Racekraft opinion: CSL DD vs Alpha Mini | Which should you buy?

[@joaquinperezrey91]

I have tried both before buying and my decision was clear the moment I tried the Simagic. The sensations are simply better and superior than those provided by the Fanatec. The reliability of the DD is currently being compromised. The best option is undoubtedly the Simagic, you have the pure sensations of an authentic direct drive, something that the Fanatec does not manage to achieve 100%. I've been using the Simagic for about 6 months and I play every day, I couldn't be happier and more satisfied with my purchase.

[@tobytoxd]

Great to hear! Thanks for sharing!

[@batuyavas2675]

Hello,In my country there is no Fanatec brand so I am between Simagic and Moza R9.If you have tried the Moza R9 or have any recomandations for me I wouldbe very happy.

[@joaquinperezrey91]

@@batuyavas2675 Hi, well I think the Moza is also a great option. I haven't tried it personally but I have friends with Simagic who haven't tried Moza and the reviews have been very good. Perhaps to say something, Simagic's software is somewhat more advanced, and Moza is a tad less powerful, but I think it's almost negligible. I am playing with the Simagic at 90% of global strength, possibly in the Moza you have to put 100%, but come on, I consider that the power of both is more than enough, more would not be too logical, since before a blow or quick reaction the steering wheel wants to escape from your hands, I am a rally driver and in reality that has never happened to me... So I think that either of the two options is correct, let yourself be carried away by the aesthetics and the after-sales service that gives you the best feeling. greetings

[@batuyavas2675]

@@joaquinperezrey91 Thank you for your review. Warranty periods and service are exactly the same as Moza. Like you said, I will look at the aesthetics and the looks of them.There is a price gap of 30 dollars but that wont be agliable.For know,I am standing with the Simagic.Thank you for your help.Greetings

[@AndrewTSq]

I guess it depends on how much you want to spend on your wheel also. I bought the Mclaren GT3 bundle at fanatec and it is $100 less than the simagic would have cost me without wheel and pedals.

[@BottomSplitPodium]

The reason for the torque feeling lower on the Fanatec is because the Simagic Alpha Mini is apparently underreported. Estimates are that it’s more like 12 Nm of torque which would explain why you need an extra 10% to make the Fanatec feel the same.

[@DouglasThompson]

Maybe I missed what you said but Fanatec does have interpolation settings.

[@RaindancerAU]

He looked in Fanalab only I think for interpolation and did not look in control panel or on the wheel itself

[@ricardodesouza1229]

Jon, good review. There is one important point that was not mentioned. Fanatec do not ship worldwide and have limited countries that they are willing to ship to. They don't want my money so the comparison is mute for me. I have purchased the Simagic Alpha Mini thanks to Fanatec steering me to a better product.

[@wg8561]

I'm sure both are amazing, but I got the csl dd. I've had it hooked up for around 2 wks. Coming from a g29 it's just so much better. The 8nm feels absolutely perfect to me, I have no desire for more torque.

[@bratosin1]

PC gamer? On xbox , assetto corsa competizione has almost zero force feedback, with csl dd I wonder if the ffb is stronger

[@wg8561]

I'm playing on xbox series x. So far I've only played forza horizon 5 and forza motorsport with it.

[@laur.an01]

@@wg8561 ooofff

[@Mike-wc3jo]

@@wg8561 lmao csl dd for Horizon 5. That game is horrendous with a wheel

[@bratosin1]

@@wg8561 get the best of the best , the first assetto corsa , and dirt 2.0

[@laur.an01]

CSL DD+Boostkit+Clubsport (midrange) wheel comes at around 600 (free shitty qr) in the UK we have to pay UPS as well around 100 pounds that's a total of 700 pounds for the CSL DD. Simagic aplha mini plus gt1 bundle and shipping in the UK adds up to 900 pounds. 200 pounds difference for maybe over podium quality rim, great qr and +2nm. Now my only concern would be that the FFB isn't as accurate or as detailed as the CSL DD as Fanatec has a better reputation, and it's a much bigger company.

