The Power PC Thread [f*ck off consoles]

[Hollidog]

I highly recommend playing Project Cars 2 in VR with a wheel and pedals, fricken awesome, I was grinning from ear to ear like a little kid on my first go

I've been playing this game extensively on PS with a controller but want to get into VR and have found this on fleabay. The guy is local to me and will drop it off. The gpu will need an upgrade and I'm thinking AMD 580 assuming the PSU is up to it (I've messaged him to find out the wattage). What do you think? Is it a good buy? I've priced up something on Amazon for around £1400 with the same seat/wheel etc. I was thinking Rift S as a headset as well.

 

[SharkyUK]

The gpu will need an upgrade and I'm thinking AMD 580 assuming the PSU is up to it (I've messaged him to find out the wattage).

I'm not sure how much of a PC purist you are but the AMD 580 doesn't offer enough grunt in my personal opinion. PCars2 does place a fairly hefty demand on the GPU in VR and running a 580 will likely mean compromises across the board in terms of detail settings. I certainly wouldn't expect to be able to simply whack everything onto high settings (or above) and expect a smooth and consistent experience. I remember having issues with a 1080 Ti in some places on certain tracks.

Of course, it is possible to drop the quality settings to suit the hardware and this is where you have to consider whether or not you are happy to make that compromise. A mixture of low, medium and high settings should see a steady experience though.

 

[Hollidog]

I'm not sure how much of a PC purist you are but the AMD 580 doesn't offer enough grunt in my personal opinion. PCars2 does place a fairly hefty demand on the GPU in VR and running a 580 will likely mean compromises across the board in terms of detail settings. I certainly wouldn't expect to be able to simply whack everything onto high settings (or above) and expect a smooth and consistent experience. I remember having issues with a 1080 Ti in some places on certain tracks.

Of course, it is possible to drop the quality settings to suit the hardware and this is where you have to consider whether or not you are happy to make that compromise. A mixture of low, medium and high settings should see a steady experience though.

Cheers Sharky. Turns out the PSU is only 240w and it's a mini case to boot.

How about this build?

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor (£170.00 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard (£99.98 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£74.48 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£67.56 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: XFX Radeon RX 590 8 GB FATBOY OC+ Video Card (£169.34 @ Amazon UK)
Case: NZXT H510 ATX Mid Tower Case (£74.98 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair TXM Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply (£74.98 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit (£86.70 @ Amazon UK)
Monitor: ViewSonic VX2458-mhd 23.6" 1920x1080 144 Hz Monitor (£156.40 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £974.42

 

[Rich..]

I'd say that's a little overpriced if anything, there's loads of steering wheel/pedal set ups for sale on marketplace, here's one the same as the one you posted..

clicky

take that from the total and it makes the PC look expensive for what it is, also if you're getting a Rift I'd look at gaming laptops as you'll be wanting to do more than just racing with it, I was glad I went with the laptop option.

 

[Rich..]

Looking at that again I think I'd consider a different stand, I wouldn't want that bar in the middle on mine.

 

[Hollidog]

Thanks @Richard_UK, I did think that post was going to be annoying, especially for heel & toe but the few reviews I watched mentioned that they didn't notice it.

Unfortunately the link provided didn't work.

Any recommendation around the £300 for a seat?

 

[Rich..]

Thanks @Richard_UK, I did think that post was going to be annoying, especially for heel & toe but the few reviews I watched mentioned that they didn't notice it.

Unfortunately the link provided didn't work.

Any recommendation around the £300 for a seat?

The one I posted is £260 for the playseat and a G29, that's without knocking him down too, not sure how else to post a link to it sorry, just go on facebook marketplace and search playseat

 

[Rich..]

This one was posted on there 2 hours ago for £150, not sure if the steering/pedal set is any good

Gaming Playseat and Xbox One Thrustmaster TMX Steering Wheel set

 

[SharkyUK]

Cheers Sharky. Turns out the PSU is only 240w and it's a mini case to boot.

How about this build?

