B550 GAMING X V2 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper Steel 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Inland Performance Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Hellhound OC Radeon RX 7700 XT 12 GB Video Card ($419.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Montech AIR 903 MAX ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.97 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 - TT Premium Edition 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1204.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-02-03 10:50 EST-0500


LGA 1700 Build

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-12700K 3.6 GHz 12-Core Processor ($194.98 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z790 S WIFI DDR4 (rev. 1.0) ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($126.27 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper Steel 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Inland Performance Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Hellhound OC Radeon RX 7700 XT 12 GB Video Card ($419.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Montech AIR 903 MAX ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.97 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 - TT Premium Edition 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1156.08
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-02-03 10:54 EST-0500
Faster GPU, less storage LGA 1700.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-12700K 3.6 GHz 12-Core Processor ($194.98 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z790 S WIFI DDR4 (rev. 1.0) ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($126.27 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper Steel 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Inland Performance Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($71.98 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Speedster QICK 319 Core Radeon RX 7800 XT 16 GB Video Card ($489.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Montech AIR 903 MAX ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.97 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 - TT Premium Edition 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1168.07
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-02-03 10:56 EST-0500

AM4, faster GPU, less storage.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D 3 GHz 8-Core Processor ($260.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B550 GAMING X V2 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper Steel 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Inland Performance Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($71.98 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Speedster QICK 319 Core Radeon RX 7800 XT 16 GB Video Card ($489.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Montech AIR 903 MAX ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.97 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 - TT Premium Edition 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1216.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-02-03 10:57 EST-0500

 

[geofelt]

What is the make/model of the parts you are now using?
To save some, plan on re using what you can.
Do you have a link to the requirements for dcs?

 

[helper800]

Personally, this is how I would do this build. The 7500F has to be ordered from Aliexpress, however, for the price it is very hard to beat to get into the AM5 socket while providing suitable performance.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7500F 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor ($144.00)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($35.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B650 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper Venom 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6400 CL32 Memory ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Inland Performance Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($71.98 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Speedster QICK 319 Core Radeon RX 7800 XT 16 GB Video Card ($489.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT H7 Flow (2022) ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ NZXT)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 TT Premium 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1191.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-02-03 14:06 EST-0500

 

[helper800]

AM4 build.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D 3 GHz 8-Core Processor ($260.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B550 GAMING X V2 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper Steel 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Inland Performance Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Hellhound OC Radeon RX 7700 XT 12 GB Video Card ($419.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Montech AIR 903 MAX ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.97 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 - TT Premium Edition 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1204.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-02-03 10:50 EST-0500


LGA 1700 Build

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-12700K 3.6 GHz 12-Core Processor ($194.98 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z790 S WIFI DDR4 (rev. 1.0) ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($126.27 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper Steel 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Inland Performance Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Hellhound OC Radeon RX 7700 XT 12 GB Video Card ($419.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Montech AIR 903 MAX ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.97 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 - TT Premium Edition 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1156.08
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-02-03 10:54 EST-0500
Faster GPU, less storage LGA 1700.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-12700K 3.6 GHz 12-Core Processor ($194.98 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z790 S WIFI DDR4 (rev. 1.0) ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($126.27 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper Steel 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Inland Performance Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($71.98 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Speedster QICK 319 Core Radeon RX 7800 XT 16 GB Video Card ($489.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Montech AIR 903 MAX ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.97 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 - TT Premium Edition 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1168.07
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-02-03 10:56 EST-0500

AM4, faster GPU, less storage.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D 3 GHz 8-Core Processor ($260.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B550 GAMING X V2 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper Steel 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Inland Performance Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($71.98 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Speedster QICK 319 Core Radeon RX 7800 XT 16 GB Video Card ($489.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Montech AIR 903 MAX ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.97 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 - TT Premium Edition 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1216.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-02-03 10:57 EST-0500

I very much recommend against getting the thermaltake GF A3 PSU's because the GF3 are made better for a similar price. The GF A3's main cap is Japanese while the rest are the typical lower quality components. The GF3 has 100% Japanese caps which leads to less ripple and more stability in testing.