iracing.com

[TheBook]

Hmm. I'm probably gonna spend a little time with the Solstice/SRF multiclass series after this last week in the Miatas and get more comfortable with those before I go buying anything. Mustang is high on my list. I'm a little more interested in GT racers than open wheeled, though I will definitely get the Skip after the Mustang, or something like that. Haha.

It looks to me like the most cost effective way to play iRacing is to pick a series to run in and stick with it through its season, and buy each track the week you need it? I've heard there's a discount for buying multiple items though, so perhaps buying the next three tracks or something like that would be the best.

10% discount when you buy three items, 20% when you buy six. 25% when you buy everything, but that's almost $600 IIRC.

On an unrelated note, my first ever iRacing win on only my third oval start:
http://members.iracing.com/membersite/member/EventResult.do?&subsessionid=4665888&custid=69887

 

[redmalloc]

It looks to me like the most cost effective way to play iRacing is to pick a series to run in and stick with it through its season, and buy each track the week you need it? I've heard there's a discount for buying multiple items though, so perhaps buying the next three tracks or something like that would be the best.

Yes. 6 items is a 20% discount. So if you picked up the current $100 for $75 deal (right side of dashboard) you could double up on your discounts.

Edit: Forgot about the 3 item discount.

 

[Jav]

Hmm. I'm probably gonna spend a little time with the Solstice/SRF multiclass series after this last week in the Miatas and get more comfortable with those before I go buying anything. Mustang is high on my list. I'm a little more interested in GT racers than open wheeled, though I will definitely get the Skip after the Mustang, or something like that. Haha.

It looks to me like the most cost effective way to play iRacing is to pick a series to run in and stick with it through its season, and buy each track the week you need it? I've heard there's a discount for buying multiple items though, so perhaps buying the next three tracks or something like that would be the best.

Eric is your name on the GTP/iRacing users thread? I gotta add you! Maybe we can get some of the guys together this weekend and do some racing!

10% discount when you buy three items, 20% when you buy six. 25% when you buy everything, but that's almost $600 IIRC.
On an unrelated note, my first ever iRacing win on only my third oval start:

http://members.iracing.com/membersite/member/EventResult.do?&subsessionid=4665888&custid=69887

That's awesome! Congrats on the win!!

 

[Adam41]

Really loving this game so far. Only got it 2 days a go but the sounds and physics, mainly the weight transfer, are incredible. Just practicing at the moment with the MX5. I've been really trying to put in some good laps at Okayama Short and managed a 1:01.8 yesterday. Damn that track is fun on the limit. Some of the things available to you are so simple but so useful, like the relative driver tracking thing. Time to start entering some races me thinks.

 

[Jav]

Really loving this game so far. Only got it 2 days a go but the sounds and physics, mainly the weight transfer, are incredible. Just practicing at the moment with the MX5. I've been really trying to put in some good laps at Okayama Short and managed a 1:01.8 yesterday. Damn that track is fun on the limit. Some of the things available to you are so simple but so useful, like the relative driver tracking thing. Time to start entering some races me thinks.

You on iRacing!!! Oh crap! We're screwed!!!
Lol!! Welcome to the service man! Glad to see you took the plunge! Hope to see more and more guys from GT5 make the transition!

Guys who would be interested in joining a hosted session later on tonight or during the weekend?

 

[TheBook]

You on iRacing!!! Oh crap! We're screwed!!!
Lol!! Welcome to the service man! Glad to see you took the plunge! Hope to see more and more guys from GT5 make the transition!

Guys who would be interested in joining a hosted session later on tonight or during the weekend?

I'm in, provided I've got the cars/tracks for it. 👍

 

[Jav]

Oh, it would definitely be rookie cars on either Okayama Full or Watkinsglenn if everyone has it so everyone can get in!

 

[Rudi Raser]

Only got it 2 days a go .......

welcome

 

[Crispy]

I think I'm getting an iRacing Subscription for Christmas! Hopefully my Laptop will be able to run it okay, going to build myself a computer next year. Anyway, hope to see everyone on the track very soon! 👍

 

[TheBook]

Oh, it would definitely be rookie cars on either Okayama Full or Watkinsglenn if everyone has it so everyone can get in!

