[hrk997]

While a full racing sim setup is the peak, there is much fun to be had in this genre at a fraction of the price.


A better tv or a multi monitor setup or a vr headset

Pc or console

A decent steering wheel for 20k or so with pedals

A combination of the above items is enough to get into the genre. While racing sims might be overtly realistic, f1 23, forza gran turismo are some of the more recent titles with top notch visuals.

[racing_panda]

Originally Posted by arijitkanrar

German racing journalists apart, I'd say that is a fantastic setup!
If you dont mind, could you please share more details? Like the configuration of the PC etc and the approx prices?

Thanks for the kind words. The R9, CS wheel and the 3-pedal set could be had for ~60k, ~40k, ~30k respectively. But since I brought them together as a bundle, it has cost me about 1.06L

The rig with the seat is ~40k.

The ASUS laptop (do not remember the model number; can't check as I am currently in Bangalore) has a RTX 3060 (so, 6 GB VRAM), an 11th gen i5 (6 cores, 12 threads if memory serves) and 16 GB RAM. It was 90k in 2022.

I also have a slightly less capable laptop with a 6 GB GTX 1660ti, 8GB RAM, and 9th gen i5. But even that can run AC without breaking a sweat. I guess a single HD monitor on a 2014 title is easy to handle for most modern hardware

[shresan23]

Wonderful Setup! Looks a lot cleaner than the ones that are floating nowadays. Quite the write up too, i was looking for someone to open up something related to gaming and sims.

I would also suggest BeamNG Drive which is available on steam for usually 400 bucks or lower, for a bit more customization and more hands on approach. It might require a bit more RAM to work with, because my 8 gigs has a tough time chewing the bigger parts.

BeamNG Drive is not a racing sim, its more of a physics sim with an active modding community. You can actually drive any car, virtually.

[harmon_bro]

Hello everyone,

Here is my contribution with some details of my setup.

RSEAT - P1 rig
Fanatec - CSL DD
Fanatec - Clubsport Pedals
Fanatec - Clubsport Steering Wheel R300 V2
Fanatec - Podium Advanced Paddle Module
Haptics - Buttkicker Gamer Pro
Monitor - Samsung 49" ultra-wide monitor
Monitor - Dell 27" widescreen monitor
PC table - Ikea table
Mobile holder - ETSY mobile mount for CSL DD
Mouse - Logitec MX MASTER 3

PC Specs

Processor---------------INTEL I9 13900K
Mother board-----------ASUS Z690E GAMING WIFI
RAM---------------------16GBX2 5200 MHZ
Ssd----------------------SAMSUNG 980 1 TB NVME GEN3
Liquid cooler------------NZXT X73 ARGB
Power supply-----------COOLER MASTER 1250 WATTS GOLD
Cabinet-----------------NZXT H7 FLOW
NZXT--------------------FANS 4 NOs
GPU---------------------ZOTAC RTX 4090 TRINITY OC

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sveGDHk-hE

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cqx8lRZgau-/

[Amrit@wheels]

Originally Posted by harmon_bro

Hello everyone,


RSEAT - P1 rig
Fanatec - CSL DD
Fanatec - Clubsport Pedals
Fanatec - Clubsport Steering Wheel R300 V2
Fanatec - Podium Advanced Paddle Module
Haptics - Buttkicker Gamer Pro
Monitor - Samsung 49" ultra-wide monitor
Monitor - Dell 27" widescreen monitor
PC table - Ikea table
Mobile holder - ETSY mobile mount for CSL DD
Mouse - Logitec MX MASTER 3

PC Specs

Processor---------------INTEL I9 13900K
Mother board-----------ASUS Z690E GAMING WIFI
RAM---------------------16GBX2 5200 MHZ
Ssd----------------------SAMSUNG 980 1 TB NVME GEN3
Liquid cooler------------NZXT X73 ARGB
Power supply-----------COOLER MASTER 1250 WATTS GOLD
Cabinet-----------------NZXT H7 FLOW
NZXT--------------------FANS 4 NOs
GPU---------------------ZOTAC RTX 4090 TRINITY OC

Absolutely insane setup!

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Originally Posted by racing_panda

For us in India, it was so close but no cigar. Fanatec did not (and does not) sell directly in India. So spending 1-2 Lakhs, and not getting warranty - on a pioneering product produced on a small scale? It was a cul-de-sac.

So true and considering I wanted to stick to PS5, my options are limited to Fanatec and Logitech only. Even Logitech has not yet officially launched their Direct Drive Wheel in India yet.

The reason I want to stick to PS5 is cost and simplicity, although I do realize PC is where the bulk of sim racing action is.

