My First Build

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   Right now I have a computer I built myself, but recently the sound card has died, the video card is going, and it's just time to upgrade. It's been 5 years now. I should also mention I have three monitors I'd like to keep working with the new system.

Budget:

My budget is 2,500 - 3,000. I could maybe go a little over (3500) if it means a big jump in performance. When I customized my PC on digital storm, It came to 3,900, which is far over budget. I'm not sure what I could remove to shave off some of the price without sacrificing performance.

Expectations:

I want a triple monitor setup (already have the monitors), capable of some serious multitasking. Now, my HUGE main priority is making sure these monitors work. I dont know much about if the graphic card needs SLI capabilities or not, so I'll let you guys help me with that.

Usage:

I do a ton of multitasking, right now I have probably 20 windows open and they're all doing something important. I do a little bit of gaming, but when I actually decide to play a game, I want it to perform at its best on the maximum settings while I still have a lot going on in the background. I also do a lot of programming and graphics design work, so it isn't unusual for all 3 monitors to be filled with various memory-intensive applications.

Right now here are my usage statistics (this is low compared to the norm, since I just started my PC):

Processes: 110

Memory usage: 3.12gb / 4.093 gb

Physical memory: 78%

CPU Usage: 25%

Not sure if that will help, but I need as much memory as I can get. 

Special Needs:

I want this thing to be as silent as possible, and I want priority given to a good sound card and a good video card that will work with all three of these monitors. I cant say much about overclocking, I want this thing to last for a LONG time, but I also want to squeeze out as much performance as I can. Oh. Blue lighting is really cool too.  

Below is what I've built so far, I couldnt decide a good ammount of RAM, but I figured for the way I use this computer, the more the merrier. 

Saved Ticket #: 605946 

Specifications:

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Black OPS HailStorm Edition

Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish

Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish

Processor: Intel Core i7 960 3.2GHz (Quad Core)

Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth X58 (Intel X58 Chipset) (Features USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s)

System Memory: 24GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified (Highly Recommended) (6x4GB Sticks) 

Power Supply: 800W Corsair GS (Dual SLI Compatible)

Expansion Bay: - No Thanks

Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (120GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: 320 Series)

Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks

Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 2x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (64MB Cache) (Model: Black Edition) 

Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks

Optical Drive 1: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) 

Optical Drive 2: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) 

Internet Access: !PROMOTION: Killer 2100 (Optimized for Online Gaming) Lag and Latency Reduction 

Video Card: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 1.5GB (Includes PhysX) (Overclocked EVGA Edition)

Add-on Card: - No Thanks

Sound Card: Auzen X-Fi Hometheater HD 7.1 (Model: AZTHTHD02817) (PCI-Express Slot Based) 

Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Asetek Liquid CPU Cooler (120mm Radiator) (Great Value)

H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected

Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans

Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Blue) 

Enhancements: - No Thanks

Chassis Mods: - No Thanks

Noise Reduction: Noise Suppression Package Stage 2 (Optimized Airflow & Fan Speeds with Noise Dampening Material) 

LaserMark: - No Thanks

Boost Processor: FREE: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Cooling Upgrade Recommended)

Boost Video Card: - 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 7 Ultimate (64-Bit Edition) 

Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows 7 CD)

Virus Protection: - No Thanks

Office: - No Thanks

Install/Test Game: - No Thanks

Display: - No Thanks

Surge Shield: APC 1500VA Uninterruptible Backup Surge Conditioner (Recommended) 

