iRacing is not overly demanding on your PC, but to run it well you'll need a decent PC set up. Here is all of the information about whether your PC can run iRacing.
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iRacing doesn’t need an overly powerful PC to run well. It is recommended that you have a mid-level CPU such as an Intel Core i7-8700K. You will need a decent but not overly powerful GPU, something like an RTX 2060 and at least 16GB of RAM, but 32GB ideally.
You can run iRacing on the majority of gaming PC’s, even older ones as it isn’t overly demanding. But to really get the most out of your iRacing experience you will want to find a PC that can run iRacing well.
To achieve this you should be looking at a PC with at least a 6-core CPU, and ideally an RTX series graphics card. Even an RTX 2060 can do well when running iRacing.
Minimum Requirement | Recommended Requirement | Ultimate PC Build |
CPU | CPU | CPU |
GPU | GPU | GPU |
MEMORY | MEMORY | MEMORY |
STORAGE 25GB Free Space | STORAGE 25GB Free Space | STORAGE 25GB Free Space |
The good news if you own a gaming laptop is that yes. You can run iRacing on a laptop! As long as it meets the minimum or recommended requirements.
There are plenty of great gaming laptops out there. I currently have an ASUS ROG G15 with a Ryzen 9 5900HX and an RTX 3060 and iRacing runs like a dream on it.
When you are looking to see if iRacing will run on your laptop, or a laptop you are looking to purchase, keep an eye on the PC specs.
With a laptop, it is more important than ever to ensure it meets at least the recommended requirements to run iRacing.
This is because it is much trickier to upgrade a laptop if it falls outside of these specs. There are limited parts that can be upgraded on a laptop, so chances are if it can’t currently run iRacing, then you will need to look for another machine.
Ensure you have at least a 6 core i7 processer, with a decent laptop GPU such as an RTX 2060 and at least 16GB of RAM. The RAM is often the only part of a laptop that you can upgrade if needed.
If you have a set budget, try to maximise the GPU that is included as this is the part that will really matter over time.
iRacing is a game that has relatively low minimum and recommended system requirements. You can get away with running iRacing reasonably well on a slightly older PC. To get the best FPS and to run higher graphics settings though, you will need something a little more powerful.
Before we look at the ideal iRacing PC specs, I’ll first take a look at the minimum and recommended requirements.
For the CPU, iRacing themselves state that their minimum requirement is a 4-core i5-4430 or an AMD Ryzen 3 1200. This is the absolute minimum, and I wouldn’t overly recommend racing with this spec.
For the recommended specs, we have an i7-8700K @3.7GHz or an AMD Ryzen 7 3700X. Any i7 with at least a 6-core processor with a clock speed of 3.7GHz or more should perform absolutely fine.
For the GPU, iRacing states that at a minimum you need a dedicated graphics card with at least 2GB of VRAM. Again, I would aim higher than this as you may struggle to run the game with a consistent FPS with this.
The recommended settings say that a GPU with 6GB of VRAM will work well. That puts you in the range of a GTX 1060 or AMD RX 580.
If you are purchasing a new PC to run iRacing on, many bundles will come with an RTX series GPU as standard. Anything within the RTX range will run iRacing well, including older 20 series RTX cards.
For the RAM, 16GB should be your minimum. If you can build 32GB of RAM into your PC then this will help in the long run.
iRacing requires 25GB of storage to install, and around 50GB of storage if you want to purchase all content. Of course, you will want more storage than this so you don’t run into any issues, so aim for 50GB or more.
Below are three sample PC builds to run iRacing. A budget build, a mid-level build and a high-end build.
These builds are not prescriptive, but they do give you a good idea of which components work well together to achieve different results.
Budget PC Run most racing sims at low-medium graphics settings | Mid-Level PC Achieve consistant 60FPS at high graphics settings | Ultimate Racing PC Achieve high FPS at max graphics settings |
CPU | CPU | CPU |
GPU | GPU | GPU |
MEMORY | MEMORY | MEMORY |
STORAGE | STORAGE | STORAGE |
TRIPLE SCREEN COMPATIBLE No | TRIPLE SCREEN COMPATIBLE Yes - 1080p | TRIPLE SCREEN COMPATIBLE Yes - 1440p |
GUIDE PRICE £/$1000 | GUIDE PRICE £/$1800 | GUIDE PRICE £/$3200 |
When looking at the ultimate iRacing PC spec, we are talking about a PC that is currently capable of running iRacing at max graphical settings. With an ultimate iRacing PC build you’ll also have a system that is ready for a good few years of sim racing.
For the CPU, I would look at an Intel Core i9-10980XE. This processor is a 12th gen Intel i9 with 18 cores in total. This is well in excess of what is required for iRacing, but will enable you to multi-task as well as edit any video replays you may have of your racing antics!
Look at a high-end RTX card for your GPU. A graphics card like the RTX 3080 Ti will again far outperform iRacing’s minimum specifications and will be able to run most games at ultra graphics settings.
The 4th series of RTX cards are releasing in 2022, meaning a 3080 Ti may be available at a discounted price throughout 2022.
Opt for at least 32GB of RAM. This is always my suggestion if you’re looking at building a high-end gaming PC. 64GB of RAM is preferable and will ensure you don’t run into any memory bottlenecks. Also, RAM is one of the least expensive parts of your build so increasing it isn’t as costly as a more powerful CPU or GPU.
As mentioned, iRacing will take up a maximum of 50GB if you install all additional content. We would recommend ensuring you have an SSD which will improve the game’s boot time. Also, aim for more than 50GB of free space to give yourself some wiggle room as you install more content.
If you have a relatively modern PC with the recommended specs above then chances are you can run iRacing.
To check whether your PC can run it and how well it can run it, it might be worth checking using a website such as www.pcgamebenchmark.com.
Check out the latest iRacing Promo codes for 2022 here.
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Rich is the founder, F1 car setup creator and content writer for SimRacingSetups. With over a decade of experience as a graphic designer, marketing director, competitive sim racer and avid motorsport fan, Rich founded SimRacingSetup.com to share his passion and knowledge of sim racing and Formula 1 with other sim racers. Regularly writes for sim racing website SimRaceReviews.com
View all articles written by Rich
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