quickxotica

This is fascinating and tempting. I love a good DIY build, but I just don't trust my existing hardware (PS, fans, drive bays, etc). They're all pushing 7 years old and have had a hard life including mutiple house-moves. I'm shopping for a new tower with Windows 7 pre-installed. This time around I'd prefer minimal modding (i.e. I'd be happy to upgrade the graphics card after the fact to achieve 3-monitor support, but I don't have time to mess with a full build right now). I want solid internals & build-quality out of the box.

Seems like in this economy there ought to be some deals out there on this kind of hardware.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance CXC... this has been a timely thread for me.

AudiOn19s

I'm with John here, unfortunatly my old tower is 6+ years old and had been upgraded in the past but it's basically to the point where I need to start over from scratch. I can just see putting together an awesome machine only to realize I don't have enough cooling or some other component suddenly becomes the weak link.

if I break the budget that would pretty much on par with the rest of my car projects $1k would still be a nice target even if it means I need to expand down the road.

CXC Simulations

Sorry for the late follow-up.

Here is the configuration I posted before with everything now included:

Qty. Product Description Savings Total Price
1 Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply
Item #: N82E16811129024
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
-$20.00 Instant

$149.99
$129.99


1 Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500413AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822148701
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$44.99


1 SAPPHIRE 100311-2SR Radeon HD 6970 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
Item #: N82E16814102918
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card

$359.99
$349.99


1 SONY Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1681S-0B - OEM
Item #: N82E16827118031
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy


$16.99


3 Crucial 2GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model CT25664BA1339
Item #: N82E16820148221
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy

$44.97
($14.99 each)


1 Intel BOXDP67BGB3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813121511
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy


$177.99


1 Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K
Item #: N82E16819115070
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy


$314.99


1 Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit - OEM
Item #: N82E16832116992
Return Policy: Software Standard Return Policy
-$5.00 Instant


$139.99
$134.99


Subtotal: $1,214.90




If you wanted to buy ready made, I would recommend THIS and add the Single AMD Radeon HD 6870. It's still not as quick as the configuration above, but it's hard to get a config just right with OEMs.

Gator_86_951

^^ What CXC posts above is pretty much a newer version of what I built myself in the spring. Warning, there was a lot of swearing, and my thread is in OT.

quickxotica

Thanks CXC - I will look into that config and decide if I am up for the build. Looking at your OEM alternative, I find it hard to get excited about the Dell XPS but if I'm being honest that's probably all I technically need.

What's you opinion on the current crop of gamer boutique OEMs out there: Alienware, Maingear, V3, Cyberpower, Origin, Digital Storm, etc? Any stand out as particularly good/bad in the <$2k (tower-only) range?

One random example:
Cyberpower Gamer Xtreme 5000
CASE:CoolerMaster HAF 912 Mid-Tower Gaming Case w/ Adjustable HDD Cage (Black Color)
CPU:Intel® Core™ i7-2600K 3.40 GHz 8M Intel Smart Cache LGA1155 (All Venom OC Certified)
VIDEO:NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 1.2GB 16X PCIe Video Card (EVGA Superclocked)
FAN:CoolIT ECO II-120 High Performance Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan
HDD:1TB SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 32MB Cache 7200RPM HDD (Single Hard Drive)
MEMORY:8GB (4GBx2) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Module [+47] (Kingston HyperX [+13])
MOTHERBOARD:[CrossFireX/SLI] Asus P8Z68-V Pro Intel Z68 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ BT GO! LucidLogix Virtu and Intel Smart Response Technology & 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, 4x SATA-III RAID, 3 Gen2 PCIe, 2 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI (All Venom OC Certified)
MULTIVIEW:Non-SLI/Non-CrossFireX Mode Supports Multiple Monitors
NETWORK:Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
NOISEREDUCE1:Power Supply Gasket [+5]
NOISEREDUCE2:Anti-Vibration Fan Mounts [+9]
OS:Microsoft® Windows 7 Professional [+31] (64-bit Edition)
OVERCLOCK:No Overclocking
POWERSUPPLY:* 750 Watts - Corsair CMPSU-750TXV2 80 Plus Power Supply - Quad SLI Ready
SERVICE:STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
SOUND:HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO

BTW: sorry everyone for hijacking this thread into geek-land!

