Four monitor setup, start with existing video cards

OsbourneCox · Apr 25, 2013

Below is my proposed system. My current setup has four monitors and I'm looking to replicate that. I use it for trading, software development, no gaming but may once I upgrade.

To start off with, I'm going to use my existing two PCIe video cards. They are old but should work and will allow me to figure out how much GPU I need if/when I upgrade.

I'm also looking for a significantly quieter PC than I have now.

PCPartPicker part list: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/SXz2
Price breakdown by merchant: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/SXz2/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/SXz2/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.58 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($94.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.49 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.98 @ NCIX)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($94.99 @ DirectCanada)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($104.99 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($144.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $904.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-25 11:01 EDT-0400)

I've considered cheaper CPUs (3470, 3450S) but the 3570 is at most $20 more so I'm fine with that. If I hang onto this new build as long as I have my current one, it will be worth it.

I've been debating over the following cases, so any preference between them in regards to noise, space, etc is appreciated:

■ Antec Sonata Series SOLO II
■ Antec Performance One Series P183 V3
■ Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case

burritobob · Apr 25, 2013

If your only question is about the case, the Fractal Design R4 will be the quietest of your current choices.

thently · Apr 25, 2013

I agree on the case. I would add an SSD as your boot drive. In day to day work you will love how fast this feels as long as you install your office apps and important software on this drive you will love the diffrence.

Ooooops you did I missed it :/ looks like a decent setup.
Thent

OsbourneCox · Apr 25, 2013

Noob12 :

I will not be overclocking.

Thanks for the suggestion of the Xeon, I'll look into it.

I can't go with H77 because it doesn't support dual video cards. So it has to be Z77. I had been considering the ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX but changed it to reduce cost based on someone's suggestion.

ihog · Apr 25, 2013

You might as well get an i5 3570K so you have the option of overclocking in the future.

OsbourneCox · Apr 25, 2013

Noob12 :

So now I'm looking at chips again and the thing that jumps out at me is the energy inefficiency of the 3570, which led me to look at the 3550 but that's even more and at that point, I might as well just get the 3570K.

It's all within a range of 20-30 anyways. But I leave my computer on 24/7 so I'll make it up in electricity costs in the first year. (That might change with the new rig booting from an SSD)

OsbourneCox · Apr 25, 2013

ihog :

Yep, I'm starting to lean that way.

I'm still a little confused about an H77 mobo not allowing dual video cards. Is that just in Crossfire mode or in general? Shouldn't one be able to use any two video cards in a motherboard as long as they are running separately? If so, my mobo might be overkill.

ihog · Apr 25, 2013

There are H77 mobos that support SLI/Crossfire, but the second PCIe slot usually is cut to x4, instead of the usual x8 in SLI/Crossfire. A lot of them don't even have a second PCIe slot.

OsbourneCox · Apr 25, 2013

ihog :

I don't want to link the gpus, I'm not trying to use Crossfire/sli, I just want to use two video cards so I can run 4 monitors like I have now.

ihog · Apr 25, 2013

The second PCIe slot is going to be cut to x4 regardless of whether or not it you're using SLI/Crossfire. As long as the first one is populated, the second will be at x4. And some of them are x4 regardless of whether or not the first slot is being used. Whether or not that'll be a bottleneck depends on the card.

CarolKarine · Apr 25, 2013

that 550w PSU might be strangled by decent video cards. might want a 750 or 800w PSU.

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Four monitor setup, start with existing video cards

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ihog

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