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor (£170.00 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard (£99.98 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£74.48 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£67.56 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: XFX Radeon RX 590 8 GB FATBOY OC+ Video Card (£169.34 @ Amazon UK)
Case: NZXT H510 ATX Mid Tower Case (£74.98 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair TXM Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply (£74.98 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit (£86.70 @ Amazon UK)
Monitor: ViewSonic VX2458-mhd 23.6" 1920x1080 144 Hz Monitor (£156.40 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £974.42

If I'm being absolutely blunt here, I would say that the AMD 590 you've listed is the absolute bare minimum. The graphics card takes a pounding with VR and the most important thing is consistent and high frame rate (to avoid nausea, dizziness, etc). Unfortunately the GPU is also a wallet-killer. Sim racing / gaming with VR tends to require a higher GPU than 'novelty' gaming VR - the demands are generally higher and the periods of play often longer. That's why any serious sim rig will be running a top-end GPU. I struggle to recommend anything less than a 2070 these days (but they aren't cheap). For a 'casual' sim rig then maybe something like a 1660ti (or equivalent) but even those are around the 280-320 quid mark. VR gaming is not like traditional gaming on a monitor - the demands on the hardware are significantly more and there might have to be some experimentation and trade-off in quality settings to get the experience you are after.

Everything else should be just fine. The CPU is a decent gaming and general purpose item and can always be upgraded if needs be later.

 

[just-that-ek]

Thanks @Richard_UK, I did think that post was going to be annoying, especially for heel & toe but the few reviews I watched mentioned that they didn't notice it.

Unfortunately the link provided didn't work.

Any recommendation around the £300 for a seat?

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Granted its £350 but still a decent buy.

 

[Hollidog]

This one was posted on there 2 hours ago for £150, not sure if the steering/pedal set is any good

Gaming Playseat and Xbox One Thrustmaster TMX Steering Wheel set

Cheers mate I did find it, unfortunately I'm without a car at the moment and it's a bit far.

If I'm being absolutely blunt here, I would say that the AMD 590 you've listed is the absolute bare minimum. The graphics card takes a pounding with VR and the most important thing is consistent and high frame rate (to avoid nausea, dizziness, etc). Unfortunately the GPU is also a wallet-killer. Sim racing / gaming with VR tends to require a higher GPU than 'novelty' gaming VR - the demands are generally higher and the periods of play often longer. That's why any serious sim rig will be running a top-end GPU. I struggle to recommend anything less than a 2070 these days (but they aren't cheap). For a 'casual' sim rig then maybe something like a 1660ti (or equivalent) but even those are around the 280-320 quid mark. VR gaming is not like traditional gaming on a monitor - the demands on the hardware are significantly more and there might have to be some experimentation and trade-off in quality settings to get the experience you are after.

Everything else should be just fine. The CPU is a decent gaming and general purpose item and can always be upgraded if needs be later.

Thanks, it sounds like a re-evaluation of the budget is in order! I've heard that AC is better optimised for VR than PCars2, have you got any experience with both of these? Ideally I'd like to stick with PCars as it has the Clio and a bunch of UK tracks which is ideal.

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Granted its £350 but still a decent buy.

Wow, I really like that. I especially like how you can change the seating position between formula and GT cars. I think that'll be the winner.

 

[SharkyUK]

Thanks, it sounds like a re-evaluation of the budget is in order! I've heard that AC is better optimised for VR than PCars2, have you got any experience with both of these? Ideally I'd like to stick with PCars as it has the Clio and a bunch of UK tracks which is ideal.

Yes, I would say AC (the original / first game) is a bit easier on the GPU but not massively so. PCars2 does have the edge (in my opinion) in terms of visuals, whilst AC offers the better sim-racing experience. PCars2 is definitely more mainstream though.

 

[mattf4r]

Did you get it from Peterlee? Just came across a bargain one on marketplace but have a feeling it's the one you bought

Yep I did, which was a fair drive from where I am (near liverpool) but couldn't argue for the price. He had it up for like £300 on some adverts then like £180 so I low balled at £135 and he took it.

 

[Rich..]

Yep I did, which was a fair drive from where I am (near liverpool) but couldn't argue for the price. He had it up for like £300 on some adverts then like £180 so I low balled at £135 and he took it.

Damn was hoping it might have been coincidence and I’d found a cheap one too lol, I know there was a bit of damage to the wheel but the base alone is worth more than double what you paid.

 

[Darren S]

I'm not sure how much of a PC purist you are but the AMD 580 doesn't offer enough grunt in my personal opinion. PCars2 does place a fairly hefty demand on the GPU in VR and running a 580 will likely mean compromises across the board in terms of detail settings. I certainly wouldn't expect to be able to simply whack everything onto high settings (or above) and expect a smooth and consistent experience. I remember having issues with a 1080 Ti in some places on certain tracks.

Of course, it is possible to drop the quality settings to suit the hardware and this is where you have to consider whether or not you are happy to make that compromise. A mixture of low, medium and high settings should see a steady experience though.

