I had mentioned I had triple screens last night during the Friday night race and I think @pseg mentioned it on the stream too so I thought I'd show a couple pics. Sorry for the quality, the night time lighting isn't the best in my office.

Here's what it basically looks like while racing. I took this with the iphone right where my head would be in the seat. This was from the replay of the start of the Formula Duder race tonight. I don't have the bezel adjustment set properly but I don't mind because I'd rather the image be slightly off and I still see what would be in the mirrors.

Then here's a wide shot. It's an Obutto Ozone with the triple monitor mount with 22" monitors. I didn't pay quite that much, I had purchased this a few years ago when they first started selling them at another retailer. The wheel is an old Logitech Driving Force Pro and I'm using the Leo Bodnar pedal cable to create a USB connection for the pedals to give them higher reported precision.

So here's the cheap rig I just bought, pulled up to my TV:

Still need to make a more permanent keyboard tray with room for the mouse, and maybe figure out how to extend it a bit for more legroom.

Caucasian.

@slowbird: Nice. I kept thinking about going with an aluminum rail system like that but got lazy.

@datarez: I'm extra lazy, so I bought it pre-built! :D (Yeah I know people build their own rigs with that stuff but I have no tools and this was a fairly cheap option)

Here's a bump, because I'd like to see other people's setups. Mine:

Dell XPS PC, a bit old now, but she runs iRacing just fine. 32inch LCD, Logitech keyboard/mouse and the good ol' G25. The wheel was too high mounted on the desk, so I made a mount to place the wheel about 6 inches lower; under the desk. I have no speakers, but use my Sony MDR-7506, the best headphones ever. There's my lousy microphone on the left of the wheel, it's a Rock Band mic. Lastly, the chair was purchased at Wal-Mart for $20, with a fake-leather pad. Cheap, but it makes for a pretty good racing chair as it's the perfect shape.

Not too shabby. I'd love to get a nice Obutto or Playseat someday, but this is more than fine for now! :)

@mouse: Any info on the chair? I bought one of these but the metal at the bottom makes it so I can't hook up my shifter.

Yeah, this is it: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-Butterfly-Folding-Chair-Multiple-Colors/20669448

It's pretty cheap, designed for dorm rooms I guess, but for $20 it's quite alright for my purpose! Decently comfortable, but if you buy a car seat cushion too it'll make it better. I sit in the thing for hours as we do our iRacing and never feel discomfort. The only problem is it leans back pretty far, so you have to stick something under the bottom bar to elevate it a bit (unless your wheel is really low, then it'd be fine).

I've heard of people who use camping chairs for their cockpits.. had I thought of that before I'd be using one too. :P

Upgraded my setup:

Super comfortable and well build. Couldn't recommend an Obutto enough! New PC and triple screens next year.

@mouse: Nice! I love the buttons on the wheel. The Obutto looks awesome.

@noryia: Thanks! I attached [with some Command strips] a Targus wireless number pad (~$20 on Amazon) for my blackbox controls and some other common inputs (especially voice). It works really well.

I didn't mention before that I'm actually using the Obutto as a desk replacement. I sat it in for hours last night and found it much more comfortable than a chair/desk. The keyboard tray is lovely.

@mouse: Nice, is that the newer keyboard tray that has more joints or is that the all one solid piece one? I have the solid one and really kind of want to newer one but it's like $80.

@datarez: It's the solid one. I like it, but having some more range of motion would indeed be nice. Too bad they don't just sell the arm.

Kitty Litter containers are the new milk crates.

Anyone have any experience with the Fanatec CSL's? I've seen quite a few reviews of it, but I just thought I'd ask. I'd really like to get back into iRacing but with my job my biggest barrier is taking the time to drag out the g27 and set it all up. I really like the idea of being able to pull something in front of my desk instead of having an independent rig (which unfortunately knocks out the Obuttos)

I know DIY stuff fits that niche well, but lately i'm at a point where I'd rather just spend 300-400 on something pre-built (well, still needs assmebly, but you get what I mean) then spending a lot of time on something home-made.

@kherven: The Wheel Stand Pro seems like a decent way to go if you want to have a quick setup to race at your desk. It's also pretty inexpensive by comparison.

