DCS PC Part Compatibility

1. CPU- dont go by branding. Both AMD and Intel are both good, but really depends heavily on budget/are you playing any other game/using your PC for any other use(video editing for example). But generally DCS only use 2 threads. So if you're mainly constrained by budget the Ryzen 3 3300X is a good option and more than capable. Otherwise you'll want an overclockable Intel CPU such as the i5-10600K but only if you are comfortable with overclocking.

2. GPU wise I'll say depends on your budget. a GTX 1660 super will get you started for VR but it's a case of pay more you get more. AMD wise, that means we're looking at RX5600XT and above

3. as far as I can tell it can be used with Occulus, vive, Windows mixed reality based VR headsets. Chances are, the valve index should work too. So again depends on your budget

Dcs runs on a single core so for CPU anything with a really high per core clock. (Amd processors rely more on core count than pure power generally) I’m running a 1660 super with a rift s and it’s not pretty, vram is always maxed and it’ll never look good, so if you’ve got the budget and are fully intending on going the vr route you will want to get the most powerful card you can get your hands on. An nvme/sad drive will make your dcs much more enjoyable, after upgrading to an M.2 nvme I can load into sp missions before I can find my phone. In terms of ram you’re looking at 32gbs of solid speed ram if you’re planning on multiplayer, but regardless you’ll get stutters. For headset recommendations most people recommend the index or new reverb, the index (because of its flexible motion smoothing) can apparently achieve smooth frames much more easily than us oculus users. Hp reverb seems to be what most people who run top of the line set ups are moving to due to its high resolution and FOV, but of course you need the pc power to back. Regardless of hardware dcs Vr just will not run perfectly, of no fault of the user or hardware just because dcs wasn’t programmed with it in mind. Hopefully with future updates it’ll get better but even with all that said it’s a hell of a lot of fun. Good luck!

Edit: with the right hardware the rift s can push out a very clear image and it’s not a bad choice for a mid tier hmd but you’ll probably be happier in the end if you spend some on head tracking save up for a better hmd. This is all based on my experience so sorry if some of it doesn’t apply, and sorry for the text wall lol

DCS is a very unoptimized game so whatever you know about benchmarks and AAA game performance, put it aside. That being said, the game doesn't have a lot of benchmarks and the people that do dive into it are Intel users.....because the game is single -core driven and Intel wins in that department, hands down. This game is sooooo poorly optimized that people with i9's, 2080ti and 32 GB of RAM sometimes get 45 fps for no reason. So, lower your expectations heading into this game (it's not your fault, the devs of this game are slow in implementing the latest and greatest systems and mostly just rely on small patches every week to make things work - which sometimes breaks everything). I am a wiki contributor about this exact matter hence I spent about 5 months just researching a good build for DCS and I hear people say that if you want to build a PC for DCS, go big or expect a subpar game.

In layman's terms, this game has 2 premises, and it's up to you to decide how to go about that: With VR in mind or without VR (or just Track IR).

If you have VR in mind, don't cheap out. Go big or expect a subpar game. Here are my minimum recommended specs for a good VR DCS build:

1. 32 gb ram, overclocked. if ryzen, then 3200mhz. With intel, you can be flexible. CL16 and up.

2. 1080ti and up. Or 2070 Super and up. Or 5700 and up (preferrably XT). The trick is the VRAM; the higher the better.

3. Any CPU that can pump out 4.7 Ghz at least while stable (every core). If you go with a Ryzen, 3700x and up. For intel, the i5 9600k can do that with a good cooler.

4. Last but not least, it's more about a Radeon graphics card; I heard that sometimes a bad PSU will cause the GPU to crash and enter a bootloop. Get 80+ Gold PSU. I recommend Seasonic or Corsair RM series.

5. Game needs to be on an SSD otherwise, it's lag-a-licious!

But without VR or just Track IR in mind:

You can go cheap. I recommend that you get more monitors or get a large size monitor or ones that curve.

1. 32 gb is still recommended (for heavy missions) or MP

2. You can make due with even a GTX 1660 or higher.

3. The 2700x or higher. Overclocking will give you an extra safety margin for sure.

4. Game still needs to be on an SSD.

It's going to change once Vulkan is implemented. It might months, maybe years, but still if you're planning on a build today, you should consider this fact.

If it was me, I'd wait for Nvidia's new gen. GPUs before deciding.