Help me Spec a mATX system for iRacing

[hum-ho]

Hi Folks,

I'm looking to build a mATX system for iRacing (http://www.iracing.com).

I have spent many many years in the Mac world, where decisions on specs are all made for you by Apple, so a hand in the right direction would be great.

I am building into a mATX case as that's all I have space for, plus I already have the case, which is a FreeNAS Atom based system at the moment.
I am on a reasonably tight budget, but would like to make sure I am spending in the right places and that I have some upgrade possibility/paths in the future too.

So, how do you guys think this setup would work for iRacing? Would I be able to run reasonably decent frame rates etc?

Gigabyte GA-880GMA-UD2H AMD 880G (Socket AM3) DDR3 microATX Motherboard - £74.99
HIS ATI Radeon HD 6850 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card - £149.99
AMD Phenom II X2 Dual Core 555 3.20GHz Black Edition (Socket AM3) - £89.99
Patriot Viper 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C7 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit - £61.09
Total: £376.06

The mobo choice is based on a mATX that I can run two graphics cards on later for an upgrade / tri-monitor setup.

Thinking of pairing this with a Hanns.G 28" monitor.

An idea on the power supply requirements for this spec? I already have a 300W supply in the case.

What do you think to the choice? Anywhere I could better spend my money? Or any better options?

Cheers,

Jim

 

[Peter_C]

That mobo can't run crossfire, you would need this mATX motherboard to do that.

As for the power supply, I would get a new one. A full 6850 system at max load will draw about 250W, and I'm guessing it was a cheapo one that came with your Mac. In other words whether it will actually run at 300W is debatable and you don't want a generic PSU blowing up your new components.

What is your full budget?

 

[hum-ho]

Hi,

Ah! I read this in the description "dual PCI Express 2.0 graphics interfaces (running at x8 and x8) for ATI CrossFireX/ATI Hybrid CrossFireX support" and presumed I could do crossfire. Am I missing something there?

Also, how important is DirectX 11? And would either (or any) of these mATX mobos support it?

I don't really want to go over £400 for the lot excluding the monitor which I will buy separately.

Here is what I already have:

- Super Micro Mini-Tower SC731 (which has the 300W supply)
- Windows 7
- 1TB 5200rpm HDD (I have loads of these! Will I be ok using as a boot drive?)
- Keyboard/Mouse

Many Thanks,

Jim

 

[SeraphX]

Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5770 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £117.49
MSI 890GXM-G65 AMD 890GX (Socket AM3) DDR3 microATX Motherboard £99.99
AMD Athlon II X4 Quad Core 630 2.80GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail £69.31
Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit £61.09
Corsair CX 430W ATX Power Supply Corsair CX 430W ATX Power Supply £37.98
Total : £397.61

dont trust power supplys that come with cases, theyre often cheap and inadequate for modern gaming systems with hungry graphics cards, my spec is mildly older then yours but includes a decent PSU for a small price increase.

 

[hum-ho]

Hi again folks,

Really appreciate all your help. Another question though:

The MSI 890GXM-G65 only supports DirectX 10.1, how important is that?

Are there any AMD mATX boards that support DirectX 11?

Jim

 

[Xelene]

Hi again folks,

Really appreciate all your help. Another question though:

The MSI 890GXM-G65 only supports DirectX 10.1, how important is that?

Are there any AMD mATX boards that support DirectX 11?

Jim

The onboard graphics card is DX 10.1. You are using a standalone, so it's irrelevant.