My i5-760 GTX 460 SLI Build.

[roinujnomma]

I have a few questions about my near future build.
Will the NZXT Lexa S provide enough cooling for the following build? If not, what would be the best case for the same price (I would perfer a side window and the usb, headphone jack near the bottom of the case)?
Is the Physx card going to make a huge difference in games such as Batman Arkam Asylam, Mirrors Edge, etc.?
Has anyone modded the Lexa S to increase airflow? (cut a 200mm hole in the side panel for a fan for example)

Heres the potential Build:

Intel Core i5-760 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115067)
EVGA p55 SLI (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188055)
Combo Deal- (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.493864)
Cooler Master v8 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103055)
MSI N460GTX CYCLONE 1GD5/OC (2 in SLI)(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127510)
ZOTAC GeForce 9800 GT 1GB (Physx card) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500144)
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1GB (2 in Raid 0) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185)
Samsung Super Writemaster (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151192)
G.SKILL Ripjaws 2x2GB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231303)
SeaSonic X750 Gold (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151087)
Combo Deal- (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.499321)
NZXT Lexa S (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146060)

SAMSUNG P2770H 27" Monitor (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001379)

This is my first build, so I wanted to get quality parts, so I can learn how to overclock properly and such.

 

[roinujnomma]

Thanks. It's pretty hard to decide what to buy when you're shopping online.
Its hard to know if it will all work well together. Especially when I haven't built a gaming rig before.

 

[roinujnomma]

I'm going to wait till the end of the year to buy all the parts. ATi is supposed to release their 6000 series then, which should lower the prices on the current Nvidia 400 series and ATI 5000 series. I'm hoping I can spend a bit less then, or even upgrade to two 480's in SLI if they are cheap enough. That of course also depends on when the Geforce 500 series is released. I hope it is soon.

 

[NeoElemental]

Just as most regular forum-goers would say, wait until a week before you're actually going to buy your build before posting it. Nobody can make accurate predictions of what will be best for you to buy in 3 months. This is especially the case with these upcoming 3 months, since there are going to be a lot of hardware updates.

 

[roinujnomma]

Sorry, I decided to wait 2 months to see if prices go down after I posted this thread. But my main concern with the build was if the Lexa S(www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146060) is going to have enough air flow to keep two gtx 460s below, lets say, 64 C. I also wondered if the MSI Cyclone or Hawk N460GTX was a good candidate for SLI. I've heard that it is important to have external exhaust coolers on GPU's in SLI, such as on the
EVGA GTX460 SC EE (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130568), but I really don't know if that is necessary. The Hawk has good overclocking potential, but I'm not sure if the cooler it has will work with SLI (so says MathewB from hardwarerevolution.com)

 

[muckle]

I was considering 460 sli, starting with one then adding the second later, but then I decided on a more powerful single card now, with the option of SLI later (if necessary):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125338

review:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gv-n470SO-13I-super-overclock-geforce-gtx-470,2713.html

Comes out to cheaper than 460sli and should be able to handle pretty anything for a while. check it out.

 

[coldsleep]

Maybe I'm unclear on how PhysX works, but do you actually need a separate card for it? Won't the 460s just use PhysX on their own?

 

[roinujnomma]

I'm kind of new to it. But I know it can work both ways. You can have a card dedicated to physx, or you can have your main card/s do it. I'm just trying to decide if getting a dedicated physx card is worth it.

 

[coldsleep]

I don't really think it detracts from performance, I don't think it's worth it unless your main setup is ATI cards, and/or you just have an old nVidia card left over from a previous build. I certainly wouldn't buy a 9800 for a new build.