[@FreakCanal]

Fanatec is a much bigger company with the worst terrible custom service of all. The Simagic has 2 more nm + 3 more cause it is downgraded. It is better made and you are no tied to the Fanatec Universe that forces you to buy a 200€ hub for any new third party wheel you buy. The Simagic has a nice qr that is easily adaptable to other cheap but good adapters. And yes Simagic FFB is quite more detailed than Fanatec's.

[@laur.an01]

Update: I canceled my CSL DD and ordered an alpha mini gt1 bundle

[@voongnz]

@@FreakCanal fanatec's service is so poor they won't even ship to my country even tho it is the buyer that pays for shipping. I will be going for simagic or another company for my next DD purchase.

[@AmirPomen]

Alpha mini will be worth buying... Even withot simagic wheel, u can just buy nrg car quickrelease (or cheap replica of it) and use it with universal cheap steering wheel.... -it opens up cheaper possibility to use custom steering button box If u want to use other steering on fanatec, it wont have any ffb...drawback of fanatec ecosystem.. locking out if non fanatec product mixed in

[@laur.an01]

@@AmirPomen true

[@Manowarmx3]

The McLaren wheel is not discontinued, it has a V2 version!

[@LowBlow]

The Alpha Mini was measured by iRacing staff as having 13Nm. That puts it out of reach of the CSL DD imo. My mini got here on the 23rd and it's got very good detailed ffb. I like the NRG QR and the quality of the rim too. Glad I didn't get the Fanatec because I feel that I'd regret not having more torque and that I'd be disappointed by QR issues. From what I've read people are having to revert back to their plastic Fanatec QRs to avoid play. No thanks.

[@buzzfightbeer8023]

The problems are blown way out of proportion. The fact of the matter is there are 100 times(or more) Fanatec products being sold versus the Alpha Mini. So there will literally ALWAYS be more people complaining online about Fanatec versus pretty much every other company aside from maybe Logitech or Thrustmaster. I have bought 5 wheels with 3 ClubSport QR/QR1's and have had zero issues across three different wheel bases. I am also in a league with several hundred other people who use Fanatec gear and we have not heard of too many issues in our Discord or forums. That said, the cost to own the Alpha Mini and ecosystem is going to be much more expensive in the long run so it's really not as much of an apples-to-apples comparison as everyone likes to think they are.

[@LowBlow]

@@buzzfightbeer8023 good points. I don't think the alpha mini and CSL DD are apples for apples either. One is an 8Nm base, the other 13Nm not to mention much higher quality rims from Simagic. The only rims that Simagic make are comparable in quality to simucube rims and sell for £500 a pop with wireless functionality as standard. Buying an alpha mini and one of their rims is not apples with buying a CSL DD and McLaren rim. That said, I'm happy that Fanatec have prodded the market in this way.

[@DrProfSlugger]

@@buzzfightbeer8023 Regardless, it's undeniable that the Alpha Mini QR system is going to have less problems purely from a design standpoint. Fanatec ships out the CSL DD with the plastic QR and then you have to pay an additional fee to get their "upgraded" QR which still has a serious issue with flexing. It's not purely due to the volume, there are glaring issues with Fanatec products but that does not mean they aren't good products. Saying the issues with Fanatec products is purely due to the amount of business they do is just brushing it under the rug when they need to be held accountable. You are right that it's not apples-to-apples but in theory, one could get an Alpha Mini for a similar price if someone already owns a rim and doesn't feel the need to get a simagic rim. Also, there is no simagic "ecosystem". I'm not sure how that applies. There is no need to use any of Simagic's other products if one buys the wheelbase, so I'm not understanding why that is even mentioned as an argument against it.

[@azamat19]

@@buzzfightbeer8023 how is it possible that the simagic ecosystem is more expensive? Simagic wheels are better quality and most important you can just mount any wheel and rim you want kn the simagic. You need to buy a 200€ podium hub to do this with Fanatec. And then you would need to vuy another qr system if you want to use thirs party rims. Its ridiculous. Buy a 80€ cube controls rim a and 200€ simline buttonbox with shifter. Much higher quality and better price than Fanatec. Period

[@MoonlightHusky]

Where I live we talk about €600 for the CSL DD (8nm) + the Steering Wheel vs €1.099 for the Alpha Mini + GT1, how are those comparable? I can add the V3 pedals and still save €100 over the Alpha Mini on which I will still need to buy the pedals

[@Paulo-py4mm]

I'm so confused why you round up the CSL DD 8nm (wheelbase only) from its actual price $850 AUD to $1000 AUD when you don't round up the simmagic and state its actual price as $1050. There's a big difference for a lot of people between a $50 difference and a $200 difference...