Originally Posted by racing_panda

The equipment

I brought a Moza R9 wheelbase, the CS wheel, the SRP pedals with the load cell brake, a pedal accessory kit with various springs and dampers, a bucket-ish seat, and an aluminium extrusion frame to mount everything. Everything was brought from Virtual Racing Hub in Delhi.

That is an extremely good setup to start with. This should serve you well for a few years to come at least.

Originally Posted by racing_panda

But it is still not relaxing. Music and peaceful walks are relaxing. Even computer games can be, but I am never on the sim to relax, in fact I need to relax after a session. Maybe with time things will change, but this is how they stand today.

It has been kind of similar story for me as well. I had played Gran Turismo 3 on Logitech GT Driving force wheel for a few years before, so I didn't consider myself a complete newbie. But today the world of Sim Racing has grown massively and has become extremely competitive. Even after of lot practice and youtube videos and tutorials on guides on tracks and racing techniques, i find myself 3-5 seconds slower than the top guys. It is definitely not relaxing, rather so much amount of concentration and effort is needed, that you need to relax after an intense session on the Game. Maybe I am just getting old too

Originally Posted by racing_panda

Sim-racing is a money-pit. Once you step in, the temptation of adding bits to your setup never stops. Just a few base exciters. A sequential shifter. A handbrake. Just one more wheel. A better set of pedals. A VR headset. The list goes on and you lust over every new product. But at least it is cheaper than a project car!

This is so God Damn true!! They are making this world so desirable that the want for these high end equipment is just insane. Plus all these youtubers with their fancy setups just make this such a fancy dream world.

Originally Posted by harmon_bro

Hello everyone,

Here is my contribution with some details of my setup.

RSEAT - P1 rig
Fanatec - CSL DD
Fanatec - Clubsport Pedals
Fanatec - Clubsport Steering Wheel R300 V2
Fanatec - Podium Advanced Paddle Module
Haptics - Buttkicker Gamer Pro
Monitor - Samsung 49" ultra-wide monitor
Monitor - Dell 27" widescreen monitor
PC table - Ikea table
Mobile holder - ETSY mobile mount for CSL DD
Mouse - Logitec MX MASTER 3

Wow!! That is definitely a dream setup. From where and how did you manage to source all this gear.

A little bit of my story:
I had Playstation 3 and was always big on Gran Tourismo. I bought the Logitech GT Driving force steering wheel and mounted it on our ironing board and started with that. Played for good 3-4 years and then slowly console gaming took a back stage. I had a daughter and the setting up and winding down time of the setup was so long that unless I had good 2-3 hours in hand, I wouldnt even attempt to play. Slowly these good 2-3 hours in hand became rarer and rarer.

Cut to 2023, I got a Playstation 5. I had been on moblie gaming for 5-6 years now and wanted to quite that world. Mobile games are designed very differently. If you want to be competitive, you need to play when the game wants you to play and its not a choice, or you will not be competitive. With console games, you don't have to give your life up. You can still choose when you want to play.

I was quite heart broken to realize that my wheel will not work with PS5. Somewhere I don't know how, I went from I will not buy a wheel as I want to keep gaming casual to fully researching all the top level gear.

I ofcourse wanted to keep the cost down, but wanted to raise the level of gear from my earlier Logitech days. Found something on OLX, got scammed and in my anger and frustration bought stuff from Flipkart the very next day. Thankfully Flipkart was running amaxing deals on Thrustmaster products.

I got Thrustmaster TGT2 Racing wheel - 50K
TLC-M Load Cell Pedals - 15K
Thrustmaster Hand Brake - 15K
A stand to mount this all up. - 12K

Since I didn't have dedicated space for the setup and I wanted it to be portable as I will be using the only TV in our house to play. I stuck to a Stand only and didn't go for full cockpits. I do want to reach the cockpit stage with a dedicated TV someday. Plus with the stand, the setting up time is reduced. All of the stuff is mounted on the stand, you just pick it up (which is definitely a workout) and put it in front of the TV and when done stow it away somewhere.

I started with Gran Tourismo 7, then Asseto Corsa Competizione on PS5 and WRC Rally. EA Sports WRC Rally too.

I would say overall the experience is really good. This much setup is enough to get you started where you feel most of the feedback and the feedback is good enough for you to be competive to begin with. Ofcourse, sky is the limit today in sim racing gear and every level just builds upon the immersion.

My Setup:





I have now upgraded my TV to LG 55 inch G series which is not there in these pictures.

CHEERS!!
Rachit

[subie_socal]

Originally Posted by shresan23

I would also suggest BeamNG Drive which is available on steam for usually 400 bucks or lower, for a bit more customization and more hands on approach. It might require a bit more RAM to work with, because my 8 gigs has a tough time chewing the bigger parts.