CXC Simulations

Boutiques will be better for expandabilitiy (as they use standard components) and raw speed, but you pay for that increase in performance. If the budget is there for it, they are good investments though.

I'm partial to Maingear and DigitalStorm at the moment.

BTW, Alienware is Dell now....


When looking at configurations, note that iRacing is partial to CPU and graphics power. It really can't take advantage of more than 6GB of system memory and I will always recommend graphics cards with as much VRAM as possible. If you plan on going multimonitor now or later, AMD video cards are the best bet for now.

quickxotica

Thank you again. Definitely thinking of going multi-monitor (x3) within 6 months.

mike1111

Hi All, I am also looking to get into I racing, I have been searching for rigs, I am a little overwhelmed. I guess my budget is around $1500 just for the rig. I definitely want something sturdy and I am not too concerned about the footprint. I am over six foot and I like to think 220 pounds but do not want to check... So I want something comfortable. I do not know the benefits of 3 screens. I just don't want to be fixing or adjusting, kind of want a turn key.

CXC Simulations

Hi Mike. Turn-key is just impossible at that budget. You'd really be in our price range for a full, turn-key system.

I'f you are talking about just the frame for $1500, you have a lot of choices. The best choice I think would be the Human Racing GT Chassis. They have a US distributor her in Los Angeles. I think it's exactly $1500.00

Potomac-Greg

There are cheaper seat setups (I have one) and while they're no doubt less enjoyable and precise, it'll work. If you have a big, modern, hi-def TV, you can set it up as your monitor.

Gator_86_951

Please be aware of "significant other" ramifications, as such (my living room in arlington has looked this way for about 6 months).

AudiOn19s

My setup is pretty budget and does pretty well for me.

Playseat = 350
Shifter attachment for playseat = $50
G27 = $240
Used 32" HDTV from craigslist $150
TV Stand = Free laying around the house

I was playing on an older tower that had upgrades to meet minimum specs for the game, but it just barely met the specs. Only time I really had problems was when I was in heavy traffic in say a miata race or something where there's always very close competition. My wife loaded Sims on that computer and after it already killed our laptop and it also killed my computer. Don't know what it is with that game but it acts like it over-clocks the CPU to death and both machines we've loaded it on they then run as hot as anything I've ever seen until they eventually burn up. The fan on the laptop runs NON STOP even when the thing is in sleep mode. /end rant

My wife works for Chase and gets a Dell discount, I think the OEM dell setup that CXC suggested with the upgraded graphics card is like $1100 with our discount. So I'll have ~$1900 in mine all together. Not quite your $1500 target but maybe you are even a more saavy shopper than me. Try craigslist for the simple stuff like the TV / Monitor and it will help the budget.

I'd love to go all out but you have to pick and choose your battles. I'd much rather buy more tires and track time for the GT3 than a really expensive setup for my winter gaming.

mike1111

Thanks for all the responses, the $1500.00 budget is just for the seat and frame. I was thinking another $1,500-$2,000 for computer and larger Tv, might go pawn shopping for tv. I already have a Logitech g25 wheel, but it looks like I will have to upgrade. Am I being realistic with this budget??
I guess my goal is not to fell like I am handicapped by the equipment.
My background is only going through Grand Turismo 2,3,and 4 and on the track I have been running De's about 9 years.
Thanks for all the help, just seems like all the rigs out there claim to be the best.

CXC Simulations

For a little less money, you can always go the Obutto Route.

A good pedal set is more important than anything else. My recommendation would be a load sensing set like the Fanetec Club Sport Elite set. Brake pedal feel is important.

The G25 works as a good starter though.


The biggest thing will be practice, practice, practice (just like in real life). Don't worry about speed at first. Consistency is the key.

kevin135

Sorry to be late to the discussion. Feel free to ask me any iRacing specific questions, I work for the the company.