Sim Racing - Newbie Build

[Roggers87]

Hi all.
Apologies for probably repeating a very common question here.

What do I want?
I’m looking for a gaming PC, that plays games (obviously) but also to stream. Streaming not important as I don’t talk to an audience I just like to stream my races for personal use but also for my teammates to view

Games /Titles I’ll play - Assetto Corsa Competizione, Asetto Corsa Evo (New title so unconfirmed performance minimum specs), iracing, and GTA6 (again unconfirmed performanc)

Budget? - I’m not sure. I’d say £1000-£1500.
Requirements - I’m looking for somethomg that fairly future proof. Will have good performance for a long(ish) time. Upgradable (as it sim racing, triple screens might be a future upgrade, but I’d likely buy a ultra wide), 1tb storage min (unless you think 2tb maybe be better), require plenty of USB ports (usb3 type main, but also a few usb c), Ethernet, and I think that’s it. Don’t need M&K or monitor. Will require some basic software (windows, anti virus if you have any good recommendations)

I do have some basic knowledge in a basic PC building and components (but this was 20years ago) but nowadays a lot of it has moved on and is way advanced for me. GPUs and there 4070 etc… are just numbers. To me higher numbers automatically mean better, but I’m aware you can get like i5s that have more cores and are better than i7 etc…
I would just appreciate if someone could advise me on the basics of a good setup, that meets my requirements for stable game play, that has some future proofing and also if needed some flexibility on upgrading. As I say £1-1.5 is my budget, but if I need to stretch that a little more then I could look at that possibility.

Thanks

 

[SpyderTracks]

Hi all.
Apologies for probably repeating a very common question here.

What do I want?
I’m looking for a gaming PC, that plays games (obviously) but also to stream. Streaming not important as I don’t talk to an audience I just like to stream my races for personal use but also for my teammates to view

Games /Titles I’ll play - Assetto Corsa Competizione, Asetto Corsa Evo (New title so unconfirmed performance minimum specs), iracing, and GTA6 (again unconfirmed performanc)

Budget? - I’m not sure. I’d say £1000-£1500.
Requirements - I’m looking for somethomg that fairly future proof. Will have good performance for a long(ish) time. Upgradable (as it sim racing, triple screens might be a future upgrade, but I’d likely buy a ultra wide), 1tb storage min (unless you think 2tb maybe be better), require plenty of USB ports (usb3 type main, but also a few usb c), Ethernet, and I think that’s it. Don’t need M&K or monitor. Will require some basic software (windows, anti virus if you have any good recommendations)

I do have some basic knowledge in a basic PC building and components (but this was 20years ago) but nowadays a lot of it has moved on and is way advanced for me. GPUs and there 4070 etc… are just numbers. To me higher numbers automatically mean better, but I’m aware you can get like i5s that have more cores and are better than i7 etc…
I would just appreciate if someone could advise me on the basics of a good setup, that meets my requirements for stable game play, that has some future proofing and also if needed some flexibility on upgrading. As I say £1-1.5 is my budget, but if I need to stretch that a little more then I could look at that possibility.

Thanks

Are you looking for a PCSpecialist system? If so whereabouts are you based? What country?

1.5k would get you a very entry level 1080p system which would struggle for SIM Racing, especially Asseto titles and GTA6, you need to be looking far higher for those titles.

What's your maximum budget available? Really for this kind of use you'd be looking nearer 2.5k for something as you're asking for, capable of ultra wide with future upgradeability in mind.

 

[FigmentOfYourImagination]

You mentioned triple screens/Ultrawide as "might be a future upgrade"....are we talking a few years down the road or fairly imminent? Just that the monitor drives the GPU choice...if these are likely to be years down the road, then we'd spec based on your current monitor, in which case we'd need to know what it is

 

[Roggers87]

Are you looking for a PCSpecialist system? If so whereabouts are you based? What country?

1.5k would get you a very entry level 1080p system which would struggle for SIM Racing, especially Asseto titles and GTA6, you need to be looking far higher for those titles.

What's your maximum budget available? Really for this kind of use you'd be looking nearer 2.5k for something as you're asking for, capable of ultra wide with future upgradeability in mind.

I’m from the UK.
ooo ok £2.5 way more than I was thinking and budgeting for. £1500 is probably my max.
I do know of some people who do have to reduce there graphic settings to get better frame rates and rendering for off track details.

 

[Roggers87]

You mentioned triple screens/Ultrawide as "might be a future upgrade"....are we talking a few years down the road or fairly imminent? Just that the monitor drives the GPU choice...if these are likely to be years down the road, then we'd spec based on your current monitor, in which case we'd need to know what it is

Ah ok. Well right now it’s just a 1080p TV. I’d probably upgrade the TV within 2-6momths. Triples would be years away

 

[SpyderTracks]

Ah ok. Well right now it’s just a 1080p TV. I’d probably upgrade the TV within 2-6momths. Triples would be years away

Your budget would limit you to a 1080p system, which by todays standards is incredibly poor, especially for SIM racing, even in triple monitor setups.

