Trading/Gaming Build $2000-$2500

[gb0001]

Hi Guys

I am looking to build a new computer for trading and gaming, looking to spend around $2000-2500. I have limited knowledge about building PC's and have read as much as i can about building such a system. The main question i have is, is it worth while to run two graphics cards in this kind of system. From what i have read i know there can be problems with games etc not utilizing both cards as well as other smaller problems. I have looked at the following set up and buying the parts from umart online australia, also is it a better option to buy in the US and ship it to Australia??

4 - 5 Screen System, stable enough for share trading and also able to handle the newsest games graphics and performance wise. To run Windows 7

I have the following components already
# DVD/RW SAMSUNG BLACK
# MICROSOFT MOUSE & KEYBOARD
# 1x ASUS 21.5 INCH LCD SCREEN


# CoolerMaster 650W Extreme Plus $85.00
# AMD Phenom II X4 965 3.4GHZ Black Edition $171.00
or
# AMD Phenom II X6 1090T(3.2GHz)AM3 9MBCache125W $228.00
# Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H AM3 AMD890GX 4DDR3 2PCIE2.0 RAID GLAN 3FW SATA $181.00
# CoolerMaster RC-942-KKN1 HAF X 942 Black No PSU $219.00
# Western Digital 2TB Green 64MB SATAII WD20EARS $96.00 x 2 = $192
# Sapphire HD6870 1G GDDR5 PCIE HDMI DP $251.00 x 2 = $502
# Viewsonic VA2238WM-LED 21.5" 5ms Black LED with Speakers $141 x 4 = $564
# Wasn't sure about good RAM had kingston in a prevous build but one stick failed!, could someone
recommend a good brand and what quantity i need eg multiple of 2gb sticks etc
# Would i need any other after market coolers, e.g fan control, extra fans for CPU etc
# Also what drive would be good for running the OS? SSD?
# Windows 7 OS

Would appreciate any help or advice, as well as better options than what i have outlined above

Thanks
GB

 

[Silvune]

I would not want to buy that power supply, the Extreme Plus range is not one of Cooler Master's good ones. This would be much better for virtually the same price:
Antec Neo Eco 620W 80Plus $90
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=140&bid=2&sid=56840
Doesn't come with a power cord so will have to source one from elsewhere.

Yes for AMD motherboards you will want dual channel RAM; multiples of 2. Corsair, G.Skill, Geil, Mushkin look like the good brands (aside from Kingston, which there isn't really anything wrong with you were probably just unlucky) on umart. Any of these would be good IMO:
G.Skill 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333MHZ CL9 (F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL) $99.00
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=153&bid=2&sid=58491

Mushkin 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz CL9 $95
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=153&bid=2&sid=68519

Geil 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz CL9 $101
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=153&bid=2&sid=64993

I'm assuming that the programs you use benefit from more than 4GB of RAM or that there is a heavy multitasking aspect to what you do, otherwise I would have recommended 4GB.

This would be the SSD with the least question marks over it:
Corsair Force 120GB 32nm $277
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=159&bid=2&sid=59205
You could get the 60GB version if you want/need to save money or think you will be fine with the lower capacity.

You may need an aftermarket cooler if you are overclocking or want to reduce the noise level.

 

[gb0001]

I would not want to buy that power supply, the Extreme Plus range is not one of Cooler Master's good ones. This would be much better for virtually the same price:
Antec Neo Eco 620W 80Plus $90
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=140&bid=2&sid=56840
Doesn't come with a power cord so will have to source one from elsewhere.

Yes for AMD motherboards you will want dual channel RAM; multiples of 2. Corsair, G.Skill, Geil, Mushkin look like the good brands (aside from Kingston, which there isn't really anything wrong with you were probably just unlucky) on umart. Any of these would be good IMO:
G.Skill 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333MHZ CL9 (F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL) $99.00
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=153&bid=2&sid=58491

Mushkin 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz CL9 $95
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=153&bid=2&sid=68519

Geil 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz CL9 $101
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=153&bid=2&sid=64993

I'm assuming that the programs you use benefit from more than 4GB of RAM or that there is a heavy multitasking aspect to what you do, otherwise I would have recommended 4GB.

This would be the SSD with the least question marks over it:
Corsair Force 120GB 32nm $277
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=159&bid=2&sid=59205
You could get the 60GB version if you want/need to save money or think you will be fine with the lower capacity.

You may need an aftermarket cooler if you are overclocking or want to reduce the noise level.

