Twin Sims... The Build

[DrewRPh]

On the other hand, ASR is offering free shipping, no import fees and 5% off everything.

Crap. I thought this decision was made.

 

[Ruttman98]

Ask yourself: "How much would I pay NOT to need to drive anywhere near Chicago?"

 

[Deleted member 197115]

There wasn't import fees or sales tax when I ordered from sim-lab direct, plus got HUGE discount at black Friday sale. Try to put your order together and go to checkout to see what it will be in the end. I suspect sales tax will offset shipping price difference.
MC is one foot in the grave brick and mortar PC parts store, everything else they bring in is just to prolong agony before going belly up.

 

[Michael Krone]

Ask yourself: "How much would I pay NOT to need to drive anywhere near Chicago?"

Lol I totally get that but the Microcenter on Riverfront isnt in a bad place. I go there all the time.

 

[DrewRPh]

Try to put your order together and go to checkout to see what it will be in the end

Fair point. And I did. Shipping just the cockpit is $243 a piece. (so $486). If I order several of the items that I need at the same time including the Free-standing monitor stands, seat sliders, keyboard holder... etc... the total shipping will end up around $693.

I am leaning heavily towards the Sim Lab free-standing monitor mount (reasons listed below) and none of the Micro Centers have it so would need to order from Sim Lab anyway. Shipping for just them would be over $217 anyway...

Now add in the fact I have to kill the better part of the day driving to Chicago and back (probably around 300 miles round trip and diesel is 3.50 a gallon... ) And Microcenter remote customer service is practically non-existent... Microcenter appears to be a huge waste of time.

So why free-standing monitor mount:

1. Every video I see of the attached monitors, I still see wobble. Granted the upper end rigs minimize it, but it is still there.
2. The "Integrated Vario Triple" mount (the attached version) from Sim Lab Looks sweet and appears to have nearly infinite adjustment but having to loosen those screws to make slight adjustments looks like a 2- or 3-person job. Free standing removes one dimension of the adjustment headache (front to back... or screen to nose) out of the equation.
3. The Free-standing Sim Lab mount looks more impressive than any I have seen. Looks rock solid and the Verio-Vera system allows for "micrometer-level adjustment". This is one of the main reasons I am staying team Sim Lab over ASR.
4. Future proofs the rig if I go for motion in the future.
5. The Sim Lab Free standing appears to be one of the most expensive routes but within reason of the other options.

Goals for this weekend...

1. Complete Sim Lab order and pull the trigger.
2. Determine supplier and order Simucube 2 pro
3. Determine supplier and order Heusinkveld Sprint Pedals.

Now off to go look at a few monitors. Having a hard time pulling that trigger without at least looking at some in person.

Still no clue on how I am going to pick out seats....

 

[Michael Krone]

Still no clue on how I am going to pick out seats....

U-Pull it yards are great for actual car seats. You can try thousands. Someone said something here on RD that really stood out. They said something along the lines of, "You dont need a race car seat for a sim rig. You get all the negatives and none of the positives.".

Most of them are a hassle to get in and out of and many of them limit how much you can look to the side. Ive always just picked out a nice sports car seat that I liked the feel of.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

MicroCenter with shipping (CA)

Sim-Lab direct

 

[Deleted member 197115]

U-Pull it yards are great for actual car seats. You can try thousands. Someone said something here on RD that really stood out. They said something along the lines of, "You dont need a race car seat for a sim rig. You get all the negatives and none of the positives.".

Most of them are a hassle to get in and out of and many of them limit how much you can look to the side. Ive always just picked out a nice sports car seat that I liked the feel of.

Not sure about actual car seat, heavy and a lot of trouble mounting, you still want some side and firm back support when wrestling DD wheel and pushing load cell brake pedal.
Bucket seat with side mounts is the most popular choice around for a reason.
Sparco is a great brand, I personally have Corbeau F1X Pro, wide model, no complaints.

Your "favorite" MC carries Simucube and Heusinkvield pedals.

 

[DrewRPh]

MicroCenter with shipping (CA)

Sim-Lab direct

Ya, did the comparison. I don't believe it is worth the haste trying to work with Microcenter. After a horrible experience with the chat over the last few days, someone was supposed to call me from there today to verify what wheelbase mount their in-stock rigs came with (Front, wheel deck, or Fanatic DD) and they still haven't gotten back to me. Again, it appears to be the front mount but not willing to roll the dice without conformation.

Lord forbid something go wrong with the delivery or missing parts.... I would never get a solution (which is a theme I was picking up from comments I read about Microcenter).

Sparco is a great brand, I personally have Corbeau F1X Pro, wide model, no complaints.

I have seen a wide variety of Sparco seats (and also a WIDE variety of prices for them). A few around $400 and then many more $7-900. We have a place in town called "Game room Guys" that I was hoping would have a selection, but they do not deal with Sim equipment.

Going to have to stare at some more on-line and maybe check some more treads for feedback and make a decision.

 

[DrewRPh]

Oh, and monitor shopping at Best Buy and Office Depot was a bust. No 32" curved, 16x9 on display at all. And mental note... Don't look at 32" screen at Best Buy in the TV section... IT LOOKS SOO SMALL!!!! lol Especially when they are opposite screens that are 75" plus....

I did pass by one little Logitec wheel on display. It looked so small. So small that I asked someone there for a tape measure fearing it was about 300mm that is being suggested.

