Gaming baby, gaming!

[realyeti]

Hello. I was rechecking this build i had in mindfor a week now. Gaming baby, Gaming!

What i decided so far:

CPU
Intel I7 920

RAM
OCZ Gold 6GB DDR3 PC3 12800

HDD
WD black 640GB

Case
COOLER MASTER HAF 932

Monitor
LG L227WTG-PF Black 22" 1680x1050

What is driving me crazy:

GPU
As i'll get a 22" monitor and as the money is not "too" much of a problem ( not to say i'd preffer a GTX295 or w/e, nor i don't mind good deals and bangs for the buck. I don't want to overkill) I figured a "single" gtx275 would run most of the games pretty smoothly at high set, or am i wrong?

Wanting my rig to be future proof, should i add a second gtx275? isn't better to get a single gtx285 and upgrade to a second one latter on than being bound to impracticality of "two" gtx275 from the begging? i could add a second gtx285 latter on as well as "third" gtx275.

If the gtx285 is a wiser decision, what's the difference between it and a HD 4870X2? both are around $370. wouldn't both cards be way overkill for 1650x1050?

MOBO
It's proportional to my final decision on the GPU. I was originally thinking on a ASUS P6T or the ASUS P6T Deluxe. However, if i may go with 3-way sli latter on (3x gtx275) should i got the ASUS P6T6 WS Revolution, or a EVGA mobo? i would appreciate any suggestion in this matter! good-deals suggestions also.

PSU
I was wondering if the Corsair 850w "modular" version ( the one that comes with 6pci connectors for possible 3-way sli, the regular version brings just four 6+2) would be enough for the system. Isn't it too expensive compared to the regular one? Would it be even more silly and ensure a 1000w from the beginning now that 1000w are around $200?

OpDD
I want blue ray. should i get 1 regular optical drive + a blue-ray reader drive? or should i get a single drive that do all the stuff? i would like some suggestions!

what i might be buying latter on:

Sound card
Is it true that one can notice the difference between the onboard audio and that of the sound card unless its a $100+ sound card? suggestions?

Speakers
Should i got a sound card only if i got a huge speaker system? suggestions?

I aprreciate it.!

 

[dndhatcher]

I dont think there is any real "futureproof". Always assume a gaming PC has a max lifespan of 2-4 years. With the AMD/ATI thing and ATI bringing the first DX11 card out I wouldnt bet strongly on Nvidia as the "futureproof" way to go anymore.

If you look at the performance reviews, 285s are less than 10% faster than 275s and a pair of 275s beats a 295. Its alot better value right now. One may well be all you need anyway. Value-performance a GTX 275 or HD 4890 with the option to add a second (or third) is a sensible way to go.

 

[wathman]

since you just have 1 22" monitor, I think a single GTX 275 will get you a very nice frame rate at high quality. Adding a second will get you a better frame rate, though it's not going to even a 50% improvement I guess, and you're doubling the cost of your graphics setup. Also, DX 11 cards are almost here, the NVIDIA ones probably won't hit until December at the earliest, but I expect games that will be truly optimized for DX 11 to show up about 6 mo. after that. If I was planning on dropping serious cash on graphics cards, I'd want them to be DX 11 compatible.

Another option is to get a GTX 260 now, overclocked they perform close to stock 275s, and could save you some money. Then when DX 11 boards are out, get 1 or 2 then.

And about the PSUs, with multi-card graphics, you're going to have a plenty of cables all over the place, using most of what you get with a non-modular. Getting a modular will at best let you remove maybe 2 unneeded cables. A couple twisty ties and tucking the extras away will be cheaper, and more energy efficient as the modular ones waste a little power with their terminators.

 

[realyeti]

Ok so i figure 2 gtx 275 would be the way to go!
Now, will 850w non-modular be able to withstand the whole haradware power requirements?
What about the motherboard, blue-ray reader drive, sound card and speakers sytem?

You guys think 2x gtx275 will have a hard time getting frames on games a year from now ?

 

[Transmaniacon]

GTX275 SLI is pretty powerful, I think it will last you a long time, unless you want to max games at high resolutions next year, essentially that is plenty of horsepower and will last you a while.

The Corsair 850TX would be a great choice for this build. Everything else looks solid, good luck with the build.

 

[dndhatcher]

You guys think 2x gtx275 will have a hard time getting frames on games a year from now ?

A pair of old 8800s still gets good frame rates today. A pair of 275s will probably be adequite 5 years from now.

 

[wathman]

yeah, this is true. Games will still support DX 10 Cards years from now, for the latest "bells and whistles" that come with DX 11, you'll need the new cards for that. Honestly, until a reviewer can show me that I will get a better gaming experience with DX 11, I'm not planning on buying a top of the line DX 11 card(s) for my system.