BeamNG is also equally taxing on the CPU, if you intend to run the game with traffic. My 8th gen i5 H series laptop struggles once more than 5 cars are spawned. But I wouldn't complain as the game is technically still in alpha stage, and lot more features and improvements are made as we discuss here.

[shresan23]

Originally Posted by racing_panda

I also have a slightly less capable laptop with a 6 GB GTX 1660ti, 8GB RAM, and 9th gen i5. But even that can run AC without breaking a sweat. I guess a single HD monitor on a 2014 title is easy to handle for most modern hardware

Originally Posted by subie_socal

BeamNG is also equally taxing on the CPU, if you intend to run the game with traffic. My 8th gen i5 H series laptop struggles once more than 5 cars are spawned.

Maybe there is something you are doing wrong. Because i have more or less the same specs (i5 10th instead of 9th and only 4 gigs of Vram) and it runs quite smoothly. I have played in traffic, booted simulations etc.

It takes its own sweet time. The lack of ram will be visible from the get go, but once you load everything up, it is upto processing speed imo and i5 9th and gtx 1660 ti can chew things up quite easily. Try tweaking the settings and try playing directly on the laptop monitor to test things out. Dont get too sticky on refresh rate. Mine runs at 60-70 max and lower when there are more cars. For reference, other games run at 120+, heavy games at 90+. This one is a bit tougher but once you get the settings right, the game is a hoot. Trust me, it will feel a lot better on a racing gig



Here are my cents on the topic.

I am a huge sim racing fan. From childhood, my go-to spot in any mall is the funcity where they let us drive those cars and bikes.

Right now, i own an Asus Tuf series laptop with the specs mentioned above and i play forza, AC, beamng and a lot more.

I am a college student and asking for a racing gig would ruffle quite a lot of feathers, so am planning to start with a controller setup at first. I am not yet in that competitive stage, but will be soon, once i get a rig.

Also, if anyone else is playing Forza 4, do hmu

[subie_socal]

Originally Posted by shresan23

Maybe there is something you are doing wrong. Because i have more or less the same specs (i5 10th instead of 9th and only 4 gigs of Vram) and it runs quite smoothly. I have played in traffic, booted simulations etc.

It takes its own sweet time. The lack of ram will be visible from the get go, but once you load everything up, it is upto processing speed imo and i5 9th and gtx 1660 ti can chew things up quite easily. Try tweaking the settings and try playing directly on the laptop monitor to test things out. Dont get too sticky on refresh rate.

Mine could probably do with the poorly designed vents of my Acer Nitro (which I believe they got only right in the current iteration). However, just by swapping out the mechanical hard drive that came with the laptop and switch to SSD, the experience improved leaps and bounds.

Originally Posted by shresan23

I am a college student and asking for a racing gig would ruffle quite a lot of feathers, so am planning to start with a controller setup at first. I am not yet in that competitive stage, but will be soon, once i get a rig.

I can really empathize with you, bro

[shresan23]

Originally Posted by subie_socal

Mine could probably do with the poorly designed vents of my Acer Nitro (which I believe they got only right in the current iteration). However, just by swapping out the mechanical hard drive that came with the laptop and switch to SSD, the experience improved leaps and bounds.

Acer Nitro is known for its notorious heat and fans (or lack thereof)

I would suggest a cooling pad. Invest some good money on the pad and your performance would improve. Also, acer nitro, or asus or even msi for that matter, if you are playing beamng drive, the fans will go haywire. I sat in an AC room (temp at 20), with a cooling pad and still the fans on my laptop were running as if it was about to lift off.

Also, the cooling pad would help improve reaction times too. Correct me if im wrong but i sense that the response is a click too slow. Just a click, but not that much, I think. Again, just a hunch

[subie_socal]

Originally Posted by shresan23

Acer Nitro is known for its notorious heat and fans (or lack thereof)

It is not the heat generation, but the ventilation is poorly designed. They finally figured it out with the current iteration. I would have gone with the TUF but the generation of TUF that was on sale when I bought my laptop had serious issues regarding the WiFi card (the realtek or the mediatek one, can't recall). Touchwood , my Acer is holding up quite well. I upgraded the RAM and both the storage systems. Its ambling around fine even with my abusive usage patterns for the last 6 ish years (read college work)

I would suggest a cooling pad. Invest some good money on the pad and your performance would improve.
.....

.....
Again, just a hunch

Do you recommend any brand in particular? I'm looking to use this for a long term (probably make it a personal home server sometime down the line).

[shresan23]

Originally Posted by subie_socal

It is not the heat generation, but the ventilation is poorly designed. They finally figured it out with the current iteration. I would have gone with the TUF but the generation of TUF that was on sale when I bought my laptop had serious issues regarding the WiFi card (the realtek or the mediatek one, can't recall).

