Super fun gaming computer build proposal thread!

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Tangolima600

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Hey guys, first post. I'm on the verge of drafting my next computer build. I'll try to keep this straight forward on what my intended purpose for this rig.

Purpose
This rig will be used primarily for gaming, mostly FLIGHT SIMS such as DCS Blackshark, Flaming Cliffs 2 and FSX. Secondary games would be Source engine games from Valve (TF2, CS, HL2, etc). I am currently using a dell (2405FPW) 24" monitor and I am toying with the idea of having a three monitor configuration. More on that later in the thread.

Proposed Components

Ideal goals

To have a gaming rig with three monitors (not required) that will be able to play my flight simulators at high settings and resolution (1920x1200 for my monitor currently) for under $2,000


Motherboard

There are too many to choose from but I will propose what it will need to support an Intel core i7 processor. I would love to know what to look for specifically to be better informed when shopping for the right mobo.

CPU

I plan on getting an Intel Core i7 processor from the 2.6-2.8ghz range. When looking on Newegg (my primary site to order my rig, never let me down), I found two i7 processors for the same price:

Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor

Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor

I see a Bloomfield and Lynnfield era processor, not sure what the two differences are, what would be the better pick?

It will need to handle the output of flight sims, which are just as CPU intensive as it is GPU.

Memory

There are a LOT of choices in memory, especially for i7 processors. Only thing I know is I need DDR3 and I need 3 modules. I would love to be enlightened on what else I would need to know.

GPU

I currently have a mobile 7950gtx GPU (I got a clevo gaming laptop :) ), So I got a LOT of choices to pick. Being an Nvidia fan for awhile, I wont knock ATI as they have proven themselves a lot lately. I would like a great card without going SLI/crossfire because of incompatibilities with certain games (as far as I know, please enlighten me if I'm wrong). It will need to be a powerful GPU though.

PSU

PSU would be completely dependent on my GPU and CPU. I'm not sure what I will be needing but a ballpark wattage would be a good way to start. My objective with this post is to build my final proposed components for my rig from input from you guys.


HDD

Planning on getting WD or Samsung 1TB HDD, should be an easy pick


I will eventually find and propose a tower and DVD drives but the peripherals I have the most questions I listed above.

Being this is my first post, I hope I don't get eaten up TOO much, but I'm sure I'll feel a little heat from such a big post as my first.



THANKS!!
 
For the CPU I'd go for the 920, it's one of the best processors out there.

Since you want 3 monitors, you'll either have to purchase a 5870 or two other cards. I'm not sure how well a single 5870 will handle running your flight sim games over three monitors though, I'll pm james for his opinion.
I'd think however that it might be pushing things.

For Memory, DDR3 1600Mhz ram is what you should look for. 3x2GB sets.
 
Thanks for the tips, common sense tells me that having a multi monitor setup is no easy feat for a graphics card and will have to put a ton of money for any game to be playable. Thank you for scoping for additional info about the topic, more knowledge to take in.

I'm reading up on overclocking, specifically for the i7, and the 920 from what I read is capable of going up to 3ghz with a quality aircooling heat sync and a tower to help the airflow. If I do go with OCing, motherboard and memory will need to be considered. From any of you that have overclocked in the past, is it worth it in the long run, what I am concerned with is if I leave the tower idle (for the sake of the server role I plan my computer to take), The excess heat and power consumption of doing nothing for an extended amount of time could eventually cause failure. I'm aware of running 24/7 stress tests to check for such a thing but I just want to hear from people who've done it a lot and hear their 2c.
 
To NOT overclock your 920 would be a crime :p
It is very capable of going up to 4Ghz with a quality heatsink, let alone 3Ghz. When you leave your pc idle, the cores will downclock themselves and even deactivate (if you have these power saving options enabled in teh BIOS), so heat and power consumption will drop dramatically. No worries there.

Even if you overclock your i7, it will last until it is obsolete
 
I bet :)

Overclocking is a vast and mostly unexplored skill I've yet to dive into, been doing a LOT of reading on Overclocker.com's tutorials and a lot to learn... But oportunity to royally brick my new cpu. Suppose when I narrow what motherboard I want, I can research the bios settings to better understand how I will be overclocking.
 
The Asus P6T is a good board for what you want, it'll easily handle a 4Ghz OC on the cpu, and supports a lot of other features as well. Or, if you want USB3 and sata 6Gbps, look into some of Gigabytes lineup. I think the UD3R is pretty good
 
You should really just get a 5870 2GB if you are going Eyefinity. Little spendy, but you will need the extra boost in memory to handle flight sims at such high resolutions that eyefinity brings. Thing is, you will only use all of that power for the flight sims. Source engine games can be all maxed out in Eyefinity with a 5850 in Eyefinity. If you are playing other games though, and want a future proof system for games besides Source engine games, get AT LEAST a single 5870 1GB. There is absolutely no reason to go Eyefinity in anything less than a 5870 unless you don't want to play your games at any sort of high settings.
 
or instead of getting a 2gb 5870 you could get a 5970. its like 2 normal 5870's in 1 card, its just long, or you could get the sexy new 4gb 5970, but that alone is $1000+, but the 2gb 5870 is a great idea, cuz you need a lot of memory to run stuff at high res.
 
or instead of getting a 2gb 5870 you could get a 5970. its like 2 normal 5870's in 1 card, its just long, or you could get the sexy new 4gb 5970, but that alone is $1000+, but the 2gb 5870 is a great idea, cuz you need a lot of memory to run stuff at high res.

The 5970 is not like 2 normal 5870's in CF.... it is more like 2 normal 5850's, and even then I think 2x 5850's out perform a 5970 in some games, minus the extra GB of VRAM that would be needed for Eyefinity.
 
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