SIM-LAB P1X Pro: Build & First Impressions

I'm upgrading my SIM-LAB P1-X to the new SIM-LAB P1X Pro. I've got the unboxing video up on KZbin Shorts and this is the build and first impressions video.
I'll be posting the build of the Freestanding VARIO Monitor Mount soon and eventually the build-out of the P1X Pro itself, which is going to be a bit of a process.
Besides adding surge and traction-loss to my motion system, this is pretty much end-game for me.
-
CHASSIS & SIM GEAR
SIM-LAB: P1-X + All Accessories
^ REPLACING WITH:
SIM-LAB: P1X Pro [simlab.prf.hn/...]
SIM-LAB: Freestanding VARIO Monitor Mount + Quad Add-On [simlab.prf.hn/...]
Fanatec: Podium DD2
Fanatec: ClubSport Formula V2
Fanatec: ClubSport GT Alcantara V2
Fanatec: Podium Porsche 911 GT3 R
Fanatec: ClubSport Shifter SQ V1.5
^ REPLACING WITH:
BDH: BAZOOKA H1
Motion System: eRacing-Lab: RS MEGA+
Motion Controller: Thanos AMC
Sparco: EVO II US QRT
Heusinkveld: Sim Pedals Ultimate+
SIM-PANEL: Button Box with CB Communications
^ REPLACING WITH:
ignitiON Controls: NA2 EX E6 Button Box
Precision Sim Engineering: Pro Switch Panel
Ascher Racing: Dashboard 5" Edition
ATS Accessories: Shift Knob Custom Style Shifter
^ REPLACING WITH:
BDH: BAZOOKA H1 [Adding Range + Splitter + Engine Brake]
Thrustmaster: HOTAS WARTHOG
P.I. Engineering: RailDriver Desktop Train Cab Controller
SYSTEM
GPU: EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 FTW3 Ultra Gaming
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB 32GB DDR4 3200
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 G+ 1000W
Motherboard: GigaByte X570S AORUS MASTER
Keyboard: ROCCAT Vulcan 122 Mechanical
Mouse: ROCCAT Kone AIMO
AUDIO
TC-Helicon: GoXLR Mixer
Shure: MV7X XLR Podcast Microphone
Donner: Boom Arm
Sennheiser: HD 560S Headphones
Audioengine: A5+ Speakers
DISPLAYS
LG: 45" UltraGear™ OLED @ 1440
Samsung: 1 x 34" Odyssey G5 Curved @ 1440
LIGHTING
Elgato: 2 x Key Light
Philips: 4 x Hue Light Bars
VR
Oculus: Rift S

[@kmanmx]

Thanks for this, mine arrives in a few weeks so good to get an idea as to what to expect. Looks like you did a great job!

[@KNARFNY]

It's a piece-of-cake. Enjoy the P1X Pro! Don't forget to buy a roll of blue painter's tape! 🤣

[@joaolarios4052]

​@@KNARFNY¡Hi! Could someone tell me the total lenght of the base, just tue base without pedales plate and seat.

[@Supertrooper432]

I love how you led with the I know this voice is annoying and everyone hates voice over. Literally as soon as I clicked on it I was like man I hate voice over and then heard your comment and decided to give it a shot. Great video. Just purchased mine today appreciate the detailed notes and experience.

[@KNARFNY]

Thanks for that. I'm just about done with my full build out on the P1X Pro and will have those videos up soon. Going to work on using my own voice. 🤣 Enjoy yours. I've been loving it throughout the build out, it's definitely much easier to adjust with the V2 brackets.

[@Supertrooper432]

What seat did you go with? I just bought a Sparco Sprint in red and am gonna see how that feels. Kinda on the fence with some of the cheaper seat options though. Also, how long did your order say "On the way" before you actually got a tracking number? @@KNARFNY

[@KNARFNY]

I have the Sparco EVO L QRT. I've had the seat a while, that's one thing I keep throughout upgrades. Currently trying to find a new cover for it though to give it a refresh. Having a hard time, might have to get one custom made at an automotive upholstery shop. As far as the P1X Pro, I purchased it minutes after I received the email about it being available to pre-order, which was on the 29th of September. Pretty sure the website had a message about pre-orders shipping late October. I received everything on the 10th of November.

