Suggestions on my possible upcoming build

[Uhnknown]

Hi all, I am looking to start some serious Multi-boxing, As i'm 16, House arrest for about 2-3 months, And have a bit of "spare" money(Making payments on PC parts from Newegg)

These are the parts of which i will be purchasing, Or most likely purchasing come Monday or Thursday, In between those days.

Mind you, This Desktop is not just for WoW, Also Aion, FPS's, etc.

3x POWERCOLOR AX5770 1GBD5-MDH Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

6x G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9S-4GBRL - Retail

4x VISON V221WD Black 21.6" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1 - Retail

Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail

MSI X58 Pro-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail 3-Way Crossfire/ SLI ready, Easy OC, w/ True Blu-ray Audio

ePOWER EP-1000SC 1000W ATX 12V 2.0-2.2 / EPS 12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Power Supply - OEM

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

RiDATA Ultra-S Plus NSSD-S25-32-C06MPN 2.5" 32GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - Retail

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

RAZER Piranha RZ04-00080100-R3M1 3.5mm Supra-aural Stereo Gaming headphone - Full Multi Language


If anyone has any suggestions on swapping on parts for something suggested, Please let me know, As i'm considering everything. I will be constantly monitoring this post to read suggestions.

Any and all suggestions are appreciated, Thanks again.

[Ualaa]

For warcraft alone, the second video card doesn't help as much as it should.
But you did say this is for other games too, and those are nice cards.

You'll want a 64-bit operating system, I'd probably go with Windows 7, Home Premium, or whatever the equivalent of Home Premium Vista is under Win7.

The old style G15, or the new G11 Logitech Keyboards are very nice for gaming. The new G15 only has six program keys, while the original has 18; they both have 3 banks of keys. More of an accessory, but nice.

A very nice system there.

[Uhnknown]

I've actually just upped the RAM to 16GB, Does 64bit Windows 7, Any version, Support the whole 16GB? I've never had 16GB of ram before, So i wouldn't know if there is a max of any 64bit OS.

And i'll definitely look into those keyboards. But yes, I will definitely be installing a 64 bit OS, Certain it will be Windows 7.

Thankyou.

[moosejaw]

I think you got it covered. Very nice.

Edit: The 64 bit OS (any version) will cover your 16 gb of ram.

[Uhnknown]

Is there a difference in any of the Windows 7 versions? Proffesional, Ultimate, home premium, I am looking at Ultimate right now - I've always gone with that, As i did with Vista.

And yes, Its going to come out to roughly $3000

Also, Does anyone have any suggestions on Water cooling for a i7 920? I cannot seem to find a decently rated water cooling kit for that processor. But i've also read i7's can get to a pretty high temperature, Before actually causing problems, So i don't think i'd be having any problems, But i'm just curious.

Thanks again.

[Uhnknown]

Regardless of this being Overkill or not, I am almost certain it will last for quite some time..Here is the final rough estimate of everything i am most likely purchasing, As i cannot really upgrade any further.


32GB SSD + 1TB HD
6 x 4GB sticks DDR3 1333, 24GB total
MSI X58 Motherboard
i7 920 2.66ghz
OCZ Technology Gaming mouse
1000 Watt ePower Power supply
4x Vision 21.6" LCD Monitors
3x Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 5750 1GB 128bit GDDR5
Antec 1200 Full tower case
Windows 7 Ultimate retail box
Logitech G11 Gaming keyboard
Razer Piranha gaming headset
10 Copies of World of Warcraft


All purchased from www.newegg.com (http://www.newegg.com)

Total being $3,677.82.

[Ualaa]

If you're not overclocking, the stock cooler for an i7 920 is fine.

[Uhnknown]

Alrighty, Thanks. Thats what i read, But just making sure if anyone had second thoughts. I do not plan on overclocking.

Much appreciated :D

[Sajuuk]

Commented below.


32GB SSD + 1TB HD ----Fine
6 x 4GB sticks DDR3 1333, 24GB total ---------WHY? You'd do just peachy with 12 (6x2GB DIMMS), without the price premium.
MSI X58 Motherboard -Okay
i7 920 2.66ghz -okay
OCZ Technology Gaming mouse -yay? (aka, okay)
1000 Watt ePower Power supply -I'd so some more research, this is the heart of your computer, whereas CPU/mobo is the brain.
4x Vision 21.6" LCD Monitors -eeeeeehhh, I'd actually rather go with two big monitors, I myself have four, and two are almost never powered on.
3x Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 5750 1GB 128bit GDDR5 -okay, tri-fire. go you. I'd actually probably just go with a 5870/5850 for raw power, but whatever.
Antec 1200 Full tower case ---SPACE ISSUES WITH THREE DOUBLE-WIDE CARDS.
Windows 7 Ultimate retail box (Okay)
Logitech G11 Gaming keyboard (okay)
Razer Piranha gaming headset (Meh, dunno, so okay)
10 Copies of World of Warcraft


All purchased from www.newegg.com (http://www.newegg.com) -shop around, try to save some money.

Total being $3,677.82. -eeeeeeeeek. You could build two good i7 systems for that money. (and that's only taking the cost of ram into account, you could have one 5750 in each system)

Edit: didn't realize until after I had done most of my comments that you wanted to ten box on one computer - fine, whatever. It'd still be less expensive in my opinion to just get two i7 machines.

Also, for the MSI motherboard, which one was it? The MSI eclipse or a different one? Because if it's the eclipse you'll have issues with the motherboard layout and the case expansion slots (if I'm visualizing it right, you'd be one slot short), the MSI X58 PRO-E doesn't look like it has this kind of issue.

