New DK2 user, prepping for day 1

[Spam]

Grreetings CMDRs.

I, probably like many other people around here, have just ordered a DK2. I'm about to spend a whole lot of time reading up about getting this thing configured as good as possible.
There is a huge amount of great info on these forums that I'm slowly getting through but would like to ask for some heads up (pun not intended) advice from the more experienced users.

First off I am now feeling a little nervous about my system itslef. Its more than fine for normal display gaming but Im now a bit unsure if I have enough oomph to run the DK2.

Basic rig:

i7 950 (watercooled) on an Asus PX58-D Mobo (a tad old school now but I'm stuck with it, its on the 1366 socket and no upgrades really)
6gB DDR3 Corsair
GTX760 (Single)
512gB Samsung SSD
X52 Pro HOTAS

I run 2 monitors at the mo, a 24" LED and my old 19" LCD.

What are peoples thoughts about the bare bones? Some people seem to struggle with a whole load more grunt than I'm running.
Im not too willing to spend on upgrading this rig at the mo as there will need to be a rebuild when OR CV1 hits us, I would rather wait until then.

So, if anyone has any insight, knowledge, other threads/posts they would like to impart it would be hugely appreciated. I'm right on the edge of a rather daunting precipice and sweaty palm excited.

Cheers,

Spam :-]

I can currently run the game flat out with no trouble. Not done an FPS check, but havent felt the need to.

 

[JMC002]

You'll be OK but remember that VR is MUCH less forgiving of framerate drops than playing on a normal monitor. If you want to maintain the illusion, you have to maintain the framerate! You have a good rig so you can tweak settings until you are happy.

 

[Digs]

I'm running on a i5-3570K, with a GTX 670 and not having issues (just a bit of judder in stations) so you should be fine.

 

[JMC002]

....oh, and prepare to be amazed!

 

[Spam]

Thanks chaps, thats reassuring to know.

 

[Caspar]

Grreetings CMDRs.

I, probably like many other people around here, have just ordered a DK2. I'm about to spend a whole lot of time reading up about getting this thing configured as good as possible.
There is a huge amount of great info on these forums that I'm slowly getting through but would like to ask for some heads up (pun not intended) advice from the more experienced users.

First off I am now feeling a little nervous about my system itslef. Its more than fine for normal display gaming but Im now a bit unsure if I have enough oomph to run the DK2.

Basic rig:

i7 950 (watercooled) on an Asus PX58-D Mobo (a tad old school now but I'm stuck with it, its on the 1366 socket and no upgrades really)
6gB DDR3 Corsair
GTX760 (Single)
512gB Samsung SSD
X52 Pro HOTAS

I run 2 monitors at the mo, a 24" LED and my old 19" LCD.

What are peoples thoughts about the bare bones? Some people seem to struggle with a whole load more grunt than I'm running.
Im not too willing to spend on upgrading this rig at the mo as there will need to be a rebuild when OR CV1 hits us, I would rather wait until then.

So, if anyone has any insight, knowledge, other threads/posts they would like to impart it would be hugely appreciated. I'm right on the edge of a rather daunting precipice and sweaty palm excited.

Cheers,

Spam :-]

I can currently run the game flat out with no trouble. Not done an FPS check, but havent felt the need to.

If you don't mind me asking - what's the cost all in?

It looks like circa £220 for the unit - and then shipping + tax. How much for those and are there any hidden extras?

Also - any idea on how long it will take to arrive?

 

[saviornt]

The i7-950 is an older processor, so if you can find it, it should be fairly cheap-ish now. I would possibly look at upgrading the video card to a 980, but your rig should be good enough.

 

[Ref Minor]

If you don't mind me asking - what's the cost all in?

It looks like circa £220 for the unit - and then shipping + tax. How much for those and are there any hidden extras?

Also - any idea on how long it will take to arrive?

Mine was £280 all in back in August, not sure how the $ exchange rate has moved since. Website states shipping in 2-4 weeks so add a week on to that for shipping and handling.

 

[Spam]

The i7-950 is an older processor, so if you can find it, it should be fairly cheap-ish now. I would possibly look at upgrading the video card to a 980, but your rig should be good enough.

Thanks Saviornt. I have been reading a lot of your posts, you sir are quite the font of knowledge. Much appreciated.

I would love to fit a 980 or 2 in but busted that budget on the OR. Besides, let the wife cool off before walloping the bank again. Theres only so much nerd she's willing to financially back.

As for the costs,

Cheapest place I found to buy from is OR direct, $350 (approx £224 but VAT? P&P?) and leadtime quoted at 2 - 4 weeks.
I grabbed mine off a popular auction site. I would tell you how much but that would mean acknowledging what I did pay, which is still a bit of an open wound that doesnt need picking at yet. Lets say it was between £3 - 400. But will arrive in a couple of days.
I have a lot of washing up, hoovering and foot rubbing in my near future...
Would fitting a 2nd 760 in SLI help with the OR? Not SLI'd a machine for a couple of years so a tad out of touch.