[@Paulo-py4mm]

Also you incorrectly state the features of the CSL DD (settings in their software). And with the Maclaren wheel (extra) + boost kit + load cell the gt DD pro is the same price in AUD as the simmagic with a wheel and no pedals (and PC only compatibility). Now I have the GT DD pro as I needed ps5 compatibility as my gaming PC is no longer up to muster and I cannot afford a 3k AUD GPU in this market when I already have a ps5 and the DD pro is only slightly more expensive for PS compatibility. I hate fan boys as much as the next guy so I'd say buy whichever one has the cost/feature advantage in your country.

[@Kenny-uo9yt]

@@Paulo-py4mm cause in the US here building the DD pro cost the same as building the alpha mini. I can get the alpha mini with the gts wheel for 720$ without the pedals, I can also add let say the moza padals in the end it will round up 1000$ which the DD pro combo sales at 985$ In the us as for right now.

[@warm_beer]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="611">10:11</a> 'In FanaLab there is no settings for interpolation'. Not true - Interpolation (INT) is one of the most important CSL DD filters. <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="648">10:48</a> 'The number of profiles is limited to five profiles per game type'. Not true - you can save an infinite number of profiles in FanaLab, it's just a file directory just like the way you describe the Simagic.

[@noahhoffman4475]

at the time of release, i do not beleive there was a interprolation filter. at this point in time however, there is. also, how can i access the file of presets

[@laur.an01]

I've been looking for a video like this for weeks

[@Sy3dz99]

It's funny how in my country, CSL DD is not so budget friendly compared to SIMMAGIC. Thanks for the video, now i know which one i gotta grab. Fanatec will always be out of reach in Asia countries, I'm more than happy to give SIMMAGIC my money too with that specs.

[@madmikesch2453]

There are a lot more settings in Fanalabs and even in the tuning menu. You were in the easy-mode. And the information with the 5 settings is only for the base. The base can store 5 settings. Fanalabs can store infinite( till your HD is full) settings. Failures like that should not happen in a comparison.

[@kinkongbingbong2615]

Where i live the fanatec csl dd is the cheaper option the alpha mini costs almost 700 dollars here for the base alone and the csl dd costs 480 for the wheelbase

[@fireonmytarget8937]

I'm so glad I was too poor to afford a CSL DD when all the shill reviewers said it was the greatest thing ever (before it turned out to be a POS).

[@Niteshkumar223-c2u]

What’s a POS?

[@nxm_bops]

Peice of shit even though it isnt just competition has caught up to fanatecs innovation​@@Niteshkumar223-c2u

[@DouglasThompson]

Also...you beat me to this video by like a day or something...lol I had waited months extra to get ahold of a Simagic Alpha Mini because the company I was working with ended up getting flooded out in Canada...lol

[@High.on.Life_DnB]

I want the GT DD Pro, I'm thinking 5nm would be a decent upgrade over the 2nm G29 I've got right now and if that's not enough I'll make my own power supply for the 8nm.

[@NicOz42]

How is it? Did you feel the need to upgrade it to 8nm?

[@High.on.Life_DnB]

@@NicOz42 I think I'll eventually get the boostkit for the 8nm, but for now I'm not missing it as I've had no experience with it yet

[@mrmidnight32]

Was ganna buy a mini until I realized it’s twice the price of the Fana… which is already twice the price of my TS300 🤣

[@Igor-fd6bu]

You are my last hope for this issue) Did you ever manage to make the Simagic Alpha Mini work in Project cars 2 or Automobilista 2? It never works for me. Very difficult to even assign and calibrate, have to reduce the rotation to tiny angles. But even after that, in game there is 0 movement from the wheel. All the buttons are recognized, even axis of the paddles, but not the rotational axis. Tried with all settings I could on the Simagic software and in game, same result in both of those games.

