budget build for sim racing

rowanh

What is your budget? around 500 blips.

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? Playing racing sims with my steering wheel connected to my 720p tv and also using it for watching films and listening to music.

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? I dont think so.

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? Yes, Case, psu, dvd drive, mouse keyboard and i have a 300gb ssd.

5. Do you need a monitor? no

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? I tried this once ten years ago or so and it didnt work well, maybe its gotten easier though?

8. How can you pay? [Bank Transfer/Credit Card/Laser]

9. When are you purchasing? soon

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? I'll be ok

Hey folks,

I want to put together a desktop for playing racing sims. The following is the 'recommended' spec for Asseto Corsa which from what i can tell is one of the better ones at the moment.

Recommended PC requirements:
OS: Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1
Processor: AMD Six-Core CPU, Intel Quad-Core CPU
Memory: 6 GB RAM
Graphics: DirectX 11 (AMD Radeon 290x, Nvidia GeForce GT 970)
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Hard Drive: 30 GB available space
Sound Card: Integrated

Would the above requirements be what is needed to run the game with everything on the highest settings, in general is that whats listed or would it be more mid settings at a high fps?

I think for 500 the way to go is something like

core i5 cpu
gtx 660 card
8gb ram ddr3 1600mhz
Asrock H97pro4 motherboard
1Tb hdd

Any opinions on those bits, does the brand of gfx card and ram make much difference? Im not really sure on how much better the AMD Radeon 290x, Nvidia GeForce GT 970 listed are to the GTX 660, is it a fairly decent card for games or would i be better with an i3 cpu and a better graphics card?

TerrorFirmer

Well the good news is that at 720P it doesn't take much grunt to max out games!

You're on the right track though. Something like a H81 Mobo, i5 4460, 8Gb Ram, 1TB Hard drive, would be a good core.

Graphics card wise, then look at an R9 270 2GB.

All that would come in at well under 500.

If you were running at 1080p I'd consider an R9 280, but at 720P a 270 is plenty.

emoore1223

Any interest in a Leo bodnar sli pro display? it really does add to the realism of racing sims, let me know if your interested, thanks

Dcully

Something to remember with racing sims, a lot if not close to them all are very cpu dependant so dont cut corners here would be my advice.
The very high end racing sims like iracing,assetto corsa,Game Stock Car etc are running very advanced physics engines and require more CPU performance than GPU.
Im running an i5 2500k @ 4.3ghz and a 660ti and those sims are smooth as butter, as you may already know high framerate is key in racing sims so if you do struggle with whatever you decide its wise to tone down the visuals to at the very least sustain a consistent 60fps.

STEINBERG

Hey i don't mean to jump on the thread like this but i was curious to get a spec for my own sim racing build.

Dcully so its a good idea then to not skimp on the CPU for a sim build, i was not aware of that very good info for my first up and coming build. I was under the impression that i should try to get the best GPU, but it makes sense not considering the underlying physics engine.

rowanh

Dcully wrote: »

Something to remember with racing sims, a lot if not close to them all are very cpu dependant so dont cut corners here would be my advice.
The very high end racing sims like iracing,assetto corsa,Game Stock Car etc are running very advanced physics engines and require more CPU performance than GPU.
Im running an i5 2500k @ 4.3ghz and a 660ti and those sims are smooth as butter, as you may already know high framerate is key in racing sims so if you do struggle with whatever you decide its wise to tone down the visuals to at the very least sustain a consistent 60fps.

Thats good to know, thanks for the tip.

rowanh

Right so what i have is

ASRock H81M-HDS, Sockel 1150, mATX 45E
Intel Core i5-4460 in-a-Box 168E
8GB G.Skill RipJaws-X PC3-12800U CL9 70E
Sapphire R9 270X 2GB 154E
1tb HDD 73E
Silverstone SST-GD09B CASE 65E

Total 576.50 + Shipping

I decided to get a case that would go under my tv better than the one i have. Just wondering if anyone had any thoughts on why i shouldn't get any of the above. Im also just thinking is there anything im missing.

STEINBERG

Best of luck wit it rowanh, this place is crazy good with guys willing to help so much, you got yourself a good build for the price.

if you can throw up a few vids of yourself sim racing always interested in others peoples stuff. Il do the same myself when i get my rig build eventualy.

TerrorFirmer

Looks good, but if at all possible, I would fit an SSD in there. Even if just a basic 32gb sandisk for the OS. It makes a massive difference. Once you get used to an SSD, it's impossible to go back, even at the expense of CPU/GPU. Considering it's a new build, just stretch that bit extra for one.

rowanh

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

Looks good, but if at all possible, I would fit an SSD in there. Even if just a basic 32gb sandisk for the OS. It makes a massive difference. Once you get used to an SSD, it's impossible to go back, even at the expense of CPU/GPU. Considering it's a new build, just stretch that bit extra for one.

Cool, i have an ssd.

Dcully

STEINBERG wrote: »

Best of luck wit it rowanh, this place is crazy good with guys willing to help so much, you got yourself a good build for the price.

if you can throw up a few vids of yourself sim racing always interested in others peoples stuff. Il do the same myself when i get my rig build eventualy.

I have some vids i made a few years back when i was hardcore into simracing.
If your interested ill post them up but probably best over on the simracing forum.


@ rowanh best of luck with it enjoy!

rowanh

STEINBERG wrote: »

Best of luck wit it rowanh, this place is crazy good with guys willing to help so much, you got yourself a good build for the price.

if you can throw up a few vids of yourself sim racing always interested in others peoples stuff. Il do the same myself when i get my rig build eventualy.

Years ago i build a desk/cockpit for playing Live for speed and gtr2, now im just going to be sitting at the couch, my girlfriend just got me a wheel stand pro which is amazing, using it with a logitech g25 and a ps3 at the moment, couldnt recommend the wheel stand pro any higher.