This rig is gonna rock!

[Peaknik]

Hi there!

I am considering a system around 1,700€ (1,400GBP) mainly for simracing (iRacing, rFactor, LFS) flightsims (FSX), subsims (Silent Hunter IV and V) and some FPS (Stalker, Crysis, and all the heavy weights to come like id's Rage, Crysis 2, etc). So my system has to be powerful, and (I think this is important) my target resolution is 1920 x 1080 with full effects on (or almost all). I expect frames per second to be at least 60fps.

The following setup excludes monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers and optical drive (also excludes Windows 7 64 bit OS):

CPU and CPU cooler: Intel i7-950 3066 MHZ + Noctua NH-D14
Graphic card: Club 3D HD5870
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R Rev. 2.0
Memory: G.Skill DIMM 8 GB DDR3-1600 Kit (CL9 9-9-24, 2, PC3 12800)
Case: Corsair Obsidian 800D
PSU: Corsair 850HX
HDD: OCZ Vertex2 E 2,5" SSD 120 GB

I think I can save some euros with the HD5870, as I don't think I should go for a faster or even twin card setup, as my resolution target is going to be 1920 x 1080 (until I can get some non TN 16:9 120HZ 24" monitor I will be using my 46" Bravia). Also quietness and temperature are of concern to me, so I think the HD5870 will be enough. Some of the sims I play the most like iRacing or FSX need CPU power as well as GPU, so I think pairing the i7-950 with the HD5870 would do the trick.

The 120GB OCZ SSD is an obvious choice for speed and quietness (although I know this will made the graphic card noise more evident...), and I probably add a SATA drive just in case I run out of space, I can swapp my most played games to the SSD and also use it for regular storage.

I think I could get the same performance with cheaper components and overclocking, and I can consider it, although I prefer stock speeds to avoid excessive noise and temperature.

So, what do you think, is this gonna rock or what? (surely it will rock my wallet)

 

[4745454b]

Its to bad you're planning on using your TV. The reviewers at HardOCP absolutely love Eyefinity for racing games. They even claim that their track times improve when using such a setup. And people have for years been using multiple monitors for flight sims. I would run such a setup even if I had to run three 1680x1050 screens. Dump the SSD, and if moving down to a lower CPU doesn't free up the money, move over to am AMD setup. This will be a better "rocking" rig.

 

[Peaknik]

Thanks for the reply, 4745454b, right now I think the three monitor setup is overkill for me... I just spent close to 900€ in a G27 + Zalem cockpit (with a real Sparco seat), and my wife would kill me (and rightly so!). I am not discarding it completely, imagine a three 120Hz monitors setup... but first thing first.

Regarding the SSD, it is one of the first options to go in order to lower the price of the system, or at least divert the money saved to another component. Playing Civilization or other quiet games is one thing, but racing sims are noisy (and I often play with a headset with micro) and HDD noise is bearable, but what about speed? Boot speed and general OS speed is important for me.

 

[4745454b]

Thats why I said drop the other stuff down so the budget isn't effected. You can always upgrade the parts latter on as funds come in. You don't need 120Hz monitors, the 60Hz ones will do fine.

Most of the games you listed are single players. (race, sim, etc) Is a few extra seconds really that important? I'd rather have the extra screens showing me data while I race for minute after minute rather then an SSD that will cause the game to load in 15seconds instead of 22.