[@jon-racekraftsimulations]

Yes there’s a trick and it may take you a few goes but don’t give it. Set your rotation to 480 degrees in the software then go to the game edit assignments steer left, now spin the wheel left quite quickly until you reach the bump stop and then come back to the right just a little. Repeat for the other side.

[@danbabic1598]

Why would you lower the torque? Whats the point then?

[@angelocutrupi88]

hy mate, between moza r9 simagic alpha mini and csl dd which one would you choose?

[@OculusDrift]

I have a CSL DD 8nm and my friend has an Alpha Mini. I regret buying this, I'll be swapping for an Alpha Mini or ET3 soon. Actually, I have a question. How does the ET3 compare to the Alpha Mini? Does one feel stronger than the other?

[@braidenrahn2534]

do you find the 8nm not enough or why is it you regret the fanatec

[@noahhoffman4475]

did you make the switch yet? ive been wanting to switch but im not sure its worth it.

[@OculusDrift]

@@noahhoffman4475 I got a Moza R21 and I absolutely love it. It's SO much better than the CSL DD. Don't buy anything from Immsource. My friend bought and ET5 and it is absolutely horrible. Simagic Alpha/Mini, or Moza R16 are my recommendations

[@noahhoffman4475]

​@@OculusDrift I'm not even joking when I say this but my csl dd just broke on me. I was running max ffb just for fun. I really thought it could take the stress of max ffb once in a while. all of a sudden, POP. wheel is wobbly, no force feedback of course, fanalabs shit itself. all the bells and whistles of a broken wheel. not even the first problem I've had with the csl dd either. had to return my old one and they sent a replacement. ill send this one in again I suppose. probably sell it, probably buy something else... anyway.... I'm really thinking about going with the alpha mini. been hearing nothing but good news about it. if I get good tips in the next upcoming few weeks ill definitely think about going with a higher force feedback wheel like the alpha or r16. I appreciate the tips though.

[@OculusDrift]

@@noahhoffman4475 If you feel that the CSL DD is almost strong enough but you just want a bit more, then I can guarantee that the Alpha Mini is enough for you. It's 12.5Nm vs 8Nm peak, so there's a pretty substantial difference. And it's a blessing in disguise that your CSL DD broke. You can sell the replacement as brand new for LOADS of money. You'll easily profit on it. I had several Fanatec products break a few months ago, which was what made me pull the trigger on the Moza stuff. If Simagic offered a better round rim, I would've chosen Simagic over Moza. They definitely have the better software and FFB quality. Especially when it comes to R9 vs Alpha Mini. If you choose an Alpha Mini, I can guarantee that you will be extremely impressed, and you'll absolutely love it. If you think you'll ever end up wanting to try really high forces then it might be worth picking up an Alpha, but the Mini is honestly enough for 90% of people.

[@guest21984]

Is there no table clamp for the Alpha Mini?

[@jackakascko]

The feel is much better on simmagic and also more Nm, u can also fit any quick release wheel on it.. fanatec is fine if u already have some stuff from their ecosystem.. i also hear that fanatec has some problems with feel of fb when close to center values.. also, most drifters in assetto hate fanatec dd wheels, just doesnt feel right while all else dd wheels feel just fine

[@_XxXxX]

Who said drifters hates fanatec dds on assetto lol? I mean, all great drifter that i know went for a dd1, and just loved it, me included, i don't really get the problems of dds in drifting tbh, but maybe i'm missing something

[@jackakascko]

@@_XxXxX which drifters, streamers?

[@_XxXxX]

@@jackakascko what you mean streamers? I didn't talked about streamers, i know there is some who bought DD1 and are happy with it, but i'm talking about peoples that i know, that are actually insane at drifting, and are absolutly happy about theyre DD1/DD2. So, i still don't get what i missed about these two wheel base, maybe you can teach me something on this, because i'm a bit lost

[@jackakascko]

@@_XxXxX said streamers so i can check them out.. i usualy drift with people in assetto who compete in sim drifting events and drive irl and they all preffer older non dd wheels.. anyway, i ordered a simmagic mini and will test my self in about a month.. will give u an update on how it feels to me compared to my real car for drifting

[@MIMCKMedia]

Did you filmed this Video whit a Photato?

