Dream PC compatibility check, help please

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Suisyola

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Oct 16, 2014
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I really appreciate any help I can get here. I need to know if I'm set to order these parts.

-My few concerns are whether the 3 GPUs will fit the mobo and if the sli bridge that comes with said mobo will fit the cards. I believe the cards are 2-slotters, not sure if I should give them a slot inbetween for breathing room. Never done sli, yet alone 3-way sli before. Planning on running 3x 1440p ROG monitor setup.

-Other concern is that the mobo is open box from newegg. Not sure if I should be too worried. Maybe there is a better mobo I should get, I don't mind spending up to $300 on the mobo.

-I hear it's bad to use an ssd as the main drive, should I be worried?

-Last concern is if the mobo supports the 4x pc3 19200 8gb dimms I picked. I remember finding an amazing site in my last build years ago that showed a lot of useful info but I can't find it this time around.

-I suppose a double check on 1000w for 3x gtx 980 will work would be nice


Thank you very much to anyone who can give me a piece of advice. You're the best!








Order List



Qty. Product Description Savings Total Price
3 ZOTAC GeForce GTX 980 AMP! ZT-90204-10P G-SYNC Support 4GV 256-Bit DDR5 HDCP Ready Video Card ZOTAC GeForce GTX 980 AMP! ZT-90204-10P G-SYNC Support 4GV 256-Bit DDR5 HDCP Ready Video Card
Item #: N82E16814500361
Return Policy: VGA Replacement Only Return Policy $1,649.97
1 Cooler Master HAF X Blue Edition - High Air Flow Full Tower Computer Case with Windowed Side Panel and USB 3.0 Cooler Master HAF X Blue Edition - High Air Flow Full Tower Computer Case with Windowed Side Panel and USB 3.0
Item #: N82E16811119239
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy -$40.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$219.99
$179.99
1 SAMSUNG 840 EVO MZ-7TE500BW 2.5 SAMSUNG 840 EVO MZ-7TE500BW 2.5" 500GB SATA III TLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Item #: N82E16820147249
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy -$114.00 Instant
$349.99
$235.99
1 ASUS Z97-WS LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard ASUS Z97-WS LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813132126R
Return Policy: Open Box Refund Only Return Policy -$28.00 Instant
$243.94
$215.94
2 G.SKILL Trident X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2400 (PC3 19200) Desktop Memory Model F3-2400C10D-16GTX G.SKILL Trident X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2400 (PC3 19200) Desktop Memory Model F3-2400C10D-16GTX
Item #: N82E16820231589
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy $349.98
1 Intel Core i7-4790K Haswell Quad-Core 4.0GHz LGA 1150 Desktop Processor BX80646I74790K Intel Core i7-4790K Haswell Quad-Core 4.0GHz LGA 1150 Desktop Processor BX80646I74790K
Item #: N82E16819117369
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy -$10.00 Instant
$349.99
$339.99
1 StarTech.com PCI Express Wireless N Adapter - 300 Mbps PCIe 802.11 b/g/n Network Adapter Card - 2T2R 2.2 dBi StarTech.com PCI Express Wireless N Adapter - 300 Mbps PCIe 802.11 b/g/n Network Adapter Card - 2T2R 2.2 dBi
Item #: N82E16833114085
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy -$7.00 Instant
$29.99
$22.99
1 Pioneer Blu-ray Burner SATA BDR-209DBK Pioneer Blu-ray Burner SATA BDR-209DBK
Item #: N82E16827129075
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $64.99
1 EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 P2 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified 1000W Active PFC ATX12V v2.31/EPS 12V v2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready ECO Thermal Control Full Modular PSU 10 Year Warranty 220-P2-1000-XR Intel 4th G EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 P2 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified 1000W Active PFC ATX12V v2.31/EPS 12V v2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready ECO Thermal Control Full Modular PSU 10 Year Warranty 220-P2-1000-XR Intel 4th G
Item #: N82E16817438013
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy -$15.00 Instant
$15.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$219.99
$204.99
1 Microsoft Windows 8.1 - Full Version (32 & 64-bit) Microsoft Windows 8.1 - Full Version (32 & 64-bit)
Item #: N82E16832416712
Return Policy: FINAL SALES RETURN POLICY $119.99

 
Solution
JackNaylorPE
Be aware that there is some overhead from the PLX implementation on the Z97 which enables the 3rd card.... many peeps go to X99 for this reason 9as they did in link below). Also, the gain from the 3rd card is minimal..... while we see an 88% increase here with 2 way SLI, adding the 3rd card adds just 20%, some of that will be lost by the PLX overhead. The WS is great gaming MoBo, but I have only use them w/ 2 cards to get the spacing I wanted ...and now with the Formula here, I can get that.

http://us.hardware.info/reviews/5623/12/nvidia-geforce-gtx-980-sli--3-way-sli--4-way-sli-review-conclusion


The HAF-X was a great case in it's day .... but has gotten "long in the tooth" so to speak and is outclassed by more recent designs. if...
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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Jul 27, 2011
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-I hear it's bad to use an ssd as the main drive, should I be worried?
Click to expand...

No that's completely false - SSDs should be used as the main drive, not the mass storage unit.

-Last concern is if the mobo supports the 4x pc3 19200 8gb dimms I picked. I remember finding an amazing site in my last build years ago that showed a lot of useful info but I can't find it this time around.
Click to expand...

