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Sim Racing Product Guides » GT Omega PRIME vs Sim-Lab P1X Pro: Which Premium Cockpit is Best?
Both the GT Omega PRIME and the Sim-Lab P1X Pro are incredibly sturdy, premium aluminium profile sim rigs. I've been using both, so will compare the two to see which 8020 sim rig is best.
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Choosing which sim rig is perfect for the sim racing setup you’re considering creating is a tricky decision. Premium cockpits can cost well over £/$1000, so any decision should be considered well.
I have two sim racing cockpits set up in our studio, which are incredibly comparable. The first is the Sim-Lab P1X Pro that I use as the main sim rig here at Sim Racing Setups. The second cockpit is the GT Omega PRIME with F1 upgrades attached which is my secondary testing sim rig.
Having gained extensive experience over the past few years with both the Sim-Lab and GT Omega sim rigs, I thought now was the perfect time to compare the two and see which premium 8020 sim rig is the better one to buy.
I’ll compare everything I’ve learnt over the past few years with these cockpits.
Some of the topics which I’ll cover include the installation and just how easy (or difficult) it is to set both of these cockpits up. I’ll also look at the rigidity which is a crucial factor when opting for a sturdy aluminium profile sim rig. After all, something of this size should be able to support even the strongest direct drive racing wheels.
To start things off, I want to look at the price breakdown for both sim rigs. You’ll see from the images above that I have a few attachments on both cockpits, so I’ll include those in our breakdown.
I’m going to start with the GT Omega PRIME cockpit. This is my main testing sim rig that I use to try out new wheel bases, steering wheel and pedals. It has been built using the F1 upgrade kit, the PRIME monitor mount and the CHASE racing seat. Below is a complete price breakdown for the GT Omega PRIME cockpit I’m running.
Components | Price | Description |
---|---|---|
PRIME Cockpit | £579.95 / $665.96 | Main 8020 cockpit |
Formula frame | £149.95 / $189.95 | Replacement angled vertical frame |
Pedal mount | £94.95 / $104.95 | Larger pedal mount for additional positions |
Seat mount | £84.95 / $104.95 | Seat mount with GT & F1 positions |
Monitor mount | £169.50 / $229.95 | Integrated monitor mount |
CHASE seat | £239.95 | Bucket seat |
The price breakdown above for the GT Omega PRIME cockpit that I have installed comes to a grand total of £1319.25 if purchased in the United Kingdom. Or a total of $1295.76 in the United States excluding the bucket seat as it isn’t available in the US.
Next, I will show a complete cost breakdown for the Sim-Lab P1X Pro. I have a very similar cockpit set up with my Sim-Lab cockpit, compared to the GT Omega PRIME. The main difference is that I haven’t had to purchase any additional F1 upgrades. The design of the P1X Pro already incorporates some of these additional features.
Components | Price | Description |
---|---|---|
P1X Pro cockpit | £683 / $849 | Main 8020 cockpit |
Monitor mount | £119 / $149 | Integrated monitor mount |
Speed 3 seat | €399 | Not available in UK or US |
The total cost for all Sim-Lab P1X Pro parts that make up my cockpit is £1201 or $1397. This price does include the cost of the seat; however, currently, the Speed 3 seat is only available to buy in Europe.
Looking at the price comparison between both cockpits, the GT Omega PRIME is the cheaper of the two when purchasing just the frame or the frame and seat only. You can save around £200/$350 by opting for the GT Omega cockpit and seat over the Sim-Lab equivalent.
When buying the entire set-up, including all accessories, the Sim-Lab P1X Pro is cheaper, and that is because fewer additional parts are required to achieve the result I have.
GT Omega PRIME | Sim-Lab P1X Pro | |
---|---|---|
Frame only | £579.95 / $665.96 | £683 / $849 |
Frame + Seat | £819.90 / $905.91 | £1082 / $1248 |
Entire cockpit | £1319.25 / $1295.76 | £1201 / $1397 |
The first hurdle to overcome with any sim racing cockpit is the installation. Aluminium profile sim rigs, in particular, are known to be rather tricky and time-consuming to put together, and that does apply to both of these cockpits.
The PRIME and P1X Pro are large 8020 sim rigs using profiles up to 160mm x 1.5 meters. You’ll receive many boxes with both cockpits, and the time taken to construct either cockpit fully can range up towards a full day.
