Buying a Gaming Computer For iRacing

For many PC gamers, the graphics processing unit, or GPU, is king. It’s what handles all the heavy lifting to make games look nice. But for a driving simulator like iRacing, the CPU is at least as important, handling the big-time calculations that make the cars feel right, not just look nice.

iRacing is the dominant platform for professional online motorsport simulation, with laser scanned real world tracks and finely honed vehicle physics. It also benefits from official partnerships with the likes of NASCAR and IndyCar, so you can race in virtual equivalents of these world-class championship series.

A gaming computer for iracing will need to be fast and reliable, with enough power to handle demanding game settings. It will also need to have adequate storage space for all the tracks and cars, and a high-quality graphics card to deliver crisp, clear images. Finally, you’ll need a steering wheel and pedals to complete the setup.

The Skytech Legacy gaming PC is a great choice for sim racing enthusiasts, thanks to its powerful AMD Ryzen 7 processor that can clock up to 5GHz. It’s paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Super graphics card, and has 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a 2TB NVMe Gen4 SSD for storage. Cooling is handled by a 420mm AIO cooler and ARGB fans, and it comes with Windows 11 Home pre-installed.

Another excellent option is the CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme VR Gaming PC, which boasts plenty of power to handle all the demanding graphics settings in iRacing. It’s powered by an Intel Core i9-13900KF processor, and is paired with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX RTX 4070 GPU. Ross runs this exact model on his own VR iRacing setup, and it’s an impressively capable machine that would make a great choice for virtual racing.

Alternatively, you could opt for the Lenovo LOQ Tower PC. It’s not going to blow anyone away with its performance, but it will certainly handle the rigors of racing simulation well. It has a powerful Intel Core i7-8700K processor, and it’s paired with a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 with 6GB of dedicated vRAM.

While you can get a decent gaming computer for iracing for under $1000, you’ll want to spend more than that to ensure a smooth experience. Aim for a motherboard, case, and PSU that will support future hardware upgrades, and consider adding a high-quality SSD for faster load times. You’ll also want to consider a dedicated graphics card, since the integrated GPU in the Intel Core i7-8700K will be unable to handle iRacing’s demanding graphics settings.

If you’re looking for a used gaming computer that can play iRacing, be sure to check out our listings here at Chillblast. We have a wide selection of high-quality computers available, from budget-friendly options to top-of-the-line gaming powerhouses. All our used computers come with a warranty, and we offer fast, free mainland UK delivery on every order.