2 screen Gaming PC for MMOs

Hey guys. I have recently stumbled up on digital storm via a video on Internet and I must admit that is some exclusive quality going on here. I am currently living in Germany and would like to buy a new pc for my new place which i recently moved in. I have minimal experience with OC and hardware but would like to have a good PC with upgrade capabilities in the future.

So lets get down the business.

Config URL:https://www.digitalstorm.com/configurator.asp?id=1288536

Since my place is really small i am thinking about getting a Bolt 3 model.

I will be mainly playing MMOs like EVE Online with at least 2 clients running on different screens at the same time.

It is NOT a must that I have 144hz monitor or so. 1080p is enough for me. Maybe in the future I might upgrade my monitor though.

Should i wait till January to get Intel Core i7 6700K 4.0GHz or is it also good to have at this point Intel Core i5 6600K 3.5GHz (Codename Skylake) (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core).

Should I increase PSU to 600 W?

For the motherboard should i change it to Pro Gaming version?

Is it smart to upgrade the cooling to H20: Stage 2: Corsair H100i GTX - 240mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (Extreme Performance) or should i leave it default?


My budget is maximum 2000$ for the PC only. It could be streched 200-300 $ for upgraded parts if they are worth it. For the monitor I have extra cash so it would be really cool if you guys give an advice on a monitor as well. The budget for the monitor is around 300-400$.

Some key points to consider. I dont want to have a Satadisk. 500GB SSD is more than enough. CPU and GPU can be overclockable if it is possible in this product line. I found 450W quite low so an upgrade to that would be nice, but maybe i am wrong.

So I am looking forward to read some advices from experienced enthusiasts.

Thanks in advance !

Edited by Chad91 - 08 Dec 2015 at 8:51am

Hi Chad91.....  Here's a build to start with.

Config # 1334492      Cost $ 2314

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Digital Storm Coridium
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i5 6600K 3.5GHz (Codename Skylake) (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING (Intel Z170 Chipset) (Up to 5x PCI-E Devices)
System Memory: 16GB DDR4 2666MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series
Power Supply: 750W EVGA SuperNOVA
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (500GB Samsung 850 EVO)
Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (1TB Western Digital - Black Edition)
Storage Set 3: - No Thanks
RAID Config: - No Thanks
RAID Card: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Graphics Card(s): 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 4GB (ASUS Strix Edition)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Corsair H100i GTX - 240mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (Extreme Performance)
H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a custom HydroLux liquid cooling system selected
Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Blue)
Airflow Control: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock CPU - Up to 4.4GHz (Depends on Cooling and Motherboard)
Boost Graphics Card(s): - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD)
Virus Protection: FREE: McAfee AntiVirus Plus (1 Year Service Activation Card) (Not Pre-installed) ($35

I went with the Corridium case over the Bolt 3.  The Corridium , Corsair 450D, is roomier to work on if ever needed and has veru good cooling.  More flexibility for the future. 

I know you mentioned the Bolt 3 for a tight spacing, but the 450D is 19.4 x 19.5 x 8 and the Bolt 3 is 18 x 15 x 6.   Not a big difference in my opinion. 

Went with the i5-6600k.  All you need for gaming.  The i7 with its hyperthreading is nice, so up to you if you want the added expense and wait.  Its not a bad choice, but the i5 is all most gaming needs.

The 750 watt psu in this build has a 10 year warranty over the psu's 3 yers in the Bolt.  Plus more headroom for future needs.

I put in the H100i for excellent cooling.  If you want the best in reliability the Noctua D15 is the way to go.  It is huge and some don't like it, I do , and it leaves little to go wrong.  The Noctua just work for years with no worries.  The liquid cooling has also come a long ways, so just another choice for you.

The gtx 980 Strix is a strong card.  I don't usually recommend the 980 over the 970.  For the added money, the 980 isn't a big difference over the 970 but in your case with double monitor, the added power, especially the overclocked Strix, will give a better performance.  Plus the Strix has a quality built circuit board with excellent cooling and fans that just turn on when needed. 

This is a bit over budget but does offer more.

You might not need the 16gb ram, but it is becoming standard so up to you if you want to shave some cost and go 8gb. 

Also put in the WD 1 TB HDD for cheap storage for pics, files, documents , older games, etc. 

Hope this helps and good luck.


    jumped in while I was hunt and pecking.     






Edited by bprat22 - 08 Dec 2015 at 10:32am

the other guys gave you some really good build advice so I'll just comment on the monitor selection.