Andy is bang on there. We had a custom PC build here when PCars1 was all the rage. At the time, the standard nVidia 1080 was a heavyweight and it played through a PC monitor with pretty much all the bells & whistles turned on.

We attached a HTC Vive to it and wow - did the performance take a hit. 'Sitting' in the car and looking around was superb - even down to the detail on the interior door handles and the steering wheel. But the actual racing aspect took a massive downturn - the cars looked basic, shadow and lighting effects were minimal and quick turns of your head made it jittery. Having seen what the game looked without VR previously, it was a disappointment unfortunately.

 

[mattf4r]

Damn was hoping it might have been coincidence and I’d found a cheap one too lol, I know there was a bit of damage to the wheel but the base alone is worth more than double what you paid.

yeah he had snapped it, I presume by pulling it like a normal steering wheel when trying to remove.
I’ve used araldite and it’s firmly back together and just a bit cosmetically annoying. But like you say it’s worth £300 for the base alone.

 

[adamlstr]

Andy is bang on there. We had a custom PC build here when PCars1 was all the rage. At the time, the standard nVidia 1080 was a heavyweight and it played through a PC monitor with pretty much all the bells & whistles turned on.

We attached a HTC Vive to it and wow - did the performance take a hit. 'Sitting' in the car and looking around was superb - even down to the detail on the interior door handles and the steering wheel. But the actual racing aspect took a massive downturn - the cars looked basic, shadow and lighting effects were minimal and quick turns of your head made it jittery. Having seen what the game looked without VR previously, it was a disappointment unfortunately.

Hmm, I was hoping to do Rift S on 1080TI, I'm assuming that's still current enough to pull it off nicely?

 

[Darren S]

Hmm, I was hoping to do Rift S on 1080TI, I'm assuming that's still current enough to pull it off nicely?

This chart might help a bit to give you some idea, mate.....

 

[adamlstr]

This chart might help a bit to give you some idea, mate.....

View attachment 1450818

Ta, it'll run the PC2 demo on 2x 4K with high everything quite nicely, so fingers crossed!

 

[Rich..]

In case it helps anyone, I got my copy of PC2 from here beats paying 60 odd quid on steam.

Edit - just went to check the price on steam and they’ve knocked 75% off the standard and 50% off the deluxe version.

 

[Darren S]

In case it helps anyone, I got my copy of PC2 from here beats paying 60 odd quid on steam.

Edit - just went to check the price on steam and they’ve knocked 75% off the standard and 50% off the deluxe version.

If anyone missed Richard’s link above, cdkeys currently has the PC2 Deluxe edition for £19.99....

Project Cars 2 Deluxe Edition PC

Buy Project Cars 2 Deluxe Edition PC ✔️ CD Key ✔️ Instant download ✔️ Fantastic price ✔️ Digital Download ✔️

www.cdkeys.com

 

[Rich..]

If anyone missed Richard’s link above, cdkeys currently has the PC2 Deluxe edition for £19.99....

Project Cars 2 Deluxe Edition PC

Buy Project Cars 2 Deluxe Edition PC ✔️ CD Key ✔️ Instant download ✔️ Fantastic price ✔️ Digital Download ✔️

www.cdkeys.com

£16.79 here

 

[Rich..]

I got that link from here apparently they only list legit sites on there, found the link on reddit

 

[Hollidog]

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Granted its £350 but still a decent buy.

Bizarrely for the Internet, I asked for advice, was given it, and now have actually taken it! One of these got delivered on Saturday along with a g29 and I must've clocked 12 hours on it over the weekend. Great rig, slightest flex but you have to really be yanking at it and you don't notice when driving. G29 is definitely loud though, especially over curbs and on bumpy tracks.

Saving the pennies for a pc and a headset, now going for a 2060 super.

 

[Silent_Scone]

Don’t talk to me about Fanatec.

My elite is buggered keeps losing FFB. Opened a ticket yesterday.

View attachment 1452703

 

[Darren S]

Bizarrely for the Internet, I asked for advice, was given it, and now have actually taken it! One of these got delivered on Saturday along with a g29 and I must've clocked 12 hours on it over the weekend. Great rig, slightest flex but you have to really be yanking at it and you don't notice when driving. G29 is definitely loud though, especially over curbs and on bumpy tracks.

Saving the pennies for a pc and a headset, now going for a 2060 super.

