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I always have an issue with set ups not giving me brake feedback. I cant get that seat of your pants feeling when braking to figure out whats enough without over or under braking .On the track that has always been to me what sets most of us apart. Any of you guys find you set ups give you this feedback? This to me make my SIM experiences just frustrating .
Hey Steve, as mentioned, a pedal with a loading feature, I use the Fanatec Clubsport V3's with the brake performance kit and find them great "but" and this is what others have alluded to is they need to be calibrated correctly no matter what you use. Some pedal sets combine brake/gas or can separate them out, some need to have a curve dialed into them to make them less sensitive under initial pressure, you want to have the brake force right in iracing, then with the Fanatec's you also get a rumble in the pedal under ABS or lockup so you "feel" it in your foot.
With all that being said open iRacing and go into a test session. Go into options and look at the controls, hit the gas/brake a few times and look at when it spikes to 100% I've seen a lot of systems where for some reason the brake pedal is like an on/off switch and the slightest press or 25% automatically spikes the brakes to 100%.... i don't re-calibrate my pedals everytime but before I leave the pits I make sure to move all my controls to the full range of motion to politely remind iRacing and the PC what the range of motion actually is, that includes putting my foot through the brake a couple of times for good measure.
I see a lot of discussion on this thread about the benefits of sim racing as well as a debate of which wheel to use. What about the computer to use?
I bought a cheap computer from Tiger Direct a few years ago to go iRacing and it was horrible which is why I abandoned the effort.
What is the cheapest "I bought this and it worked out great" computer?"
I also want to connect it to my TV and will just use the HDMI. Already have a steering wheel and pedal rig which I use with xBox.
Just need to buy the wheel and computer and learned to call people racist names (I kid! I kid!).
I used to build computers as a kid, the skills don't go away. There is a 30-day free test software (Passmark-PerformanceTest) that tests an entire PC, including the RAM, main disk, graphic card and CPU. Passmark has a large database with performance on different components. I buy the updated versions occasionally.
I went into the iRacing website and checked their system requirements. Then using the Passmark published CPU ratings and Graphic cards rating, I set a baseline where at a minimum, my system should exceed the iRacing officially published information for the best combination of components they list. My goal was to reuse as much as possible from a nearly 10 years old PC I built (it was my data center before cloud computing became affordable), and I set a budget of $800 for parts needed, knowing that for $1200 I could get a brand new Desktop (sans monitor, keyboard, mouse) with decent specs for iRacing, but less quality of Case/Motherboard/Power-Supplu as my old PC.
4 core CPU or better – Some examples (but not limited to): AMD FX-6300, Intel Core i5-4430, Intel Core i5-2320, AMD Ryzen 3 1200
16 GB of RAM
A gaming graphics card with at least 2GB of DEDICATED memory – Some examples (but not limited to): Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 @ 2 GB / GTX 1050 or ATI Radeon HD 7850 @ 2GB / AMD RX 550 or better
25 GB of free disk space (50 GB for all cars and tracks)
Microphone optional, required for voice chat
Now to the task...
Operating System of Choice: Windows 10 Pro
For O/S, most people know that Windows 10 is faster than Windows 8 and there is some minor tuning in Windows 10 services and startup tasks, plus non-needed applications. I would benchmark a PC with a fresh install of the O/S, make adjustments, then benchmark it again to see the improvements in RAM and CPU, same hardware, different tuning, like a car, it gets faster. Systems running Windows 7 or Windows 7 Pro can be upgraded to Windows 10 today by providing their Windows 7 Product Key.
Graphic Card: Anything faster than a GTX1050 that is affordable for single monitor use
From iRacing listed cards, the fastest they have in the list is the NVidia GeForce GTX1050. Passmark has a rating of 5752 points for this card. This card is 4 years old already. So look at what video card is installed in the system you want to purchase pre-built, or the video card you want to buy if you build your own system, go to the Passmark website and check the Passmark G3D rating. Be aware that laptops use Mobile versions of the graphic card chipsets, and they are slower. As an example, the GTX1050 Mobile ranks at 4426, the GTX1050 Ti (Desktop/Server) ranks at 6383.
