Advice Needed - Computer Upgrade

[drsagacity]

I have an Alienware R9, purchased in March of 2020. It’s running the RTX 2060 graphics card, 16GB RAM, i7.

This computer was great when I bought it.

I just got the Protee VX and I have it running 4k with no problems on the range. However, when I go to run either TGC 2019 or GS Pro I get a bad delay after hitting a shot. I was able to troubleshoot and adjust a few things. However, the change that made the biggest impact was simply turning the Protee AI off. If I do that, there are no delays in the game. Obviously, for playing on course, the club data isn’t that important. So I could leave it as is.

Since I have the top of the line projector, I just ordered a new enclosure (primarily because I could never get the screen flat with the Rain or Shine enclosure), I think I would like to upgrade my PC and I am looking for recommendations.

Which graphics card do I need to run the sim at the highest settings with 4k? I will likely just buy the latest and greatest Alienware PC unless there are some other recommendations, but I am specifically looking for RAM and graphics card recommendations.

This PC runs the golf simulator on the projector. Runs the Protee labs on the monitor. Often I also have it running Netflix or YouTube videos at the same time on a 3rd screen.

[friedT]

i dont think you need to get a new PC, the processor and memory specs seem fine. You should consider just swapping out the graphics card. Get a card with an XX 80 (2080, 3080, 4080..etc.) and swap that out. that should solve the problem. How do you like the VX? Changing out the graphics card isn't complicated. Watch a YouTube video or two. It will take you less than 15 minutes. I have the Mevo+ with a 2080ti graphics card. There is a slight delay on GS Pro as well. I run the graphics card on "Very High" instead of "Ultra" to move things a long a bit. There is s till a delay, but its isn't as bad.

[drsagacity]

i dont think you need to get a new PC, the processor and memory specs seem fine. You should consider just swapping out the graphics card. Get a card with an XX 80 (2080, 3080, 4080..etc.) and swap that out. that should solve the problem. How do you like the VX? Changing out the graphics card isn't complicated. Watch a YouTube video or two. It will take you less than 15 minutes. I have the Mevo+ with a 2080ti graphics card. There is a slight delay on GS Pro as well. I run the graphics card on "Very High" instead of "Ultra" to move things a long a bit. There is s till a delay, but its isn't as bad.

Thanks. I thought about that too. There was no lag before when I was running Uneekor. That means the lag is simply down to the Protee AI being turned on + gaming with the most accurate setting + Ultra. Protee VX AI turned on without the 3rd screen running. Running Protee labs in 4k with AI running most accurate is no problem. Works perfect.

I don’t want to sacrifice quality at all. In particular, like I said, the PC is powering 3 screens. Usually, It’s the range or course on the projector, the golf club/ball data on the monitor. Then YouTube, Netflix, tv, or sometimes video analysis software on 3rd screen.

It looks like the 4060, 4070, 4080 are the current model gpu’s. I have to think all are better than the 2080, 3080 is that true?

[PittsburghRed]

What a lot people forget is the motherboard bus speeds. So whilst it might seem tempting to simply 'swap" out the graphics card and bang in some more memory etc.. You wont be taking advantage of these new components if the bus speeds cant handle the data transfer optimally. I always build my own PC's and its not hard to do. You can knock off at least a grand from a high end PC maker by doing it yourself.


Here is a good article on the bus system.. https://www.techrepublic.com/article...ds-bus-system/

Also never skimp on cooling, I used to use water cooled systems now I go fan crazy. My latest rig has 9 fans all optimized for air flow.

[drsagacity]

PittsburghRed now you are talking. Where do you get all the components? What specs would you recommend?

Last time I looked, my discounts made pricing for building versus buying really close. May be worth looking again.

My son is perfectly fine with me upgrading because he says the current system works great for his gaming.

[StalefishFS3]

If you want GSPro, 4K Ultra and you are driving other screens and other programs, you really should consider a 4070ti or a 4080. I have also been told that 4080 "supers" are coming out next month and you may want to wait to see what that does for pricing.

This computer here is pretty bad ass. I bought one myself when it was 2800. Runs everything smooth as butter, and a good case for cooling (note: Alienware is notorious for bad cooling). And I am good for many years: https://www.microcenter.com/product/...g471-gaming-pc

[drsagacity]

Alienware did have problems some time ago because the Aurora case. The latest model has a different case, water cooling, etc. Yes. Those were almost identical to the specs I was looking at. Had several Alienware gaming PC’s and Laptops. Never had any problems with the desktop. There was one laptop that would get warm and it was used for pretty intense gaming (kids).

I was thinking about the 4080 or 4070Ti. My guess is that since the 2080 handles things just fine without the AI, I would think you are exactly right, the 4080 is the way to go. Thanks.

[friedT]

I built my own PC as well. Its pretty easy if you want to go that route. Go to PCPartspicker.com. It will help you manage all of the parts and compatibility. GRUs are strange. I did a lot of research before I got the 2080ti. If you like rabbit holes, that is a place you can spend a ton of time. The reviews are mostly done by gamers, and the concerns they have about lag and so forth are not as important for an old guy like me that is hitting a golf ball into a screen. If you want to invest the time (I did) understanding the terminology there are good review sites out there. I run two screens with my GRU - the projector and a monitor with the club data on it. One thing I learned is that most GRU's only have one HDMI port and then 3 DisplayPorts. Not a big deal as the adaptors are cheap - just keep an eye out for it. Someone above said the motherboard is important, which is true, but you are already running an i7 with 16MB of RAM so it would seem odd that the issue is that part of the setup. Good Luck. How do you like the Protee VX? I have been eying that up.

