I just finished a seasonal job and have "play" money that I'd like to turn into a standalone PC sim rig. With up to $4k available and starting from scratch, what system would you build? My preference is little to no fabrication, but if the trade-off is much better hardware for some hand work, I'll do a little hand work. If there's an existing thread addressing this, please point the way. Thanks.
I think you biggest decision will be which wheel. I suspect a Fanatec could work in the that budget (there is a new lower cost one coming out that might work). Actual wheel, pedals and shifter will be additional costs. Console style wheels will be a couple hundred, I think a Fanatec will easily be double or triple that (but you do get what you pay for).
The big unfortunate thing at this point is that a decent graphics card could cost you double what you might otherwise pay (thanks to bitcoin miners). I would start with pricing out the wheel and accessories and work back from there. Maybe figure the graphics card next (which can depend on what sim you want, and if you want to go VR). Most everything else is pretty easy to upgrade in the future if needed (e.g. go from one screen to three).
I just wrapped up building a dedicated sim setup that just edges past your budget. With some different choices and/or patience you could do better on the money side. All prices include shipping and tax.
I bought a prebuilt gaming pc from Best Buy. Prebuilt is essentially the only option due to crypto miners/chip shortage. I stalked Reddit.com/r/buildapcsales to snag this. Prices may have gone up since I purchased in April. This E36 M3 is crazy.
I overspent on my 8020 rig because it was in stock.
I skimped on the monitors/VR headset. I'm pleased with the performance I'm getting.
I splashed hard on pedals and would do it again. You could save $500 here and still have a darn good set of pedals.
$1700 - PC: ASUS Rog with 11700k + 3070
$630 - Rig: Rigmetal Flagship (either of the lower end models will be awesome)
$200 - VR: used Oculus Rift S
$700 - Pedals: Heusinkveld Sprint 2 Pedal
$370 - wheelbase: Fanatec CSL DD
$430 - wheel: 2021 F1 Formula v2 wheel.
At a hair over $4k this is essentially end game for me. My wheel and wheelbase are still preorder so I'm currently using a Logitech g29. As it sits, I'm racing on $3400 worth of hardware. You could shave $500 by going with the thrustmaster tlcm pedals. It really depends on your budget and if you have a new v used preference.
Good stuff. Thank you guys
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