CPU: Anything that exceeds iRacing list of recommended CPUs
There is no secret that games run faster on the top AMD CPUs. From the list of recommended CPUs by iRacing, the fastest one is the AMD Ryzen 3 1200, it ranks at 6263 in the Passmark CPU mark. So look at what CPU is in the system you're interested, and check for its CPU mark exceeding this number.
RAM: Easy. 16Gbytes of the fastest the motherboard accepts
Disk: Easy. Any Solid State Drive (SSD) that fits the budget.
I have all the Windows 10 Pro software, anti-virus and network monitoring tools, iRacing, some apps (Office, browsers, and basic things) in less than 80 Gbytes including page file and hibernation file. Any 128Gb or higher storage SSD works fine. Avoid classic HDD (the magnetic type traditional disk drivers), they are too slow compared to SSD. I ran a test 4 years ago on system with a 1TB Seagate HDD and then a 1TB Samsung 850 SSD, Passmark reported a 3X higher score for the entire system (CPU, RAM, disk, GPU, etc.) just by swapping the drives with the same software in both.
My old PC specs (do not copy, you would be wasting money, this system is nearly 10 years old). I did not change any hardware component, it truly cost me $10 on parts to get iRacing running in this old PC from my set budget of $800 to upgrade. I wanted as much as possible to reuse my PS4 seat base, seat, steering wheel and pedals. I just wanted to test iRacing with the minimum $$$ invested and if I got engaged, then work my way up on better hardware, tuning, and very important >> Seat Time.
My specs:
- 850W power supply and a case with 5 fans.
- An ASUS X58 top of the line server motherboard
- 12Gb RAM (Corsair DDR3 at 1600 Hz)
- 600GB Intel SSD (320 series)
- Intel i7-980X (this is a 6-core CPU)
- GeForce GTX 470 (1.28 Gbytes)
My system is way below specs of what iRacing recommends. The biggest handicap is on the video card, my old GTX470 is rated by Passmark at 3175, and my system RAM is at 12Gb (I have 6 slots with 2Gb DIMMS already full).
On my first CPU benchmark (Windows 10 Pro), with zero optimization, Passmark reported a 8993 CPU mark, nicely above iRacing's best listed CPU.
The GTX470 reported 3754 points, higher than Passmark's baseline, but way below the top iRacing recommended graphic card on their website. However, pretty close to the numbers on the GTX660 and ATI HD7850, and much faster than the ATI RX550, all these cards recommended by iRacing.
So, I bought a $10 DVI to HDMI converter, because my video card only has DVI and mini-HDMI, and I wanted to use 13 years old 50" Plasma TV that is dedicated to my PlayStation 4 and Gran Turismo.
Desktops run cooler, and tolerate more heat. You don't want a shared laptop for iRacing and other home or office tasks, make it a dedicated Sim Racing PC. In this case, it is always cheaper to go for a Desktop.
I did some BIOS overclocking and Windows Services tuning, and now the CPU Passmark is reading over 11,000 points any time. I monitor the CPU during iRacing and it is running relaxed. The video card is the only hardware component that struggles. I run graphics in the medium setting, and it performs much smoother and with better resolution than anything I have seen in Gran Turismo Sport.
I like the idea of plugging a Desktop to an old TV set with 1080p capability to test iRacing on a budget. Although my PS4 Wheel/Pedals are not affordable (T-GT, with extra T3PA-Pro pedals and a brake pedal mechanical mod, not yet a load cell).
60Hz is not ideal, G27 pedals are not ideal, a $600 Desktop is not ideal, office chair and home made rigs, not ideal. But, as of now, my setup is not giving me any frustrations at all, it is the total opposite, so much fun that I currently spend 10x the time using iRacing compared to PS4-GT Sport. I also put an extension USB cable so I can switch from the Desktop-iRacing to the PS4-GT Sport in a few seconds.
