Please Help a Newby - Need Equipment Advice

1st Official Post

    I'm a middle aged guy who hasn't played a video game since the 1980's. I have no experience with PC based simulators. I am a professional fixed wing pilot and I'm going to do a rotorcraft add-on rating and I've been told it would be beneficial to practice hovering, etc. on the R22 simulation with Aerofly FS2.

    My PC has an Asus Prime B450M-A motherboard with an AMD Ryzen 3 2200G Processor utilizing the onboard Radeon Vega 8 Graphics. For a graphics generator, the Aerofly FS2 FAQ recommends the "new" GeForce GTX 750 Ti Slim. It seems that the GTX 750 Ti hasn't been "new" for quite some time and I've been led to believe that my onboard Radeon Vega 8 Graphics is adequate. Is this accurate?

    I've downloaded Steam and installed Aerofly FS2 (I'd never even heard of Steam until few days ago). Right now, I only have a keyboard. Based on what I've read, I intend to buy the R22 MaxFlightStick controls. It's been recommended that I also get a VR headset to learn to hover. The problem is, I know absolutely nothing about VR headsets. I am not a "gamer" and I doubt I'll ever use the VR headset for anything other than Aerofly FS2. I see that the prices for VR headsets vary greatly and some packages include additional devices such as hand controls, etc. I don't know what is needed to utilize VR with FS2.

    I'd like a recommendation for VR goggles that will work well with Aerofly FS2, without buying more than I need. Also, I'd like to know if the onboard Radeon Vega 8 Graphics will be adequate to operate the VR headset? If not, could someone please recommend a graphics card that would work well with my Asus Prime B450M-A motherboard and AMD Ryzen 3 2200G processor?

    Again, I know very little about graphics cards and I'm only looking for something that is adequate to run the simulation. I won't be doing any other "gaming" beyond flying the R22 in FS2.

    Thanks very much for the advice and recommendations.


    Edited 3 times, last by Mr. Thompson (July 14, 2022 at 7:42 PM).

    Quote from Mr. Thompson

    Also, I'd like to know if the onboard Radeon Vega 8 Graphics will be adequate to operate the VR headset? If not, could someone please recommend a graphics card that would work well with my Asus Prime B450M-A motherboard and AMD Ryzen 3 2200G processor?

    Radeon Vega 8 won't probably do the job in Vr, I recommend buying a mid-range+ graphic card for your PC. There is also a recently released new version of Aerofly, but you won't miss out a lot if you decided to stick to FS2.

    Quote from Avgeek_A320

    Radeon Vega 8 won't probably do the job in Vr, I recommend buying a mid-range+ graphic card for your PC. There is also a recently released new version of Aerofly, but you won't miss out a lot if you decided to stick to FS2.

    I really don't know what makes a graphics card mid range, low end or high end.

    Any recommendations for both a graphics card and VR device are appreciated.

    Thanks!

    MSI GeForce RTX 3060 12 GB GAMING X (PCIe x16) for example

    and VR headset HP reverb G2, there are many VR headset available on the market. So, find the right one that suits your budget and your needs.

    This is just a recommendation, there are lots of options and prices.

    If you want an expert in PC maybe ask a group that specializes in tech and PC or Computer store.

    Edited once, last by Avgeek_A320 (July 14, 2022 at 8:19 PM).

    Quote from Avgeek_A320

    MSI GeForce RTX 3060 12 GB GAMING X (PCIe x16) for example

    and VR headset HP reverb G2, there are many VR headset available on the market. So, find the right one that suits your budget and your needs.

    I don't mean to sound argumentative but the reason I posted is because I have zero idea of what "suits my needs." I just want to be able to operate FS2 with VR and I have absolutely no idea what is needed. Think of it this way; if an alien just arrived from another planet and you told him he needs to buy a car to drive five miles to the grocery store, he wouldn't have any idea if Toyota Tercel or a Ferrari 488 "suits his needs." The 488 will obviously get him to the grocery store but it's WAY more than is needed.

