[Fr] Help chosing simracing hardware

[LDO_ONE]

Hello, after years with my T300RS, i finally have space and money to upgrade to DD and triple screens on PC.

I don't have anywhere where i can test so i have to choose without testing myself. That's a lot of money and i don't want to spend it wrong. Most testers on internet are afiliated. Tests aren't always neutral. Here i am asking for neutral advices.

First RIG i need something strong, accessible. No motion.
i'm thinking going for https://www.racing4you.fr/
BUT it seems a little limited if i want to add a hotas for flight sim. It's clearly secondary but why not use those screens and pc for that too? Do you have better ideas ?

Second : triple screens. i'd like some form of virtual reality. Are 32 inches enough? or i should go for 40+ for "virtual reality" ? LG seems making OLED ones 42, 48 inches, expensives... but cheaper than Asus ROG.
Curved monitors don't seem to add anything on triple setup. Does it bring something bad vs flat screen ? Maybe i can bring price down just having the center one OLED ?

Bases :
I can go for simcube2. Everyone seems to agree this is the best base. but also the most expensive. is it really worth it?
I don't like to spend 2 hours everyday to get the perfect parameters. Good thing is you can copy someone else parameters. Is 25 Nm "too much"? a lot of people seems to have enough with 12Nm. How do you feel about it ? i don't even drive a DD today.

How about Moza ? Asetek ? Simagic ? VRS ? there is huge difference on price they seem really good too. Each one seems having his own feeling that i can't test before buying. How can i know wich one fits me best ? i'm lost with too much choice there.

Pedals (set of 3)
I'm pretty sure simcube active pedals are not worth, even if the software seems really good. We don't have inertia on simracing. I don't need real life 90Kg+ to brake. i'd like something accurate with a good feeling.
Heusinkveld seems appreciated since a lot of years BUT Moza, and soon simagic are coming with their own active pedals. You can also mount haptiks on any set now like asetek or simjack. wich is better to go for? simagic and simjack seems to have a really stiff brake. maybe adjustable ?

Shifter. I'd like to have H and sequential. I think fanatec is the best here. One button to switch. There's also Bash or MME but they are way more expensive. I don't think it's worth it.

Seats : I'm heavy guy (105Kg) and i'd like GT/rallye position. Also i race endurance so it has to be comfy, airy (is that the right word?)
SPARCO Grid Q seems not bad. Do you have more to suggest?

thx for your advices overtake community.

 

[Emery]

Call me dubious about a leveraged single-post holding up both the screen and steering wheel without shaking. You should definitely try one before purchase.

32 inch is adequate for triple screens, but then the desire for more vertical fov hits and you throw more money into the rig. I went to 4k 43 inch triples with a 3090 in 2020 and my bank account has cussed at me ever since.

Simucube 2 is solid. Their after-sales support is excellent. I went with the 12 Nm version and put the saved money into another steering wheel.

A lot of us have grown to dislike the Fanatec H-shifter because it loses calibration and becomes ever more difficult to calibrate. Bought mine in 2016 and have been wanting to replace it for the past 3 years.

 

[LDO_ONE]

Call me dubious about a leveraged single-post holding up both the screen and steering wheel without shaking. You should definitely try one before purchase.

32 inch is adequate for triple screens, but then the desire for more vertical fov hits and you throw more money into the rig. I went to 4k 43 inch triples with a 3090 in 2020 and my bank account has cussed at me ever since.

Simucube 2 is solid. Their after-sales support is excellent. I went with the 12 Nm version and put the saved money into another steering wheel.

A lot of us have grown to dislike the Fanatec H-shifter because it loses calibration and becomes ever more difficult to calibrate. Bought mine in 2016 and have been wanting to replace it for the past 3 years.

Thx for your answer.

32 inches seems lacking vertical FOV. That's why i'm wanting to jump this step. 34,35,42,43,48? do you find your 43's enough? too much?

I didn't know about fanatec shifter mis-shifting. One of my friends got one and he's not complaining about it. Who else make afordables H+sequencial shifter? i'm pretty happy with my TH8A but i'm bored having to use screwdriver to change from H to sequential.

 

[Emery]

32 inches seems lacking vertical FOV. That's why i'm wanting to jump this step. 34,35,42,43,48? do you find your 43's enough? too much?

It's never enough for simracing, LOL! 43 inches is a good compromise size as you can still use it effectively as a work monitor. Larger than that and you end up hunting for the mouse cursor or getting a sore neck because you tilt your head up all the time when working the top of the screen.

With these big monitors, you absolutely want 4k resolution and 4k triples means you need a top-of-the-line video card. 3090 was the first card that could do it, barely. My policy is to skip video card generations, so am anxiously awaiting the 5000 series. Yes, you can run with lower resolution for more fps, but I found it a pain to switch back & forth (which might be a limitation of my monitors).

You also absolutely need a good monitor stand for the big monitors and this may be an expense you haven't budgeted for. I would recommend Trakracer.

Shifter... I'm looking in the other direction, more expensive. Probably the Bash Pro Active Shifter, but I hesitate because it seems loud in the videos. Someone mentioned a shifter on Aliexpress that was cheap and might be a reasonable disposable shifter, at a price you could buy a pair for the price of the Shh-shifter.