1) judging by your comment it seems like you need some clarification on the differences between "resolution", "refresh rate" and "response time", etc.

resolution is the number of pixels the display can drive at one time and is expressed in this format: i.e. 1920x1080p for vertical and horizontal dimensions. it is normally just shortened to 1080p (1440p/2k, 2160p/4k) when discussed.

refresh rate is the speed of the monitor. i.e. 60Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz, etc.

response time is expressed in ms as a number (1ms, 5ms, etc.)and measures the "lag" of the signal from the display. total lag is response time+ input processing (which won't be revealed except thru testing/review sites).

these are just some examples of the terminologies and things to consider when purchasing a monitor.

there are also different panel technologies that effect: true color, brightness, contrast ratios, viewing angles, etc.

TN panels are the least expensive, fast for gaming, but don't offer good viewing angles, true color, and are generally considered to be inferior when it comes to "image quality".

IPS/VA/and similar tech offer the best viewing angles, true color representation, etc. and their speeds (on the better models) has picked up (there are some 144Hz models out there) to rival TN's greatest advantage. however, IPS in particular has low contrast ratios and what the industry calls "IPS Glow", which can be confused by many as "backlight bleed" (where a soft white light can be seen emanating at the edges of the display on completely black screens). this normally isn't a problem because who looks at a completely black/blank screen all day? but some people are very sensitive to it even while playing games. VA panels, however, have great contrast ratios (very deep blacks), but come with their own set of issues/tradeoffs. for one they're generally slower than IPS.

at any rate, you can read up on all this stuff at your leisure. I just wanted to touch some basic bases. if 1080p is fine for you, I would still advise getting a fast (120 or 144Hz) 1080p monitor. if true color and viewing angles don't matter to you, go with a TN panel.

if you'd like a specific recommendation from me please give me answers to the following:

1) list your preferences in order of priority to you: price, image quality, speed, resolution, build quality, I/O variety.



Edited by db188 - 08 Dec 2015 at 4:17pm

Originally posted by db188 if you'd like a specific recommendation from me please give me answers to the following: 1) list your preferences in order of priority to you: price, image quality, speed, resolution, build quality, I/O variety.

That is an interesting read thank you for your time to answer my questions

Well my preferences are respectively : Viewing Angle( it is going to be used in a bright room with multiple windows. So i guessImage Quality comes first. Resolution comes second, Price , Build Quality , Speed, Input output variety

If i am investing in a powerful card that amount of money i think i should also buy a really decent monitor.

The Velox has an excellent fan config for cooling. For sli 2x Strix the added side fans would help kick the heat away from the cards because the Strix does empty a lot of its heat into the case.    For a single Strix, most of the cases here would be fine.   

If i am investing in a powerful card that amount of money i think i should also buy a really decent monitor.

exactly this. if you're planning on gaming at 1080p (for example) a GTX 970 (I'll stick with Nvidia here for the example) will be more than sufficient. that's a ~$335 card. you should plan to spend at least that for a monitor to compliment it. let's say you want to move up to 2k/1440p gaming. if you want to cover all of the bases for every current game you might consider a GTX 980ti. that's a ~$700 card (depending on brand/model). you can get a really good IPS 144Hz G-sync monitor (Acer Predator 27" XB270HU) for around that price.

Originally posted by Chad91 Originally posted by db188 If i am investing in a powerful card that amount of money i think i should also buy a really decent monitor. exactly this. if you're planning on gaming at 1080p (for example) a GTX 970 (I'll stick with Nvidia here for the example) will be more than sufficient. that's a ~$335 card. you should plan to spend at least that for a monitor to compliment it. let's say you want to move up to 2k/1440p gaming. if you want to cover all of the bases for every current game you might consider a GTX 980ti. that's a ~$700 card (depending on brand/model). you can get a really good IPS 144Hz G-sync monitor (Acer Predator 27" XB270HU) for around that price. http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00LBSZHAI/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2711IH5EJW3RL&coliid=I1RK4C7UX29UZ What would you say to this monitor? It sounds promising to me.

AOC is a decent brand (on the cheaper side). their monitors are generally well-reviewed. this model gets a pretty glowing review from Tom's hardware (although they're not a monitor-specific review site). things to be aware of: this is a version 1 g-sync monitor (meaning you're restricted to just display port for input). this monitor supports both g-sync and ULMB "blur reduction" tech; however, you can only run either or at a time and ULMB restricts speed to 120Hz or lower. neither is a problem, just things to be aware of.

in regards to your stated preferences: you listed image quality and viewing angles as higher priorities, this is a TN panel, so you'll get good straight on visuals, but from the sides and top down/bottom up not so much and no "true color".