I vote for MX-5's at Watkins Glen (Classic Boot?) if everybody has it. 👍

 

[fatkrakr]

Ive been thinking of joining also but would like to try it out before I build a pc for it. So would this laptop run iracing good enough to try the game. http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/asus-k60ij-rblx05/4507-3121_7-33776104.html Thanks for any help.

 

[superbike81]

At very low settings it might run it ok. It meets the requirements to run the game, but I don't know what kind of FPS you'll be achieving with any of the detail settings turned up.

 

[fatkrakr]

Just looking to get an idea for the game. Also would it effect the game any hooking it to my 32 inch or would that effect the game running also? Thanks again.

 

[superbike81]

You don't have to spend much to build a PC that can run it either. You could put something together that will run it on a single screen at mid-high settings for about $550. Or if you are willing to go used, you could find everything you need for about $400 (not including monitors)

 

[superbike81]

Just looking to get an idea for the game. Also would it effect the game any hooking it to my 32 inch or would that effect the game running also? Thanks again.

It shouldn't effect the performance as long as you have the main laptop screen disabled while using the TV. Set it to whatever the native resolution of the TV is (at 32" it's likely either 1280x720 or 1366x768). Start at minimum settings, and use the FPS meter in the top right of the screen (press "F"). Most people say you should be aiming for about 70fps for a smooth enough experience to hit your braking markers consistently. Note that more cars on the course and a more detailed track means lower FPS, Lime Rock and Okayama are fairly easy on the computer, but some tracks like Suzuka will push even the best video cards.

 

[livemusic]

MX-5 at Watkins should be fun but I probably won't be able to join in.

Did a Skippy race at Watkins this morning, felt a bit bad for ruining the pole position's race. I started on P3 and I slightly bumped him after he went out of T1 really slowly. We both managed to control the cars and continue but we lost momentum going into the big straight. At the carousel he braked too early IMO and I ended up touching him again, this time making he spin. I managed to continue racing but my car was a bit damaged and I was losing at least half a second per lap, ending up in fourth place.

I know even though he was a bit slow both incidents were my fault, I should've been a bit more conservative on the first lap. But I also noticed he was from Australia, so our latency to each other should be pretty high, which would explain why he spun on our second touch. If I saw he was from Australia before the race started I would keep a bit more distance from him.

 

[fatkrakr]

Yeah Ive looked into building (actually followed some builds on here and some of my own reseach) one Im thinking around $900 with operating system. Would just like to make sure its something Ill enjoy before I spend the money. Im just not sure I can get this laptop on my rig so I can see it. Im thinking a vga to hdmi cable. Any thoughts on that?

 

[superbike81]

Your TV doesn't have a PC-in VGA port?

If you are just testing it out, the laptop screen itself will be fine, just figure out a way to mount it up securely. The thing about iRacing is, you love it for the gameplay. The graphics are fine, but they aren't the major selling point of the game. So if you enjoy the gameplay (physics, online competition, stat tracking, etc) on the laptop at low settings, then build a computer for it and connect it to a proper screen and you will enjoy it even more.

 

[superbike81]

Oh, and something a little different with iRacing....

iRacing is a very CPU-intensive game, so don't skimp on it. Many people now are using the Intel i5-2500(k) as it's priceerformance ratio is very good. I'm not saying to skimp on the video card, but if you are going to be running only a single screen setup, there isn't any reason to go overkill on the graphics card. For most games you spend significantly more on the video card than you do the processor, I wouldn't do that for iRacing though.

Once you join, go to the Member Forums, and check the sticky here:

http://members.iracing.com/jforum/posts/list/1834039.page

Basically, an i5-2500 and a GTX 460 or ATI 5850 would run iRacing very well. But read over the whole thread, lots of information from a professional point of view.

 

[fatkrakr]

Looks like its to the garage to screw together some scap wood and come up with something to put it on. Thanks again for the help. Happy Holidays All !!