There are plenty of PCs for sale, brand new, with better specs than my old Desktop to run iRacing. $600 would buy something better than what I have, $800 something pretty decent for Single monitor. Now, for triple monitors,VR, the PC needs much better video cards, stronger CPU, but $1500 should cover a PC that runs the multi-monitor setup just fine. Then there are pre-built systems from good brands (MSI, Asus, Corsair), and there is a little premium to pay there.
WOW, A/S. You lost me just after “I used to build computers as a kid” I wish I had your skills and knowledge, but alas, I struggle to operate an xBox. I too would like to move over to iRacing or AS, but get absolutely lost in the PC world. Right now I have a decent little rig, wheel and pedals running off xBox (son’s old one), and an older LED TV. I struggle with depth perception and grainy images, making it hard to see far enough ahead. PC is likely the only way to address this I suppose.
1. decision on screen setup (VR vs monitors etc).
Money allowing, triple screen is still considered the best by most ppl, but requires 3 screens ($$) and enough GPU (video card) to power them ($$). VR getting much better (FOV probably the most important attribute if you go VR), many ppl love it, but not for everyone and also requires a lot of GPU. Extra wide single monitor a pretty good option also and is useful as a PC monitor for other things (but obviously less immersive). Big TV can be tricky because of the input lag and latency. There are some TVs that are low input lag/high frequency/etc, but I would avoid this path unless you are using a TV you already own (in which case it’s free to try). Do your research on screens.. there are accepted "correct answers" wrt input lag, bezel width, mhtz etc.
2. enough CPU (processor) to power the sim at a graphics level you want. iRacing only uses a single core, so paying lots for a processor with more cores is a waste. You want to pay for faster clock speed/fewer cores as opposed to paying for less clock speed/more cores. Be careful of benchmark tests here as most will measure multi-core performance and that is not what iRacing uses. If you build a PC need to ensure the motherboard supports the CPU.
3. enough GPU (video card) to power your chosen screen setup at a graphics quality level you want at an acceptable frame rate for racing. For me, 100FPS (frames per second) is the minimum for smooth somewhat competitive racing (it is very hard in an intense race to deal with FPS dips even if infrequent). Now the tricky thing..... you can turn down all the graphics quality and get super high frame rates, but it will look ****. As you turn up the quality, the FPS drops, so need to balance screen/GPU/CPU/graphics settings (unless you are comfortable spending a lot). Perhaps most importantly.. you need a stable FPS number. The real test here is on the bigger tracks with a full grid (hot lapping is not indicative). There are also very good guides on which graphics settings are most hungry with iRacing. Some clear ones to avoid and others that are worth turning up due to the bang-for-buck ratio. All searchable on the internet, lots of advice and too much to go through.
4. G-synch vs free-synch. This is a technology to locks the frames on screen so they appear more crisp.
If you want to use this technology you need to match the monitor technology to the GPU choice. NVidia video cards use g-sync, so you would want g-sync enabled monitors. AMD video cards use free-sync so you would need free-sync enabled monitors.
5. you don’t need much RAM, but want it to be fast. 8Gb of 3600mhz is much better than 16 or 32Gb of 2400mhz (iRacing does not use much ram, but faster helps)
6. better to get a solid state hard drive than mechanical. Not a big cost difference and much faster loading/starting. Unless you want to use the PC to save lots of video footage, 512Gb of SSD (or even 256 at a pinch) would be much better than a big multi-terabyte mechanical HDD.
7. really important: if you go with triple screens, you need to make sure the video card has 3 DisplayPort outputs (1 for each screen, assuming you want to use DP and not HDMI). Some cards only have 2 or the third is hdmi. This messes everything up... so even if you don’t go triple screen, I would get a video card with 3DisplayPorts regardless allowing you to upgrade later. Again.. do not mix DP and HDMI. All of one or all of the other... will save you unnecessary headaches.
8. depending on budget, you can get a pretty good experience going with 2nd or 3rd tier hardware. You pay a big premium for latest/greatest but the performance improvement is relatively small (this is because computer hardware depreciates really fast - so buying the best thing from 1-2yrs ago often makes a lot of sense if on a budget).