[@Supertrooper432]

Very nice! I so so so wanted either the evo qrt or the grid Q but they are twice the price which is kinda hard to justify. Though I was thinking it would probably be something I buy and then dont upgrade for 10+ years if I did go for it. How do you like yours overall for longer races? does it provide enough support for heavy breaking but comfortable enough to sit a long time? any complaints? @@KNARFNY

[@KNARFNY]

It's very solid, no play or backlash whatsoever, and comfortable. I do keep it mounted higher in the front so it keeps me 'pushed' back because the seat is tilted a bit. I'm using the SIM-LAB Bucket Seat Bracket Set and the front of the seat is using the top mounting hole and the rear of the seat is using the bottom mounting slot. It's not a very big tilt angle at all, but it's enough to make me not feel like I'm sliding forward in the seat. Funny thing is, I have not raced in a little over a year, I only use American Truck Simulator these days. When I was in iRacing, the seat was mounted to the Next Level Racing V3 Motion Platform, and even with that powered down, it had a lot of backlash, likely due to the springs. I was used to getting pushed back to the left or right when braking during a race, regardless of pressure, it happened all the time. I've 'slammed' on the brakes a few times in American Truck Simulator and the seat didn't budge. 👍🏻

[@roeoneill9158]

Just got mine! Building it now!!!!!!!

[@joaolarios4052]

¡Hi! Could someone tell me the total lenght of the base, just tue base without pedales plate and seat.

[@ArthurYouT]

@@joaolarios4052 you can find full dimensions on the website.

[@Justin_General]

Great concise overview. I am still waiting for mine to ship. my blue tape is ready to go :-) I think if you just flip your shifter side mount profile upside down, then slide the support arm all the way back, the angles should match up nicely. Assuming it doesn't interfere with your actuators.

[@KNARFNY]

That makes sense, then the angles on the uprights would match up. Thanks for the tip. If I can help one person with the blue tape, creating this video was worth it. 👌🏻

[@hairygamer6630]

Great overview, thanks!

[@daddictionmusic]

Great video mine is on its way can you provide the measurement you made for the seat have a speed lab seat coming as well …

[@KNARFNY]

Every seat is going to be different. Even coming off my original P1-X, I tried to match up all the measurements on the P1X Pro, and it just didn't work out. The best advice I can give is to have a second set of hands to help you out with the seat. Even though the seats are generally light, they are awkward, and having a second set of hands helps out when trying to position everything. It's not necessary though, I've done it alone plenty of times. Personally, I get everything mounted off the cockpit. I mount the brackets to the seat first, then the two pieces of profile to the seat brackets, get it all tightened up, and then mount it to the cockpit. Another option is do that, measure the width of the two pieces of profile, remove them from the seat brackets, mount the two pieces of profile to the cockpit, set the width, and now drop the seat with the brackets in place. In other words, page eight in the P1X Pro manual, skip that step, and mount everything to those two pieces of profile when not attached to the cockpit. Hope that all makes sense. 👍🏻

[@zedlion3162]

on your old p1x, your flight throttle is on a piece you created with 2 corner brackets that have handles is that because you were able to open those handles and slide the whole piece back on that track so you could get out easier? if you could, can you link the specific handles you used for those corner brackets?

[@KNARFNY]

They are the SIM-LAB VESA mounts, the old ones. The L shaped mounts. I can’t find a link right now but I’ll upload a picture tomorrow and link it for you.

[@KNARFNY]

Sorry, I was mistaken, I thought I was using a VESA bracket for it. The mount is actually from SIM-LAB, it's their HOTAS mount. sim-lab.eu/en-us/products/thrustmaster-hotas-mount

[@grimreaper8038]

Great looking rig, i only wonder where your 'simlab' laser engraved brandings are? It should be present on multiple profile parts according to the website.

[@KNARFNY]

If this response appears twice, sorry. I posted it and it disappeared. The profile is not laser engraved, they only provide decals. I'll likely add a few of them once I transfer everything over from my P1-X. The only thing laser engraved are the new 'cap washers' they include.

[@grimreaper8038]

Thank you for the response. I've just contacted Simlab about this, since i see and hear different things from different people. My current GT1 pro does have laser engraved logo's on the standing profile parts. Also i saw another review on this rig where the brandings are present, and i don't think it were stickers in this case. Anyway hope customer support can make it clear for me!

