Sim racing setup for 500 euros
A first direct drive setup, flat-friendly
- Target budget
- €500
- Current total
- €379.95
The total stays under the target budget: €120.05 left unspent.
Prices verified on 09/16/2026 · Updated on 09/24/2026
At 500 euros the market only sells bundles. The Fanatec CSL DD 5 Nm base alone costs 299.95 euros, and it still needs a rim and pedals. MOZA no longer sells the R5 on its own in Europe.
Five bundles fit this budget: the MOZA R3 at 299 euros for PC and 359 euros for Xbox and PC, the Fanatec CSL DD Ready2Race at 379.95 euros, the MOZA R5 at 399 euros and the MOZA R5 Pro at 419 euros. None of them brakes on a load cell, and all ship two pedals with Hall sensors. What sets them apart is the quoted torque, whether a desk clamp is included, and the range of rims each one opens up.
The cockpit stays optional. At 5 Nm a rigid desk top still holds, as long as the base can be clamped to it.
CSL DD 5 Nm FullForce base, CSL P1 V2 rim and two-pedal CSL set under a single reference, at 379.95 euros. The base alone costs 299.95, so the rim and pedals come to 80 euros. We bought this bundle and drove more than a hundred hours with it, and it is the only set in this budget we can describe beyond what its manufacturer says.
Two things are not in the box. Braking runs on a Hall sensor, and the load cell is a kit sold at 79.95 euros. The desk clamp is not included either: 54.95 euros, which brings the bundle to 434.90 euros for anyone clamping it to a desk, above both MOZA bundles.
At MOZA, the R5 Pro at 419 euros quotes 6 Nm, a 21-bit encoder and an included clamp. The R5 at 399 euros quotes 5.5 Nm, at a price MOZA shows as a promotion against a usual 479 euros. We have tested neither, so we will say nothing about how they feel.
On a cockpit, or a desk top with holes drilled, the Fanatec: it is the only one we have measured. On a desk where the base has to be clamped, the MOZA bundles come out cheaper, clamp included.
Alternative : MOZA R5 Pro Racing Simulator · €419
Foldable, so it can be stored against a wall. Optional here: the CSL pedal set is steel and slides little on a bare floor. It becomes necessary once you move to a load cell, which takes far more force.
Below this budget, MOZA goes down to 299 euros with the R3 bundle for PC, which quotes 3.9 Nm instead of 5, and to 359 euros for the Xbox-licensed version.
What this budget leaves out: a shifter, rarely useful at first, and a third clutch pedal. The clutch is handled on the paddle in almost every discipline.
First recommended upgrade: the support, then load cell braking. The base comes third, and the gap between 5 and 8 Nm matters less than a chassis that does not flex.
Other budgets
- Configuration Sim Racing 1000 euros · €951.95
- Configuration Sim Racing 1500 euros · €1,382.95