9. when you work out your parameters/budget/etc... it’s probably worth at least considering a custom build outfit (unless you are comfortable building a PC? PCPartpicker is a great tool for this if you are). That way you pay for exactly what iRacing will utilize and nothing else. If not comfortable going that route then try to optimize around the general guidelines I outlined and avoid skimping on the GPU (save money in other places). Very good performance without paying the latest/greatest premium is 1080Ti or the 2070. They perform similarly and are very good options for triples or VR. If you are comfortable with either single screen, less FPS or less visual quality then there are many GPU options that will do the job for much less money. Keep in mind whatever you get, it still wont be enough and you will still need to fiddle around to balance quality and FPS. Like a lot of choices in this space: you need to decide whether you are dipping your toe in the water/determining whether this is something you will do a lot of.... OR whether you are pretty sure you will and in which case you want to avoid spending on lots of incremental upgrades. The quality sim gear holds reasonable value (high end pedals, DD wheels etc), very little of the PC components do.
I just upgraded to a Fanatec club sport wheel. I've had their petals for a couple of years.
I lost the RJ 11 (or 12) cable to connect direct to the wheel, any reason why I can't run both USB. It seems to be working fine. Am I losing any features with the pedals this way?
1. decision on screen setup (VR vs monitors etc).
Money allowing, triple screen is still considered the best by most ppl, but requires 3 screens ($$) and enough GPU (video card) to power them ($$). VR getting much better (FOV probably the most important attribute if you go VR), many ppl love it, but not for everyone and also requires a lot of GPU. Extra wide single monitor a pretty good option also and is useful as a PC monitor for other things (but obviously less immersive). Big TV can be tricky because of the input lag and latency. There are some TVs that are low input lag/high frequency/etc, but I would avoid this path unless you are using a TV you already own (in which case it’s free to try). Do your research on screens.. there are accepted "correct answers" wrt input lag, bezel width, mhtz etc.
2. enough CPU (processor) to power the sim at a graphics level you want. iRacing only uses a single core, so paying lots for a processor with more cores is a waste. You want to pay for faster clock speed/fewer cores as opposed to paying for less clock speed/more cores. Be careful of benchmark tests here as most will measure multi-core performance and that is not what iRacing uses. If you build a PC need to ensure the motherboard supports the CPU.
3. enough GPU (video card) to power your chosen screen setup at a graphics quality level you want at an acceptable frame rate for racing. For me, 100FPS (frames per second) is the minimum for smooth somewhat competitive racing (it is very hard in an intense race to deal with FPS dips even if infrequent). Now the tricky thing..... you can turn down all the graphics quality and get super high frame rates, but it will look ****. As you turn up the quality, the FPS drops, so need to balance screen/GPU/CPU/graphics settings (unless you are comfortable spending a lot). Perhaps most importantly.. you need a stable FPS number. The real test here is on the bigger tracks with a full grid (hot lapping is not indicative). There are also very good guides on which graphics settings are most hungry with iRacing. Some clear ones to avoid and others that are worth turning up due to the bang-for-buck ratio. All searchable on the internet, lots of advice and too much to go through.
4. G-synch vs free-synch. This is a technology to locks the frames on screen so they appear more crisp.
If you want to use this technology you need to match the monitor technology to the GPU choice. NVidia video cards use g-sync, so you would want g-sync enabled monitors. AMD video cards use free-sync so you would need free-sync enabled monitors.
5. you don’t need much RAM, but want it to be fast. 8Gb of 3600mhz is much better than 16 or 32Gb of 2400mhz (iRacing does not use much ram, but faster helps)
6. better to get a solid state hard drive than mechanical. Not a big cost difference and much faster loading/starting. Unless you want to use the PC to save lots of video footage, 512Gb of SSD (or even 256 at a pinch) would be much better than a big multi-terabyte mechanical HDD.
