New system build: Triple monitor gaming, flexible budget (maybe liquid cool)

[Zelotes202]

Hello all you fine people. I have decided to splurge on a new gaming rig (current rig built in 2009, upgraded with SSD and GTX 660 Ti in 2012), and for this one I am really looking to give a bit more muscle to than my current system which was built on a performance but frugal budget.

My objective here is to play all my games (which would be equipped for it) on 3 monitors with extra wide field of view, on max settings. Example games: War Thunder, World of Tanks, Battlefield 4, etc.

It's been 5 years since my last build--and I've never overclocked, run SLI/Xfire, or liquid cooled before--so I come to you experts for your guidance.

Approximate Purchase Date: May-June 2014

Budget Range: $2000 or so, flexible.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming primarily.

Are you buying a monitor: Yes; plan is to run 3 monitors, am looking in the 27" range either ASUS or Samsung. Example. Have not bought any monitors for this system yet.


Parts to Upgrade: All except keyboard/mouse, and SSD.

Do you need to buy OS: Have W7 but am considering W8 if that helps for performance or future-proofing.


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com or amazon.com (but feel free to list from wherever)

Location: Seattle, WA, USA

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU (strong preference); ASUS motherboard (moderate preference); nVidia graphics card (moderate preference unless good case for ATI). Case: Cooler Master or similar.

Overclocking: Yes (but first time doing so)

SLI or Crossfire: Yes (if essential to 3-monitor gaming, which I assume to be the case)

Your Monitor Resolution: at least 1680 x 1050; my current single monitor is 2048 x 1152 so I like high-res as much as practical

Additional Comments: Would like this to play any game (current or near-future) on ultra settings on 3 monitors.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Time to upgrade, current system built in 2009 on a more restricted budget; as my budget has grown of late, so too must my gaming hardware.


Thanks in advance!

 

[Zelotes202]

Perhaps I have been too open-ended, or this is covered in another thread. If the case is the latter, I'd welcome a point in the direction of the best thread that addresses this type of build so I can have a proper starting point. Thanks again!

 

[realchaos]

Is a triple monitor set-up necessary? Are you fine with a single 27" 1440p monitor which will much better image quality?

 

[Zelotes202]

Well triple monitor isn't necessary for most peoole, but in this case that is kind of the whole point of the new build, so yes. My goal here is to game with wide-angle on triple monitors.

 

[realchaos]

Well if all of the monitors need to be 27", then this is an option:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($234.97 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.94 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($689.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec HCG M 850W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Acer H276HLbmid 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($239.99 @ Micro Center)
Monitor: Acer H276HLbmid 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($239.99 @ Micro Center)
Monitor: Acer H276HLbmid 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($239.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $2090.81
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-05 10:35 EDT-0400)

-Overclockable.
-Strongest single gpu for gaming.
-3 27" IPS monitors.
-Able to SLI in the future.

If you're willing to drop down to 3 23" monitors, then you can save ~$300 which can net you a SSD and still be under budget.

 

[Zelotes202]

Thanks! What would you do differently if the monitors were not included in the budget? (I have my eye on some ASUS ones, and have a lot of flexibility in the budget).

 

[realchaos]

I would definitely add a SSD and then maybe grab a XFX 850w psu.

 

[Zelotes202]

Would you SLI or stick with single GPU? (I already have a 120GB SSD for the build). Also you wouldn't go for more than 8GB of memory? Doesn't more screens require more memory? (I might be revealing how little I understand here)

 

[realchaos]

If you really want to, you can go for a second GTX 780 ti if you feel like you'll need the performance. Though before you SLI, I would advise trying out the build with a single 780 ti and test out some games on the triple monitors. If you are getting the performance you hoped for, then stick with one gpu and save the money for when you do need a second one. If you don't feel like you're getting the performance you wanted, then just get a second one.

8gb of ram is plenty for games. The monitor resolution (amount of pixels) only help determines the amount of vram needed. With a triple 1080p set-up, the 3gb vram should be enough. If you want, you can go for crossfire R9-290 which will give extra vram and while the 290 is a bit weaker than the 780 ti, it should still deliver the performance you want.