Do you recommend any brand in particular? I'm looking to use this for a long term (probably make it a personal home server sometime down the line).

Bingo brother. I have that model. Asus Tuf F15, the one with the mediatek wifi card. It is largely unstable and decides to randomly disappear. Right now it works, but its always a game of chance when i boot it up. Nevertheless, while gaming, i tether it to a phone.

As far as the cooling pad is concerned, it really depends on your budget. There is the Pathetic Zebronics, which just blows air and there is also corsair i think, which works tremendously. There is cosmic, which is average priced.

Again, Acer or Asus might have their own lineup. As long as the heat is going out, its good.

I myself purchased the Pathetic Zebronics one, to start with and get a feel for it. It just blows cool air on to the bottom of the laptop. Turns out, with the design of my laptop fans, i ended up speeding up the fans artificially and one of the rotors chipped. So, you have to consider the vent position, speed and everything.

As far as home servers are concerned, i would really recommend something stronger and with more ram and processing power. The serious lack of punch will be visible in your laptop and even for that sense mine from the get go.

I mean, we can agree, 9th and 10th gen is old. As much as i would like to deny it.

[harmon_bro]

Originally Posted by Rachit.K.Dogra

My Setup:

Attachment 2580727

Attachment 2580728

I have now upgraded my TV to LG 55 inch G series which is not there in these pictures.

CHEERS!!
Rachit

Hey Rachit, thanks.

I directly imported all of the products from the respective brands. Only the monitors and the PC I got them here in India.

[subie_socal]

Originally Posted by shresan23

Bingo brother. I have that model. Asus Tuf F15, the one with the mediatek wifi card. It is largely unstable and decides to randomly disappear. Right now it works, but its always a game of chance when i boot it up. Nevertheless, while gaming, i tether it to a phone.

I suggest you upgrade to an Intel 9560 wifi card or something with Wifi 6. Many TUF owners have did out of frustration (I think Wifi cards are relatively easy to access in your model). You will increase longevity of your laptop, which in turn saves you money

As far as the cooling pad is concerned, it really depends on your budget. There is the Pathetic Zebronics, which just blows air and there is also corsair i think, which works tremendously. There is cosmic, which is average priced.

Again, Acer or Asus might have their own lineup. As long as the heat is going out, its good.

I myself purchased the Pathetic Zebronics one, to start with and get a feel for it. It just blows cool air on to the bottom of the laptop. Turns out, with the design of my laptop fans, i ended up speeding up the fans artificially and one of the rotors chipped. So, you have to consider the vent position, speed and everything.

I avoid Zebronics with a barge pole. I've had below par experiences with their products (even with something relatively simple as a cheap optical mouse). Cosmic has relatively good outlook, but it's quite difficult to trust Amazon reviews .

As far as home servers are concerned, i would really recommend something stronger and with more ram and processing power. The serious lack of punch will be visible in your laptop and even for that sense mine from the get go.

I mean, we can agree, 9th and 10th gen is old. As much as i would like to deny it.

I won't mind the speed as I only intend to use to it for long term storage , mostly WhatsApp photos (now that Google Drive's exemption for WhatsApp backup is drawing to a close pretty soon)

9th gen is 5 years old at this point, let that sink in.

[shresan23]

Originally Posted by subie_socal

I suggest you upgrade to an Intel 9560 wifi card or something with Wifi 6. Many TUF owners have did out of frustration (I think Wifi cards are relatively easy to access in your model). You will increase longevity of your laptop, which in turn saves you money

Yes. I had thought of that too, but since i got the extended warranty option, my laptop is still in warranty period. Waiting for it to lapse before i remove even a screw on my own. These guys are monsters in their own right, when it comes to this

Originally Posted by subie_socal

I avoid Zebronics with a barge pole. I've had below par experiences with their products (even with something relatively simple as a cheap optical mouse). Cosmic has relatively good outlook, but it's quite difficult to trust Amazon reviews .

Yes. Zebronics is like scotch tape. Temporary fix for literally anything. Never long term. Safe to say that the cooling pad i purchased is gathering dust in one bag somewhere. My mom has had few skirmishes with zebronics too. It should be a separate thread by itself imho. "your experience with zebronics"

Originally Posted by subie_socal

I won't mind the speed as I only intend to use to it for long term storage , mostly WhatsApp photos (now that Google Drive's exemption for WhatsApp backup is drawing to a close pretty soon)

9th gen is 5 years old at this point, let that sink in.

I never thought of that. Well, if its for storage, any laptop with decent grunt should do, i guess. Also with the rate of evolution of tech, 5 years is obsolete, so is 10th gen. My laptop struggles to pick up some heavy AAA games of today. Even AC Origins, it barely gives 60+