New Build! - Parts list, space planning, etc... Opinions?

[athomas625]

Hey guys! I am just getting into sim racing and have ordered a bunch of parts (list below of what I've ordered and what I still have left to order).

Would love your all's input and maybe get some suggestions and guidance on what I have left to order!

I've also included some space planning drawings as I'm putting the sim in my home office. I live in a condo and we don't want to give up our guest bedroom as we have visitors often. Anyways, I drew them up to try to decide if I would have enough space for 35-inch triple monitor setup.

I have also listed my PC specs... Can anyone tell me if my PC is capable of running three 35-inch monitors? Or if I should just stick with 32-inch?


HAVE ORDERED:

PC - Alienware - Aurora R9 Gaming Desktop - Intel Core i7-9700 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER - 1TB HDD + 512GB SSD

Wheel Base - Fanatec DD2

Formula One Wheel - Fanatec Clubsport Formula V2

Paddles - Fanatec Podium Advanced Paddle Module

Fanatec Podium Hub

Shifter - Fanatec Clubsport SQ V1.5

Pedals - HPP JBV (Can't wait for these!)

Buttkicker Gamer 2

Edit: I decided to upgrade and go with the Cube Controls Formula CSX 2 wheel instead of the Fanatec. Pumped!


NEED TO ORDER:

Monitors -- This one is my biggest question mark still.. I have no idea what my PC is capable of running as I'm new to this and PC gaming in general. I've done some research and I assume I want something curved, with G-Sync? I'm not sure what resolution and refresh rate and all that I need though based on my PC specs.

Edit: I went with 3 of the 34 inch Alienware AW3420DW monitors... Thousand bucks a pop but I think it'll be worth it. They look incredible.

Cockpit -- Waiting to order P1-X. Have my finger on the trigger as soon as they come back in stock. Not sure if I need any accessories though. Probably pedal sliders to adjust pedals (I'll be letting my friends try it out from time to time) and a keyboard tray? Not sure what else I'll need.

Edit: Ordered P1-X in black yesterday!

Regular Steering Wheel -- I plan to do many types of driving (mostly in iRacing but some rally too) and would like to have something more universal than the Formula One wheel.

Seat -- No idea what to get here but I'm in the US so I have to keep that in mind for shipping. Any ideas?

Edit: I ordered the Corbeau FX1 Pro in microsuede black yesterday. Pretty good reviews on it. We'll see.

Monitor mount - I assume anything will work for this as long as it gets the job done. I'll probably just order the one from Sim Lab since I'll be ordering my cockpit from there.

Edit: I got the free-standing triple monitor mount from Sim Lab.


Excited to be apart of this community and to get started racing! Not the best time to get into sim racing as everything is out of stock and taking forever to ship, but either way, I'll get this thing built sooner or later.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

 

[Xr4eyes]

I'm a bit concerned that you will struggle to run triple ultra wides at decent frames with your gfx card.

I have a 1080ti and a 34inch ultra and it can struggle in the latest titles with the candy turned on. Granted your card is faster but it might still struggle.

 

[5-Card-Major]

Think I agree w/ that... that vid card won't have the horsepower to run high detail...

 

[athomas625]

I'm a bit concerned that you will struggle to run triple ultra wides at decent frames with your gfx card.

I have a 1080ti and a 34inch ultra and it can struggle in the latest titles with the candy turned on. Granted your card is faster but it might still struggle.

Is it possible to upgrade?

 

[djm68]

Is it possible to upgrade?

Mostly likely yes, but I'd not be overly concerned about upgrades to your PC just yet. I went through the same process you are going through now in Nov/Dec last year. I thought I needed triples, but have the same Alienware 34" you ordered....and it is brilliant. I'll likely upgrade to triples, but am going to wait and see what the next wave of video cards are capable of.

Your PC specs are good enough -- the 2080 Super will be fine with your 34" monitor, you might not be able to max out *everything* on the more demanding titles, but you will not notice anyhow. Assetto Corsa and iRacing will be amazing on a PC of that spec.

IMO, after doing extensive research, I elected to avoid Fanatec DD wheels for which I am grateful for. Considering the cost, there are better alternatives, with far better customer service, and that don't lock you into a proprietary ecosystem.

Get your rig built and start driving, upgrade as you find things you want to improve -- don't feel you need the perfect setup from day 1. Building a rig is a journey, not a destination -- the evolution never stops!

Best,
Dom

 

[athomas625]

Mostly likely yes, but I'd not be overly concerned about upgrades to your PC just yet. I went through the same process you are going through now in Nov/Dec last year. I thought I needed triples, but have the same Alienware 34" you ordered....and it is brilliant. I'll likely upgrade to triples, but am going to wait and see what the next wave of video cards are capable of.

Your PC specs are good enough -- the 2080 Super will be fine with your 34" monitor, you might not be able to max out *everything* on the more demanding titles, but you will not notice anyhow. Assetto Corsa and iRacing will be amazing on a PC of that spec.

IMO, after doing extensive research, I elected to avoid Fanatec DD wheels for which I am grateful for. Considering the cost, there are better alternatives, with far better customer service, and that don't lock you into a proprietary ecosystem.

Get your rig built and start driving, upgrade as you find things you want to improve -- don't feel you need the perfect setup from day 1. Building a rig is a journey, not a destination -- the evolution never stops!

Best,
Dom

Thanks for the advice! Keep in mind though, I will be running 3 of those monitors. Not just 1. Just want to clarify!

Also, I did end up going with the DD2. Unfortunately, I could not find Simucube 2 anywhere. I hope I won't regret going with the DD2.