[drsagacity]

I am loving the Protee VX. It’s great. It’s all part of the bigger simulator refresh I am going through right now. In my opinion the information from the Uneekor QED and Bushnell launch pro, the two units I just sold, gave way more information than what I needed. The Protee VX gives a little more info (also info I don’t really need). For my practice, I really need the ball data (launch angle, spin rate, carry distance). Truth is, when I see the ball flight, ball speed and carry distance, I know exactly what happened. In reality, if I am working on my swing, I also have cameras setup for my swing which are more important than the numbers on a launch monitor. All that being said, if someone is in the market for a launch monitor, it’s 100% worth looking into. If you are a person that likes to see all of the data from a LM…you will get what you want.

I am finding data to be very similar to what I saw on my other launch monitors (with the exception of swing path). The swing path numbers I am seeing seem to be reading too much in-to-out…but I haven’t been playing so it is possible I am just too far inside out right now. That is my normal tendency when I’m not on my game.

As far as PC’s go, I have built PC’s in the past; however, I am a big fan of the Alienware stuff. I’ve been in IT for a really long time and the Alienware stuff is just really tough to beat and prices are pretty much the same (but with much better support) than most other manufacturers.

[drsagacity]

Thanks for the help. Went with new Alienware R16
i9 14 gen
32gb ram
4080
2gb ssd
watercooled

[Leo Spaceman]

I am finding data to be very similar to what I saw on my other launch monitors (with the exception of swing path). The swing path numbers I am seeing seem to be reading too much in-to-out…but I haven’t been playing so it is possible I am just too far inside out right now. That is my normal tendency when I’m not on my game.

It's funny you say that. I feel like I'm getting very in-to-out readings also, but like you, that's my normal tendency and it gets way out of whack when I'm swinging poorly. When I'm swinging "well" for me I'm usually still 3-5 degrees inside-out.

I was initially so concerned that I got the putter out and did some chips where I could control going down the line or even purposely outside in to try and make sure it wasn't a glitch.

[drsagacity]

It's funny you say that. I feel like I'm getting very in-to-out readings also, but like you, that's my normal tendency and it gets way out of whack when I'm swinging poorly. When I'm swinging "well" for me I'm usually still 3-5 degrees inside-out.

I was initially so concerned that I got the putter out and did some chips where I could control going down the line or even purposely outside in to try and make sure it wasn't a glitch.

I did the same. Chip straight down line. What did you find when you tested it?

I am pretty confident it’s over-reading in-to-out path, but it’s not a big deal as long as it’s consistent. In other words, if Bushnell and QED were both reading 5 degrees in-to-out and the Protee reads 10 degrees for the same swing…then on Protee, I want to see 10 degrees (not like the number means anything anyway). It’s all relative to your baseline number. That reading doesn’t have anything to do with ballflight since the ball numbers are all that matters for ball flight.

It could be an error in how they calculate or it could be simply having a physical configuration just slightly off. Once I get my system setup with the new PC and the new enclosure, I will go through and try a re-calibration. This time, I am going to use a laser to show me the exact 90 degree line to the screen and I will get really precise on where center is. When you are talking about such small measurements if anything is off on setup, that would result in numbers being a little off.

[Leo Spaceman]

Assuming I have at least slightly better swing path control on chips and putts than my regular swing! It did seem accurate when I was very deliberately trying to go straight down the line with a putt or chip. And even an exaggerated out-to-in chip showed up as such on the swing path. I also tried full swing aiming slightly left and the path seemed to follow, i.e. going down the line or even outside in.

I think you're right on with a recalibration and ensuring the calibration board is dead square. I wasn't super exact with this and eyeballed it on my hitting strip as best as I could. It looked square, but a couple degrees off and you wouldn't really notice. And also like you said, as long as it's consistent it doesn't really matter as long as I know what "good" should look like.

This is also assuming the VX uses the calibration board to establish the centerline. I would sure think that's the case, but would be good to hear from Martijn on what the critical parts of setting up the calibration board are. I know my VX unit itself isn't dead square either so I'm assuming the calibration board is what compensates for that and tells the cameras where the centerline and path is.

[drsagacity]

Yes sir. Great point. I did it the same way. I just eyeballed it with my setup. I am hitting off-center, so I also eyeballed that alignment, but like you hit small chips straight at it, to right, to left to see it was pretty good. However, when we are talking about a few degrees the “over read” could 100% be just the setup. It’s also a little bit of a challenge because let’s say we alight perfectly. That alignment is from a single spot. I assume that the alignment is always parallel to the center spot regardless of where I place the ball. In other words, if I move the ball 12 inches right of the center spot, the new center line would also be 12 inches right. In other words, if I am 12 inches right and hit it exactly on the projected center line, that is really a 12 inch pull.

The path will also be relative to the centerline (not your body). So if you are aligned right and your swing path is 5 degrees right relative to your body, it would show as 10 degrees right relative to the centerline. In other words, it’s always assumed that you are lined up dead square.

My new PC will get here tomorrow. I should have it setup for the weekend and this time, I will be meticulous on my setup. Again, nothing to be concerned about, just trying to understand the new launch monitor.

[Leo Spaceman]

I would think that's the way it works also. It's a pretty big hitting area so I'm envisioning the VX uses the calibration board to set up a grid. Once the camera finds the ball it puts it on a grid position and establishes the centerline for that shot. Compensating for the parallax and all that jazz is just simple math from there based on the calibration setup.

Regardless of where I put the ball I try to align with the edge of my hitting strip so I at least have something to reference off of that probably keeps me reasonably close. But not hard at all to be off a few degrees.