    There are many VR headsets available on the market but knowing nothing about them, I have no idea what suits these particular needs. That's what I'm trying to get informed about. I have no idea which model VR headset is the Tercel and which is the 488, nor do I know if the Tercel is enough to suit my needs.

    As far as budget, I'll spend what is necessary to get what's needed but I don't want to buy more than I need. Like I said, I'm never going to use the VR headset for anything but playing with the R22 simulation, so I just want to find something that performs well and is adequate for the task. Same goes for the graphics card. The onboard graphics has been perfectly adequate for everything I do up 'til now, so I only need to upgrade to whatever level is necessary to operate FS2 in VR mode.

    Hope that makes sense and thank you for the input.

    They 'can be used' as virtual hands as an option. But you also need them to operate the Quest menu's at startup etc...

    Regards,

    Peter Splinter

    i5-7400@3,4 GHz, 16GB RAM, GTX 1660 Super, Pico 4, Quest 2 , 'Vintage' Pro Flight Trainer, X52 Pro, VKB pedals

    Edited once, last by PjotR22 (July 15, 2022 at 11:07 AM).

    Quote from Mr. Thompson

    Dumb question but if the hand controllers are needed, how do you grip the MaxFlightStck cyclic and collective?

    I’m also interested in VR as a beginner.

    Is using a hand controller to operate a ‘floating’ (?) virtual yoke and a ‘floating’ (?) virtual throttle essential? I’d have thought that keeping hands on a fixed location physical joystick with familiar control buttons or switches and a physical throttle would be more natural and instantly at hand rather than having to search for a virtual link-up? Are hand controllers a must have?

    I’m used to using two pairs of rocker switches as propeller and mixture controls, they seem just as good as sliders as the resulting sim movement speed is just right and I am looking at the R.P.M. and E.G.T. dials for feedback. Is using a hand controller to do the same operations with virtual levers as intuitive? is there a sort of ‘groping in the dark’ ?

    Is there an advantage in chosing between AMD and Nvidia graphics cards? I was thinking of AMD rx6650 / Nvidia rtx3060Ti / AMD rx6700. I had the impression that MS flt sims slightly favoured Nvidia.

    Edited once, last by Overloaded (July 15, 2022 at 5:44 PM).

    • Official Post

    Mr. Thompson: If you intend to use Aerofly FS 4 with VR we strongly recommend to use at least a graphic card as fast as the NVIDIA RTX 3070 Ti. Depending on the region where you fly and what aircraft or helicopter you use, these graphic cards give you enough 'headroom' for a smooth simulation. For VR it is very important to get a good and consistent framerate, and saving money at this point is something you will regret. So if you have the budget, you might even look for a NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti.

    The graphic card you choose also depends on the VR system you get. They vary a lot regarding the resolution they render per eye, so the more pixels are rendered per eye, the more the graphic card has to work. If you don't mind the more complex setup, the Valve Index is a very good system. Also good VR system with a little less setup is the HP Reverb G2. You can read about the differences here.

    Quote from PjotR22

    They 'can be used' as virtual hands as an option. But you also need them to operate the Quest menu's at startup etc...

    Understood. Thanks for the clarification.


    Quote from admin

    Mr. Thompson: If you intend to use Aerofly FS 4 with VR we strongly recommend to use at least a graphic card as fast as the NVIDIA RTX 3070 Ti. Depending on the region where you fly and what aircraft or helicopter you use, these graphic cards give you enough 'headroom' for a smooth simulation. For VR it is very important to get a good and consistent framerate, and saving money at this point is something you will regret. So if you have the budget, you might even look for a NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti.

    The graphic card you choose also depends on the VR system you get. They vary a lot regarding the resolution they render per eye, so the more pixels are rendered per eye, the more the graphic card has to work. If you don't mind the more complex setup, the Valve Index is a very good system. Also good VR system with a little less setup is the HP Reverb G2. You can read about the differences here.

    I really only have one mission; to use the R22 simulation to practice for real world training in the aircraft.

