Looking for recommendations regarding complete setup for $5k

TS1997 · Jul 24, 2022

Hey guys,
I’m currently looking for a new place with more room and want to upgrade my rig after that. I currently have a desk mounted G920 and am therefore in need of a completely new rig as I want something much better. I’m in need of a rig with a seat and a triple monitor stand etc, a DD wheel, pedals, ebrake and shifter.
I have a VR headset I’m using for AC but other games I play don’t support it and therefore want a triple monitor stand as well. I already have the monitors themself though.

I have a friend with a SimLab GT1 EVO and a Fanatec setup with their DD2. Is that a good setup or can I get a better one with my budget? I’ve decided on a budget of $4-5k but am flexible and can go a bit higher if the value makes it worth it. Another thing is that I need to be able to get the stuff in Europe or with decent shipping as I live in Sweden.
What do you guys recommend? Any tips on what I should look into for the different parts of the rig is greatly appreciated! I’ll use the rig for most sim games but drifting in AC will be the main focus if that matters.

Thanks in advance!

roylan101 · Jul 24, 2022

Not sure what kind of deal youre getting with the fanatec but I personally wouldnt really go with a second hand fanatec setup.

Im assuming this is for the rig and not the PC.

You can get a gt1 evo, a simucube 2 pro, some nice high end load cells (heusinkveld, meca cup 1, simtrecs, whatever you fancy watch some reviews theyre all good). And after that it's just upgrading random bits. If youre drifting you want a good sequential shifter and e-brake probably. Have heard good things about the SG racing combo unit.

Here is a breakdown:

gt1 evo is 449 Euro

GT1 EVO Sim Racing Cockpit

The GT1-Evo sim racing cockpit is designed to feature the best of all worlds. The sturdy profiles are both cost-effective and provide the frame with more than enough rigidity. Also, the aluminium slot profiles are modular and highly flexible in design. The sim racing cockpit is compatible with...

sim-lab.eu

Vario triple monitor mount 549 Euro (a lot but Vario in my opinion is ESSENTIAL with triples)

VARIO™ Triple monitor mount

sim-lab.eu

sc2 pro with quick release 1254 euro

SIMUCUBE 2 Pro - SimRacingBay

Next generation Simucube 2 Direct Drive System 25 Nm of max torque, 22bit angle sensor - 4.2 mil cpr resolution Designed for ultra low latency, dual CPU architecture Simucube Wireless Wheel (SWW) support, new Simucube software Latest version with 450W Meanwell power supply, worldwide...

www.simracingbay.com

SRB BB Ultra 400 Euro

SRB BB Ultra V2 - SimRacingBay

SIMUCUBE, WIRELESS STEERING WHEEL SIMRACINGBAY SRB

www.simracingbay.com

heusinkveld sprint 578 euro

Sprint Anthracite • Heusinkveld advanced simracing products

Heusinkveld Sim Pedals Sprint are a perfect choice for both casual simracers as well as professional eSports drivers. A strong, compact and highly adjustable design with custom electronics and powerful SmartControl software.

heusinkveld.com

SG Racing sequential handbrake/shifter combo 370 pounds (around 434 euro)

Combo - Sim Racing Hardware

sg-racing.co.uk

If youre wanting an H-pattern you could do the VNM shifter (it can also switch to sequential mode by swapping out a top plate) and E-brake combo, make sure to buy the mount plate too (249+209+25 = 483 Euro)

Sim-Motion - the new way of motion - Simracing Hardware

Sim-Motion simracing hardware and motion solutions for everyone. actuators and platforms. Simagic PT-Actuator Nuo Simulation Alurigs SimXPro

eu.sim-motion.com

Simucube Mount (many available, amount 50 ish euros)

Drift Rim (100-200 Euros im guessing)

Seat (personal preference, could go cheap junkyard car seat or new bucket seat)

Thats around 4000-4300 Euros, which should leave some room for shipping and VAT (im from USA im guessing you pay VAT?), and then a seat

The upgrades I would do if you want to spend some money are perhaps the P1X. I have a gt1 evo and upgraded to the front mount later on and bought some extra profiles to do stuff and it ended up being close to P1X price with shipping. But totally not necessary.

Some people may swear by the heusinkveld ultimates but I have read many not really find a huge difference from the sprints other than the "headroom".

This is pretty end game for most folks and you would be very happy with this I think.

Quick summary on why I chose the things I mentioned:

Sim lab Gt1-evo, tried and true, does everything you need, Sturdy as heck, a million people have it, its 8020 and sim lab is a dependable company

vario vesa mount, aligning triples is a pain the butt, especially if youre a detail oriented person. Vario makes aligning triples with 8020 a non issue.

