After using the TMX for a few days, I can say that I love this wheel. I can slightly tell that there are gears involved in the mechanism but during a race, I don't really think about it. It feels very precise with all the 3 racing games (Forza Apex, Assetto Corsa, Project Cars). And as reported by InsideSim Racing, there is no center dead zone FF. Force feedback is good and more than strong enough IMO. I love how it feels different with different cars. With certain cars, it's very strong and makes it difficult to drive. I can see children hurting their wrist if FF was set to max.
While doing some shopping today, I got a chance to look at the Thrustmaster TX458. And boy was I glad I went with the TMX. The steering didnt have any notchy feel to it but the wheel itself felt very cheap and toy like. The TMX wheel feels a lot better and looks better to me. If I had bought the TX, I would have had to replace the 458 wheel with a nice leather wheel ASAP. Which would add another $150-200 to total cost.
Early thoughts for each game:
Forza Apex is probably the best looking out of the three. All the cars look amazing. The game is free and number of tracks are limited. I've complete most of the free events. Looks like I will need to buy DLC events, tracks, and cars if I want to enjoy this game further. Game is very easy on medium mode. On 1080p and auto medium settings, I'm getting smooth 60 fps. The TMX was usable without and any manual configuration.
Assetto Corsa is last out of the 3 in graphics. But still very good. This game is super hard. Even on the easiest mode(Gamer). it's still difficult to drive. I bought all the DLC content during black friday sale at a big discount. Sale is still on. TMX wheel had to be manually configured before it was drivable. On 1080p and max settings, I'm getting over 200 fps.
Project Cars is my favorite. Graphics are better than Assetto and maybe slightly less than Forza Apex. Might just be difference in color saturation. Difficulty is in between Forza and Assetto. Beginner mode is a little easier to drive than easy mode on Assetto. I haven't even tried the Pro mode on Assetto. Not sure if I'll ever get there.... I really enjoy racing on Project Cars. Not too hard and not too easy. On 1080p and max settings, I'm getting over 200 fps. The TMZ wheel was automatically recognized and usable without any manual configuration.
My specs:
I7 4790K at 4.4 Ghz, 16GB ram, SSD, MSI GTX1060 3GB X running on Gaming OverClock mode.
Other thoughts:
AMD 6300 3.5(OC to 3.8) GHZ is garbage for Perfect Golf and these racing games.
I7 4790K at 4.4 GHZ will max out the MSI GTX1060 with only 40% CPU usage.
Picked up a TH8A shifter for $108 at Microcenter
Now I need a racing rig...