TV or multi monitor for new rig??

[huntrik]

Here is what I am buying in about 2 days. I had planned on using a 40" LED-LCD or Plasma to play on but now Im seriously considering going with a triple monitor setup. Need some Pro's and Con's on both. On my last rig, I played on a 40" HDTV and didn't mind it but I also wasn't running dual SLI GPU's. Any thoughts on this would be great. THX!!


CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($83.74 @ Mwave)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Hitachi Deskstar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung 830 Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($190.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($416.45 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($416.45 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF X ATX Full Tower Case ($164.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: SteelSeries Merc Stealth Wired Ergonomic Keyboard ($88.47 @ CompUSA)
Mouse: Razer RZ01-00510100-R3U1 Wireless Laser Mouse ($109.99 @ eCost)
Other: Nostromo Game Pad
Total: $2097.03


Hunt

 

[geofelt]

A very nice top end build!

There are a limited number of games that will support triple monitor gaming.
If one of them is a big thing to you, then by all means get three monitors.
You certainly have the graphics horsepower to drive a combined 6m pixels from 3 1080P(1920 x 1080) displays.

The distance you will sit from the displays may play a part in your choice. a 40" display may look grainy up close, on a desktop, but would be sufficiently immersive from a greater distance. You already have a feel for this.

What you might want to consider is starting with a 27" 2560 x 1440 monitor. They are expensive, in the $700 range.
But they have better display technology, with wider viewing angles(178/178 vs. 170/160)
30" 2560 x 1600 displays are less common, and they are in the $1000 range. I have two, bought long ago.
One of the best pc investments I have made.
Great monitors are one of the few future proof pc purchases you can make today.

You could start with a single 2560 x 1440 monitor, and then add the side monitors later if you feel that you will get the value out of the triple monitor games you want to play.

 

[hilltopmonk]

CON for TV - if you get a cheap TV, due to pixel size and dithering methods, you will end up with a crap desktop and gaming experience. experienced this with trying to use my 32" Samsung LCD after using my new 32" Sony LED, was not impressed. - ok for watching films on tho.

Monitors do not do this, they are of a much higher picture standard.

 

[huntrik]

When considering a HDTV to use as a monitor, is there anything I should look for in terms of design? i.e. technical specs I should be aware of. I am partial to Samsung. Thanks again!

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Personally not a fan of of TV's ..... wen ya get close enough to feel the immersion, you can see individual pixels. For triple monitors, I'd use these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236092

The Asus VG236H comes with a set of 3D glasses and the Asus VG236E is the same monitor w/o the glasses, but I haven't seen the latter in ages. personally, I'm not a fan of 3D movies but when I played Batman AC on the 120Hz monitor I really enjoyed the effect.

On the rest of the build .... these are all good parts but some points to ponder

If you will be looking for the highest OC's on your twin GPU's and CPU, I'd move up tot he HX850.

If you will eb just moderately overclocking, the TX750 will do just fine, better yet the XFX Core Edition 750 gets the same 9.5 jonnyguru performance rating and is usually significantly cheaper, but right now Corsair has a special 155 off promo.

TX750 V2 - $83.50 after 15% promo and $10 MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021

XFX Core Edition 7850 - $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207015

The Noc is a very good cooler, but the Phanteks does better as does the Silver Arrow. The fans on teh Arrow are super quiet but just as ugly as the Noc's. The Phanteks has a 5 year warranty (Noc's is 1) , great aesthetics and quiet.

http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/phanteks_ph_tc14pe_cpu_cooler_review,14.html

Are those RAM heat sinks gonna fit under the CPU cooler ? I use these which are low profile and have the benefit of low (1.35v) voltage
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233199&Tpk=Corsair%20White

Might consider the Mushkin Chronos Deluxe shares THG's tier 1 performance category with the Samsung 830. But it's equipped with toshiba premium extended long life toggle mode flash and is still cheaper

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226226
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=tweaktown+chronos&ei=UTF-8&fr=moz35

 

[DarkOutlaw]

on a side note you may want to buy some extention cables for your 24 and 8 pin mobo plugs so you can run them behind the mounting plate.

 

[huntrik]

I just threw that cooler in for now, I am considering water cooling this rig. I won't have to worry about RAM hight after that but that sniper RAM is pretty low pro compared to many others. I may consider stepping up to the 850W cause Im going to OC the s**t out of this machine.

DarkOutlaw: I have already taken that in to account, thx

Hunt

 

[geofelt]

I just threw that cooler in for now, I am considering water cooling this rig. I won't have to worry about RAM hight after that but that sniper RAM is pretty low pro compared to many others. I may consider stepping up to the 850W cause Im going to OC the s**t out of this machine.

DarkOutlaw: I have already taken that in to account, thx

Hunt

The purpose of water cooling is to extract the highest possible oc from your chip.
With a 3570K, oc is easy, perhaps to 4.2-4.4 range, until you need to start increasing the core voltage. Then the heat intensity ramps up very quickly. A all in one cooler will not raise that limit in a well cooled case, like yours. When mounted, according to instructions, to draw in fresh air to cool the radiator, it will help to cool the cpu. But... the exhausted hot air will be dumped into the case, heating up the graphics cards. In addition, the all in one fans have to work harder to push sufficient air through the radiator, and they will be noisy. All in all, I am not in favor of them.

But, if you don't mind spending for extra performance, why not use a single GTX690? Yes, it is a bit more expensive than 2 GTX670 cards, , but you will get better gpu cooling, quieter operation, and lower power requirements