 

[athomas625]

Think I agree w/ that... that vid card won't have the horsepower to run high detail... I thrive on eye-candy, so I have the 2080ti... FUN, I'm all about FUN...

Well it looks like the 2080 ti is $1,200, and I've already spent about 13-14k on my sim rig in the last couple weeks! I think I'll get everything setup and see how my PC handles the 3 monitors before upgrading!

 

[Chrhun]

Also, I did end up going with the DD2. Unfortunately, I could not find Simucube 2 anywhere. I hope I won't regret going with the DD2.

I'm sure you won't regret it, it's a great wheelbase. I've had mine for half a year now and it's been fantastic.

 

[Xr4eyes]

Probably a wise decision. If you did feel the need to upgrade, I would hold out for the new cards when they come sometime later this year. You'll get alot more performance for your money

 

[athomas625]

I'm sure you won't regret it, it's a great wheelbase. I've had mine for half a year now and it's been fantastic.

Awesome, that is good to hear! It's pretty much the only thing on my rig from Fanatec. I'll be using the Podium hub to connect the Cube Controls steering wheel.

 

[athomas625]

Probably a wise decision. If you did feel the need to upgrade, I would hold out for the new cards when they come sometime later this year. You'll get alot more performance for your money

Awesome, that's what I'll do!

 

[deandsfsdfewsad]

Well it looks like the 2080 ti is $1,200, and I've already spent about 13-14k on my sim rig in the last couple weeks! I think I'll get everything setup and see how my PC handles the 3 monitors before upgrading!

from the super to the ti it's like a 10-15% improvement it's not worth upgrading, I think it'll run 3 screens especially if you slightly overclock the card in MSI afterburner you'll get an extra 5% for sure, you may not be on the absolute most epic quality settings but it'll do you good

 

[athomas625]

from the super to the ti it's like a 10-15% improvement it's not worth upgrading, I think it'll run 3 screens especially if you slightly overclock the card in MSI afterburner you'll get an extra 5% for sure, you may not be on the absolute most epic quality settings but it'll do you good

This is good info. Thank you! I will save the money and see how my current system handles it before making a decision to upgrade or not.

 

[djm68]

Thanks for the advice! Keep in mind though, I will be running 3 of those monitors. Not just 1. Just want to clarify!

Also, I did end up going with the DD2. Unfortunately, I could not find Simucube 2 anywhere. I hope I won't regret going with the DD2.

I misunderstood about your monitors! 3 x 3440 x 1440 monitors will not run well with your video card/pc configuration, sorry to say. That monitor configuration would not even work well with a 2018Ti. I am fairly sure you will find you are going to need to greatly decrease image quality.

Three AW3420DWs is over 14M pixels: 440 x 1440 x 3 = 14860800
A 4K monitor is just under 9M pixels: 4096 x 2160 = 8847360

Give it a try and see how it goes. Down the road, an upgraded video card might be able to get more out of those 3 awesome AW3420DWs! I love my AW3420DW and also think about getting 2 more if the next gen video cards can drive three of them.

Best.
Dom

 

[athomas625]

I misunderstood about your monitors! 3 x 3440 x 1440 monitors will not run well with your video card/pc configuration, sorry to say. That monitor configuration would not even work well with a 2018Ti. I am fairly sure you will find you are going to need to greatly decrease image quality.

Three AW3420DWs is over 14M pixels: 440 x 1440 x 3 = 14860800
A 4K monitor is just under 9M pixels: 4096 x 2160 = 8847360

Give it a try and see how it goes. Down the road, an upgraded video card might be able to get more out of those 3 awesome AW3420DWs! I love my AW3420DW and also think about getting 2 more if the next gen video cards can drive three of them.

Best.
Dom

Ah man that is too bad. If the 2080 ti won't run it, what video card would you suggest to run 3 of these? Also, is it possible to decrease image quality on the 2 side ones but not on the middle one since that's the one I'll be looking at mostly?

 

[deandsfsdfewsad]

Ah man that is too bad. If the 2080 ti won't run it, what video card would you suggest to run 3 of these? Also, is it possible to decrease image quality on the 2 side ones but not on the middle one since that's the one I'll be looking at mostly?

Only thing higher than a ti is the Titan RTX (at the moment) but that won't give a massive performance jump. Sadly, we are just limited by our graphics hardware still

 

[athomas625]

Only thing higher than a ti is the Titan RTX (at the moment) but that won't give a massive performance jump. Sadly, we are just limited by our graphics hardware still

Hmm, I guess I have some figuring out to do. Maybe I'll be able to run them at 1080p until better graphics cards come out.

 

[5-Card-Major]

RE// My post #22 in this thread...not enough video card horsepower.....

 

[Chrhun]

There are people running 1440p triples on 2080 (Super) and 2080ti, so it's not that it's impossible. It will require something like medium-high settings instead of putting everything on ultra, of course depending on the game. Iracing, if that is what you are planning to play, will be fine.

 

[athomas625]

There are people running 1440p triples on 2080 (Super) and 2080ti, so it's not that it's impossible. It will require something like medium-high settings instead of putting everything on ultra, of course depending on the game. Iracing, if that is what you are planning to play, will be fine.

Awesome! I do plan on playing iRacing mostly. I will try putting them on medium-high settings. Thank you.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Awesome! I do plan on playing iRacing mostly. I will try putting them on medium-high settings. Thank you.

I suggest you give some serious thoughts to VR. iRacing looks and performs quite well there and unless you have some medical condition, once accustomed to VR makes even the best triple screen setup in the world feel like dated and completely unengaging tech.