When talking about a sim racing setup, most people imagine a fully-fledged cockpit, with three monitors, a bucket seat, and all that jazz. But when just starting out, the reality for most involves a desk, a single monitor, and a mass-market wheel. Ultimately, to begin sim racing, you don’t need a dedicated cockpit or three monitors or anything like that. Sure, your setup won’t look as cool from the outside, but today I wanted to share with you all a very reasonable, first sim racing setup that is not only functional but looks pretty damn nice as well.

This is the sim racing setup I put together for this guide!

Today I’ll be explaining my thought process on the gear I chose - everything from functionality to price, and even giving you all cheaper alternatives, if you’re looking to begin sim racing on a desk, but also want it to look fairly nice, this guide is for you.

I guess it's only logical to begin by talking about the desk itself. This exact desk is the IKEA Melltorp model. However, you (obviously) don’t have to go with this exact one. I recommend, if you can, purchasing a desk from IKEA simply because they, for the most part, look pretty nice and won’t be excessively expensive. But as long as you have a desk that you like, and is sturdy enough, you’ll be totally fine. In terms of this exact desk, there are a few reasons why I am using it for this video but wouldn’t necessarily recommend it. I like it because it's wide enough and fits well in my room and I like its simple white aesthetic. The main reason I wouldn’t go with this desk primarily for sim racing is because of this metal support beam it has around the bottom of the entire desk. While it's there to support the surface on top and maintains it in place, it also makes it impossible to mount many types of wheel and shifters which would typically clamp onto the bottom. The G29 which I’m using just barely fits but other wheels such as the Thrustmaster T150 wouldn’t due to their clamping mechanism for example.

Being comfortable for long racing sessions is a big selling point for sim racing cockpits. However, a proper, ergonomic, chair will do the job just fine, and maybe even better. The one I’m using is the Autonomous ErgoChair core. At $300 it's definitely not cheap, but for someone like me who is sitting on it most of the day working on homework, studying, writing scripts, editing videos, and infinite other things, the $300 investment is an absolute bargain for what it does for my posture. This isn’t a review and this isn’t sponsored by them or anything like that so I won’t really get into it. The only thing I’ll say is that it looks cool, is very comfortable and adjustable making it ideal for this sim racing on a desk setup. While you might be enticed to go with one of those “gaming chairs”, as cool as they look, I haven’t heard very good things regarding their comfort. Anyways, a comfortable and ergonomic office chair is what I would recommend for something like this.

So now it’s time to start talking about the sim racing aspect of this setup. As I briefly mentioned, I’m using the Logitech G29. There's a few reasons for this. The first, is that in my opinion, the G29 and G920 are the best beginner sim racing wheels in the market today, and if you’re on a tight budget and are looking for a sim racing wheel, this is a very solid choice. Moreover, I like its overall design and leather wrapped wheel which also adds to the aesthetics of this setup. Regarding the pedals, since they come with carpet spikes, I was able to lay them on my carpeted floor where they remained in place. However, when using them on any other type of surface, I would recommend placing something behind them to prevent them from moving around when braking. The shifter is the Logitech Driving force shifter which for only $60, not only adds to the sim racing experience, but also adds to the overall look of this setup. If you’re interested in learning more about this wheel and the shifter, I’ve made separate, far more in-depth videos on both of these, so feel free to check them out.

Moving on to the screen I am using a 24” ASUS gaming monitor. It provides a 144hz refresh rate and a solid image. One thing that makes this monitor great for sim racing is that you can adjust its height to where you find it most comfortable once the wheel is set up. Being a 144hz monitor with a few other notable features, it's on the pricier side. However, you can get roughly the same experience with a generic 60hz display. In fact, on my main sim racing setup, I run 60hz displays and have absolutely no problems with those. One thing I will mention is that at only 24 inches, the screen is a little small for my liking especially for racing games where your field of view plays an important role. Thus, I would recommend going with at least a 27-inch display although if you can’t, something like this will ultimately do the job.

If you’re on a PC, you’ll obviously need a keyboard and mouse. You don’t need anything fancy here although I'd recommend going wireless to limit the clutter of cables. Or, if you also want to use this setup for other games like first-person shooters etc, a gaming keyboard and mouse like I have here could also be ideal. I’m using the Corsair strafe and Roccat Lua, but you can use whatever you want really. For audio, I’m using the Corsair Voids which I’ve had for years. Not only do they match the color scheme of the setup, but look and sound good too. I do however wish I went with the wireless version to cut down on cables.

In terms of powering your entire setup, there's a ton of reasons why a PC would be the most ideal. But more than providing a larger variety of games, mods, and better performance, a PC will also allow you to move your wheel out of the way and use this setup for working at home, playing other games, browsing the web, and whatever you want whereas a console would be more limiting in this regard. Make sure to pay special attention to the color of a PC case which can affect the color scheme of your setup. If you’re on a tighter budget, an Xbox or PlayStation would work fine as well and many sim racers do end up going that route anyways.

In terms of any final touches to bring this setup to life, I went with these two main things. Some RGB strips at the back of my desk to make me a certified gamer and instantly make me better in-game, and a table lamp that looks cool and gives it a cozier feel.

Add all of these things up, and this is how I came up with this sim racing setup. Without a full-fledged cockpit, triple monitors, ButtKickers, and all that stuff, I still managed to create a very solid, good-looking setup. Hopefully, this guide gives you a good idea of what is possible and what can be achieved regardless of not having a cockpit.