Newbee needs advice on all aspects of sim racing

ratfink03 · Jul 16, 2011

Hello everyone
** Sorry, but am a newbee and have stupid newbee questions. In an effort to eliminate spending money on things not suited for planned future, I'm hoping someone can point me in a logical direction.
** Objective- Iracing and other PC race games, 3- monitors, (full motion sim after spending time racing with just FFB wheels etc. ) ref: *Sim-Parts EV03 build (only providing I enjoy as much as I hope I will.. *In the future though !!!!!!!)
** 1. Can I buy a PC pre-built to handle the job as I am not a PC geek although I think I might be able to build. (Maybe).PC will be used for racing only.*
** 2.*Will I be happy with Thrustmast wheel/pedals etc *? *T500 ? * or something better????
** 3. Will build own cockpit. *
** 4. Plus I realize budget is also a determining factor.. ( maybe $2200.00 to get up and racing , total)
** 5. Thoughts on 3 screen setup * *what size might be best *32" ? *tv's or monitors?
** 6. Seat suggestions adaptable to full-motion sim someday (maybe)
** I think I saw a drawing on seat, wheel, pedal, tv angles somewhere. * *
**No doubt everyone has their own ideas but thanks in advance. *
Bob

Jim Cole · Jul 17, 2011

Everyone does have their own ideas, but it all comes down to how much you have to spend. You can get decent systems that are capable of running the sims you want and triple monitors for around 1200 to 1500 and up. Pretty sure you want to consider monitors over TV's as the monitors should have better refresh rates etc for computer use. These days looking for flat panel monitors that are running at 120Mhz refresh rate so you can do 3D might be a plus, but the cost is higher than standard 60 to 75Mhz monitors. There are several cockpit setups out there, and some have mounts for triple monitors as well. For a total of 2200 dollars I think you might be limited though as a lot of that should be used for the PC.

As for the wheel, the Logitech G25 or G27 seems to be the most likely best for the money spent unless you don't mind spending near 1000 on the wheel and pedal set. If you do spend that much, then you are probably looking at the Fanatec wheels with the CSP pedal set.

ratfink03 · Jul 17, 2011

Jim tks for reply
I c there are a couple other threads on pretty much same topic... I guess what I was getting at is, I'd like to start out slow but with intentions of eventually leaning towards motion sim ( exmp.. simxperience) but only in a logical progression. Didnt want to be buying 3 diff pc's to get to that end when I might just as well start with pc that could be used then. So as for Ideas on PC, would still like some input if possible.. Ive listened to lots of videos on wheels, pedals, shifters etc.. Lots of em leaving someone new confused. besides I'm old and confuse easily lol tks budget for screens, PC, Wheel, Pedals shifter maybe $3000. seems like a lot to have fun!!! lol cant wait to get rollin...

David Ignjatovic · Jul 18, 2011

Hey hold on hey....some of the Aliens use $350 wheel and pedal sets, so it should dawn on people that these FREX thingo's and oversized CST pedals are for "feel" rather than high performance otherwise they'd win all the time.
I'm going to give iracing another chance when 2.0 is up and running, but it's gonna be me, a G27 and my 3yr old PC.

Jim Cole · Jul 18, 2011

Well to be honest Ratfink, the PC doesn't have to be top of the line to run the sims that are out there right now and even the ones that are coming out. The only reason for the higher end PC's is the triple monitor setup you are wanting to run. Your computer has to be beefy enough to handle the screen resolution with the graphics you want and that will take a little bit of horse power.

Personally right now I would go with the i5 2400 sandybridge processor and pair it with a couple of ATI HD 6770's for the graphics. I would highly suggest using a operating system that is 64bit to ensure you can use at least 8gig's of RAM. I am not talking all of it in system ram though, you have to count the graphics ram as part of the equation. 32bit operating systems can't address more than 4gig's total and with a pair of 1gig graphics cards that only leaves 2gig's for system ram. You would probably be looking at a system that has at least a 650 watt power supply, probably should opt for at least the 750 as overhead on the power is better than too little. Make sure the system has a drive spinning at 7200 min just for the drive performance, though some are going for the SSD's which are quite a bit faster, but performance is a moving thing on those, the more you use them the slower they get. For the monitors I always like LG's, Sony's, Viewsonic's depending on the specs and the money I have to spend.

For triple screens you are going to want to find ones that have a thin bezel on them so that it doesn't interfere with the total display that much. I would still go with the Logitech G27 over the other wheels out there for steering.

Where to buy from would be difficult to say as the price for pre-built systems varies from place to place. Best bet is to look at local computer stores and see what their prices are and then compare with online stores. I personally avoid HP with a passion but that is due to personal reasons. If you want those details, send a pm and I will explain. Building your own will be the least expensive, but does require a little bit of knowledge to ensure that all the pieces get installed correctly and the BIOS is setup to properly match what you have.

ratfink03 · Aug 6, 2011

I have a couple of other questions
1. Will a seat motion sim beat this older body up to beyond enjoyment? Should I stay with FFB only? I'm 66 years but in fairly good shape right now.
2. Will FFB wheels work with SimXperience or do you loose that option going to seat motion? tks

Alexander Rhodes · Aug 7, 2011

Answer to question 1. If your in semi-decent shape you'll be fine (or should be). I race against a 77 year old and although he can't push the pace of us talented youth's, he still manages to be faster than all the rich kids without talent. And just to mention, in no way shape or form does he ever get any exercise other than while he is racing

(He is a true legend).

Number 2. As for hardware, SimXperience is just the motion rig. And to be honest, if your wheel is not built into the setup, you will lose all feel anyway due to being stretched to and from the wheel. If you mount your wheel into the moving platform (like the seat), then you'll still get the feel as you won't be stretched to and from the wheel. As for the software setup, I have no idea how they run the rigs, so I couldn't tell you.