3500-4000$ Triple Monitor Gaming PC

Rathzil · Aug 11, 2014

Hi All,

It's time for me to build another gaming PC, and I'd love to solicit some feedback on my build. I've been building and upgrading my own gaming PCs for around 15 years, but I tend to follow PC and part news/information only around the times that I'm actually upgrading, so I'd hardly call myself well-versed in current trends.

For this build I've set myself a budget of around 3500-4000 for a triple-monitor setup (which includes the price of the monitors and mounting equipment).

EDIT: Updated 13/8/14 to reflect some of the below suggestions
My current plan can be found here, and I'd very much love some feedback!:
PCPartsPicker List / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i74790k) | $358.32 @ TigerDirect Canada
**CPU Cooler** | [Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhd15) | $99.99 @ Amazon Canada
**Motherboard** | [Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-maximusviihero) | $222.35 @ DirectCanada
**Memory** | [G.Skill Trident X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f32400c10d16gtx) | $194.99 @ Memory Express
**Storage** | [Samsung 840 EVO 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te500bw) | $268.03 @ DirectCanada
**Storage** | [Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st2000dm001) | $82.99 @ Canada Computers
**Video Card** | [Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Tri-X Video Card](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-1003622sr) (2-Way CrossFire) | $409.99 @ NCIX
**Video Card** | [Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Tri-X Video Card](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-1003622sr) (2-Way CrossFire) | $409.99 @ NCIX
**Case** | [Phanteks Enthoo Luxe ATX Full Tower Case](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/phanteks-case-phes614lbk) | $159.99 @ Amazon Canada
**Power Supply** | [EVGA SuperNOVA 1000G2 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-120g21000xr) | $159.99 @ NCIX
**Optical Drive** | [Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-optical-drive-sh224dbbebe) | $16.79 @ DirectCanada
**Monitor** | [Asus VN248H-P 23.8" Monitor](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-monitor-vn248hp) | $179.98 @ Newegg Canada
**Monitor** | [Asus VN248H-P 23.8" Monitor](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-monitor-vn248hp) | $179.98 @ Newegg Canada
**Monitor** | [Asus VN248H-P 23.8" Monitor](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-monitor-vn248hp) | $179.98 @ Newegg Canada
**Sound Card** | [Asus Xonar DGX 24-bit 96 KHz Sound Card](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-sound-card-xonardgx) | $34.99 @ Memory Express
**Speakers** | [Logitech Z906 500W 5.1ch Speakers](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/logitech-speakers-980000467) | $319.99 @ NCIX
**Other**| XFX Fxtristand - Triple Monitor Mounting Stand| $379.99
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $3658.33
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-13 13:04 EDT-0400 |

Approximate Purchase Date: Ideally by the end of August

Budget Range: 3500-4000

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, statistical computations, web browsing, general use

Are you buying a monitor: Yes

Parts to Upgrade: Everything, as I'm giving my current rig to my girlfriend.

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: (Canadian Versions!) Newegg.ca ncix.com, amazon.ca although I would happily consider other places if cheaper.

Location: Middle of nowhere, Northern Canada - I'm stuck way up north on a practicum for a year and am consoling myself with a new computer.

Parts Preferences: I've had very good experiences with MSI in the past, however I'm not a slave to positive anecdotal experiences.

Overclocking: Maybe - I haven't done much OCing in the past, but this time around I plan on doing some conservative OCing (since I haven't done much, I'd like to avoid melting things too quickly).

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe - Whichever offers the best performance for the dollar. Whether multi-card or single card.

Your Monitor Resolution: For now I'm focused on 1080p with three monitors.

Additional Comments: I like my PCs to run reasonably quiet, so I don't mind spending a bit extra there.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: My current gaming PC struggles to run current games at even "medium" settings, so it's time for a new one. After years of undergrad and graduate school I finally have a real job, and can stop compromising as much, so I've set myself a budget cap of around 3500-4000. I'm not dead set on spending my entire budget, but that's the a priori limit I set for myself before I started looking at parts.

Thanks in advance for any and all comments!

TopLuca · Aug 11, 2014

Looks very solid , however maybe a more wattage PSU will be needed .

numanator · Aug 11, 2014

For Dual R9 290s + overclocking I would recommend a 1000w Gold Rate PSU.

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000G2 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($159.99 @ NCIX)

or

Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series 1050W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($235.73 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $235.73

Are good, obviously the EVGA is much cheaper but still very good quality.

Everything else looks pretty sweet. Definitely a lot of $$ to spend on a PC but should be pretty awesome.