 

[saviornt]

Don't bother with SLI at this point, since it adds at least a frame of latency. Once Nvidia releases the "VR SLI" drivers, then you should be good to go on that front.

 

[Jaeger]

With respect to the DK2 the best upgrade/enhancement I found was using a face mask to stop my hot breath fogging it up. It was unusable without.

also I'd go for a 970 over a 980, not such deep cut from the bleeding edge.

 

[SJT]

Thanks Saviornt. I have been reading a lot of your posts, you sir are quite the font of knowledge. Much appreciated.

I would love to fit a 980 or 2 in but busted that budget on the OR. Besides, let the wife cool off before walloping the bank again. Theres only so much nerd she's willing to financially back.

As for the costs,

Cheapest place I found to buy from is OR direct, $350 (approx £224 but VAT? P&P?) and leadtime quoted at 2 - 4 weeks.
I grabbed mine off a popular auction site. I would tell you how much but that would mean acknowledging what I did pay, which is still a bit of an open wound that doesnt need picking at yet. Lets say it was between £3 - 400. But will arrive in a couple of days.
I have a lot of washing up, hoovering and foot rubbing in my near future...
Would fitting a 2nd 760 in SLI help with the OR? Not SLI'd a machine for a couple of years so a tad out of touch.

Ignore the 2 to 4 weeks. I ordered mine direct from OR on the 23rd November (a Sunday) and was delivered to my door (UK) the following Thursday.

 

[Spam]

With respect to the DK2 the best upgrade/enhancement I found was using a face mask to stop my hot breath fogging it up. It was unusable without.

That's unexpected, but makes sense. It is basically goggles. Wonder if the multitude of anti-fogging products around could help.

I'm concerned that I'll either have to wear a bib or figure out some sort of clamping arrangement to keep my mouth closed and stop dribbling on myself...

 

[Jonathan E]

...

I'm concerned that I'll either have to wear a bib or figure out some sort of clamping arrangement to keep my mouth closed and stop dribbling on myself...

You'll be doing a lot of "mouth open in wonder" at first, so it is worth considering

I only get fogging at first if the lenses are cold... playing in a warm room helps.

 

[jumbobreakfast]

You are right to hold off on upgrading untill CV1 releases but it's possible that Nvidia VR Direct features may also come out for older cards so a second 760 might be an option. A single 980 might be ok for CV1 but no one really knows for sure so it's best to hold off since you are only 1 generation behind. Perhaps you could do some research on how to overclock your graphics card in the meantime

 

[Hamerstein]

Don't bother with SLI at this point, since it adds at least a frame of latency. Once Nvidia releases the "VR SLI" drivers, then you should be good to go on that front.

SLi works fine with the DK2, run in extended mode. I'm running a pair of GTX970s with no issues.

I agree with Jaeger, unless your bank account is bottomless, a pair of 970s offer much greater bang per buck than a pair of 980s.

 

[KING5TON]

SLi works fine with the DK2, run in extended mode. I'm running a pair of GTX970s with no issues.

I agree with Jaeger, unless your bank account is bottomless, a pair of 970s offer much greater bang per buck than a pair of 980s.

Yeah but when it isn't quite running as good as you'd like there will always be a bit of doubt in the back of your mind that you "should have bought the 980s"

 

[Spam]

SLi works fine with the DK2, run in extended mode. I'm running a pair of GTX970s with no issues.

I agree with Jaeger, unless your bank account is bottomless, a pair of 970s offer much greater bang per buck than a pair of 980s.

A pair of 970's this side of xmas??? The major drawback of the OR is..... I didn't see the cricket bat coming.
Sorry kids, xmas is cancelled. Daddy spent all the money so he can play spaceships.

Lets see how my (fairly new :-/) 760 copes.

 

[jumbobreakfast]

A pair of 970's this side of xmas??? The major drawback of the OR is..... I didn't see the cricket bat coming.
Sorry kids, xmas is cancelled. Daddy spent all the money so he can play spaceships.

Lets see how my (fairly new :-/) 760 copes.

Or as I mentioned earlier, Nvidia's VR Direct SLI may work with the 700 series so it's possible that a second 760 would be a nice option for you in the new year. The problem with Nvidia is that it could take them a year to deliver it like they did with G-Sync

in the meantime your 760 should be fine

 

[Spam]

How much reconfiguring do you think I will need to do with the physical setup of monitors?

I'm currently running 2 monitors, both off the DVI's leaving a spare HDMI port for the Rift.

Is it feasible to just plug the Rift in the HDMI and leave the other monitors connected?
If so will I have to start disabling monitors to get more oomph from my card in OR mode?

Im going to want to be able to fairly smoothly switch the setup from OR mode to screen mode due to other gamingness.