I really like the Next Level Racing stuff. I've got the unit that's down the range from that - https://www.box.co.uk/Next-Level-Racing-Wheel-Pedal-Stand_1934751.html - and I really can't fault it. The only slight issue is through my own making - in that my chair has wheels and I have a really quite firm brake pedal setup. It's quite easy after too much heavy braking to have to pull my chair back 'into position'! Got the Next Level Racing mat to go on the floor too.

Don’t talk to me about Fanatec.

My elite is buggered keeps losing FFB. Opened a ticket yesterday.

View attachment 1452703

Fanatec is an absolute paradox. They have a price-point and are seen in the market as being a leading manufacturer of premium items. Yet when you look online, their support and after-sales abilities are shocking. Simple questions from myself - will A work with B are left completely unanswered and other people are ignored having spent thousands with them.

I took the plunge this morning to buy a ClubSport USB Adapter and with the RJ12 cable to go with it. They wanted 27 Euros just for bloody postage - when both items could be chucked into a jiffy bag and posted 2nd Class. I dropped the RJ12 cable and bought a cheap alternative from Amazon, though I still had to fork out over 17 Euros postage for an item the size of a cig lighter.

Just weird. If they closed ranks, sorted out the woeful support they have and focus on just producing top level driving peripherals - they really could turn their fortunes around. No way on this earth would I be spending four-figures on their kit with their current customer experience and support.

 

[Silent_Scone]

I really like the Next Level Racing stuff. I've got the unit that's down the range from that - https://www.box.co.uk/Next-Level-Racing-Wheel-Pedal-Stand_1934751.html - and I really can't fault it. The only slight issue is through my own making - in that my chair has wheels and I have a really quite firm brake pedal setup. It's quite easy after too much heavy braking to have to pull my chair back 'into position'! Got the Next Level Racing mat to go on the floor too.



Fanatec is an absolute paradox. They have a price-point and are seen in the market as being a leading manufacturer of premium items. Yet when you look online, their support and after-sales abilities are shocking. Simple questions from myself - will A work with B are left completely unanswered and other people are ignored having spent thousands with them.

I took the plunge this morning to buy a ClubSport USB Adapter and with the RJ12 cable to go with it. They wanted 27 Euros just for bloody postage - when both items could be chucked into a jiffy bag and posted 2nd Class. I dropped the RJ12 cable and bought a cheap alternative from Amazon, though I still had to fork out over 17 Euros postage for an item the size of a cig lighter.

Just weird. If they closed ranks, sorted out the woeful support they have and focus on just producing top level driving peripherals - they really could turn their fortunes around. No way on this earth would I be spending four-figures on their kit with their current customer experience and support.

At the end of the day the Elite is still belt driven, and from my experience now, much less reliable than a Logitech G27 or newer. The FFB isn't even that much better than what you'd get 5 or more years ago. I do love the H-pattern and E Brake, though.

 

[Hollidog]

I really like the Next Level Racing stuff. I've got the unit that's down the range from that - https://www.box.co.uk/Next-Level-Racing-Wheel-Pedal-Stand_1934751.html - and I really can't fault it. The only slight issue is through my own making - in that my chair has wheels and I have a really quite firm brake pedal setup. It's quite easy after too much heavy braking to have to pull my chair back 'into position'! Got the Next Level Racing mat to go on the floor too.

Is it just a normal office chair? On most of these the casters come out with a firm tug which should stop you from moving.

Reliability is what put me onto the Logitech over the T300RS. I couldn't get a definitive answer on whether TM had fixed these in the later models, but I read enough stories of the lackadaisical support from them to put me off.

Oddly, I am better at left foot braking on the sim than IRL, and I'm better at heel & toe IRL than on the sim.

 

[Rich..]

I really like the Next Level Racing stuff. I've got the unit that's down the range from that - https://www.box.co.uk/Next-Level-Racing-Wheel-Pedal-Stand_1934751.html - and I really can't fault it. The only slight issue is through my own making - in that my chair has wheels and I have a really quite firm brake pedal setup. It's quite easy after too much heavy braking to have to pull my chair back 'into position'! Got the Next Level Racing mat to go on the floor too.

I've just bought this as I was having same problem, my wheel/pedal stand also has the problem of sometimes tilting back if you pull on the steering wheel, which I'm hoping having this seat frame attached will also cure.

 

[Rich..]

I'm also looking at adding a couple of transducers to the bottom of the seat to add a bit more immersion until I can save up for a motion simulator.

 

[Darren S]

I'm also looking at adding a couple of transducers to the bottom of the seat to add a bit more immersion until I can save up for a motion simulator.

Sounds like you're going whole hog with this Will be worth it in the long run though!