I'll note that I've been using my Obutto as a desk replacement (just pulling the wheel off the mount when not racing) for three months now and it's been great. Love this thing.

@mouse Hmm yeah, that definitely seems worth considering. My only real complaint about that is I would love to be able to have the h-shifter in a more realistic position, but obviously that isn't required.

I know the Obuttos are probably the best thing out there, and I'd love to have one, but I don't think I could see myself spending $500+ on one. At the same time though, when you're already spending $330ish (CSL) I can see why many would recommend just saving $200 more to get something way better.

@kherven: If the CSL is $330, know that an Obutto Ozone is only a bit more at $355 and it's a way better product. I paid $450 after tax and shipping, which I feel is still an amazing price for what I got. It might be worth saving for a bit and going all out!

Wait, the Ozones are $355 list price!? I thought they were $550+?

Well what the heck, that makes the decision WAY easier. Looking online now I see that you're right. I don't know where I got the 550 figure from.

I was looking for monitor stands and instead found this sim rig that looks pretty nice. It looks a bit like the one I have but maybe more comfortable with more features.

http://shop.sim-seats.com/SR-X-Driving-Simulator-SS-20-SRX.htm

(Oh, they have monitor stands too. I'll probably get one of their triple monitor stands someday.)

Yeah, I saw the SR-X too, sadly a little out of my price range.

And I checked on the Ozones....out of stock till September :( And as far as I can tell main performance is the only NA retailer of Obutto.

Ozones are ~$550 in Canada.

How wide are they when assembled? I don't have much space between my desk and the wall, and I don't want to find out I need to rearrange everything to fit it into my current setup.

@neemer: Not very wide, I have a 32 inch TV attached and that is wider than any part of the rig. However, you do need a decent amount of space for the keyboard tray to swing out (almost 2 feet) and being in a tight space could cause an issue there. Check out the pictures I posted above and you can see it. :)

I may sound like a broken record by now, but I don't see how any other rig can beat the Ozone. It doesn't make sense that it can be built so well, have all the features and still be cheaper (at least here in USA). I got lucky when I first looked into buying it because they were in stock, it seems wait times can be long and they sell quickly.

Seconded!

@neemer: I'm also operating in a limited space, by the way. It's good to know that the keyboard tray can be set up on either side, so the wall might not be a problem if you're stuck next to it like I am. I'll try to get a picture in of my cramped recess tomorrow. If I don't, and you'd still like to get an idea, pm me. I'm a bit pre-occupied so I tend to forget!

Edit: actually, setting up the keyboard tray on either side is dependent on your shifter of course. You'll be forced to put the shifter platform on the opposite side of your keyboard tray. I don't have a shifter, so it's no problem for me. I turned my shifter platform into a cup holder (made out of a pringles can) and stuck it on the wall-side :)

@jertje: I really need to make a cupholder for my rig now.

Here's mine:

1. Get a can of Pringles.

2. Eat everything, leave nothing.

3. Saw around the top 2/3 off.

4. I carved a small rectangle out on the side. This way you can also stick a mug in, because there's an opening for the handle.

5. I covered in in aluminium foil. It looks less like a can of gourmandized potato-product that way. I suppose it also reflects the heat and cold.

6. Glue on top of your shifter mount. Or find some method which doesn't result in you destroying your shifter-mount like an ape when you want to remove the cup-holder in the future.

7. Repeat steps 1 and 2, if required.

@jertje: that's pretty good. My first problem is that I don't have a shifter mount. I could probably get one or make one, though. Actually I should get one and mount a button box to it, then squeeze the cupholder into the design somehow :D

Um, well, the Ozone actually comes with a cup holder too (they started including them in 2014). :D I don't use mine because I have a table near, but it's a nice cup holder.

Am I the only one racing on a regular-ass desk? :D

@iron1c: Nope. Flimsy-ass desk for me :D

Guys, I think I made a mistake this morning watching a video on the new Sim Xperience Accuforce wheel. I was saving some dough for a new mountain bike this year but yeah... all the money is going to be going into updating the racing rig. What wheels & pedals are you guys using? I'm still on a super old Logitech Driving Force Pro.