[@KNARFNY]

@@grimreaper8038 Please post an update once you find out. I am curious if this has to do with mine being one of the first production runs, which is how I ended up with that angled profile on the side mount. Thinking about it though, I think I'd rather decals, this way I can pick-and-choose where the branding appears, as I'll likely add other decals for Fanatec, Heusinkveld, and some other companies.

[@mannyfresh7065]

Any updates on the vids?! I just got the p1x pro and your vid helped me alot. My 57" NEO G9 shoudl be showing up and gona install on the integrated monitor mount. You said you were gonna post a vid of that?

[@KNARFNY]

I don't have the integrated, I have the freestanding because I have motion. I used to have the integrated with the 49" and had no issues so I think you'll be fine with the 57". I also had triples on the integrated way back and had no issues, they would just sag a bit. See below pictures for reference. You won't have that issue with a single display, so you're all good. I had the quad add-on as well with the integrated with the 49" and when I had the triple 32", weight was not an issue, even with the old brackets. My 49" Samsung was 32-pounds without the stand and your 57" is 42-pounds without the stand. The new V2 style brackets on the integrated can 100% handle that. If you get the quad add-on for the second display, you'll be fine. 👍🏻 If you need any help, feel free to hit me up on Discord @ knarfny. I'm happy to help out if I can. - - - - - Here's the integrated on the P1-X with the 49" and 32". instagram.com/p/CFxzywRJNCQ/ Here's the integrated with the triple 32". Notice I had black PVC pipes holding up the displays on the left and right. That was only to prevent them from sagging. You won't have any issues like that though with a single or even with the quad add-on. instagram.com/p/CImQozJJ3Qe/

[@mannyfresh7065]

@@KNARFNY dude you are so awesome!! Wow you addressed all my concerns! I may hit you up on discord (in fact might hav seen you on the GSI or Simucube or the lovely dashboard discord). But either way thank you!

[@HYDRAClan-zo7vk]

@@mannyfresh7065 hey how do i install the seat??!

[@jirkadolezal8127]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@leocardona-zs5sn]

Hello , I have some tape but it's not blue, it doesn't matter?

[@KNARFNY]

I am not sure if you're being facetious. 🤣 Anyhow, I use 'painter's tape', which comes in blue, green, yellow, and likely some other colors. I use painter's tape because it won't leave any sticky residue behind when you remove it. 👍🏻

[@leocardona-zs5sn]

@@KNARFNY ok Thanks man 😊

[@leocardona-zs5sn]

so you leave it on after assembly?

[@KNARFNY]

Yes, of course. This way when you're installing it, you won't scratch the profile. Or, if you attach the profile, and have to slide it around a bit, it won't scratch anything.

[@leocardona-zs5sn]

I also put painter's tape on the ball nuts to prevent them from scratching the profile when adjusting the elements

[@felipefn88]

Did you get the keyboard tray installed? It looks very tilted on mine. Im not sure what am I doing wrong... I feel like this is wrong.

[@KNARFNY]

Sorry for my late response, don't always get notified. I don't use the keyboard tray anymore because I don't use the keyboard often enough, so I just purchased a mini-keyboard to use. I still have the main one connected, but it's just leaning up against the tower. I use the Rii i4, which is pretty cool. amzn.to/49dGwyp As far as the tray being titled, that's normal. You mean it's 'sagging'? You have to compensate for that with the bracket that gets attached to the profile by turning it. On that swivel bracket, you can't make it 'square', just loosen it, twist it to the right or left depending on how the tray is sagging, and tighten it up. One thing I can say for sure, you really need to make that swivel bracket super tight. Hopefully this makes sense and I explained it correctly. 👍🏻

[@wootannn9848]

When you bought the rig did you add the podium arms or does that come with the "fanatec" option?

[@KNARFNY]

I had to select the 'Fanatec DD' option, but it did not increase the price. SIM-LAB offers three options for a wheelbase mount. 👍🏻

[@steveramundo4946]

Hello- Great Video ! - Would you happen to know if it would be possible to mount the dbox g5 motion system to this rig?