Hi Silvune

Thanks for taking the time to help really appreciate any kind of feed back, The programs i need for trading are very heavy on multitasking as i will have several programs open at once and a few internet explorer pages up at once. So sounds like the 8GB is the Go, i also had a look at the power supply you recommended and looks like a better unit from the reveiws i have read. I thought SSD was the way to go from what i have read it helps with load speeds and running of OS as it is a quicker drive, ill look into the one you recommended. Do you know much about graphics cards? am i better running the two cards i have outlined or paying up for one card that can support all five monitors? Also it states with the cards i outlined that 500w is need with two of these running will the power syupply you suggested be enough to support them both effeciently?

Would appreciate any thoughts you have on this or anyone else?

Thanks again

GB

 

[Silvune]

Yes a good ~650W PSU is enough for a build with two 6870s, the Antec Neo Eco 620 also has enough PCIe cables to support the two cards without using adapters. Anandtech and Guru3d show that power consumption with two 6870s will be, at a maximum, around 400 watts, so as long as you don't overclock or run your major components (CPU & GPU) on their maximum TDP all the time then you shouldn't have any problems.

When I last checked it looked like a 6950 or 6970 was cheaper than two 6870s, now they don't perform as well as two 6870s, but if you went with only one card to start with you would have more/easier upgrade options. You would have to upgrade power supply to be able to power two 6950s or 6970s tho. And the final consideration is display connectors; I think you would have to get an MST hub and a lot of active adapters to power 4 or 5 screens off one card. Unfortunately I don't think MST hubs are going to be available for a while.

 

[gb0001]

Yes a good ~650W PSU is enough for a build with two 6870s, the Antec Neo Eco 620 also has enough PCIe cables to support the two cards without using adapters. Anandtech and Guru3d show that power consumption with two 6870s will be, at a maximum, around 400 watts, so as long as you don't overclock or run your major components (CPU & GPU) on their maximum TDP all the time then you shouldn't have any problems.

When I last checked it looked like a 6950 or 6970 was cheaper than two 6870s, now they don't perform as well as two 6870s, but if you went with only one card to start with you would have more/easier upgrade options. You would have to upgrade power supply to be able to power two 6950s or 6970s tho. And the final consideration is display connectors; I think you would have to get an MST hub and a lot of active adapters to power 4 or 5 screens off one card. Unfortunately I don't think MST hubs are going to be available for a while.

Hi Silvune

Thanks again, this is the setup i have decided to go with, could you please have one more look over it and let me know if you think their are any ways i could improve etc? I cant get a hold of the power supply you suggested Umart is out, anything else that you think will do the job and be abe to handle some overclocking (want to have the option in future, nothing at capacity or close to it though) what would you recommend??

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM $105.00
AMD Phenom II X6 1090T(3.2GHz)AM3 9MBCache125W $228.00
Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H AM3 AMD890GX 4DDR3 2PCIE2.0 RAID GLAN 3FW SATA $181.00
CoolerMaster RC-942-KKN1 HAF X 942 Black No PSU $219.00
Western Digital 2TB Green 64MB SATAII WD20EARS (2 units) $192.00
Corsair Force Series 120GB SSD2.5 MLC SSD, 285/275MB/Sec,SATA II $278.00
Sapphire HD6870 1G GDDR5 PCIE HDMI DP (2 units) $502.00
Mushkin 8G(2x4G) DDR3 1333MHZ PC3-10666 SL CL9 $97.00
Benq GL2230 21.5 inch Wide LED 5ms Dsub DVID (4 units) $600.00

Total $2402.00


Thanks
GB

 

[Silvune]

I cant get a hold of the power supply you suggested Umart is out, anything else that you think will do the job and be abe to handle some overclocking

Here's it's very closely related sibling:
Antec High Current Gamer 620 80Plus Bronze $110
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=140&bid=2&sid=65248
But it includes a power cord, is more efficient, and has better internal build quality.

Antec Truepower New Modular 650W 80Plus Bronze Modular $120
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=140&bid=2&sid=37934
Nice modular power supply, has a few more 12V rail amps than the Neo Eco or HCG620

This has really long cables so you won't need to use an extension cable to get your ATX12/EPS12V (cpu) cable routed behind the motherboard tray:
Silverstone Strider Plus ST75F-P 750W 80Plus Silver Modular $150
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=140&bid=2&sid=65959
It is also fully modular and even more efficient again.

 

[gb0001]

Best answer selected by gb0001.

 

[gb0001]

Hi Silvune

Thank you for all your help i now have everything i need and it comes in just under budget which is fantastic. I think that it is great that their are people like your self out their dedicating time to help others with their enquiries. Thanks again for all your help!

GB

 

[Silvune]

No problem mate, hope it all goes well.