Both cockpits use T-nuts in their construction, although Sim-Lab has the better implementation. Sim-Lab only uses a single-sized T-nut, and you can remove any T-nut from anywhere within the frame. This is handy if you incorrectly position a nut and cannot slide it back out.
The GT Omega cockpit uses two different-sized T-nuts, one skinnier than the other. This means you have to use the correct-sized nut for the correct piece of frame. One real annoyance I found with the PRIME was that you cannot remove a T-nut without sliding it all the way out of the frame.
On the Sim-Lab rig, you can pop a T-nut out, which cannot be done with the PRIME cockpit. You need to ensure you have the nuts correctly inserted and positioned at each stage of the installation.
Other than this small issue, both sim rigs work very well together. All bolts, nuts, and Allen keys are included with both SIM rigs, making installation a matter of time rather than difficulty.
With both cockpits constructed, which one performs better? I’m happy to say that during my year long experience with each sim rig, both performed incredibly well. For context, I currently use a Fanatec ClubSport DD+ on the Sim-Lab cockpit and a MOZA Racing R12 on the GT Omega PRIME.
Both of these wheels are set to around 12Nm of peak torque, however, I have had the Asetek Forte wheel and a Simucube 2 Sport on both cockpits as well.
Due to the large 160x40mm aluminium profiles that both cockpits use, the frame’s rigidity is good while racing with a direct-drive wheel. The uprights on the Sim-Lab P1X Pro are 120x40mm, while the upgraded F1 vertical frames on the GT Omega PRIME are just 80x40mm.
This difference leads to the P1X Pro performing better, resulting in less vibration. Shaking both cockpits shows that the P1X Pro is the more rigid of the two. It is worth noting that the GT Omega PRIME does come with 120x40mm vertical uprights included, which would undoubtedly provide better rigidity, although I swapped these out with the F1 upgrade.
While I was racing with both cockpits, though, flexing and shaking weren’t an issue with either sim rig. Some small vibrations work their way through, and they can be seen in the monitor, which vibrates under high-frequency loads on both cockpits.
Moving on to comparing the adjustability, as expected from an aluminium profile sim rig, it is great across both cockpits. With all components installed, the GT Omega is incredibly flexible regarding how you set up your driving position. The F1 upgrades allow for a much more F1 seating position as well as the option of a more GT-style position.
The seat mount on the GT Omega is fantastic, allowing for some of the quickest height and angle adjustments I’ve seen on any sim rig. You loosen the hand screws on each side and then twist the lever at the front or back to drop or raise the seat. Then retighten to confirm. This can all be done in seconds without any tools and is a fantastic solution.
The Sim-Lab P1X Pro doesn’t feature quite as much height adjustment on either the seat or pedals, which results in a more GT or road car seating position as opposed to a true F1 position. There is also less adjustment with the monitor mount due to the height of the two side pillars.
These pillars can prevent you from lowering your monitor, and it can be tricky to move your monitor closer to the seat. The PRIME cockpit has a wider range of movement for monitor mounting.
With both cockpits using slot gaps in the profile, both can support a wide variety of attachments. Yopu can mount handbrakes, shifters and almost any other accessory to both cockpits. Just remember, adding and removing T-nuts to the GT Omega PRIME cockpit is harder than it is with the Sim-Lab rig.
Ultimately, both of these cockpits are incredible aluminium profile sim rigs, and both offer fantastic performance and the adaptability that an 8020 rig should.
During my time and playtesting, I would confidently say that the Sim-Lab P1X Pro is the more rigid of the two cockpits. If you plan on using a high-powered racing wheel such as the Simucube 2 Pro or Ultimate, I’d probably recommend the P1X Pro.
I would also say that the Sim-Lab cockpit is more visually appealing thanks to the custom aluminium profile covering the internal slot gaps. This is a personal preference, but I definitely think it looks sleeker than the more industrial GT Omega PRIME.
However, if cost is more of a factor, the GT Omega PRIME is considerably cheaper without the F1 upgrade. This lower price point makes upgrading to it from a wheel stand or budget cockpit more palatable.
You certainly won’t be disappointed with either cockpit; both remain constructed in my studio. I have no plans to replace either of them anytime soon.
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Rich is the co-founder, and one of the main F1 setup creators and content writers 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
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