Are you thinking of http://www.pcpartpicker.com , perhaps?

What's your budget for this rig? It looks pretty decent but if gaming is what you're going for you could downgrade the i7 to an i5 and 16GB of RAM to 8GB.
 
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bliq

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a couple questions- why risk an open box motherboard on a build this expensive? Next, why use a workstation class motherboard instead of a good gaming motherboard. The workstation class ones are not really aimed at the gaming crowd. Might have stuff like management stuff that would be useless for you. not to say it won't work but there are probably better choices.

An SSD for the system drive is probably the best use of an SSD. Ideally you get an SSD spacious enough that everything but media files would fit on it. anything executable will benefit from an SSD. Media is played back at a speed far less than the maximum so it gains nothing from SSD speeds. The only benefit of an SSD for media is for transferring the file onto the drive and unless you're doing this a lot (i.e. you're a video production professional using the machine for work).

1000W is probably enough for a system with 3 GTX980s given Nvidia cards are pretty efficient. As long as you don't overclock.

Note if you get a good gaming motherboard, it might have wireless N or even AC built in, no need for separate wireless card.
 
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Suisyola

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Oct 16, 2014
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Thanks for all the super fast responses. I didn't realize the mobo was a workstation class. Yeah I'd prefer a gaming mobo like the maximus vii which looks like there is space between gpus for better cooling but I need a mobo that fits 3 gpus. I'll search for a new one. If you have a recommendation I'd love to hear it. Thanks again everybody.
 
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JackNaylorPE

JackNaylorPE

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Oct 30, 2004
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Be aware that there is some overhead from the PLX implementation on the Z97 which enables the 3rd card.... many peeps go to X99 for this reason 9as they did in link below). Also, the gain from the 3rd card is minimal..... while we see an 88% increase here with 2 way SLI, adding the 3rd card adds just 20%, some of that will be lost by the PLX overhead. The WS is great gaming MoBo, but I have only use them w/ 2 cards to get the spacing I wanted ...and now with the Formula here, I can get that.

http://us.hardware.info/reviews/5623/12/nvidia-geforce-gtx-980-sli--3-way-sli--4-way-sli-review-conclusion


The HAF-X was a great case in it's day .... but has gotten "long in the tooth" so to speak and is outclassed by more recent designs. if I was spending $220 on a case, it would be the Phanteks Enthoo Primo (Case of the year 2013)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100006644%204018&IsNodeId=1&Description=Enthoo%20Primo&name=%24200%20-%20%24300&Order=BESTMATCH


Do NOT by 2 sets of RAM..... no guarantee two separate sets will work together; get a 4 x set if you must....tho unless doing CAD, video editing you won't see any benefit from the extra 16 GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007611%20600006050%20600083963%20600006145&IsNodeId=1&name=DDR3%202400%20%28PC3%2019200%29&Order=PRICE&Pagesize=20

Personally, I'd grab these CAS 9:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226511


The EVGA G2 / P2 are great PSU but it's still cpmes up a lil short of the Seasonic X series which is cheaper.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151110

If considering future water cooling, or serious overclocking, ya might wanna consider the 1250
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151109


Again, I would think long and hard as to whether that 3rd 980 is doing enough to make it worth the hassle. I would then at least consider the Asus Maximus VII Formula which will do the two 980s at full tilt with no PLX overhead. Then with the money saved from the 3rd card, I'd watercool everything

Maximus VII Formula w/ Built-In Water Block
4790k
2 x 8G b2133 CAS 9
250 GB Samsung
2 TB SSHD
Asus BR Burner
2 x 980's
Seasonic X-1050
Enthoo Primo
Swiftch H240-X
2 x Swiftech Komodu water blocks
1 x 280 Radiator

If you are dead set on 3 GFX cards, then I'd recommend the x99 platform ....the normal go to board here is the Rampage but as it's experiencing a 10% failure rate, I wouldn't go there. BTW, you also need quad channel DDR4 for X99
 
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Solution
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Suisyola

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Oct 16, 2014
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Thanks Jack, yeah I'm set on the 3rd card. Really want the extra 10-20 fps for 7680x1440. Only thing I don't like about the X99 is the ram and the cpu pricing. But you're right since I would want to get rid of the PLX overhead. Thank you for your recommendations. I've changed my build a lot from that post :)
 
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Suisyola

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Oct 16, 2014
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Yeah, as soon as I catch those monitors in stock I'm going to order three. I look forward to their new cards. So many people are jumping at the 970 deals. I figured they'll come out with their new cards in time for Christmas or soon after AMD throws something new onto the table so people will upgrade their cards a second time in <6 months.

I'm going to take my roll on being in the top 90% with that rampage mobo. Wish me luck!
 
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JackNaylorPE

JackNaylorPE

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5930k for the CPU ? No 4th card ? :)

Just to perk ya interest .....

$90 - EK MonoBlock on the MoBo / CPU
$390- 3 x EK 980 Water Blocks
$85 - EK 250mm Reservoir
$200 - Swiftech 35x2 Twin Pump
$160 - Rads

lemme see .... 240 watts CPU / 80 watts MoBo / 200 watts x 3 = 600 / 50 watts pump = 970 watts.

970 x 60% = 576 watts / 100 watts in push-pull = 5.7 140mm rad space

The Enthoo Primo with XT45-420 ($85) rad on top and UT60 ($75) on bottom will do fine.







 
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