Triple Display with R9 280Xs [mostly for Star Citizen]

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ClassicStyle

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So, I'm looking at putting together a nice gaming rig that will run Star Citizen at 60 FPS at the very least, and on 3 monitors. After doing a bit of reading in the GPU section, it sounds like I could run an R9 280X (specifically the XFX Radeon R9 280X Black 3GB), but my question is whether or not the single card will drive a 1080p triple display setup in that game, or will I have to run them in crossfire configuration?

Here are the specs of the machine I'm thinking about:

Mobo: ASUS z97-A LGA 1150
CPU: i5-4670K
Memory: [open to recommendations but around $100 please]
PSU: Corsair RM series 750W
Monitors: Sony 32" 1080p TVs
GPUs: Two - XFX R9 280X 3GB Black Ed. DD

(build permalink)

I have a case already that I'm happy with, and I've got a few 120GB SSDs I can use.

Would appreciate feedback/input, and thanks in advance.

Randall
 
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geofelt
I am not familiar with AOC as a brand. But the specs look good. I like the ips panel and the narrow bezel for triple monitors. The price is right, I would buy them.
Be aware that they only come with vga cables which are analog.
You should plan on buying hdmi or displayport cables to attach to your graphics card.
Graphics cards will have a mix of hdmi, displayport and dvi outputs, but never three of the same type. No big deal, you may need a hdmi cable, a dvi to hdmi cable, and a displayport cable. All are cheap.

I am less comfortable with the R9-280X on two counts.
1. The cooler looks to me like it has a restricted rear exit vent. When mounted in a case much of the hot air will need to be dissipated by the case. This is a...
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jkhoward

jkhoward

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Star Citizens is going to be a very demanding game. That game was designed around the 290 and 290X AMD cards. I am not certain but I do not think you will get a minimum of 60 FPS with two 280X in crossfire. You will need at least two 290.

EDIT: After looking online you will not be able to play that game using two 280X in crossfire and get the performance you want. You are definitely going to need a 290 or higher. Choosing AMD was a great choice though since the game was designed around Mantle.
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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4670K is an excellent cpu. But today, the 4690K is near availability and has better cooling characteristics.
The cpu does not depend on fast ram. Virtually any 8gb kit of 2 x 4gb will do. 1600 or 1866 speed is fine, no need to go higher. Pick a low profile version so you will not interfere with your cooler.
Your motherboard is fine.

1080p IS 1920 X 1080. Triple displays is about 6m pixels.
That requires lots of graphics power. To the point where at top card like a GTX780ti may not give you top frame rates with good eye candy.
You are looking at dual R9-280x cards or better.

You will need about 900W for cf 280's.
If you used a similarly performing pair of GTX770 cards, that might be a bit less at 850w:
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

The TV you linked is a lower resolution, 720P, not 1080P
It will accept 1080P input, but can only display 720P as far as I can see.
They have abysmal 89/89 viewing angles. Three of them side by side will look washed out to the sides.
You might do better with a set of monitors, not TV's.
Look for ips panels which have 178/178 viewing angles.
You can probably find some at a similar price in 24"
30" or larger will be a bit more .

The corsair RM series is only a mediocre tier 3 unit on this list of quality. You can do better.
https://community.newegg.com/eggxpert/computer_hardware/f/135081/t/45344.aspx?Redirected=true

 
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numanator

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I would change up the build like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($137.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($269.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($269.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1237.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-19 19:58 EDT-0400

CPU- Changed to newer i5-4690k which is supposed to overclock better
RAM- You needed 1.5v ram for the intel Haswell CPUs so I stuck some 1.5v ram in (you had 1.65v ram before)
PSU - RMs suck for the price, the EVGA G2s rock for their price, cheapest excellent quality 1000w power supply you will find to power those 280xs. You might be able to get by with 850w but 1kw is a much safer bet.
 
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ClassicStyle

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That would have been embarrassing. I appreciate the fact you caught that. Now I'll need to find a few comparables. I'm not keen on spending $600/panel for the 30" range, and I was getting a discount on the Sonys.

Are 3 of these a good alternative?
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/aoc-monitor-i2769vm
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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I am not familiar with AOC as a brand. But the specs look good. I like the ips panel and the narrow bezel for triple monitors. The price is right, I would buy them.
Be aware that they only come with vga cables which are analog.
You should plan on buying hdmi or displayport cables to attach to your graphics card.
Graphics cards will have a mix of hdmi, displayport and dvi outputs, but never three of the same type. No big deal, you may need a hdmi cable, a dvi to hdmi cable, and a displayport cable. All are cheap.

I am less comfortable with the R9-280X on two counts.
1. The cooler looks to me like it has a restricted rear exit vent. When mounted in a case much of the hot air will need to be dissipated by the case. This is a double problem when you have two mounted in crossfire. The top card will tend to get very hot.
2. Looking at R9-280X feedback reviews on newegg, these cards seem to have an largish number of unhappy(0 or 1 egg) reviews. 23% from verified owners. That seems to be typical of other brands too.
By contrast, The most popular similarly performing card, the EVGA GTX770 superclock has 8% negative rating.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130921

The cooler looks more sli friendly too.
At a similar price, I might go for those cards instead.
Your psu could then be a 850w unit instead of 900w.

Buy only a quality psu.
Here is a list to help:
https://community.newegg.com/eggxpert/computer_hardware/f/135081/t/45344.aspx?Redirected=true

The xfx 850w unit is reasonably priced:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207011
If you want 900w or more, that is ok too. The psu will draw only what is demanded of it.
The Seasonic X series is of particularly high quality and can deliver more than advertised.
 
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