Sc2 pro I believe is the standard in DD wheels. Very popular active community, very good build quality, tons of support and not going anywhere. Tomo from Sim racing bay (the reseller I linked for the simucube) is also an amazing guy.

SRB BB Ultra, youre drifting so you want a simucube wireless wheel so you dont worry about a cable getting caught, great build quality similar to ascher, best wireless simucube box for the price.

heusinkveld sprints again tried and true, great customer service, plug and play with easy software to use, lots of people have them so easy to try other peoples settings etc

SG Shifter, seems to be the best sequential for the money, is used in actual drift cars

VNM shifter I personally own, better than the fanatec shifter+sequential combo, all metal design, have to spend a lot more to get into a better h shifter. I havent compared the two but if you strictly use sequential, the SG likely has a better feel than the VNM in sequential.

Deleted member 197115 · Jul 24, 2022

If you are planning for more or less serious DD wheelbase like SC2, go for SimLab P1-X with front wheel mount instead of GT1-EVO, you would need more stability with higher forces, solid rig = better FFB.

P1-X Sim Racing Cockpit

Moving forward from our successful predecessor we are happy to announce the P1-X sim racing chassis. It is largely based on all what made the P1 one of the best sim racing chassis available.

sim-lab.eu

TS1997 · Jul 24, 2022

roylan101 said:
Not sure what kind of deal youre getting with the fanatec but I personally wouldnt really go with a second hand fanatec setup.

Im assuming this is for the rig and not the PC.

You can get a gt1 evo, a simucube 2 pro, some nice high end load cells (heusinkveld, meca cup 1, simtrecs, whatever you fancy watch some reviews theyre all good). And after that it's just upgrading random bits. If youre drifting you want a good sequential shifter and e-brake probably. Have heard good things about the SG racing combo unit.

Here is a breakdown:

gt1 evo is 449 Euro

GT1 EVO Sim Racing Cockpit

The GT1-Evo sim racing cockpit is designed to feature the best of all worlds. The sturdy profiles are both cost-effective and provide the frame with more than enough rigidity. Also, the aluminium slot profiles are modular and highly flexible in design. The sim racing cockpit is compatible with...

sim-lab.eu

Vario triple monitor mount 549 Euro (a lot but Vario in my opinion is ESSENTIAL with triples)

VARIO™ Triple monitor mount

sim-lab.eu

sc2 pro with quick release 1254 euro

SIMUCUBE 2 Pro - SimRacingBay

Next generation Simucube 2 Direct Drive System 25 Nm of max torque, 22bit angle sensor - 4.2 mil cpr resolution Designed for ultra low latency, dual CPU architecture Simucube Wireless Wheel (SWW) support, new Simucube software Latest version with 450W Meanwell power supply, worldwide...

www.simracingbay.com

SRB BB Ultra 400 Euro

SRB BB Ultra V2 - SimRacingBay

SIMUCUBE, WIRELESS STEERING WHEEL SIMRACINGBAY SRB

www.simracingbay.com

heusinkveld sprint 578 euro

Sprint Anthracite • Heusinkveld advanced simracing products

Heusinkveld Sim Pedals Sprint are a perfect choice for both casual simracers as well as professional eSports drivers. A strong, compact and highly adjustable design with custom electronics and powerful SmartControl software.

heusinkveld.com

SG Racing sequential handbrake/shifter combo 370 pounds (around 434 euro)

Combo - Sim Racing Hardware

sg-racing.co.uk

If youre wanting an H-pattern you could do the VNM shifter (it can also switch to sequential mode by swapping out a top plate) and E-brake combo, make sure to buy the mount plate too (249+209+25 = 483 Euro)

Sim-Motion - the new way of motion - Simracing Hardware

Sim-Motion simracing hardware and motion solutions for everyone. actuators and platforms. Simagic PT-Actuator Nuo Simulation Alurigs SimXPro

eu.sim-motion.com

Simucube Mount (many available, amount 50 ish euros)

Drift Rim (100-200 Euros im guessing)

Seat (personal preference, could go cheap junkyard car seat or new bucket seat)

Thats around 4000-4300 Euros, which should leave some room for shipping and VAT (im from USA im guessing you pay VAT?), and then a seat

The upgrades I would do if you want to spend some money are perhaps the P1X. I have a gt1 evo and upgraded to the front mount later on and bought some extra profiles to do stuff and it ended up being close to P1X price with shipping. But totally not necessary.

Some people may swear by the heusinkveld ultimates but I have read many not really find a huge difference from the sprints other than the "headroom".

This is pretty end game for most folks and you would be very happy with this I think.