We can build you a basic spec now with the idea that you'll be heavily upgrading the GPU down the line, but when you do get a monitor, I would strongly suggest not getting 1080p because it really is substandard these days

 

[sck451]

As an idea of what your budget is like, here's a £1500 build, probably the best you can get for that money. It has compromises on CPU and GPU (it would do OK for 1080p, but 1440p at high quality and high frame rate in racing games will not be happening), as well as storage. It's a decent PC, but for the uses you're talking about, it is very much lower-end. If you don't mind low details, it would be fine, but that does seem to be rather less than ideal in a brand new PC!

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-5.3GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB GIGABYTE RADEON™ RX 7700 XT GAMING OC - 2 x HDMI, 2 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 2950MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMe SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 200 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Price: £1,487.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/DnkFHArbNh/

 

[Roggers87]

As an idea of what your budget is like, here's a £1500 build, probably the best you can get for that money. It has compromises on CPU and GPU (it would do OK for 1080p, but 1440p at high quality and high frame rate in racing games will not be happening), as well as storage. It's a decent PC, but for the uses you're talking about, it is very much lower-end. If you don't mind low details, it would be fine, but that does seem to be rather less than ideal in a brand new PC!

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-5.3GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB GIGABYTE RADEON™ RX 7700 XT GAMING OC - 2 x HDMI, 2 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 2950MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMe SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 200 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Price: £1,487.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/DnkFHArbNh/

Thanks 👍🏻
my biggest problem is just understanding all the numbers and jargon. I did spec a computer but I was basically guessing and this is what I came up.

Case - PCS SPECTRUM II ARGB MID TOWER CASE (PWM) (Special Offer)
Processor (CPU) - AMD Ryzen 7 7700X Eight Core CPU (4.5GHz-5.4GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard - ASUS® TUF GAMING X670E-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 6E)
Memory (RAM) - 32GB PCS PRO DDR5 4800MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card - 8GB ZOTAC GEFORCE RTX 3070 Ti Trinity - HDMI, 3 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive - 1TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 2950MB/sW)
1st Storage Drive - 4TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 5400RPM, 256MB CACHE
Power Supply - CORSAIR 750W RMe SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable - 1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling - PCS FrostFlow 200 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste - STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card - ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card - ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card - NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
USB/Thunderbolt Options - MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System - Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language - United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media - Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software - FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus - Norton 360 For Gamers: 1 User, 3 Devices - 1 Year Subscription
Browser - Google Chrome™
Warranty - 3 Year Standard Warranty (6 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)

there is bound to be some issues and some questions in why I picked what did.

 

[sck451]

Yes, don't get that PC. The case, CPU, motherboard, memory, storage and graphics card (i.e. the fundamentals of the system) are all poor choices for one reason or another. It would perform significantly worse than my build above.

Ultimately, if you buy the PC I've posted above, you're getting a compromised system. That doesn't mean "don't buy it". If you need/want to buy it, it's a competent mid-range gaming PC and you'll have fun on it, even if you could get better value by spending a bit more. I would only want to counsel you to know that you're buying a compromised system: if you do it, do it with your eyes open.

 

[Roggers87]

Yes, don't get that PC. The case, CPU, motherboard, memory, storage and graphics card (i.e. the fundamentals of the system) are all poor choices for one reason or another. It would perform significantly worse than my build above.

Ultimately, if you buy the PC I've posted above, you're getting a compromised system. That doesn't mean "don't buy it". If you need/want to buy it, it's a competent mid-range gaming PC and you'll have fun on it, even if you could get better value by spending a bit more. I would only want to counsel you to know that you're buying a compromised system: if you do it, do it with your eyes open.

Hahaha thought it would potentially end up been a bad build.
Well after advice on here and also a few who I know in sim racing it seems my budget doesn’t stretch to get anything that is future proofing myself.
guess I’ll have to wait another 6+ months until I can really afford something.
thanks for the advice

 

[SpyderTracks]

Hahaha thought it would potentially end up been a bad build.
Well after advice on here and also a few who I know in sim racing it seems my budget doesn’t stretch to get anything that is future proofing myself.
guess I’ll have to wait another 6+ months until I can really afford something.
thanks for the advice

The positive thing about waiting is that both the 9800X3D CPU and the new 5000 series NVidia GPU's (and AMD) will be out by then, what that means is that you get more performance per dollar spent.

For instance the 5080 should be around the same performance as the 4090 and the 9800X3D is reportedly coming in around 20% faster than the 7800X3D

Now IMHO is not a good time to be buying as you're right at the end of a 2 year cycle.

But if you save up for 6 months, you may well be able to squeeze in a 9800X3D and a 5070 at around the £2000 - 2500 budget mark which would make a really strong and future proof build at Ultrawide. Plus a lot of new monitors are also announced at CES in january, so prices of current IPS monitors should come down further to clear stocks for the upcoming new models.

So it could be a huge benefit to hold off a little longer.