@Hollidog - I've currently got a SecretLabs Titan chair, which I'd think about swapping for a proper racing seat, if driving games were what I played the most of. I don't unfortunately - and don't really have the space to have both chairs.

 

[Rich..]

Sounds like you're going whole hog with this Will be worth it in the long run though!

Tbh I'll probably get bored of it soon enough and it'll sit gathering dust, or get sold on to fund the next project, truth be told I think I'm having more fun researching and putting it all together than actually playing on it.

Luckily everything I've bought I've got at a good price so I doubt I'd lose anything on it.

 

[Hollidog]

Sounds like you're going whole hog with this Will be worth it in the long run though!

@Hollidog - I've currently got a SecretLabs Titan chair, which I'd think about swapping for a proper racing seat, if driving games were what I played the most of. I don't unfortunately - and don't really have the space to have both chairs.

Looks like you should be able to rip the wheels out without too much drama

 

[Rich..]

If your chair is on carpet nail some carpet gripper to a block of wood and stick that behind the wheels.

 

[Darren S]

Don’t talk to me about Fanatec.

My elite is buggered keeps losing FFB. Opened a ticket yesterday.

View attachment 1452703

Attachment doesn't work mate.

 

[Silent_Scone]

Attachment doesn't work mate.

no matter, think it was just a pic of my setup. They've authorised my RMA.

 

[Darren S]

no matter, think it was just a pic of my setup. They've authorised my RMA.

Good stuff - hopefully its all sorted!

Did the FFB just randomly die when using it? Might be the power steering pump that's knackered?

 

[Silent_Scone]

Good stuff - hopefully its all sorted!

Did the FFB just randomly die when using it? Might be the power steering pump that's knackered?

lol, it's gotten progressively worse TBH. When I was using it last year not long after 2018 Christmas (it had some hard usage over the holidays) it started doing it intermittently. Maybe once every 1-2 hours. Now it won't go more than 3 minutes without the FFB just disappearing.

It's funny you should make that joke, when I made the ticket they asked for a video. I must have been in a weird mood when I read it that night. I replied isn't that a bit dangerous whilst driving?

 

[Darren S]

lol, it's gotten progressively worse TBH. When I was using it last year not long after 2018 Christmas (it had some hard usage over the holidays) it started doing it intermittently. Maybe once every 1-2 hours. Now it won't go more than 3 minutes without the FFB just disappearing.

It's funny you should make that joke, when I made the ticket they asked for a video. I must have been in a weird mood when I read it that night. I replied isn't that a bit dangerous whilst driving?

My nephew's Fanatec wheel actually did start to behave like it had a PAS issue. When 'warmed up' after thirty minutes or so, the belt would randomly slip under cornering, as if the PAS pressure on real car wasn't consistent. As a simulator for what could go wrong with your car - it was excellent. Not so much in trying to maintain a clean line through an apex, however.

 

[Darren S]

So, the ClubSport USB adapter (https://fanatec.com/eu-en/accessories/pedal-accessories/clubsport-usb-adapter) arrived yesterday and I downloaded the driver from Fanatec's website.

Ran the software and attached the adapter, which then prompted me to confirm if it was for pedals, a shifter or a handbrake. Picked the shifter option and then it said that there was a firmware update for it. Downloaded that and applied it - then set about configuring the gears through the calibration process.

Completed that and tried it in Assetto Corsa. Nothing - not even a hint of gear change. Tried it in DiRT Rally 2 - same thing. Quit and went back to the calibration screen and the selected gear light in the app is flickering through about three gears with no input on the stick. Waddling the RJ12 cable makes it stop on some occasions and worse on others.

Start to suspect that the Amazon-sourced RJ12 cable might have a different pin-out or similar. Yet another search on the internet to get this bloody thing working and as to what seems increasingly the norm for Fanatec - there's a raft of complaints relating to similar issues. One even from an owner who had got it at Christmas (all brand new and with official cables) and had the exact same issue. The second replacement cable made no difference, yet the third one from Fanatec did.

Last night, I spent another £3+ on an eBay-sourced RJ12 cable that appeared to be Fanatec 'compliant'. I wouldn't hesitate to buy an official Fanatec cable usually, assuming I didn't get shafted for 17 Euros delivery charge on an item that weighed 20 grams. I'm highly suspicious that if this eBay cable behaves the same - Fanatec in an attempt to create further revenue, have created a proprietary RJ12 cable with just enough difference over standard, that a mainstream alternative won't work. It really wouldn't shock me with this company - but hopefully I'll be proven wrong.