Quick summary on why I chose the things I mentioned:

Sim lab Gt1-evo, tried and true, does everything you need, Sturdy as heck, a million people have it, its 8020 and sim lab is a dependable company

vario vesa mount, aligning triples is a pain the butt, especially if youre a detail oriented person. Vario makes aligning triples with 8020 a non issue.

Sc2 pro I believe is the standard in DD wheels. Very popular active community, very good build quality, tons of support and not going anywhere. Tomo from Sim racing bay (the reseller I linked for the simucube) is also an amazing guy.

SRB BB Ultra, youre drifting so you want a simucube wireless wheel so you dont worry about a cable getting caught, great build quality similar to ascher, best wireless simucube box for the price.

heusinkveld sprints again tried and true, great customer service, plug and play with easy software to use, lots of people have them so easy to try other peoples settings etc

SG Shifter, seems to be the best sequential for the money, is used in actual drift cars

VNM shifter I personally own, better than the fanatec shifter+sequential combo, all metal design, have to spend a lot more to get into a better h shifter. I havent compared the two but if you strictly use sequential, the SG likely has a better feel than the VNM in sequential.

Thanks a lot for the recommendations along with the details on why you recommend each part! I'll look into them all

Andrew_WOT said:
If you are planning for more or less serious DD wheelbase like SC2, go for SimLab P1-X with front wheel mount instead of GT1-EVO, you would need more stability with higher forces, solid rig = better FFB.

P1-X Sim Racing Cockpit

Moving forward from our successful predecessor we are happy to announce the P1-X sim racing chassis. It is largely based on all what made the P1 one of the best sim racing chassis available.

sim-lab.eu

Thanks for the input! I'll look into the P1-X

roylan101 · Jul 24, 2022

TS1997 said:
Thanks a lot for the recommendations along with the details on why you recommend each part! I'll look into them all

Thanks for the input! I'll look into the P1-X

Yea as I mentioned if you were to do an upgrade on any of the stuff I listed I would do the P1-X. I had a gt1 evo and used a profile across the uprights with a standard mount and it was very solid. It was only when I added a wheel extension that I felt that I needed a front mount. Wheel extensions are very useful for stuff like getting monitors closer to you, and also if you have a wheel with a cable they wrap around the extension nicely. So yea if youre really invested in this hobby yes I do think it's a better idea to go for the P1X.

Also if youre a taller person, the gt1 evo is going to feel cramped.
Im only 5'8 (about 172-173cm) and I dont have a ton more room for expansion

TS1997 · Jul 24, 2022

roylan101 said:
Yea as I mentioned if you were to do an upgrade on any of the stuff I listed I would do the P1-X. I had a gt1 evo and used a profile across the uprights with a standard mount and it was very solid. It was only when I added a wheel extension that I felt that I needed a front mount. Wheel extensions are very useful for stuff like getting monitors closer to you, and also if you have a wheel with a cable they wrap around the extension nicely. So yea if youre really invested in this hobby yes I do think it's a better idea to go for the P1X.

Also if youre a taller person, the gt1 evo is going to feel cramped.
Im only 5'8 (about 172-173cm) and I dont have a ton more room for expansion

Thanks for the info! I’m only 170cm so if you fit it shouldn’t be an issue for me

But I plan on investing in this now and keeping this setup as long as possible. I’m therefore willing to pay a bit more now so I won’t feel like upgrading soon after

stigs2cousin · Jul 25, 2022

What resolution/FPS do you want and what can your PC drive on the tripples?

If you have an high end PC and go for 1440p/144hz a big chunk of that money will go into the screens.

My personal opinion is that 27" 1080p/144hz screens work very well for SimRacing. My IPS screens are driven by a R5 5600x and a 3080, high settings capable of 140hz.
These screens where about 800€ 2,5 years ago, no idea what they cost now.
Keep in mind that for tripple 27" you need at least 1,5m in width for the stand.

As for the rig, it doesn´t have to be Simlab, but I´d also opt for a sturdy profile rig.

Better to buy "once and for all" than to have to buy twice when your upgrading again.

MFG Carsten

roylan101 · Jul 25, 2022

stigs2cousin said:
What resolution/FPS do you want and what can your PC drive on the tripples?

If you have an high end PC and go for 1440p/144hz a big chunk of that money will go into the screens.

My personal opinion is that 27" 1080p/144hz screens work very well for SimRacing. My IPS screens are driven by a R5 5600x and a 3080, high settings capable of 140hz.
These screens where about 800€ 2,5 years ago, no idea what they cost now.
Keep in mind that for tripple 27" you need at least 1,5m in width for the stand.

As for the rig, it doesn´t have to be Simlab, but I´d also opt for a sturdy profile rig.

Better to buy "once and for all" than to have to buy twice when your upgrading again.

MFG Carsten