iRacing rig suggestions please.
03-14-2014, 10:21 AM
#22
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The GTX760 will not run 3 monitors at once. Let me do some research a bit later today about what individual cards could do it. It might be cheaper to buy 2 $100 cards and run them in SLI to get 3 monitor outputs then spending $300-400 on a single card that can output to 3 displays.
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03-14-2014, 11:14 AM
#24
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My rule of thumb is to run SLI / crossfire when adding more monitors. Even the expensive cards can chug along. Plus not everyone can afford the newest $800 card.
Another thing i think i'd like to remind people, we're not trying to push crysis 3 through 3 monitors here. It's just iracing, it's not very demanding. I still suggest two or three cards though.
Also, i always like to add that i've always bought used parts. Even hard drives. Refurbished stuff on newegg usually has a warranty too. So i try not to always buy new stuff if possible.
Another thing i think i'd like to remind people, we're not trying to push crysis 3 through 3 monitors here. It's just iracing, it's not very demanding. I still suggest two or three cards though.
Also, i always like to add that i've always bought used parts. Even hard drives. Refurbished stuff on newegg usually has a warranty too. So i try not to always buy new stuff if possible.
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03-15-2014, 10:50 AM
#25
My Sapphire Radeon HD7950 (which was $275 in June of 2013) can run iRacing basically maxed out on 3 monitors.
You don't need 3 video cards. iRacing just isn't that graphics intensive.
Any of today's $250-300 cards should be able to run iRacing on high settings on three monitors (if the GPU card has the ability to run three monitors that is).
Like this ---> Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100364-4GL Radeon R9 270X 4GB GDDR5 Video Card
There's a $230 card that should be able to run iRacing on three monitors with no issues. All you need is one special adapter (SAPPHIRE Model 100924 - Newegg.com) to get the third monitor to work. At least that's what I need for my Radeon 7950.
If you NEED to spend more money, the next step up from ATI is this ---> Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE DUAL-X 14-202-099 Radeon R9 280 3GB 384-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 CrossFireX Support Video Card
Again, should run iRacing on three monitors maxed out.
Honestly I think running 2 GPUs in crossfire/SLI is just making things more difficult for no reason.
Here's a $250 nVidia card that should also work ----> Newegg.com - EVGA SuperClocked 02G-P4-2765-KR GeForce GTX 760 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support w/ EVGA ACX Cooler Video Card
AGAIN, iRacing is not that graphics intensive, even on three monitors. You don't need $400 worth of GPUs to run it.
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03-17-2014, 01:54 AM
#26
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I've always been a firm believer in going for a single card solution if you can (as Efini says; it will just add complexity). I assume it won't just be for iRacing and in that case not having to fiddle with possible compatibility issues with other programs is enough for me to warrant spending the extra $100 or so compared to 2 cards of a lower caliber (especially for a game that is not that taxing on a graphics card).
Just for an example I can call on; my GTX680 can run Arma 3 almost maxed on a single 1920x1080 screen. The newer, more powerful equivalents of it should be able to run 3 screens of iRacing no problem provided the rest of your system doesn't bottleneck it to bits. (you will likely need an active Display Port adapter for 3 screens from 1 card)
With regards to motherboards; Asus' top-end boards are top notch but be wary of their lower to mid-range boards (but from what you've listed it doesn't look like you're going for a midrange board anyway). Gigabyte is a bit more even across their range and have served me well in the past and present. MSi is similar to Asus in that their top end stuff is very well made and will last but their cheaper offerings are bit less consistent.
Just for an example I can call on; my GTX680 can run Arma 3 almost maxed on a single 1920x1080 screen. The newer, more powerful equivalents of it should be able to run 3 screens of iRacing no problem provided the rest of your system doesn't bottleneck it to bits. (you will likely need an active Display Port adapter for 3 screens from 1 card)
With regards to motherboards; Asus' top-end boards are top notch but be wary of their lower to mid-range boards (but from what you've listed it doesn't look like you're going for a midrange board anyway). Gigabyte is a bit more even across their range and have served me well in the past and present. MSi is similar to Asus in that their top end stuff is very well made and will last but their cheaper offerings are bit less consistent.
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03-17-2014, 02:10 AM
#27
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The only reason why anybody should consider using SLI/Crossfire for a game like this would be if they already had a decent, old card and wanted to get another on the cheap.
The drivers for multiple cards have gotten significantly better, but there was a lot of room for improvement. The computer E-Peen society didnt like to admit the sad truth that SLI/Crossfire often resulted in lower framerate than single cards because the drivers were so hopelessly broken. They are much better now but still require a lot of fixing to be optimized for specific games and its still a bit hit and miss.
Even my old HD5850 could run 3 monitors, and I bet it could run this game pretty well.
I bet my 4GB GTX770 could run this game like cake.
The drivers for multiple cards have gotten significantly better, but there was a lot of room for improvement. The computer E-Peen society didnt like to admit the sad truth that SLI/Crossfire often resulted in lower framerate than single cards because the drivers were so hopelessly broken. They are much better now but still require a lot of fixing to be optimized for specific games and its still a bit hit and miss.
Even my old HD5850 could run 3 monitors, and I bet it could run this game pretty well.
I bet my 4GB GTX770 could run this game like cake.
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05-01-2014, 06:35 PM
#28
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I ended up bumping the ram to 8gb, getting a 750w power supply, and a Sapphire 4gb R9 290. After reading the tests the "X" didn't seem worth the extra.
Also bought 3 27" monitors (which take up a bit more real estate than expected) and the Fanatec CSL seat bundle.
Still working on getting everything setup, hopefully in the next week or two.
Also bought 3 27" monitors (which take up a bit more real estate than expected) and the Fanatec CSL seat bundle.
Still working on getting everything setup, hopefully in the next week or two.
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06-12-2014, 08:41 AM
#30
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Finally have everything setup. Still need to tweak the monitor settings as far as viewing distance, viewing angle, etc. a bit, but for the most part it's pretty good.
The CSL seat kit is a damn good value IMHO. The seat is a bit finicky to put together, but overall it's solid and has a lot of adjustability (although adjusting it isn't particularly quick). The Porsche wheel feels much better than any G25/G27 wheel I've ever used and the entry level pedals are nice as well. Overall I'm happy with this purchased. I wanted to go with this cheaper setup to make sure I was really going to get into iRacing and the like. If my interest continues/grows, I'll probably step up to the top of the line Fanatec stuff with something like an Obutto Revolution.
I need to try some of the other racing games once I get everything dialed in, but right now on iRacing (I know not particularly graphics intensive) with everything maxed out in testing it's still typically pulling between 155-175fps.
The CSL seat kit is a damn good value IMHO. The seat is a bit finicky to put together, but overall it's solid and has a lot of adjustability (although adjusting it isn't particularly quick). The Porsche wheel feels much better than any G25/G27 wheel I've ever used and the entry level pedals are nice as well. Overall I'm happy with this purchased. I wanted to go with this cheaper setup to make sure I was really going to get into iRacing and the like. If my interest continues/grows, I'll probably step up to the top of the line Fanatec stuff with something like an Obutto Revolution.
I need to try some of the other racing games once I get everything dialed in, but right now on iRacing (I know not particularly graphics intensive) with everything maxed out in testing it's still typically pulling between 155-175fps.
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