[@johanblume2621]

What is the customer service interaction like with each company, and does Simagic look like they’ll be around for the duration? I’m very interested in the Simagic. I thought about Fanatec, but the wait time for getting the products is rather ridiculous. That Simagic wheel is awesome looking.

[@Toutvids]

You can't even get a Simagic wheel, it is on preorder, so how is that any better? I got my CSL DD 8nm a week after I bought it.

[@alidark8397]

@@Toutvids is it was out stock?

[@n3hp5]

@@Toutvids CSL DD is shit.

[@gaoroy1835]

very happy that finally I found an Australian reviewing on direct drive base. The price are different in different countries, so other review are quite strange for Australian.for example, Chinese would compare f dd with alpha. By the way, do you think compare with alpha mini, the regular alpha is a big improvement. Or put it another with do you think the improvement can match the price gap?

[@ArturGordinho]

Move from fanatec to Simagic Alpha one

[@zionoosthuizen9313]

And your recommendation?

[@chrisnobleracing]

The wheelbases by themselves are not the same price actually the csl dd comes in around $200 cheaper with the boost kit.

[@kisiel246840]

Lmao, nice joke. Csl dd with podium hub and shitty qr cost 680euro while Simagic with qr cost me only 615euro.

[@RacingPotato12]

@@kisiel246840 CSL DD with a boostkit and McLaren V2 rim comes at around 680 euro. Simagic Mini with QR comes at 735 euro. Where are you getting those prices?

[@chrisnobleracing]

@@kisiel246840 lol nice one big brain, I’m not talking about your shitty add ons. I’m talking about the base only.

[@kisiel246840]

@@chrisnobleracing You are just brainlet xd Fanatec base cost only 480euro becouse you cant even use it without spending minimum additional 200euro. That means it cost minimum 680euro with podium hub or cheapest whell without real qr and plastic "fake qr".

[@kisiel246840]

@@RacingPotato12 Read ending of my first comment 1 more time. Btw. I am talking about EU price, not US. In Asia its even cheaper.

[@McH3NKIE]

Nice comparison. Think would have bin nice to had this match up with a club sport wheel... And the fanatec csl dd have front mount holes for a button box. Yeah was fun watching this thumbs up

[@corn26489]

What mount is that on the csl dd ?

[@keithjackson9976]

3:27

[@tobytoxd]

Thank you very much! 🙏

[@DerekMoore82]

I'm waiting for Logitech or Thrustmaster to come out with a poor man's Direct Drive wheel with base and rim for $500 or something.

[@kingjasko]

alpha mini with wheel and pedals 1k+, csl dd 400€, can't compare at all nowadays, very easy choice imo for someone on a budget

[@fruitycoconut]

But how to add custom buttons on the alpha mini ?

[@RBR33]

Please review the Cammus wheel base🙏

[@BA-rh5hy]

There's a three way comparison somewhere on YT .. in summary the Cammus holds up well vs simi & csl dd ... Main points, cammus has 15nm and a stronger torque but less details. Simicube has 10nm and provides solid ffb and details. Csl DD is good for price point and road detail's.

[@iamzuesthisisthetruth8864]

CSL DD does ha PS support!!! As of Dec! Same unit!! Just doesn’t have Ps Support... seems a bit of an oversight. Came off like a dick didn’t mean to. Great info. Take Care

[@alexanderlockhart7282]

In my region, the alpha mini is cheaper than the csl DD 😂, made the choice pretty easy

[@crazedsnail]

hi mate, these wheel bases aren't the same price. the 8nm csl dd is $830 AUD, alpha mini is $1050 AUD.

[@Bobbarker23455]

Your 100% right u can get a csl dd for 350 alpha mini is so over priced.

[@scottySK]

$600 for the 5nm CSL DD and make/buy a 3rd party boost kit and the difference is even more extreme

[@rubbertoe.]

@@Bobbarker23455 alpha mini is NOT overpriced. It's priced higher for a reason, and they are compared in many videos for a reason

[@Bobbarker23455]

@@rubbertoe. you are wrong 350$$ for 5nm csl dd. Wow u are a liar.

[@rubbertoe.]