 

[superbike81]

Also, remember, even if you don't like iRacing's subscription based service there are other great PC Sims out there like rFactor, Netkar Pro, and the upcoming rFactor 2 and GTR3. Those are one time purchases you just don't get the same robust online experience.

If you really do start enjoying it on the PC, your bank account may end up hating you. There is a virtually limitless amount of different peripherals you can get for the PC (button boxes, gauges, head trackers, etc, etc, etc)

 

[redmalloc]

As an example of system specs. I have a slightly aged PC like this:

Intel C2Q Q9400
ATI 5770
4GB RAM

At 1080p I can hit a stable 60+ FPS in all situations. I turn down a few settings - like off track details and the advanced shadow rendering (whatever that is called).

I've tracked CPU usage and 2 cores are busy but not 100% pegged and 2 are 30-40% utilization. So iRacing may be more CPU dependent that many games but not massively. Going to multiple monitors or high resolution and that might change but for a modest 1080p single screen your don't need a powerful machine. iirc an i3-550 is about the same performance as the Q9400.

Anyway, that is my experience.

 

[plate88]

I had to undo my latest driver update for my video card tonight. The 285 driver for nvidia didn't like iRacing too well. I would get literally 1 to 2 second pauses or stutters quite often. Went back to the 257 driver and all is well again. Sucks cause I really liked that new driver, but it made iRacing nearly unplayable. All other games worked very nicely with it. Oh well, iRacing wins as usual.

Also don't be doing donuts or warming up tires in restrictor plate quali's. There's a thread by a staff member about it and will get ya a 1 week minimum vacation from iRacing. I believe this counts towards all series and race sessions. I guess some are doing whatever it takes to squeak out time. I can see it now, a full field of NASCAR doing donuts while the pace car drives on and everyone hits the green flag at full throttle with warm tires. I'm not sure, but maybe this counts for after the race also? I don't do donuts or burnouts anyway, but it does mainly direct this towards warming tires so it probably doesn't. Thought I'd bring this up if someone missed it.

 

[Patrocles]

Also, remember, even if you don't like iRacing's subscription based service there are other great PC Sims out there like rFactor, Netkar Pro, and the upcoming rFactor 2 and GTR3. Those are one time purchases you just don't get the same robust online experience.

If you really do start enjoying it on the PC, your bank account may end up hating you. There is a virtually limitless amount of different peripherals you can get for the PC (button boxes, gauges, head trackers, etc, etc, etc)

FWIW...Kunos Simulations, the maker of Netkar Pro, also announced a new sim expected for 2012 called Assetto Corsa
http://www.assettocorsa.info/

is pCARS due for release in 2012?



haha, speaking of peripherals, after playing iRacing for a few months I am convinced i need a triplescreen setup! hopefully, this winter or by the summer I can have it in place!

 

[superbike81]

FWIW...Kunos Simulations, the maker of Netkar Pro, also announced a new sim expected for 2012 called Assetto Corsa
http://www.assettocorsa.info/

is pCARS due for release in 2012?



haha, speaking of peripherals, after playing iRacing for a few months I am convinced i need a triplescreen setup! hopefully, this winter or by the summer I can have it in place!

Who knows about pCars, it has quite a long way to go. I'd say if 2012 for the release it would be Q4.

I love my triple screen setup, 3x 23" screens. I love it so much that I sold it all. My next upgrade is near completion, just waiting for the triple monitor stand I had custom built, should be here late next week. Now the setup will consist of 3 Acer H5360 720p 3D projectors that will be display a ~41" bezel-less screen. They will sit about 26" away from me. The immersion level should be amazing! I've got everything ready to go except for the display mount, so getting a little anxious, haha.

 

[superbike81]

Got my friend into iRacing and he called me today saying that he thinks he broke his G27 wheel. So I went over to his house and he had iRacing on and the Radical going. He said he thought he broke the left paddle, because now it didn't work a lot of the time.

Took me a second to figure out, but I'll share....

