PC Sim Racing

[STANG KILLA SS]

one night on Forza Steve mentioned iRacing.com and we started researching. A week or two later he had his rig, and a week after that I had mine.

Race Room RR1000 cockpit
Logitech G27 Wheel set
hooked to TV for monitor



anyone else do any PC racing or driving sims?

[STANG KILLA SS]

iRacing is kinda unique in that its structured like a real race career.
theres 1 track per week during the season. you practice all week, then qualify, and the race. you don't get to choose who you race against, and the cars are limited to to the series you've choosen. all like real life. you can only race cars that you have got license levels for. it you start low and work up to the big cars like real racing.

there is also a Safety Rating (SR) that is a record of any time you hit someone or go off track, or loose control you loose safety rating. this record stays with you forever. going up as you get cleaner.

biggest difference I noticed is as with other games its about how fast your are. iRacing seems to be more about the challenge of driving and simply getting around the track. difficulty is definatly way up.

there are no assists (abs, tcs etc) and there are no outside views. only the drivers seat

Started in the Rookie Class in the Maxda MX5 Roadster






not sure why the screen caps are all jaggy/aliased. probly the freebie fraps software.

[taco08jk]

Nice setup Cory.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[badhoopty]

HELLA nice setup!

[STANG KILLA SS]

thanks fellas, hopefully steve will chim in, hes building an even better one.

[EeePee]

Indeed, nice rig.

[EeePee]

Just remembered this: iRacing

[dezfan]

Wow, you guys and your video games!

[SINister]

I never cared for racing games but that is a super nice setup

[Tommy R]

Damn you, Cory! Now I'm >this< close to selling off my Xray onroad racers in order to build or buy a gaming PC. Of course, I'll still have to get a new monitor. Not sure if logistically I'll be able to pull of a racing cockpit since the computer will still need to function as my home PC, but we'll see. I've always been pretty content racing with my wheel clamped to my desk in the past.

Can you share specs/make/model of the PC you picked up recently? Sounded like a good deal!

[STANG KILLA SS]

this is the computer I bought
iBUYPOWER Black Gamer Power PC,WA550B,8GB Memory - Walmart.com

the link above is actually updated. they have upgraded the computer and lowered the price since I bought it. my version has 4130 processor (still quad 3.8 ) and mine has Nvidia GT630 (Still 2gb) and I paid 498. the one above has upgraded those items and looks like added more USB ports. and possibly others.

they delivered it to the walmart next to my work for free.

they also have some larger more powerful models I think for an extra 100-200. one thing I was very positive was that I wanted windows 7 not windows 8. that made my search harder.

[Tommy R]

Thanks, Cory! I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a gaming PC rather soon and that may fit the bill nicely.

So is there a thread either here or on TXRCRC where y'all are discussing sim racing nights/meetups?

[STANG KILLA SS]

nope this is it. thats the reason i started this thread. feel free to talk about any and all PC driving sim/ computer stuff here.

[Tommy R]

Cool! So here's a question for those of you running a desktop system and a cockpit... Do you still use the system for your regular-use PC, as well? Mine will have to serve dual purpose: racing and basic computing/surfing. In your setup it looks like it'd be a hassle to just surf or do non-racing stuff. Your thoughts?

Also, I've got a 46" LCD tv that I could potentially use for this new system. It's a 6 year old Sharp and was pretty high end at the time. How would I know if this is worth a flip to use as my monitor for racing? Would I be better off buying a different/new TV or monitor? Budget is a concern, of course.

[STANG KILLA SS]

it works. but no ive had to switch to a laptop for home PC stuff. but i do browse RCC, Facebook etc in the cockpit. its just not that comfy, and my mouse/keyboard situation isnt ideal.

is your Sharp tv 1080p or 720p? does it have a HDMI input? what is your Htz rating? also some TVs have a Game or PC mode. which removes the picture smoothing processing to quicken the TV responce time.

a TV simply cannot produce as good as a picture or responce time as a monitor. parcially due to size. but i wouldnt have it any other way. looks great on the game, but doesnt look the best during emails, facebook, etc. i could never go back to monitor though. the added height (and size) of the TV is invaluble for me anyway.

[EeePee]

Yeah with a TV that big, just sit further way and have a beer or five. I can get all up in my Asus 24" monitor (literally like two feet) and still be good. It'll never be real enough anyways, so go with what you got first I say.

[Tommy R]

I don't recall the specs, but it's definitely got an HDMI input and is at least 720p. I'll see if I can get some specs on it online. But I'm thinking it may be too big for the area I have in mind. Maybe I'm crazy for thinking such things. ;)

[STANG KILLA SS]

i tried a 720p tv first and it was horid. it was on Rfactor 2 which was bad enough but it looked like atari.
i did not try it on iracing.

you can never be too big. was at walmart at lunch and saw a 60" LCD 1080p with PC mode for $698. it sucked me in like a bug to a porch light. good thing im broke.

i have my cockpit literally touching the TV stand as you can see. i think eyeball to screen distance is like 51" if i recal.

[STANG KILLA SS]

had a couple good clean races and finally got my D class Road Race licence! yea no more Rookie class



also picked up some of the add-on DLC tracks
never heard of 3 of them.

[Tommy R]

Here's the TV I've got. It's a Sharp brand and does have 1080p:
http://www.amazon.com/Sharp-Aquos-LC.../dp/B000UN7JXS

Worth a flip for gaming?