Not just another alienware x51 recasing

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aequitasaddo

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Jun 24, 2014
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So, Ive had my alienware x51 small form factor pc for roughly a yr and a half now. It came with an intel i7 3770, 660 gtx (1.5 GB), 16 GB of 1600 MHz ram, and a TB hard drive. I haven't had any bad problems with but I wanted to upgrade the Video card. And that is when I found out about the power supply as most of you may already know. I'm just gonna jump in from here.

I want to make a build that will be awesome for a few more years. For a case I really want to go with the BitFenix Prodigy for my case. I'm also going to replace the PSU, and graphics card.

Question #1: Is the i7 3770 (non-k) a powerful enough processor to make a badass gaming system? And in what ways will this processor limit overall graphics?

Question #2: Should I replace the motherboard? Would I have to if I wanted a 3-screen 1080p setup?

Question #3: When looking for a GPU, at what point does it become bottlenecked due to the CPU?
And in that regard what PSU should I look for?

Do any of you have anything else I may be overlooking?
 
Solution
Eduello
1. Yes, the i7-3770 is easily enough or modern gaming.
2. Probably. If you want to play games like BF4 maxed out across 3 1080p screens you're going to need a SLI/CrossFire setup with cards like the R9 290. To do this you need a motherboard that supports this (I don't know if your current one does).
3. There probably is not going to be a point when the i7 will bottleneck your GPU(s). For a single high end card you should go for a ~650W PSU from XFX, Seasonic, or Corsair (AX, TX, and HX series only). A 1000W PSU would be recommended for a SLI/CF setup.
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Eduello

Eduello

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Mar 2, 2014
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1. Yes, the i7-3770 is easily enough or modern gaming.
2. Probably. If you want to play games like BF4 maxed out across 3 1080p screens you're going to need a SLI/CrossFire setup with cards like the R9 290. To do this you need a motherboard that supports this (I don't know if your current one does).
3. There probably is not going to be a point when the i7 will bottleneck your GPU(s). For a single high end card you should go for a ~650W PSU from XFX, Seasonic, or Corsair (AX, TX, and HX series only). A 1000W PSU would be recommended for a SLI/CF setup.
 
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aequitasaddo

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Jun 24, 2014
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So in your opinion, what level motherboard should I go for? Do you have to have 2 GPU's to run across 3 screens?
 
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aequitasaddo

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Intel® H61 Express Chipset, because its a alienware part they don't really tell all the details. I have no problem upgrading to a better quality motherboard. Even though there are slim pickings for LGA-1155 mini-itx boards. If you could give me a option or two that would be awesome.
 
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Eduello

Eduello

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Well the it depends completely on the settings you're fine with. If you're fine with medium-high across 3 screens in games like BF4, then your current motherboard will be fine. If you want ultra, you'll need a new motherboard (or then you'll have to buy a R9 295X2, but that's going to cost a lot of money).

EDIT: Oh yeah, right, it'll have to be mini-ITX. In that case you're fine with the board you have; Mini-ITX boards don't support Crossifre or SLI no matter how much you pay for them.
 
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aequitasaddo

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Jun 24, 2014
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ok, well I may move to mini-atx. The prodigy M supports it. but I dont think I could afford a $1440 + gpu. I think I want to get a micro atx and a pretty good gpu. and just be cool with one nice screen.
Edit: Idk man, either way im getting a new mobo. im done with alienware
 
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aequitasaddo

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Jun 24, 2014
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Just depends on thekind of deal I can get. I have maybe a grand of exposable income from doing summer research. That doesnt mean I want to blow it all;
though I may...
BTW, What in the world does running different hard drives in diff raids mean. Ive been reading about it but I am a little lost lol.
 
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aequitasaddo

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Jun 24, 2014
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I'm almost positive he is the son of the ShamWOW guy. But incredibly helpful, you know you didn't have to do this man. Last question that I could probably figure out but I want your opinion. Is Nvidia's G-Sync worth it right now? Considering their line of gpus are a bitmore expensive than Radeons. If so, would I need to get one of the 4 GB DDR5s
 
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Eduello

Eduello

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Mar 2, 2014
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Is Gsync worth it? Probably not; It's still very expensive compared to the actual benefits you get and will probably not be worth it until maybe 2016 (?), unless you really want an ultimate gaming build. As far as VRAM goes, you don't really need more than 2GB in most games (Titanfall and Watch Dogs are the only ones that use over 2GB with textures on ultra AFAIK) if you're running a single 1080p screen.

Make sure to post back on this thread or make a new thread when you've got the money to buy the GPU and I or some other members will find you a suitable GPU for your budget :)

A bit outdated, but still applies to most modern games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdkLhMhnTa4
 
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