Finished Order $4600 gaming setup

[jacktesterson]

Wow two 670s "pratically" forms the same speed? Thats weird because last I checked 2 x 680 marginalllly performs better than 1 x 690, so curious how those 670s are so fast? Plus I wasn't looking to save money, I wanted 1 card with big power, and with this in mind I can pick up a second 690 down the road and be done with it

I find it hard to recommend a 680 over a 670 any time

 

[lehtv]

Wow two 670s "pratically" forms the same speed? Thats weird because last I checked 2 x 680 marginalllly performs better than 1 x 690, so curious how those 670s are so fast?

That's exactly how. If 2x 680 perform marginally faster than 690, then 2x 670 perform nearly the same as 690.

http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/39605-nvidia-geforce-gtx-670-sli-vs-the-beasttm/

Plus I wasn't looking to save money, I wanted 1 card with big power, and with this in mind I can pick up a second 690 down the road and be done with it

Yeah, Quad-SLI GTX 690 with only 2GB VRAM sounds like a GREAT idea.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Lol@duel 680s with 2gb vram

 

[moonbogg]

Nice rig. My only concern (and its a legit one) is the amount of Vram on that card for 2560x1600. You know the card sais 4gb, but its really 2gb, and 2gb is reeeeally pushing it for that size monitor. I would certainly go with two 4gb GTX 670's if Nvidia is who you prefer.

 

[mfenn]

I thought about 2 x 680s, but I'm not a fan of dual cards when I can get 2 cards in 1 card. It's less power and less heat. I could always throw a second 690 in there if I need to but with the current performance of 1 I don't see why I'd have to do that. As for memory I'll run it with the 8 GB and see how it does, if it is not up to par I'll just pick up two more sticks.

That's not really how it works. Packing two GPUs into the same space as one is always going to result in compromises. The GTX 690 is hotter, louder, more expensive, and slower at 2560x1600 than two GTX 670's.

 

[RaistlinZ]

That's not really how it works. Packing two GPUs into the same space as one is always going to result in compromises. The GTX 670 is hotter, louder, more expensive, and slower at 2560x1600 than two GTX 670's.

^ He means the 690. mfenn has been partying too hard last night.

 

[SPBHM]

Read thread -> post reply.

not

Post cluelessly.

I've read the post before posting, and that's why I asked,

so again, why no 3930K? it's more expensive but given the budget it makes more sense, it's a superior CPU, and shows a small advantage in some games, also it supports full pcie 16x for dual VGA

the sandy bridge to ivy bridge improvements were mostly on power usage and IGP performance, Sandy Bridge-e have 2 extra cores, a lot more l3 cache and memory bandwidth (and PCIE)

 

[Rockinfella2k]

I've read up on a bunch of benchmarks comparing the 2 x 670s and the 1 x 690 at the top end resolution with maxxed out settings and every time the 690 beats it in frame rates. So I can't see a reason to unload the 690 for lower ranged cards that do not perform as well. Once you start OC'ing the 690 then it pulls far ahead of the 670s.

 

[DominionSeraph]

Can I play?

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sqPj

 

[lehtv]

I've read up on a bunch of benchmarks comparing the 2 x 670s and the 1 x 690 at the top end resolution with maxxed out settings and every time the 690 beats it in frame rates.

The difference is framerates is so small that it would not impact your gameplay experience and certainly doesn't come even close to justifying the $250 increase in cost, or the lower amount of VRAM and $100 higher cost versus 670 4GB's.

So I can't see a reason to unload the 690 for lower ranged cards that do not perform as well. Once you start OC'ing the 690 then it pulls far ahead of the 670s.

I'm afraid that 670 overclocks better than 690...

 

[mfenn]

^ He means the 690. mfenn has been partying too hard last night.

Sorry, I started out with the comparison going from 670 to 690 instead of 690 to 670 and forgot to switch everything.

 

[mfenn]

The difference is framerates is so small that it would not impact your gameplay experience and certainly doesn't come even close to justifying the $250 increase in cost, or the lower amount of VRAM and $100 higher cost versus 670 4GB's.

I'm afraid that 670 overclocks better than 690...

:thumbsup: All the reviews I found were with 2GB 670's where the performance is basically even. 2GB per card is barely enough at 2560x1600 for current games and will be a big problem going into future games.

 

[Rockinfella2k]

Just got back in from Overseas. All the parts are here I need to start working on this monster. As for 2GB vram not being enough, if Ultra Settings on BF3 at over 100FPS isn't enough then I guess nothing will ever be. I will get er built and post some pics....I appreciate all the comments, most being about money which I don't really care about, I just wanted the best I could find but keep everything working smoothly together.

Just to clear up I know 2 x 670s is cheaper than a 690, but again NO benchmark is saying that at my resolution on max settings it will perform better, and I don't care about the 250$ savings, same goes with getting a cheaper power supply, sure I may only need 800 Watts but to me I want a 1200 watt one lol.


Sure I could have gotten cheaper memory, but what I got will perform as good as the 1866 memory if not slightly better, if I need another 8GBs I will simply hop on new egg and order 2 more sticks no problems.


Thanks again for the comments, if anybody is still reading this, I'll have new pics up soon and I'll run some benchmarks if you want.

