Somebody stop me... (Gaming PC Build Thread)

[dodint]

I've been spoiled by...real forces.

Obviously I'm not close to your experience at all, but the Mustang is the first car I've ever tracked. When I went back into iRacing after tracking this summer I kept blowing every single turn after a long straight because I couldn't tell at all what was happening with the brakes. I might look into tying a subwoofer into the telemetry once I get back up.

[thesameguy]

It probably sounds stupid but my biggest hurdle to building my own is the mental block I have against paying retail for Windows.

You're not alone... Every computer in my house has gone from homebrew to Dell because I save $100-$200 not buying Windows. It was *almost* a wash buying an Alienware Aurora vs. building my own - about a $250 difference as a retail GTX1080 was insane at the time... but then another $200 for 10 Pro. $450 was not ignorable. The difference becomes quite stark buying from the Dell Outlet - and I would have bought the Aurora refurb'd if one had been available.

FWIW, I have also found "used Dell" a lot easier to resell than "used homebrew." I got the same money for my very nice 4690k-based machine as I did for an XPS 8300 (i7-2600). Lame.

My days building PCs are, apparently, over.

I have not found many conservative-looking laptops - when you want a "gaming" laptop with high-end discrete graphics they tend to get wild. But, these exist:
Inspiron 15
Intel Core i5-7300HQ 2.5GHz Quad-core Processor
15.6" Full HD 1920x1080 IPS Anti-Glare LED-Backlit Display
8GB DDR4 Memory
256GB SSD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050Ti 4GB GDDR5 Video Card

for around $800.

You can get *most* Alienware-level desktop stuff in the XPS 8910 or Inspiron. You can't get the water cooling and you can't get the super-high-end graphics cards, but there have been some crazy prices on competent desktops, eg

Intel Core i7-6700 Quad Core 3.6GHz CPU
2TB 7200RPM Hard Drive
16GB 1600MHz DDR3L RAM
AMD Radeon R9 360 2GB GDDR5 Graphics Card

for around $600.

[CudaMan]

It's part of a total immersion package for me. Real G-forces are expensive to emulate (and probably hard to get right) but I'd at least like to enjoy an interface with some weight and fast response to the steering, and heavier brakes, plus peripheral vision for a more accurate FoV.

GT Sport with a big TV mounted 2ft from the not-yet-released steering wheel was pretty cool. That's kind of my 'minimum' desired setup now. But I've never enjoyed a realistic view driving GT. Bumper cam for me. The cockpit view still doesn't sit right with me somehow.

[Kchrpm]

It's too bad they couldn't get VR working fully.

[XHawkeye]

How old is old? I've got a bit of an itch to modernize too, maybe with luck by the end of the year. I built this mid-range system in 2010, don't think I've upgraded it at all. The funny part is my phone has more RAM than my 'gaming' desktop!

8 years old, I started my first build on 10/23/09 with an i7 920 for 216.49 from micro center.

Only thing I've replaced is the PSU, and the only update was an 650Ti back in '13.

Now I'm ready to start build #2. I've been on the bleeding edge of technology

[CudaMan]

Yup, that's proper old. I used to build a system or significantly upgrade every 3 years like clockwork. I even had plans to OC this processor after a while but never did do it.

I'm trying to even remember what it is... i5-750, 4GB RAM, Radeon 5870 as I recall.

[Reynard]

Does anyone sell Alienware level stuff without the ridiculous looking casings?

If you're still considering this route, you may want to check out Puget Systems or Main Performance. But yeah, doing it yourself isn't that difficult and like others here, I have a case that I swear I'll never get rid of.

Cuda, I'm guessing not but if you still have your oZone, I have the triple monitor adapters for mine sitting in the closet, likely to never be used again... so if you want 'em, just let me know and they're yours.

[dodint]

Learned a lot today, thanks.

I go on business trips several weeks a year. Portable F7 would rule. I just really need to ruminate on whether I want a gaming laptop or build a system as discussed here.

[CudaMan]

The Obutto is long gone - I gave it to an Indycar team member for the cost of shipping it when I moved to England. Thanks for your kind offer. Not sure what kind of cockpit I may end up with in the future, but I have a feeling the days of my jerry-rigged desk are numbered.

Why aren't you using 3 monitors? Gone VR? [Clearly I've been out of the game a while!]

[Reynard]

Sadly no. I'm fully retired from sim racing at this point and flight sims are pretty much done with as well. I need to play games now where I can stop and take as many breaks as needed and/or not need to be constantly staring at the screen or else my eyes freak out. So now I primarily only play turn based strategy games, though Motorsports Manager (despite it's repetitiveness) has been a godsend in as much as it's a racing game that I can still actually play.

I've been very happy now with a single 27" 1440p monitor and without the sims in my life, don't really miss the massive footprint, extra heat, wires and power consumption that came with the triple setup anymore. I did have some really nice wallpaper for it though.