[moosejaw]

Oh you want to ten box. Then I would grab the next processor up (940?) and OC it a bit (3.2-3.4).

For cooling just use the Zalman 9900 air cooler. It is a fantastic heat sink that I use on my OC i7. I wouldn't recomend any water cooling at this time because it leaves your chipsets without sufficient airflow meaning you have to add another fan and do testing to make sure the chipsets aren't overheating. The design of the 9900 makes sure all the heatsinks around the cpu get good airflow.

That setup will run 10 and heat your home just fine. Seriously, close off the heat vent to your room and open a window in the winter. You'll need to, it will get that warm.

[Sajuuk]

Oh you want to ten box. Then I would grab the next processor up (940?) and OC it a bit (3.2-3.4).
Or you could just OC that 920. :)

[paulmr1968]

I'm buying a very similar system - lots of the same components. I'm not planning on 10boxing, but I am planning on overclocking and with the choices you've made I would overclock.

You can easily OC with your setup. I'd get this - Prolimatech Megahalems CPU Cooler - available at crazypc. Combine this with simple fans and it'll work fantastically. A full writeup of this is at Benchmark Reviews. Read this for full info http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=371&Itemid=62

The cooler and the fans with shipping has cost me about $80 and with what you're already spending and it's incremental value, I'd go for it.

[BobGnarly]

I wonder if 10-boxing on one machine is really practical. I mean, you're spending a lot of money here, and I'm just thinking about the logistics of it.

Each core will have 2-3 wows running. This doesn't include whatever other system processes are running. Before I got my CPU affinity setup correctly 5boxing, it was a slideshow in Dalaran. I think wow is a CPU hungry game, and while you have miles of GPU power, you have the same processor that I do.

I can run most of the game at a locked 60fps on main screen, no problem (and that's 2560x1600 resolution too). However, when I get into a 25-man raid, or a big brawl in the courtyard in Wintergrasp, it comes to a crawl. I've even lowered all spell details, lower resolution, minimized slaves, OC video cards - still no help.

I'm not trying to discourage you from trying, I'd just be careful about assuming just buying more video cards and RAM will even things out. I'm guessing you know wow doesn't support SLI, so 2/3 of your cards are nothing more than framebuffers while playing wow. For my money, I'd buy two really nice machines. I know this leaves you with less than awesome for other games, but they would each still be pretty awesome.

Food for thought.

[paulmr1968]

Had another thought after reading Bob's post.

Which software are you planning on using to MB? I'm planning on ISBoxer and one of the reasons I bought a second video card wasn't to use SLI (WoW doesn't support it), but Innerspace allows you to allocate video to different cards. So I plan to have my main toon use one card and my four slaves use the other, in a non-SLI configuration.

I'm not sure if IS supports three cards, so you may want to ask Lax about this.

[Ualaa]

For 10-boxing, I'd probably spend half as much per PC, and go with two PC's.

However, if you're also playing other games, which push the system far harder then wow...
A single killer system will help you, while the second system sits idle.

[Uhnknown]

Thankyou everybody, I have alot of thinking to do before purchasing whatever parts i decide on, All suggestions are considered :D

[Uhnknown]

Another question i have, I have not read alot about this, But would anyone consider dual - monitoring two 42" LCD / Plasma TV's? Of course they would be at 1920 x 1080 resolution. Or would you rather use multiple 19 - 22" monitors, etc.

Any suggestions on that, Would be MUCH appreciated, Have always wondered what would be better, I shall do some research on that now!

Thanks again everyone.

[moosejaw]

The only con for the plus size monitors is you have to turn your head really far to look at each of them. If you want to place them away from you a bit then you have to increase font sizing to read stuff. If you have the space (a large sturdy table for example) you could place them side by side kind of close to you then you can see stuff easier but the back lighting will kill your eyes. :)

[moosejaw]

You should also consider the power limitations of the electrical outlets where the system is going. You are listing alot of gear that if run from one receptacle could be a fire waiting to happen. Divide your load as best you can or get a high amperage outlet installed by a qualified electrician.

[BobGnarly]

Another question i have, I have not read alot about this, But would anyone consider dual - monitoring two 42" LCD / Plasma TV's? Of course they would be at 1920 x 1080 resolution. Or would you rather use multiple 19 - 22" monitors, etc.

Any suggestions on that, Would be MUCH appreciated, Have always wondered what would be better, I shall do some research on that now!

Thanks again everyone.

42" TVs blow as monitors, imo. Go sit 2-3 feet from your TV and tell me how you like the picture.

I have a friend that does this, and loves it (so YMMV), but every time I go over and use his computer I can't wait to get back home where I can't see each pixel. :)

[Smoooth]

You don't need that much ram. I 10 box on one machine with 16gb ram and have never seen more than 10gb used. I have a quadcore processor similar in specs to the 920 i7 and it is definately my bottleneck.

My suggestions would be to save some money by getting less ram and spending it on a board that can take 2 psus and getting 2 i7's.

[Seldum]

For monitors, I use a spare 32" LCD TV (I think - flat screen anyway) as my second monitor, and use a 22" widescreen samsung (computer screen) as my main computer screen. The grafics on the second monitor where my alts are located I rarly look at to be honest. It just need enough details to be able to cast AoE spells, and pick up stuff.

If I need to read something I just swich the toon to the main.

I highly recommend Innerspace and ISboxer!

[Fef]

For 10-boxing and this kind of price, I would go with 8 cores :

http://www.apple.com/macpro/

... or wait for the new 6-8 cores processors.