    I've read the info in the link provided and the HP Reverb G2 seems like a good option for me. It seems the biggest pro/con difference between the HP and the Valve is that the Valve hand controllers don't have to be held. Since I only intend to use this for the R22 simulation, I don't see this as being an issue. I will seemingly only need to use the hand controllers for setup. After that, my hands will be on the MaxFlightStick controls (which I've ordered).

    Also, the Valve setup seems more complex, requiring two "base stations." I honestly don't understand exactly what a base station is but I like that the Reverb seems like a simpler system.

    That NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti is more than $1100 and while I'm not specifically trying to stay within a certain budget, I've put this entire PC together for under $700 and I find it hard to believe I'd need that much graphics processing power. It also seems to have tremendous power requirements. I think I'd need to replace my Corsair CX Series 450 Watt 80 Plus Bronze Certified Modular Power Supply power supply to use it.

    Would something like the Gigabyte Geforce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB or the EVGA GeForce RTX 3050 XC be adequate to run the R22 simulation in FS2 with the HP Reverb G2? If not, what specification would be the minimum required?

    While I admittedly have little knowledge regarding the various graphics cards, refresh rates, etc. etc, I feel like a $1K+ gaming card is serious overkill for what I'm trying to do.

    Thank you for the helpful discussion.

    Edited 2 times, last by Mr. Thompson (July 15, 2022 at 2:57 PM).

    If it's only for training with the R22 then Aerofly FS 2 can be used with a lower spec graphics card.
    90% of the scenery is stutterfree for me with only a GTX1660 Super (6GB VRAM), which is about 25% 'slower' then a RTX3050.

    This is with a Quest 2, the HP Reverb's higher resolution needs more 'graphics power'.

    Aerofly FS 2 with a RTX3050 (8GB VRAM) and Quest 2 will run fine...

    Regards,

    Peter Splinter

    i5-7400@3,4 GHz, 16GB RAM, GTX 1660 Super, Pico 4, Quest 2 , 'Vintage' Pro Flight Trainer, X52 Pro, VKB pedals

    Edited 3 times, last by PjotR22 (July 15, 2022 at 3:32 PM).

    Quote from admin

    Mr. Thompson: A Nvidia 1050 or RTX 3050 is NOT recommended for VR. Please get a least a NVIDIA 3060 TI or simulation might get stutters from time to time.

    Another dumb question; when you say "at least a NVIDIA 3060 Ti" is the sequential increase in the model indicative of one being "better" than the next? In other words, is a card with 3080 in the description "better" than 3070? And 3070 "better" than 3060, so on and so forth?


    Quote from PjotR22

    If it's only for training with the R22 then Aerofly FS 2 can be used with a lower spec graphics card.
    90% of the scenery is stutterfree for me with only a GTX1660 Super (6GB VRAM), which is about 25% 'slower' then a RTX3050.

    This is with a Quest 2, the HP Reverb's higher resolution needs more 'graphics power'.

    Aerofly FS 2 with a RTX3050 (8GB VRAM) and Quest 2 will run fine...

    Good info. Thanks for the continued input.

    With a Quest 2 is the wired data link a better investment than the hand controllers? I read that the wireless link Quest 2 VR consumes significant processing power for the wireless interface.

    I would be very grateful for opinion on how essential hand controllers really are, please see my query in post #13 earlier.

    The Quest 2 is a standalone Android based VR headset that can be used for PCVR, you will need the hand controllers to operate the Quest menu's in the headset and make a connection for PCVR.
    Only PCVR headsets like the HP Reverb etc. can be used without controllers for Aerofly.
    With my low spec PC (see below) I don't see any difference running Aerofly FS 2 in SteamVR wireless with AirLink (or Virtual Desktop) compared to using the USB cable as a connection to the PC....

    Regards,

    Peter Splinter

    i5-7400@3,4 GHz, 16GB RAM, GTX 1660 Super, Pico 4, Quest 2 , 'Vintage' Pro Flight Trainer, X52 Pro, VKB pedals

    Edited once, last by PjotR22 (July 15, 2022 at 6:08 PM).