As a sim racer, you need a display that increases your overall perspective within the virtual race track. This is where a triple monitor setup comes in to amplify your immersion and improve your racing experience. Today, thousands of gamers are learning how to set up triple monitors for sim racing to increase their field of view up to three times to get a better view of the surroundings.
You can see how this makes perfect sense. With this setup, they can see distances more accurately and judge speeds better since there are no G-forces involved. Moreover, they don’t necessarily have to look directly at the second or third monitor to gain these advantages thanks to peripheral vision.
Simply put, sim racing and triple monitors are a match made in heaven. So, if you’re looking to take your game to the next level, keep reading our guide on building a triple monitor stand and connecting three screens.
Can Your Gaming PC Support Three Monitors?
First things first, you need to determine if your PC is capable of supporting three monitors. You need the proper hardware and software to support multiple monitors simultaneously, including physical video outputs and drivers.
Due to the abundance of options in the market, this can be quite challenging if you don’t know where to start. The first thing you need to check is whether or not your PC has enough physical video outputs. Next, you need to check if your desktop can support multiple video connections from a single graphics solution.
Open the Device Manager and click on Display Adapters to learn about your PC’s graphics. Using this information, you can research their connection capabilities on the company’s official site or forums.
How to Build a Triple Monitor Stand Sim Racing
If you possess basic handyman skills and have a keen interest in DIY projects, you can avoid spending big on ready-made monitor stands and build your own. Yes, this can prolong the setup process, but if you’re on a tight budget, it’s worth it. So, without further ado, here’s how to build a triple monitor stand for sim racing:
Tools/Equipment
- Basic tool kit (screwdrivers, bits, pliers, etc.)
- Drill and drill bits (various sizes)
- Saw (handsaw or jigsaw, etc.)
- Three monitors (preferably of the same company and dimensions)
Materials
- Screw for monitors (6-10)
- 2”x4” Timber (approx 12 ft)
- Brackets (10)
- 120mm bolts and nuts (4)
- 15mm bolts (10)
- Wood screws (pack of various sizes)
- Hinges (2)
Steps
- To start, cut the timber according to your monitors’ width to ensure it aligns perfectly.
- Next, attach two brackets at the back of the center monitor to attach it onto the timber you just cut.
- Attach the screen to the two brackets using screws and then fasten the hinges using any type of screw by aligning them with the bracket holes.
- Next, you need to attach two more pieces of timber to support the side mirrors and ensure they’re the same dimensions as the centerpiece. You can follow the same approach above.
- Once you have the three screens attached and ready to go, you need to set up the base. For this, you need to cut two pieces of timber and attach them to the edges of the central monitor. Since you’ll be using the setup for sim racing, keep the height to the minimum, so the screens are at eye level.
- To secure the stand to a computer table or rig, you can install clamps at each end.
- Once your stand is complete, the last step is to attach the monitors to the frame. Before doing this, make sure all the screws, clamps, and braces are tightly held in place to avoid any accidents. You can add additional screws and clamps to improve the rigidity.
- Finally, drill a couple of holes into your wooden frame for the wires to prevent clutter and simplify access.
Although your standard setup is complete at this stage, you don’t have to necessarily stop here. You can make further improvements, such as painting the stand, installing a sliding rail, or attaching a speaker stand. The customization options are unlimited.
How to Connect Three Monitors for Sim Racing
Once your triple monitor stand is ready, you need to connect the three monitors to your PC. Before you head to a store to buy an HDMI splitter to hook up your screens, you should know that they will all display the same image.
If you do take this route, you’re going to have to bypass the default graphics hardware or invest in an external graphics card. Similarly, you can’t connect two monitors with an HDMI cable and the third one with the display port.
If this doesn’t sound like something you want to do, here’s a simpler approach to connecting three monitors:
- Connect all three monitors to a power source and turn them on. You may need a cable or adaptor to support the triple monitor setup so examine your PC’s video inputs before starting.
- Connect the video cable for the central monitor to your PC and let it detect and display an image. Repeat the same steps for the second and third monitor one at a time.
- Next, go to the Display Settings by right-clicking on the desktop. If you’ve never installed three monitors before, the screen should show a rectangle with the numbers 1,2,3 together.
- Keep scrolling until you find the Multiple Displays option and click on Extend these displays. This will then spilt the screens and show three labeled rectangles instead of one. Adjust the arrangement to ensure it matches your gameplay. You can also verify this by dragging open windows between them.
Conclusion
And there you have it – how to set up triple monitors for sim racing. With a triple monitor setup, you can see more and do more on the virtual track to optimize your immersion, experience, and performance. However, you need to understand nothing is perfect, and even a triple monitor simulation rig has its quirks.
Apart from the hefty initial investment (depending on the display type and quality), you may also need to upgrade your graphics card to support this setup and run resource-intensive racing games like iRacing, Dirt Rally 2.0, and rFactor 2.
Overall, using three monitors for sim racing is the closest you’ll get to the real thing, so they’re worth the investment. Plus, this setup can also help improve your performance in non-gaming tasks as you’ll have the freedom to devote one monitor for a task.