Speakers: - No Thanks

Keyboard: - No Thanks

Mouse: - No Thanks

External Storage: - No Thanks

Exclusive T-Shirt: - No Thanks

Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed

Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty

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invadercow Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 15 Oct 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 17	Quote Reply Topic: My First Build Posted: 15 Oct 2011 at 4:04pm
	Right now I have a computer I built myself, but recently the sound card has died, the video card is going, and it's just time to upgrade. It's been 5 years now. I should also mention I have three monitors I'd like to keep working with the new system. Budget: My budget is 2,500 - 3,000. I could maybe go a little over (3500) if it means a big jump in performance. When I customized my PC on digital storm, It came to 3,900, which is far over budget. I'm not sure what I could remove to shave off some of the price without sacrificing performance. Expectations: I want a triple monitor setup (already have the monitors), capable of some serious multitasking. Now, my HUGE main priority is making sure these monitors work. I dont know much about if the graphic card needs SLI capabilities or not, so I'll let you guys help me with that. Usage: I do a ton of multitasking, right now I have probably 20 windows open and they're all doing something important. I do a little bit of gaming, but when I actually decide to play a game, I want it to perform at its best on the maximum settings while I still have a lot going on in the background. I also do a lot of programming and graphics design work, so it isn't unusual for all 3 monitors to be filled with various memory-intensive applications. Right now here are my usage statistics (this is low compared to the norm, since I just started my PC): Processes: 110 Memory usage: 3.12gb / 4.093 gb Physical memory: 78% CPU Usage: 25% Not sure if that will help, but I need as much memory as I can get. Special Needs: I want this thing to be as silent as possible, and I want priority given to a good sound card and a good video card that will work with all three of these monitors. I cant say much about overclocking, I want this thing to last for a LONG time, but I also want to squeeze out as much performance as I can. Oh. Blue lighting is really cool too. Below is what I've built so far, I couldnt decide a good ammount of RAM, but I figured for the way I use this computer, the more the merrier. Saved Ticket #: 605946 Specifications: Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Black OPS HailStorm Edition Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i7 960 3.2GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth X58 (Intel X58 Chipset) (Features USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s) System Memory: 24GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified (Highly Recommended) (6x4GB Sticks) Power Supply: 800W Corsair GS (Dual SLI Compatible) Expansion Bay: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (120GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: 320 Series) Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 2x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (64MB Cache) (Model: Black Edition) Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks Optical Drive 1: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) Optical Drive 2: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) Internet Access: !PROMOTION: Killer 2100 (Optimized for Online Gaming) Lag and Latency Reduction Video Card: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 1.5GB (Includes PhysX) (Overclocked EVGA Edition) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Auzen X-Fi Hometheater HD 7.1 (Model: AZTHTHD02817) (PCI-Express Slot Based) Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Asetek Liquid CPU Cooler (120mm Radiator) (Great Value) H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Blue) Enhancements: - No Thanks Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Noise Reduction: Noise Suppression Package Stage 2 (Optimized Airflow & Fan Speeds with Noise Dampening Material) LaserMark: - No Thanks Boost Processor: FREE: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Cooling Upgrade Recommended) Boost Video Card: - 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 7 Ultimate (64-Bit Edition) Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows 7 CD) Virus Protection: - No Thanks Office: - No Thanks Install/Test Game: - No Thanks Display: - No Thanks Surge Shield: APC 1500VA Uninterruptible Backup Surge Conditioner (Recommended) Speakers: - No Thanks Keyboard: - No Thanks Mouse: - No Thanks External Storage: - No Thanks Exclusive T-Shirt: - No Thanks Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty

DST4ME Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS ELITE Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758	Quote Reply Posted: 15 Oct 2011 at 4:08pm
	You got it all wrong, that is the old platform. let me ask you a few questions. what are your monitor's res? are you planing on gaming across all 3 monitors? 110 processes are too many, you got bs running in the background that does not need to run. Edited by DST4ME - 15 Oct 2011 at 4:09pm
	Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers

invadercow Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 15 Oct 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 17	Quote Reply Posted: 15 Oct 2011 at 4:16pm
	What do you mean its the old platform? My monitor resolutions are 1680x1050 I've never played a game accross all 3 monitors since I could never get it to work, so no, I'll probably never bother with that.

DST4ME Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS ELITE Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758	Quote Reply Posted: 15 Oct 2011 at 4:24pm
	LOL ok so all you need basically is to run the 1680x1050 res at max settings in most games. thats easy. old platform means there is a newer more powerful platform that has come out already. the p67 and 2600k will beat the 960 up and down the street all day with their eyes closed and hands tied behind their backs, lol. so now I'm gonna give you some info, and based on your answer I'm gonna give you a build that will out due your config for less, unless your needs change after I tell you this: to run your res at max, a 570 gtx is more then enough. now this is the tricky part, you can game across all there monitors but you gonna want a system that can do dual sli and possibly give you tri sli option. the dual sli we can do easy on the p67, but to have the option for tri sli properly, we need to wait for the highend platform due out nov called teh x79. now the dual sli on p67 is gonna run your around $3000, the highend x79 is gonna be possibly little more expense ( they are not out yet so we don't know prices). so I want you to decide if you are sure you want to game on one monitor or all three later on, cause the build for 1680x1050 is gonna be totally different then build for 3 of those. also let me ask you something, you got 4GB of ram now based on what you said, is that giving you problem now? what kind of apps do you have running? (you said you had like 20) Edited by DST4ME - 15 Oct 2011 at 4:25pm
	Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers

invadercow Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 15 Oct 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 17	Quote Reply Posted: 15 Oct 2011 at 4:38pm
	Right now my monitors are dual SLI'd, but I dont plan on gaming across all 3 in the future. I just play any game on my center monitor. I definitely need all 3 to function though, I just dont need games to span accross them all. I'm not sure if an SLI is even necessary for the way I use these, I'm pretty sure it isnt. The 4gb of RAM is definitely not enough, I originally had 6 but whenever i put in the last stick I would bluescreen, so I just gave up on that. I want this to last a long time in the future, so I'm thinking I'll just go ahead and get 12gb-24gb. Right now here is everything running /Java Applet 606,000K of memory /Java Applet 500,000K of memory Usually I two more open which basically uses all my memory. This is Minecraft and a Minecraft server, the other two are important apps I'll run on any computer I own 24/7. (they use 500,000k each) /Two Iron Browser windows, 5 tabs each. /MSN /AIM /SVChost is using 100,000k of memory, but that's necessary. /A few document windows /Teamviewer That's it right now, except for the random things running in the background like NOD32, Tuneup Utilities, Utorrent, Peerguardian. I've been through this comptuer 100x and I've eliminated most things I really dont need, so a lot of this would run on any computer I own. Edited by invadercow - 15 Oct 2011 at 4:41pm

DST4ME Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS ELITE Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758	Quote Reply Posted: 15 Oct 2011 at 5:01pm
	What os are you on? xp? must be cause pg won't work on vista or win7. is your os 64bit? if you have a pc that has 6 or 12GB of ram, something like Tuneup Utilities are pointless. just giving info. look at this tell me what you think, the stuff that is not in there from your config, is because it was gonna make no difference in performance. Here you go Ticket# 605967 --- $2,743 (To see this build click here) Copy of Specifications: Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master 942 HAF X Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i7 2600K 3.40GHz (Unlocked CPU for Extreme Overclocking) (Quad Core) Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V PRO (Intel Z68 Chipset) (Features Intel Quick Sync Technology) System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 750W Corsair HX (Dual SLI Compatible) Expansion Bay: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (120GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: 320 Series) Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (64MB Cache) (Model: Black Edition) Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks Optical Drive 1: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) Optical Drive 2: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Video Card: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 1.2GB (Includes PhysX Technology) (EVGA Edition) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Auzen X-Fi Hometheater HD 7.1 (Model: AZTHTHD02817) (PCI-Express Slot Based) Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Corsair A70 Dual 120mm Fans High Performance Cooler H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Red) Enhancements: - No Thanks Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Noise Reduction: - No Thanks LaserMark: - No Thanks Boost Processor: Stage 2: Overclock CPU 4.5GHz to 4.8GHz (Requires Pro or Deluxe Series Motherboard) Boost Video Card: - 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 7 Ultimate (64-Bit Edition) Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows 7 CD) Virus Protection: - No Thanks Office: - No Thanks Install/Test Game: - No Thanks Display: - No Thanks Surge Shield: - No Thanks Speakers: - No Thanks Keyboard: - No Thanks Mouse: - No Thanks External Storage: - No Thanks Exclusive T-Shirt: - No Thanks Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty 95% of your noise comes from gpu's fan when underload. the noise package make no real difference 10% at best, but it you trap noise you trap heat, and when you lower fan speeds you lower airlfow. that case you chose does not have great airflow, its for systems with lc.
	Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers

invadercow Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 15 Oct 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 17	Quote Reply Posted: 15 Oct 2011 at 5:08pm
	I'm on Vista and it's 64bit. I figure I'll go ahead and upgrade to windows 7 Ultimate 64bit. I'll probably need to eventually, anyway. This looks put together pretty well, surprisingly cheap too. I added a surge protector, and I think I'll just have two 1TB Harddrives instead of a solid state drive. It comes out to 3000. Pretty good. 1000 cheaper than what I came up with. Do you think I should overclock anything? Edited by invadercow - 15 Oct 2011 at 5:09pm

