Advice on new gaming build for a noob

[davidstrongarm]

Hi guys,

I'm going to build a new computer soon. I was hoping for some advice on my proposed parts e.g. any bad choices here or compatibility problems.

Approximate Purchase Date: Next 3 months
Budget Range: No limit...well...happy to spend a lot money
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, plus some rendering of vidoes/multimedia graphics
Preferred Website for Parts: PC Case Gear
Location: Sydney, Australia
Overclocking: Definitely no
SLI or Crossfire: Definitely no
Your Monitor Resolution: 6024x1080 120Hz (3 monitors @ 1920x1080)
Additional Comments: A case that keeps the dust out

CPU: Intel Core i7 3960X
I know this may seem like overkill for a gaming system but I would like the fastest CPU for rendering of vidoes/multimedia graphics

CPU Cooler: CoolerMaster X6
I'm not overclocking. This should do the job shouldn't it?

GPU: ASUS GeForce GTX 690
I'm pretty sure this is currently the only card that supports 3 monitors @ 120Hz

RAM: ??? Any of these ???
I've done some research on RAM but honestly I can't find much info on how much of a noticeable difference different clock speeds/GBs of RAM actual make. For example, what exactly is going to be the difference between 16GB 2400MHz and 32GB 1600MHz?

Motherboard: ASUS P9X79 Pro
I'm not overclocking. It seems there are a whole heap of expensive MBs on the market but they all seem to be aimed at overclockers? This MB will utilize my CPU, potentially 32GB of RAM, plus my GTX 690 alright shouldn't it?

PSU: Corsair TX-850 V2
Should be easily enough power? Corsair have a good reputation for PSUs don't they?

Soundcard: ASUS Xonar Essence ST

Monitors: 3 x ASUS VG278HE 27in Widescreen 3D
Only conditions on the monitors are 27", 120Hz, 1920x1080 (or 1920x1200). I actually don't care about 3D.

Case: NZXT Switch 810
Something big that keeps the dust out!

OS: Windows 7 64bit

Any advice or opinions would be welcome. This will be the first system I've built entirely by myself.

Thanks,
Dave.

 

[lt_dan_zsu]

I would honestly get two 680's instead of a 690. They will perform better than one 690 or 2 680's would even do the job. For ram I would go wih 16gb ram. I don't think you would need more for your programs. If you really need 2011 socket, why not just get this cpu.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116492
also, for lga 1155 there are these that would do sli and would save a lot compared to your mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130645
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293
and an i7 cpu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116501
You really won't get that much better performance, I don't think, with most apps, and you will just be getting deminishing returns. Especially for gaming. How much rendering will you be doing? I honestly wouldn't get one of those 6 core i7's unless that is how you make your living. If that is, I would understand getting that 3960x, because that slight increase in performance will give you more profit.

 

[davidstrongarm]

I would honestly get two 680's instead of a 690. They will perform better than one 690 or 2 680's would even do the job. For ram I would go wih 16gb ram. I don't think you would need more for your programs. If you really need 2011 socket, why not just get this cpu.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116492
also, for lga 1155 there are these that would do sli and would save a lot compared to your mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130645
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293
and an i7 cpu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116501
You really won't get that much better performance, I don't think, with most apps, and you will just be getting deminishing returns. Especially for gaming. How much rendering will you be doing? I honestly wouldn't get one of those 6 core i7's unless that is how you make your living. If that is, I would understand getting that 3960x, because that slight increase in performance will give you more profit.

Thanks for your response.

You're not the first person to tell me that that CPU is over-the-top for my needs...and seeing as though the i7-3930K that you linked is literally half the price I think you're probably right. Rendering is just a hobby (a serious hobby), not something I make any profit out of or anything.

And so you reckon the mobo I've chosen is overkill? i.e. won't give me any advantage over the ones you've linked?

Cheers.

 

[lt_dan_zsu]

The motherboards I linked were for the other i7 I listed, which is a 3770k, an 1155 cpu. The advantages to you mobo is it is quad channel as opposed to dual channel, and probably has some special features. I think yours could do 4 way sli, but I am not sure. I don't know if it could do two way though. But Only get one of the mobos I listed if you choose to go with an 1155 i7, as it will not work with the 3930k. Also I still think it might be a good idea to get two 670's or 2 680's.

 

[DarkSable]

Honestly, I would go with three 670's. They're about the cost of a 690 after you put an aftermarket cooler on it, and when overclocked, blow the hell out of anything else.

 

[lt_dan_zsu]

I'm not sure that mobo can do threeway sli. It looks like it can do 2-way and 4-way, but I may be wrong. Also look at these benchmarks.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_670_SLI/3.html
Consider if you really need better than this.

 

[Delirious788]

For your resolution you might want to look at HD 7970s GHz Ed. 3GB of vram helps with the 3 monitors/resolution size and can still support 120hz from what I understand. And just think of 2 in crossfire...lots of fps for games. I would good with the i7-3930K and the asus MB will support whatever gpu configuration you choose except for quad sli, so 4 nvidia cards.

 

[BreadWhistle]

I know that money isn't an issue, but you can get this badass case for $100 less...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146073

 

[Why_Me]

Thanks for your response.

You're not the first person to tell me that that CPU is over-the-top for my needs...and seeing as though the i7-3930K that you linked is literally half the price I think you're probably right. Rendering is just a hobby (a serious hobby), not something I make any profit out of or anything.

And so you reckon the mobo I've chosen is overkill? i.e. won't give me any advantage over the ones you've linked?

Cheers.

Running that resolution on a single card for a build that you plan on gaming with is not a smart move. skip the 6990 and grab yourself either two gtx 670 3GB/4GB cards or two 7970's. Anything less and your going to be regretting it for sure.

 

[davidstrongarm]

Thanks for all of the ideas guys, much appreciated.

Running that resolution on a single card for a build that you plan on gaming with is not a smart move. skip the 6990 and grab yourself either two gtx 670 3GB/4GB cards or two 7970's. Anything less and your going to be regretting it for sure.

But from the benchmarks I've seen there is hardly any difference between 680 SLI and a single 690, even at those ultra high triple monitor resolutions (here's some for example's sake). FPS differences seem to be no more than 10% extra/worse. Or am I missing something?

The real kicker is the extra heat. I'm not interested in any sort of custom cooling. Then there's also the potential driver issues which inevitably seem to pop up from time to time with dual GPUs and certain games, especially brand new games.

So I'm really set on a single nVidia card at the moment. I'm pretty sure the current top ATI card, the 7970, can't support 3 monitors ALL at 120Hz. I may be wrong about that.