I'm currently waiting on some of the simxperience motion components to build my DIY motion rig and well there is a reason they don't let you see their forums until after you purchase from them it would seem. There are a lot of people waiting on stuff to ship, I saw threads from people who ordered parts in May through August of last year and they all magically got their stuff in November which I wonder if that is when they started taking pre-orders on the wheel. I have a very robbing Peter to pay Paul vibe from them but that is just complete speculation on my part. Now in the end everyone seems to be happy when they finally get their stuff but I sort of fear even talking about them since the owner has shown on their forums to insist on at least one person taking their money back because they complained too much about the wait. The owner also likes to talk about issues being a different area of the business and he'll have to check in and see what is going on, research into Villers Enterprises, Limited shows they have 4 employees and at least 3 of them are directly related including a father/son. Every street view I've looked up of their various business address listings leads to what looks like a garage attached to a house. They also don't like to answer the phone but do normally respond to submitted questions from their website in a day or day and half.

People on their forums do seem to be happy with the wheels they are getting as they slowly trickle out and they also seem to eventually resolve any problems with other hardware but if you are in any kind of hurry I'd look elsewhere.

Myself I just started week 3 of my wait for the motion starter kit and universal seat base despite the FAQ claiming starter kits mail in 1-3 days and full stage 1 kits 1-2 weeks. When I contacted them they said expect a 2-3 week period for my stuff.

Fanatec also has a wait period at the moment on their new wheel base and that's going to take at least 4 months before I get that according to them.

I guess the lesson is boutique stuff takes awhile so be prepared.

@nauticalnaught: Interesting. Yeah I'd heard dealing with all of the super expensive sim part companies can get weird. I've been looking at HE Pedals recently and they're also on a super long wait list. Fanatec is the one that's probably the most "main stream" but you still read about parts having to get replaced frequently and some people that have had support problems. I'm usually ok with the wait as long as they back up their work.

HE Pro 2-pedal set ordered! Now to build the base for it.

@datarez: Oh nice :D jelly

New pedals installed and tested. I had more to say than I could fit in a forum post so I made blog post over here: http://www.giantbomb.com/profile/datarez/blog/new-sim-racing-pedals/110967/

So looks like Max Verstappen got his sim racing rig setup last week.

Well, iRacing is about to release the Nordschleife and said it'll require 6GB of RAM. This is the straw that broke the camel's back for me and my eight (yeah, EIGHT) year old PC (video card is 6; still fuckin' old).

You guys are smarter about PC components than me, so I thought I'd share my list of parts to see what you think before ordering. Yep, it's a budget system. I'm sticking with 1 monitor and play nearly everything on console, so it's basically for iRacing and some indie games from steam (perhaps other racing sims) plus some light video editing. This system should do that easily:

• MB: ASUS Micro ATX (micro, for a cute little system)
• GPU: ASUS GeForce GTX 750Ti (I could go another way, but I cannot afford an expensive GPU right now. $125 is my cap This looks like a nice card for iRacing)
• CPU: AMD FX-6300 (prefer Intel, but I don't do much on my system, so it's not worth it)
• RAM: Kingston HyperX FURY 8GB (RAM's RAM, I guess)
• PS: Sentey 650w (went a bit big in case I want to stick a bigger GPU in the future)
• and... Micro ATX case of some sort, CPU cooler, SSD, DVD drive
• ... transferring my OS as my current machine is being retired from the internet. Also transferring my storage HDD.

Comes out to about $550, hopefully less if black Friday week is good. I'll finally be able to run iRacing on nice settings!

Yep, looks pretty solid for a budget system.

Should be good. I have the 8-core AMD processor and given that iRacing doesn't use all 8 threads, the 6-core should do fine. I know nothing about Sentey but the wattage itself is fine. 8GB will work for iRacing as long as you don't have 50 browser tabs open like I do.

Cool! I'm going to order a couple things tonight, and aim to build in early-mid December. Hoping to find a good deal on a video card next week (let me know if you guys spot anything cool).

Looking forward to finally being able to see the dirt graphics on my windshield. :P

I'm not as up on AMD as I am Intel but it looks solid.