It was only 275ish so that made me feel a bit better.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

FX1 Pro

The FX1 racing seat features composite fiberglass technology. The FX1 racing seat comes in three different sizes, the FX1 Pro, FX1, and FX1 Wide. Designed with an emphasis on comfort, this seat is one of the most comfortable race seats you will ever sit in. Most shell seats are side mount only...

corbeau.com

Great, budget friendly seat. Can get wide if you have big frame.

 

[RasmusP]

Oh, and monitor shopping at Best Buy and Office Depot was a bust. No 32" curved, 16x9 on display at all. And mental note... Don't look at 32" screen at Best Buy in the TV section... IT LOOKS SOO SMALL!!!! lol Especially when they are opposite screens that are 75" plus....

I did pass by one little Logitec wheel on display. It looked so small. So small that I asked someone there for a tape measure fearing it was about 300mm that is being suggested.

It was only 275ish so that made me feel a bit better.

The bigger SUVs at car sellers always look quite normal and the small cars kinda tiny.
When trying to find a parking spot in a German city, the SUVs don't seem to be "normal" anymore

Logitech wheels on the other hand ARE small!
275 to 300 doesn't sound like much of a difference, but it's a massive difference when driving it.
I gave my G27 to my little nephew a few weeks ago and I had a 280mm wheel for my Moza base.
I only use the 300mm though for a few months now.
The differences are massive!

 

[DrewRPh]

Wait... what??? Not compatible with seat heater???

 

[Deleted member 197115]

View attachment 738756
Wait... what??? Not compatible with seat heater???

Here in Southern CA we only use them for pranks.

 

[stigs2cousin]

Seat heating you'll do yourself, lumbar support is a godsend especially with higher brake pressures.
I really love the seat venting of my Recaro (DON'T check for prizes, I used it in two cars and now on my rig)

Car seats are great for comfort up to medium brake pressures, I had to reinforce mine for my Heusinkveldts (80+kgs)
Some models have mostly symmetrical consoles, don't get any with airbags in the bolsters.

 

[DrewRPh]

Any Idea if this shelf (from Sim Lab)..

Would fit in this spot to hold the PC?

I realize it would only attach with the top set of holes.

The two versions are either 540mm or 640 mm wide.

Trying to keep the PC close for display port wiring.

Reminder, no motion on this rig at this time.

Edit: Sent this question to Sim Lab as well as an email but not sure how long they will take to reply. Also asked if Keyboard tray mount AND Pedal slider came in black. Seems like with the rig going black, the accessories should be in black as well.

 

[DrewRPh]

For future reference regarding quick release flight controls.

 

[DrewRPh]

This is looking like a nice wheel (perforated Leather) in 350 size.

Looks like they also have a 330 on sale!

 

[DrewRPh]

Progress!!!

6 Monitors have been ordered!!!

Current status below. Trying to make all my Sim Lab decisions so I can send the order. What am I missing??? EDIT... besides button box for wheel I remembered right after posting...

Part	On-Hand	On-order	Decision Made	Planning	Description	Supplier	Cost of 1
Computer​
PC	x				CLX Intel Core i9-13900KF - 64GM Nvidia Geforce RTX 4070 2 TB NVMe M.2 SSD + 6TB HDD	Best Buy	$2,589.99
USB Hub				x	?
Base​
Cockpit			x		Sim Lab P1X Pro w/Front Mount	Sim Lab	$849.00
Extra Cap washers			x		Sim Lab Cap Washers (6ct)	Sim Lab	$10.95
Seat				x
Seat Slider			x		Sparco Seat Slider	Sim Lab	$59.95
Bucket Seat Bracket				x	If needed Sim Lab as combined w/ seat slider?		$84.95
Pedal Slider Base Plate			x		Sim Lab Pedal Slider base plate w/heelplate	Sim Lab	$169.00
Keyboard Tray			x		Sim Lab Keyboard Tray	Sim Lab	$79.00
Mouse Pad			x		Sim Mousepad	Sim Lab	$22.95
Shifter Plate			x		Shifter and HB Bracket	Sim Lab	$21.95
Cup Holder			x		Sim Cup Holder	Sim Lab	$16.95
Floor Mat				x	Sim Floor Mat (currently out of stock)	Sim Lab	$49.00
Shelf for Computer				x	Needed?
Computer/AV rack				x	?
Quick Release 8mm clamps				x	Amazon?
Monitors​
Monitor Stand			x		Freestanding Vario Triple Monitor Mount	Sim Lab	$429.00
Monitors		x			Acer Nitro 32" 1000R Curved 2560x1440 2K 240 Hz 0.5ms RT
Sound​
Speaker					Variety of Bose Cube speakers		On-hand
Speaker mounts				x	?
AV receiver 1	x						On-hand
AV receiver 2	x						On-hand
Racing Controls​
Pedals			x		Heusinkveld Sprint 3 pedal	?	?
Wheelbase			x		Simucube 2 Pro	?	?
Wheel #1				x
Wheel #2				x
H-Pattern Shifter				x	?
Sequential Shifter					On hold until Racing Sims complete
Hand brake					On hold until Racing Sims complete
Dashboard					On hold until Racing Sims complete
Flight Controls​					On hold until Racing Sims complete
Motion/Tactile​					On hold until Racing Sims complete
Room Prep​
Electrical					Run second 20 amp circuit
Network					Run 2 lines from Router

 

[Deleted member 197115]

This is looking like a nice wheel (perforated Leather) in 350 size.

View attachment 738925

Looks like they also have a 330 on sale!

View attachment 738926

Stick with know brands, Momo, Sparco, SportLine, ...