[@KNARFNY]

You sure can. D-BOX is actually what SIM-LAB recommends for motion on their P1-X and P1X Pro. I don't know if you need any additional bracket(s) to mount, but it's definitely supported. Reach out to SIM-LAB to confirm, just to make sure. They typically reply to emails in less than a day and are very helpful. 👍🏻

[@steveramundo4946]

@@KNARFNY Thanks Man ! Can't think of anything worse then getting it all and finding out I need to go to work with a pair of pliers and a blow torch!!! I checked the site and the Dbox are sold out, so I'll have to source somwhere else.... Also, I didn't see the brackets that you mention offered for sale? Wondering if the ASR brackets would work just as well, or the brackets that Track Racer sells??

[@KNARFNY]

No problem. I just checked the SIM-LAB website, I was curious myself, and if you purchase the D-BOX from them, they include the brackets. 👍🏻

[@steveramundo4946]

@@KNARFNY That is great! I"m a little gunshy about dropping 10g but what the hell... You can't take it with you when you leave this place...LOL...

[@KNARFNY]

That's why I went with eRacing-Lab. I had the D-BOX on my radar for years and was finally about to pull the trigger. Seeing as I really only play ATS these days, it was a hard pill to swallow at that price. I somehow came across eRacing-Lab on Reddit and went for it. I purchased the RS MEGA+, a 6U server cabinet from Amazon, Sim Racing Studio software, and that's it, just about $3K, and I'm pretty sure you get double the travel at 3". Very easy to setup and Alex is very helpful if needed. I also want to eventually add surge and traction-loss and with the D-BOX, I think you'd have to go third-party regardless, but don't quote me on that. I'm no expert with any of this but I love it. My only issue is during aggressive maneuvers such as 'curb surfing' and whatnot, the actuators are a bit noisy. I'm doing some research on that now to see if there is a solution. I've also only spent ten-minutes tuning everything within Sim Racing Studio for ATS, so that might be part of the problem. 🤣

[@eagletrippin]

Thanks for the video, mate👍 Is this P1X Pro rig compatible with motion systems???

[@KNARFNY]

Sorry, been on hiatus for a bit! Yes, it sure is. I'll be posting a video soon about my motion system and what I had to use to make it work. It was as simple as another set of brackets in my case. 👍🏻

[@tomibeck86]

@@KNARFNYlooking forward to trat Video.

[@joaolarios4052]

¡Hi! Could someone tell me the total lenght of the base, just tue base without pedales plate and seat.

[@joaolarios4052]

2:01 like this frame

[@KNARFNY]

@@joaolarios4052 Sure thing. The side profile on its own is 1,350MM. If you add the corner bracket, plus the rear profile, the total is then 1400MM.

[@JayTooTactt]

How long did it take to get to you I ordered it about 4 days ago off simlab to the us

[@KNARFNY]

Sorry about the late response, I've been slacking on social media the last few months! 😳 Assuming it was listed as in-stock, I'd say within a week. I've ordered from SIM-LAB about twenty times over the last few years and I've always received the orders within a week. Even the P1X Pro, I pre-ordered it the day it was released, which was on the 29th of September. The pre-order stated it would ship in late October. It was shipped on the 9th of October and I received it on the 13th, just a few days later. Best of luck with the cockpit and enjoy it! 👍🏻

[@JayTooTactt]

Just got it started building it today u make look so easy😢

[@KNARFNY]

Honestly, the P1X Pro is a piece-of-cake compared to the original P1-X. It's pre-drilled in some cases and the V2 style brackets make it a lot easier. Once you finish it you'll realize how simple it was, it might just be a bit overwhelming if it's your first time. Just go step-by-step and take your time. 👍🏻

[@JayTooTactt]

@@KNARFNY having one of my buddies come help me out that built a rig before im scared ill miss a step and have to restart thanks brother 🙏🏽💯

[@KNARFNY]

@@JayTooTactt Just a few suggestions. If you have the space, lay out all of the parts, and hardware. Keep all of the boxes separate as they each have their own parts and hardware. Get yourself a roll of blue painter's tape to prevent scratching the profile, unless you're not worried about that. Once you finish up, get a few ZipLoc bags, and keep the extra hardware in them, so it's all sorted out. You'll have extra hardware for the cockpit itself, pedals, wheelbase, feet, and that should be it. This way when you mount your wheelbase, you'd pull out that ZipLoc, which has hardware sized to mount wheelbases. Have fun and enjoy it! 👍🏻

[@brentonedwards]

Thumbs down for the AI voice over.