7. really important: if you go with triple screens, you need to make sure the video card has 3 DisplayPort outputs (1 for each screen, assuming you want to use DP and not HDMI). Some cards only have 2 or the third is hdmi. This messes everything up... so even if you don’t go triple screen, I would get a video card with 3DisplayPorts regardless allowing you to upgrade later. Again.. do not mix DP and HDMI. All of one or all of the other... will save you unnecessary headaches.
8. depending on budget, you can get a pretty good experience going with 2nd or 3rd tier hardware. You pay a big premium for latest/greatest but the performance improvement is relatively small (this is because computer hardware depreciates really fast - so buying the best thing from 1-2yrs ago often makes a lot of sense if on a budget).
9. when you work out your parameters/budget/etc... it’s probably worth at least considering a custom build outfit (unless you are comfortable building a PC? PCPartpicker is a great tool for this if you are). That way you pay for exactly what iRacing will utilize and nothing else. If not comfortable going that route then try to optimize around the general guidelines I outlined and avoid skimping on the GPU (save money in other places). Very good performance without paying the latest/greatest premium is 1080Ti or the 2070. They perform similarly and are very good options for triples or VR. If you are comfortable with either single screen, less FPS or less visual quality then there are many GPU options that will do the job for much less money. Keep in mind whatever you get, it still wont be enough and you will still need to fiddle around to balance quality and FPS. Like a lot of choices in this space: you need to decide whether you are dipping your toe in the water/determining whether this is something you will do a lot of.... OR whether you are pretty sure you will and in which case you want to avoid spending on lots of incremental upgrades. The quality sim gear holds reasonable value (high end pedals, DD wheels etc), very little of the PC components do.
Matty
For anyone interested here is my original build thread and a link to the current setup:
I am moving and have to sell my beloved rig. Figured I'd post here as there were a few people inquiring about building a setup. If anyone is in the Southern California area, or willing to rent a truck, feel free to reach out if you are interested.
I have a PC, but I'd imagine most would build their own for better value. I'd prefer to hold onto my custom OMP wheel I made with SSRG as a keepsake.
The setup (minus the PC and SSRG) is just over $14k without taxes or shipping costs; I would let it go to a good home for $8k.
I've tried many different motion platforms out there, and have personally preferred the seat-movers with rear traction loss, as it causes me to tighten my core, making me feel as if my on-screen actions have consequences. The triple projectors throw a large immersive picture, so it is easy to turn off the lights and lose yourself in a race. Feel free to ask any questions.
Here is a rundown of most of the setup:
Motion Chassis
SimXperience Stage IV 3DOF w/ Rear Traction Loss
SimXperience Diamond-plated Floorboard
Corbeau FX1 Racing Seat
2 x Buttkicker Gamer 2 and remotes
Real racing harness w/ quick release
Custom Triple Projector Setup
3 X Vivitek Qumi Q2 pocket projectors
Custom 80/20 bracket with 6 Fotomate macro adjusters
Custom hard surface triple projection screen wrapped in black felt
8” Touch Screen
Wheel
Accuforce v.1 on Accuforce height bracket
Q1R quick release
Momo Mod30
SSRG Custom wheel on OMP Alu 310 GT
Brakes
HPP 2 Pedal PRX-SE with extra springs and accessories
Accessories
Derek Spears Sequential Shifter
Derek Spears Track Boss Button Controller
Logitech Z-5500 THX 5.1 surround speakers and subwoofer
Logitech G930 7.1 Wireless Gaming Headset
XPand 3D Gaming Glasses
Extra toolkit of spare parts (knitter switches, SLI Pros, Display Adapters, Ignition Switches, etc)
04-30-2020, 10:38 AM
I wish I had your skills and knowledge, but alas, I struggle to operate an xBox. I too would like to move over to iRacing or AS, but get absolutely lost in the PC world. Right now I have a decent little rig, wheel and pedals running off xBox (son’s old one), and an older LED TV. I struggle with depth perception and grainy images, making it hard to see far enough ahead. PC is likely the only way to address this I suppose.