For any of you other new people out there, when you jump into the Radical, the majority of the time when you want to downshift, you need to blip the throttle. So pull in and hold the downshift paddle (or sequential stick), blip the throttle, and then release the gear paddle. You can do this very quickly and naturally once you get the hang of it.

Just a little FYI to save yourself the embarrassment my friend experienced, haha!

 

[LeftyWright69]

I have been looking at joining iRacing and was wondering about new membership sign up bonus's like bonus codes. Where do you find current codes? I know that I will start out as a novice squid but I was wondering what options I should go for? I have a Miata in real life and I saw what looks like a MX5 is in the starter pack so I think I have that base covered. Any other direction would be of great help before I sign up, thankzzz........ Lefty

 

[SpecMiata-JSW]

Who knows about pCars, it has quite a long way to go. I'd say if 2012 for the release it would be Q4.

I love my triple screen setup, 3x 23" screens. I love it so much that I sold it all. My next upgrade is near completion, just waiting for the triple monitor stand I had custom built, should be here late next week. Now the setup will consist of 3 Acer H5360 720p 3D projectors that will be display a ~41" bezel-less screen. They will sit about 26" away from me. The immersion level should be amazing! I've got everything ready to go except for the display mount, so getting a little anxious, haha.

Superbike, if you don't mind me asking what was the investment for your current 3 monitor setup and what are you budgeting for the new setup? I'd love a 3 monitor system but I don't even know what the investment is going to be.

Thanks!

 

[sandboxgod]

MX-5 at Watkins should be fun but I probably won't be able to join in.

Did a Skippy race at Watkins this morning, felt a bit bad for ruining the pole position's race. I started on P3 and I slightly bumped him after he went out of T1 really slowly. We both managed to control the cars and continue but we lost momentum going into the big straight. At the carousel he braked too early IMO and I ended up touching him again, this time making he spin. I managed to continue racing but my car was a bit damaged and I was losing at least half a second per lap, ending up in fourth place.

I know even though he was a bit slow both incidents were my fault, I should've been a bit more conservative on the first lap. But I also noticed he was from Australia, so our latency to each other should be pretty high, which would explain why he spun on our second touch. If I saw he was from Australia before the race started I would keep a bit more distance from him.

Is that all?

Other day at lime rock in prototypes & GT I took out some poor ford GT that was driving slow but being nice, letting HPDs pass him. I just lost control of my HPD out of the blue trying to past him going uphil (a spot GT cars tell me is a bad place to overtake). So race right after I learned my lesson and drove a perfectly clean race to hit top 5

Right before that at Barber in grand Am series I incurred a 0x contact with another riley then later he accused me of running him off track. But I never incurred an incident point from it. He was cool bout it when we talked after the race.

Accidents happen; even for really clean; perfect drivers. I think in Thursday's race the grand Am leader messed up a Mustang GT and this guy, Scott, is always clean (Class A 4.99)

 

[superbike81]

Superbike, if you don't mind me asking what was the investment for your current 3 monitor setup and what are you budgeting for the new setup? I'd love a 3 monitor system but I don't even know what the investment is going to be.

Thanks!

Honestly I wouldn't have done tthe most recent upgrade if it wasn't for the deal I got. A friend of mine in retail set me up with the projectors for $300 each, paying about $12 for the plywood for my screens, and $3 for 2 cans of flat white spray paint. Most people would probably think the quality on that kind of screen will be crap, but I've done it before and most people who see it thinks it looks excellent. Total investment for the upgrade including the custom monitor stand and all shipping costs is about $1200.

The holidays are a great time to buy the stuff you need because of holiday sales. I saw 22" screens for $75 each at our local BX (military base store). I'm sure there are tons of deals out there, I got my 23" screens for $130 each a little while ago. Just watch your local and online retailers for deals. The video card is your second thing to concern yourself with. You could get the same ones I have for about $425 (2x 560 Ti) and Max all settings at 5760x1080 and still make 80-100fps minimum. Or if you like single card setups ATI has solutions for about $300. If you have table space you don't need a monitor stand, otherwise a good one runs around $300 or build yourself one.

Triple screens can be pretty cheap or very expensive depending what you want.