EDIT: Also, you don't have a case listed in your build. Make sure to get one with good airflow and enough room for the setup you have in mind (the cooler is big but great, make sure it fits)

Rapajez · Aug 11, 2014

Agreed, the PSU is cutting it close, especially if you plan to OC (which you should if you're buying unlocked parts and coolers.)

The 290's are a good choice, with 4GB of Video Memory. VRAM can be a big bottleneck in multi-monitor (or 4k) setups, but 4GB should get the job done.

You may want to consider a GPU shroud that exhausts air out the back of the case better, like the Sapphire Tri-X R9 290.

The Crucial MX100 is a good choice, but if you have any wiggle room, the Samsung 850 Pro, or cheaper 840 EVO are faster, more reliable, and come with much better management software. You could cheap out on the the motherboard, or start off with 8GB of RAM if you need to shave the budget a little.

Rathzil · Aug 11, 2014

Nice catch, thanks both of you!.

I've been waffling back and forth between a single or double GPU set-up and didn't bump up the PSU when I went to a Crossfire build.

Rathzil · Aug 11, 2014

Yeah, I'll definitely be bumping the PSU up, and probably the SSD as well. My laptop and my current desktop both run Samsung EVO's, and I think I might have just been persuaded to go off course for the Crucial by a recent article I read.

As far as a case I had to list it in "other" since it hasn't been released yet, but it's the Enthoo Luxe which can be found at http://www.ncix.com/detail/phanteks-enthoo-luxe-full-tower-86-100197.htm

It's supposed to release this month, last I checked. Otherwise I was thinking maybe the Enthoo Primo, although I think that's a bit more than I need.

Rapajez · Aug 12, 2014

Looks legit. The Crucial is a great value for the money, but the Samsung is still better for the reasons above.

In that price-range, you may also want to look at the Corsair Carbide mid-towers or Obsidian full-towers. They're proven pretty solid and maybe a little cheaper. You can easily fit this build into most mid-towers, if you don't want a ton of space taken up.

legend001523 · Aug 12, 2014

Crossfire amd isn't as stable as nvidia sli btw, for a budget like yours, why not go sli? And a large tower is recommended for dual gpus as it has better airflow so cards dont overheat

Rapajez · Aug 12, 2014

I wouldn't say that's true in modern GPUs. If you're referring to xfire stuttering, that's been resolved for a while now. The closest NVIDIA options are a much more expensive 780Ti SLI, with less VRAM and without much of a FPS improvement, or a much slower 770 SLI.

You can easily cool and even overclock dual gpus in a mid-tower. There's a lot of factors involved (space between PCI slots on the mobo, case fans, air flow, cards with full shrouds that vent out the back...)

legend001523 · Aug 12, 2014

I'm not saying you can't, I'm saying it's recommended

and I'm talking more about amd drivers being worse than sli and that a lot of ppl report grtting black screens on 290's and 290x and for a 3k build, 780 ti sli are easily affordable, or the OP can wait a bit longer for the 6gb 780 tis to come out

Ytyoussef · Aug 12, 2014

Here's a couple of suggestions I have for you:
1. Get the Tri-X GPUs they have better coolers and thus run cooler and quieter.
2. The Supernova G2 power supply suggested above is a great choice.
3. You don't need the higher frequency RAM, you'll be just fine with 1600Mhz or 1866Mhz,

AMD crossfire is just as good as nvidia sli nowadays.

Rapajez · Aug 12, 2014

Understood. I still think AMD's driver support is at least on par with NVIDIA since 2013ish.

I'd agree that the 780Ti's are a step up, but are they worth the price difference? Right now we're talking about buying 2 $430 4GB 290's vs 2 slightly faster $710 3GB 780Ti's.

legend001523 · Aug 12, 2014

For a 3k build I would say so, especially at higher res I believe the difference bwteen the two cards become bigger, if the OP was at a smaller budget then he could go crossfire 290 but at this budget, 780 ti is better

Rapajez · Aug 12, 2014

If you do go the 780Ti route, keep in mind that the 3GB may be a bottleneck, especially considering modern, demanding games are approaching 2GB on a single 1080p monitor.

Also, keep in mind that extra $600ish could also go toward nicer displays, mounts, a solid mechanical keyboard...etc...

g-unit1111 · Aug 12, 2014

Rathzil :

The Samsung Evos and Crucial M550s are both excellent drives. I use the 840 Evo on both of my desktops and they boot up nearly instantaneous.