DST4ME Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS ELITE Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758	Quote Reply Posted: 15 Oct 2011 at 5:11pm
	the ssd has speeds no hdd can can do, don't replace it with a hdd. HDD1 = fast small drive: os/apps/games HDD2 = regular large drive: media/personal/work file storage as for oc, whatever needs to be oced and to what level is already oded to that level on my config. just make sure your vcore is below 1.4 since you gonna run it 24/7.
	Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers

invadercow Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 15 Oct 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 17	Quote Reply Posted: 15 Oct 2011 at 5:13pm
	Alright then, looks like this is done. Thanks for all the help! You've saved me 1,000 dollars and probably a ton of trouble. I'd +rep you if this forum had rep. I'll be orderng this in a few weeks.

DST4ME Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS ELITE Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758	Quote Reply Posted: 15 Oct 2011 at 5:31pm
	Thats nice of you to say, but as long as you are happy and you got your money's worth and saved, that makes my day cause that is all I'm here for the rest DS has you covered
	Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers

coolmasta Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 28 Jan 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 241	Quote Reply Posted: 15 Oct 2011 at 5:40pm
	Can a single 570 hook up to three monitors? I know he's not gaming across 3 but he wants all 3 hooked up at once.
	I7 2600k @ 4.5 Ghz, Noctua D14 8 Gigs Corsair 1600 HAF 922 Evga Gtx 580

DST4ME Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS ELITE Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758	Quote Reply Posted: 15 Oct 2011 at 6:17pm
	I must have misunderstood him then, @invadercow did you want all 3 on at the same time? IF yes then you need to change your gpu to 6970 or 6950, they can do 3 monitors at the same time but nvidia can't do 3 monitors with one card, you would need sli but there is no sense in blowing money on a second gpu for sli, instead one ati 6970/6950 will do great. Edited by DST4ME - 15 Oct 2011 at 6:35pm
	Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers

invadercow Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 15 Oct 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 17	Quote Reply Posted: 15 Oct 2011 at 7:48pm
	Oh, well, yeah I want them all on at the same time. Like right now I have DS on the center monitor, MSN on the right monitor, and A bunch of crap on the left. I can move windows between each monitor. That's how I'm looking to have it setup. So I should change the Nvidia card to a ATI Radeon HD 6950? Should I get the 2x CrossFire Dual 6950 2GB's, or a single? I wouldnt mind spending a little extra if it would make this easier. Apparently to connect a single 6950 to 3 monitors you need some kind of a DVI adaptor or something. http://accellcables.com/products/DisplayPort/DP/mdp_dvi_sl_active.htm Edited by invadercow - 15 Oct 2011 at 8:00pm

coolmasta Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 28 Jan 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 241	Quote Reply Posted: 15 Oct 2011 at 8:00pm
	Nah with that resolution a single 6970 will be great.
	I7 2600k @ 4.5 Ghz, Noctua D14 8 Gigs Corsair 1600 HAF 922 Evga Gtx 580

invadercow Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 15 Oct 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 17	Quote Reply Posted: 15 Oct 2011 at 8:01pm
	Alright, hopefully it works. Id either get dual 6950s or a single 6970. I'll order the adapter tonight. EDIT: I would need to get eyefinity to make these work, right? Right now I have two Geforce cards SLI'd, so I'm not used to AMD. I currently use a program called Ultramon to control the monitors and span the taskbar accross all of them. Is this different with AMD? Does eyefinity do all that? Also, since i wasnt clear earlier, just to restate. Each monitor is 1680x1050. Just making that clear aswell. Edited by invadercow - 15 Oct 2011 at 8:09pm

DST4ME Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS ELITE Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758	Quote Reply Posted: 15 Oct 2011 at 9:46pm
	single 6970 would be fine, yes eyefinity is what you would use. get to know eyefinity here, at the bottom right there are links for how to stuff and things like that.
	Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers

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