COBALT FLUX
Guide 03 · Dedicated rig build

Build the ITGmania machine.

Turn an existing Gigabyte Z270 / GTX 660 PC into a dedicated ITGmania rig for the pad. ITGmania is the actively-maintained StepMania 5.1 fork the ITG/DDR community runs on — better pad input and timing than vanilla StepMania.

⬢ The good news

The box is wildly over-spec for ITGmania. The engine's floor is a 700 MHz CPU, 512 MB RAM, and OpenGL 2.1 — every part clears that by orders of magnitude. Performance is never the problem. There's exactly one real decision: the GTX 660's dead-end drivers.

Build layout

What goes where

Green = keep · Blue = recommended replace · Amber = verify or add.

ITGmania rig build layout: motherboard, CPU, RAM, GPU, PSU and external devices
Gigabyte GA-Z270X-Ultra Gaming · LGA1151 · driving a TV + the Cobalt Flux USB encoder
The one decision

Pick your path: the GPU

The GTX 660 is Kepler — NVIDIA ended its drivers in 2024 (last Windows 475.14, Linux 470.256.02, both EOL; the Linux one breaks on modern kernels). The card still runs ITGmania fine; it's purely a driver-longevity call.

Path A — cheapest

Keep the GTX 660

$0
  • Run Windows with driver 475.14 — installs on Win 10/11, runs the game fine.
  • You're on a frozen, unpatched GPU driver — fine for an offline/dedicated cab.
  • Don't pick Linux here — Kepler drivers are a maintenance headache.
Path B — recommendedFuture-proof

Drop in an AMD RX 6400

~$130
  • 53W, slot-powered — no PSU cable, drops into the x16 slot.
  • Modern AMD drivers, no EOL in sight; 4GB handles HD backgrounds/video.
  • Runs either OS. Ends the Kepler problem for good.
OS pick: Windows 10/11 either way — easiest setup, standard Simply Love + GrooveStats workflow, and the HIDUSBF polling fix. Choose Linux only on Path B if you want a lean dedicated-cab OS.
Budget

Cost tiers

Tier 1 — just get it running ~$20

Keep GTX 660 (Windows + 475.14)$0
HDMI cable$8
USB keyboard$12
ITGmania + theme + packsfree
Assumes a CPU is installed and the PSU checks out.

Tier 2 — recommended rig ~$185

AMD RX 6400 4GB (replace 660)$130
2nd 8GB DDR4 (dual-channel)$22
HDMI cable + keyboard$20
Powered USB hub (pad reliability)$15
Contingencies: i5-7500 used ~$30 (no CPU) · 550W PSU ~$60 (dead/suspect). Worst case all-in ≈ $295.

Full component breakdown with live-search links is on the Parts page.

Make it feel right

Latency tuning

Rhythm games live or die on input/audio sync. Do these once it boots, in order of impact. Or just grab the pre-tuned Preferences.ini ⬇.

  1. USB polling → 1000 Hz

    Windows: install HIDUSBF, set the encoder to 1000, verify in Gamepad Tester. Default is 125 Hz (8 ms) — the single biggest win. Firmware-capped encoders need an Arduino/Teensy board.

  2. Video: VSync off, exclusive fullscreen

    Vsync=0 · Windowed=0 · RefreshRate= your display's native rate. Lowest, most consistent latency.

  3. Audio (Windows)

    SoundDrivers=DirectSound-sw and SoundPreferredSampleRate=48000 (fixes a lot of music drift). Avoid Bluetooth audio.

  4. Display lag

    Leave VisualDelaySeconds=0 on a monitor; set it to the TV's input lag in seconds (e.g. 0.030) if playing on a TV.

  5. Calibrate the global offset

    In-song press F6 twice for "AutoSync Machine," play a clear-beat song stepping to the audio, accept, repeat 2–3×. Fine-tune with Alt+Shift+F11/F12. Typically lands ~ -0.030 to -0.070.

  6. Mind the ITG "9 ms bias"

    Most ITG-era packs are authored +9 ms. Mixing old and new packs? Run nine-or-null to unify sync.

Software

Where to get everything

ITGITGmania (releases)Official prebuilt Windows/Linux builds — free.↗ SLSimply Love themeCommunity-standard; its timing graph reveals polling issues.↗ GSGrooveStatsOnline scores/leaderboards, integrates with Simply Love.↗ 🛒Parts & shopping listThe full component list with prices and search links.→
Fixing the pad itself first?

The repair guide covers panel fixes, the control box, parts, and the wiring pinout.

Open the repair guide →