@@Bobbarker23455 you realize the 5nm dd is comparable to belt driven wheels right? you're fried

[@caaarlos]

This is wrong, you have 5 diferent fanalab profiles "on the fly" meaning stored within the wheel and interchangeable via the wheel funky switch. But if you wanna have 1 profile for every car and even every mod in assetto corsa you can, I have more than 100 fanalab profies for assetto corsa. and fanalab can detect the car and automatically load the profile for you when you enter a session with that car.

[@midlifecarsis6420]

The Alpha Mini and Simagic wheels are ridiculous value for money. Simagic have knocked it out of the park and made the CSL DD completely obsolete. I love mine!

[@High.on.Life_DnB]

What? Fanatec is cheaper, Alpha mini costs €645 without a wheel or pedals, GT DD Pro comes with wheel and pedals for €700 and you can make the 8nm boostkit yourself.

[@PeanutLover11]

@@High.on.Life_DnB gt dd pro comes with shit pedals and a shitty plastic wheel....

[@High.on.Life_DnB]

@@PeanutLover11 I wouldn't call hal-sensor pedals shit lol, my G29 potentiometer pedals, now those are shit lol

[@High.on.Life_DnB]

@@PeanutLover11 also IDC that the wheel looks like a toy as long as it's functional

[@High.on.Life_DnB]

@@PeanutLover11 I'm not coming from another DD wheel, so you can say it's shit all day and I'd still buy it lol

[@dereksmith6600]

Wish I had seen this before I ordered from Fanatec.

[@Bobbarker23455]

U good man csl dd is great and Fanatec eco system is amazing u will love it.

[@trevz1048]

Easy enough to sell fanatec products without much loss

[@midlifecarsis6420]

Cancel your order, I did. Don't spend your hard earned on the inferior Fanatec gear.

[@Bobbarker23455]

@@designamk1160 well your just being a hater point blank. Now their eco system is amazing so many products and wheel options it is unmatched. No other company comes close, and saying u can only use Fanatec wheel rims is a lie, u can use any wheel rim u want from almost any company via srm adapter or the podium hub. So u think no Fanatec at all is better for sim racing??? U just a hater than and your opinion doesn't matter if thats what your saying.

[@Bobbarker23455]

@@designamk1160 nah android baby!. But still Fanatec is an amazing company and without them all these other new dd company's don't exist. Fanatec made so much money other company's took notice and had to make DDs, which is great for everyone cuz now we have options and different companies. And if u crying about a 150$$ adapter sim racing isnt for u, its not a cheap hobby at all. But to just hate Fanatec because they are successful??? Idk haters gon hate i guess

[@OhItsThat]

I love my SC2 Pro.

[@LowBlow]

Weird flex but ok 😂

[@FreakCanal]

@@LowBlow flex?? Are you kidding???😂

[@ksazubbie]

Wow what a shocker, you had to turn the weaker base's nm up vs the 10nm,.

[@alphaohenriquez]

Buy the podium dd1

[@mwdfinch76]

CSL DT?

[@Z06Boss23]

glad that's not my stuff dragging and banging on the table hahaha.

[@Toutvids]

CSL DD with BMW wheel (cheap one) $690... Simagic Mini with whatever wheel you choose $1100. No comparison, that's a $500 difference. I can then buy two more wheels or a podium hub with a QR and put whatever wheel I want on it. How many wheels do Simagic have for the base? How many does Fanatec have? I don't understand why people think this is a good comparison they are not in the same price point. For the amount Simagic costs, I would buy an Accuforce V2 instead and get 16nm of power.

[@andyhellemans1579]

A quickrelease for for a simagic is 30$ that makes is more intresting for me.

[@billyfunt61]

Moza R9

[@huhkgerry]

alpha mini have a better encode , slew rate , stronger

[@nanoverse]

Crazy lag in iracing

[@jasonmosler]

this guy looks a lot like farva from supertroopers

[@fkfakemusic3172]

Man if you dont want to die of heart attack get up the chair and start cardio.

[@Bobbarker23455]

Fanatec Csl DD all day! Fanatec has the best eco system hands down they are the best DD manufacturer.

[@FreakCanal]

You are terribly wrong mate. They are far from being the best.

[@Bobbarker23455]

@@FreakCanal no!! you're wrong coronal sanders

[@thijsazerty692]

Nope