 

[Sleepingforest]

The only problem I have with this build is you could probably go with a three monitor setup with $4600:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/taiK
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/taiK/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/taiK/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Prolimatech PRO-MGH-C CPU Cooler ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.95 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 6GB Video Card (CrossFire) ($608.49 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 6GB Video Card (CrossFire) ($608.49 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec P280 ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($24.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Dell U2713HM 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($649.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Dell U2713HM 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($649.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Dell U2713HM 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($649.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($136.45 @ B&H)
Keyboard: Ducky DK9087 Shine II Wired Standard Keyboard ($135.00 @ Mechanical Keyboards)
Mouse: Cyborg R.A.T.7 Albino Wired Laser Mouse ($93.98 @ Newegg)
Other: Corsair SP120 High Performance Edition (Two Pack) ($23.99)
Total: $4656.23
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

If I didn't pick such an expensive KB/M it would be much cheaper (I figure at $4600, going up an extra $60 doesn't matter much).

7970s in Crossfire perform at approximately the level of a 690 at stock levels according to Anandtech's Bench, but the 7970s have more memory and can overclock higher.

 

[mfenn]

Just got back in from Overseas. All the parts are here I need to start working on this monster. As for 2GB vram not being enough, if Ultra Settings on BF3 at over 100FPS isn't enough then I guess nothing will ever be.

Sorry bud, you're only going to get that during scripted SP sequences. 64-player multiplayer is a whole different beast.

As for VRAM, BF3 isn't the only game in the world. Skyrim for example regularly runs out of memory on a 2GB card which causes performance to subsequently tank. Hence the statement that GTX 670 4GB is in general faster than a GTX 690.

 

[Rockinfella2k]

The only problem I have with this build is you could probably go with a three monitor setup with $4600:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/taiK
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/taiK/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/taiK/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Prolimatech PRO-MGH-C CPU Cooler ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.95 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 6GB Video Card (CrossFire) ($608.49 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 6GB Video Card (CrossFire) ($608.49 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec P280 ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($24.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Dell U2713HM 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($649.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Dell U2713HM 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($649.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Dell U2713HM 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($649.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($136.45 @ B&H)
Keyboard: Ducky DK9087 Shine II Wired Standard Keyboard ($135.00 @ Mechanical Keyboards)
Mouse: Cyborg R.A.T.7 Albino Wired Laser Mouse ($93.98 @ Newegg)
Other: Corsair SP120 High Performance Edition (Two Pack) ($23.99)
Total: $4656.23
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

If I didn't pick such an expensive KB/M it would be much cheaper (I figure at $4600, going up an extra $60 doesn't matter much).

7970s in Crossfire perform at approximately the level of a 690 at stock levels according to Anandtech's Bench, but the 7970s have more memory and can overclock higher.

Wow interesting build. I thought about doing a 3 monitor setup, but I need to be able to ship this overseas and I don't know how much space I will have...Currently I'm at my parents and there is absolutely no room for 3 monitors, so I just stuck with simplicited 1 big monitor. Cool build though for sure for a 3 monitor setup.

 

[SP33Demon]

I would have went dual monitor (waaay cheaper than what you spent on a monitor if you got something a little more cost effective) and dual 690's SLI. You mentioned you were concerned about power and heat but somehow I doubt that if you're buying a 1200W Power Supply which will be $10 in increased electric bill/month alone. Hell I'm putting together a quad core 3570K w/ 16GB of RAM @150Watts for less than 1/7 of your cost ($700) and 1/4 the size (I can put the box my backpack). While I won't be getting your framerates since I don't have a GPU (but option to upgrade if I feel the need), Intel Integrated HD 4000 allegedly gets 80+ frames in WoW.
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/4926493163

My point is that you may be going way overkill on this just to get an extra 20 frames in WoW, including a $5-10 increase in electric every month.

 

[Rockinfella2k]

True, but it is worth an extra 400 or 500 for an extra 20 FPS. Either way the computer will be ok, I'm happy with the purchase overkill or not, I worked 2 years in Afghan and I said when I get back I will buy whatever I want for my next build.

 

[chaojohnson]

I noticed you bought FSX. Not sure if you're an aviation enthusiast or not, but if you are, buy the PMDG 747-400X addon (or just pirate it, I guess).

 

[SP33Demon]

True, but it is worth an extra 400 or 500 for an extra 20 FPS. Either way the computer will be ok, I'm happy with the purchase overkill or not, I worked 2 years in Afghan and I said when I get back I will buy whatever I want for my next build.

Yeah it's all good and agreed, it's worth 400-500 to get the 20 fps since you've already committed to it and really need high performance.

Just the fact that you're on here means you're ahead of 98% of users who aren't smart enough to research information on builds and just buy omgalienware systems (and overpay out the ass for what they get). Hope you enjoy your new rig.

 

[Paul98]

Isn't that only a 60hz monitor?

 

[nikola1970]

Can I play?

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sqPj

This is a way way better! :thumbsup:

 

[Ben90]

Can I play?

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sqPj

This is a way way better!

I would still drop the dual GPU for a dual socket 2011 board.

 

[Sleepingforest]

I would still drop the dual GPU for a dual socket 2011 board.

Why on earth would you need a dual socket 2011 for gaming? For a server or CPU-intensive tasks, maybe, but in gaming, the GPU is usually the bottleneck. (I would personally switch to 7970s for the increased memory, drop a SSD, and trade in the single 30" for 3 27" monitors).

The OP doesn't have room for three monitors though, which is a shame.

 

[louagn18o3]

Somehow, I sense a troll here.