matt33

Different manufacturers implement different cooling, different clocking and different port configurations on the same base GPU.

dizzyj

Played with my setup a good bit this weekend. I racing is working very well. Did some online practice sessions. Was a lot of fun. The Simucube 2 works well, but iracing seems to have much less ffb than ac. I’ve got it set to nearly max value (max on the wheel and in iracing) and it’s almost the strength I would like. On ac, it can be so strong it’s scary. So still some things to tweak.

Iracing feels really good but is surprisingly unforgiving, especially with 2 wheels off.

But oversll all really really impressed with my setup. I drove about two hours this weekend and was there with the family the whole time.

rbpeirce

I just ordered one of these.

https://computers.woot.com/offers/de...9300_460459670

This is a refurbished computer for $980. A new one costs $1855. It has a one year warranty but being a tower ought to be fairly easy to fix if anything breaks after that. My experience with electronics is if they don't fail right away they will last. Mechanical and electrical parts are something else. Potential failures I imagine are fans and similar moving parts. I suspect they will be fairly inexpensive to replace although I don't know about the fans on the GPU card.

peterp

Looks like a good price. Usually "VR Ready" means that it has only two DisplayPorts and 1 HDMI. Not sure if this is an issue for triple monitors or not (it sounds like Jim (forklift) is in the process of finding out).

.

forklift

I just got triples working today but 1 of them (right) isn't g-synch and when I went through the prompts the dropdown for refresh rate only showed 60 and I should be able to go 144 so still need to look at that. Still don't have my Accuforce set up since I'm waiting on the rig "bridge" and still need to go through the iracing set process.

rbpeirce

I think it only has one DisplayPort on the case. I'm not sure what all it has that doesn't show up on Dell's web page.

My current system uses HDMI for VR and for the monitor and there are three external HDMI ports. I guess it would support three screens but I never tried it.

I'm not really sure how to connect a monitor to this one. Dell claims there is an HDMI port on the video card but it doesn't seem to be accessible via an outside connection, nor do I know if there is more than one. I'll have to see; their on-line picture doesn't show it. What's interesting is the original Oculus Rift uses HDMI and this claims to be compatible with that. The S uses the DisplayPort. This also has "quad HD 1440p" whatever that is. I've seen it mentioned, along with GSync but I'm not current with any of that. If I plug it in and it plays I'm happy.

I won't really know until I see the manual. Fortunately, I think I can call Dell for advice and Amazon has a 30-day free return policy so I should be covered during startup.

peterp

If you click on the "specs" tab on the woot link, it looks like it has 2 DisplayPort and 1 HDMI. If you are just running two HDMI (VR and monitor), you should be fine -- should be able to use the native HDMI port for VR and a DisplayPort to HDMI cable for the monitor.

The only issue would be if you ever wanted to run three 144hz monitors, I don't think HDMI fully supports that, so you would have 2 DisplayPort and one HDMI (Jim (forklift) is evaluating what works in that scenario). It may be possible to split one DisplayPort into 2 with an external adapter (to give you a total of 3), but that would require further investigation to see if it works.

rbpeirce

Thanks. I missed that. I went to the Dell web site which wasn't anywhere near as helpful in this regard. Looks like I have more than enough.

I am pretty strictly VR and planning to upgrade. I know the Oculus Rift S uses DisplayPort but I don't know about the others. I don't like screens. VR works great in AC but I understand there are still VR problems in ACC. AC is the only thing I run right now because of all the mods.

alexaqui

Finally have my sim rig up and running! The costs are ridiculous at the end of the day and a lot of things add up. Couple of thoughts:

• Simucube 2 seems less mature than my friend's DD2 setup from Fanatec. Took me a while to figure out how to get it into "firmware" mode as Win 10 Pro did not recognize it accurately at first. The only action that got it to kickstart the process was to do what the software says not to do - use the emergency stop button and release to put it into firmware upgrade mode.
• Simucube 2 power supply cords are very short from the wheel to the power brick. On my p1x they barely allow me to get to the floor.
• P1X: Incredibly SOLID. Far more solid than my friend's just built GT rig from sim lab. Build process is a job as mentioned earlier in the thread. A lot of trial and error and triangulation as to what fits for me. Looks great in the end with tons of adjustability.
• Force Feedback: As mentioned above - so far with basic tweaking the feedback in iRacing is a lot less on the SC2 than with Fanatec DD2 out of the box
• SC2: Love it overall so far - it just blends away as everything does in real life - good accuracy
• Triple monitors: Using the Sim Lab mount and the immersion level is fantastic - if I put my helmet on it would be just like being in the car. Opted to go with a slower computer (8700k) and 2080ti and getting between 140-180fps in iRacing with good detail settings turned on.
• Nvidia: Surround stinks - switching between that and standard is a pain with all refresh settings lost and monitor order lost - expect to dedicate your PC to running the triples
• Heusinkveld Sprint Pedals: The brake pedal pressure is ridiculous when comparing to a street car, even with the softest/longest travel selection. I can see why people return Ultimates! Exploring options as per reddit/other forums for using software rubber bushings from skateboards to get closer to a street converted track car build. Regardless, highly consistent.
• Button box/wheels: absolutely necessary! Right now using my street car wheel without buttons and a wireless keyboard. Wheel options for the SC2 are expensive and often sold out with long lead times. Plan ahead!

I still make the same mistakes that I did with my cheap Logitech setup. I feel that the investment has increased the feedback level to a point where once I learn how to interpret it, it will be far more consistent and lead to improvements in my driving. Looking forward to using it more.

Thanks all for the advice/feedback along the way.

Skip Wolfe

I just got an Oculus Rift S and it's a game changer for me over triples. I have much better depth perception and sense of speed on the VR, and I can sense the car sliding way more than with triples. I found I could catch the back end like I would in my actual racecar much easier than with monitors. My setup is:

i7 + RTX 2080 + Oculus Rift S
Fanatec CSL Elite with McLaren wheel
Fanatec V3 pedals
SSH shifter
old Sparco seat
ebay frame that I have modified with some 8020 components to correct the steering wheel and shifter positions

Gator_86_951

That new stuff will definitely make you more consistent. Enjoy!

peterp

Great feedback. Would love to see pics!

Confused on your thoughts of Simucube 2 versus DD2 -- which do you find better for driving feel on iRacing?

Do you mean return the Sprint pedals for Ultimates?

For 5.1, we are just driving an AVR with the optical output of the PC's main motherboard I think. Optical is always limited to 5.1 -- it can't do 7.1 by definition. Once every 6 months or so Windows stops outputting 5.1 and goes to stereo on its own, but can get it going again through Windows audio settings. We used to have 7.1 routing HDMI through the AVR -- no longer possible since our AVR doesn't support DisplayPort pass-through, but 5.1 is really about as good.

Gator_86_951

The HE pedals are very hard even with the softest bushing. It takes some getting used to for sure. I have the softest ones doubled up without one of the plastic discs

alexaqui

Will post some pics shortly!

I'm not sure yet what I like better; SC2 or DD2. I think they both get the job done. I was turned off by the reported quality/longevity issues with Fanatec equipment. I think the plug and play nature of their equipment is an advantage of the SC2. I am currently using the wheel from my real life race car as wheels that work with the SC2 start to get pricey pretty quickly. I am still researching which wheel I am going to go with and/or button box.

As for Fanatec, I can report that the area where I opted to save money was the shifter as there is quite a price jump from the Fanatec Club Sport to something more serious. So far I think the Fanatec Club Sport shifter is a very solid piece of kit.

As for Nvidia surround, I was referring to the "surround display" and not the audio. Switching between surround for sim racing and regular PC use turned out to be a pain because Nvidia's drivers are awful. It resets the monitor order each time and sets the base refresh rate back to 60hz. Just a lot of unnecessary fiddling around.

As for the pedals, when I was researching them I read that some people returned the ultimates for the sprints because the resistance is crazy high on the ultimates. To their credit, Heusinkveld also recommends the sprints over the ultimates for anyone not looking to replicate an F1 or top end race car. The resistance is crazy high, even on the sprints with some of the softer bushings in there. At least the consistency is there and one can learn to use it to an advantage.

Gator_86_951

I leave my machine in surround. Yeah, it is a pain in the ***. That much is true. But switching back and forth is also a major PIA.

As I said WRT the sprints, just leave the softest ones in there and take out that plastic intermediate bushing. I know it isn't recommended, but it worked fine for me. Agree it is too stiff otherwise.