You don't really need to spend $3500 on a PC, you can spend ~$2K and get one that will last for years with minimum upgrades. Try something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($253.79 @ DirectCanada)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($129.99 @ Memory Express)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($183.95 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($114.48 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($145.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Superclocked ACX Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($574.99 @ NCIX)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Superclocked ACX Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($574.99 @ NCIX)
Case: NZXT Phantom 530 (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($119.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 P2 1000W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($189.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Canada Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.79 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $2462.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-12 16:29 EDT-0400

numanator · Aug 12, 2014

g-unit1111 :

Rathzil :

The Samsung Evos and Crucial M550s are both excellent drives. I use the 840 Evo on both of my desktops and they boot up nearly instantaneous.

You don't really need to spend $3500 on a PC, you can spend ~$2K and get one that will last for years with minimum upgrades. Try something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($253.79 @ DirectCanada)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($129.99 @ Memory Express)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($183.95 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($114.48 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($145.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Superclocked ACX Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($574.99 @ NCIX)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Superclocked ACX Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($574.99 @ NCIX)
Case: NZXT Phantom 530 (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($119.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 P2 1000W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($189.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Canada Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.79 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $2462.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-12 16:29 EDT-0400

He's got about $1k+ worth of monitors/accesories in his build right now which is why it ends up at $3.5k.

That said he should definitely take a look at your build especially if he doesn't do anything that takes advantage of the i7's hyperthreading

Rapajez · Aug 12, 2014

The only thing I'd add to the above, is stick with a larger SSD in that price range. Besides the speed that comes with larger SSDs, you have a lot of juggling data/games around with a 128GB drive.

g-unit1111 · Aug 13, 2014

numanator :

A lot of the accessories in that build are wasted purchases like the sound card. You can also get much cheaper (and better) speakers like the Klipsch Pros or Audioengine A5+. I never advocate spending money where you don't have to, and I use that on my builds and everything else. The upgrades I'm making to my primary PC are purely cosmetic but that's because I'm getting it ready for a major overhaul in the next few months to X99 / GTX 880 (if I can afford it).

All Intel CPUs have hyper threading but only the i7s have more threads than any other CPU they manufacture.

Rathzil · Aug 13, 2014

Awesome feedback everyone, it's been extremely helpful. Taking into account what everyone has said here, here's my new build:

PCPartPicker List

I stuck with the same i7 CPU because I'm not sure when the next CPU gen is coming out, and some of the reviews and videos I've seen have found noticeable differences, which seems like it may increase now that more triple-A games are making use of multiple threads.

I swapped to the suggested SuperNOVA PSU, the Sapphire Tri-X GPUs, dropped to a cheaper sound card, and put the actual case where it belongs in the list (since it's now on PCPartPicker).

I'm considering dropping the memory down as suggested, but savings appear to be very minimal (10-20$) for 2-5% performance drop in some reviews. Part of the problem is that even after a lot of reading I have a weak understanding of how RAM works and impacts performance.

I'm planning on sticking with the speakers, compared to the stereo speakers suggested above, because I wanted to maintain a 5.1 surround sound set-up, though I'm not necessarily locked into that specific brand/model.

Also updating my OP to this new list.

Thanks for all the feedback everyone, keep it coming!

legend001523 · Aug 13, 2014

New list looks great, should be fine

Ytyoussef · Aug 13, 2014

Now that's a really nice build

As for the ram, I suggest that you read this article: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7364/memory-scaling-on-haswell

numanator · Aug 13, 2014

The only potential problem I see is that Intel recommends 1.5v ram with their Haswell CPUs and the RAM you have is 1.65v.

For 1.5v ram these are 2 high speed options:

Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($185.48 @ Newegg Canada)

Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($192.98 @ Newegg Canada)

Both are CAS 11 as opposed to the CAS 10 RAM you have in your current build. I have seen some threads on TH where people had issues due to the RAM being 1.65v instead of 1.5v so I probably wouldn't take the chance on the 1.65v.

Ytyoussef · Aug 13, 2014

For it's frequency and latency, it's not unusual for it to run at 1.65v. But I just thought of something, aren't the tridents too high for the D15? (Can't check ATM) oh and you can get cas 9 2133mhz RAM for quite cheap. (No reason to get cas 11 ram when you can have much better for almost the same price.)

g-unit1111 · Aug 13, 2014

Rathzil :

I'd heavily suggest checking out the Audioengine A5s, they're bar none some of the best PC speakers on the market right now. I'm planning to get a set of white ones for my White Knight rig in the near future: http://audioengineusa.com/

Rapajez · Aug 14, 2014

Ytyoussef :

+1 to no Tridents! Even if they fit under the Noctua cooler, it would probably be tight. Why take the risk?

3500-4000$ Triple Monitor Gaming PC

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