Unexpected Windfall = Insane new build

[daviddoran]

I will be receiving an inheritance soon, and it looks like it will be enough to pay off my debt, put a down payment on a house and put away a large sum for savings. I will have about $15k left over and I want to build an insane new rig, and I wanted to run it by y'all before it gets time to order.

Should I wait for the 4GB version of the GTX 680? I considered getting dual 690s but that is just insane, even if I have the money.

I plan on doing a RAID 0 on the 2 Intel SSDs, and use the 2TB drives as storage. I already have a good case.

I'm running 6 now, on 3 nvidia cards, but they all have different resolutions and I can't use surround, or enable SLI. I should be able to hook up 3 28" monitors to the 680s in SLI with surround, and the other 3 can hook up to the 6670, with the Dell 23" using the DisplayPort.

I debated on getting the Dell or HP 30" 2560 x 1600 but even with the money I have, it's hard to justify over a grand for a single monitor, when my 28" HannsG for $275 looks good to me.

Anything else I should add? I'm covered on the keyboard/mouse front.



Qty.
Image
Product Description
Unit Price
Savings
Total Price


1
https://ssl-images.newegg.com/ProductImageCompressAll/11-353-001-10.jpg
DIYPC Alpha-DB6 Black Acrylic ATX Bench Case Bench Computer Case for ATX/Micro ATX motherboard – PC components not included (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811353001)Model #:Alpha-DB6Item #:N82E16811353001Return
$59.99
-$12.00 Instant
$47.99


1
https://ssl-images.newegg.com/ProductImageCompressAll/13-157-285-02.jpg
ASRock X79 Extreme9 LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157285)Model #:X79 Extreme9Item #:N82E16813157285Return Policy:Standard Return Policy (http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/ReturnPolicy.aspx#44)In Stock
$359.99
-$15.00 Instant
$344.99


2
https://ssl-images.newegg.com/ProductImageCompressAll/14-130-780-04.jpg
EVGA 02G-P4-2685-KR GeForce GTX 680 Superclocked with Back Plate, Signature 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready ... (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130780)Model #:02G-P4-2685-KRItem #:N82E16814130780Return Policy:VGA Replacement Only Return Policy (http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/ReturnPolicy.aspx#31)Out Of Stock
https://ssl-images.newegg.com/WebResource/Themes/2005/Nest/AutoNotifyBuy.gif Auto-Notify (https://secure.newegg.com/NewMyAccount/AutoNotify.aspx?Item=N82E16814130780)
$549.99

$1,099.98


1
https://ssl-images.newegg.com/ProductImageCompressAll/14-161-375-02.jpg
HIS H667F1GD Radeon HD 6670 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card with Eyefinity (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161375)Model #:H667F1GDItem #:N82E16814161375Return Policy:VGA Standard Return (http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/ReturnPolicy.aspx#30)
$97.99

$97.99


1
https://ssl-images.newegg.com/ProductImageCompressAll/17-371-032-02.jpg
Antec TPQ-1200 1200W Continuous Power with PowerCache Technology SLI Ready CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular ... (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371032)Model #:TPQ-1200Item #:N82E16817371032Return
$279.99
-$60.00 Instant
$219.99


1
https://ssl-images.newegg.com/ProductImageCompressAll/19-116-492-02.jpg
Intel Core i7-3930K Sandy Bridge-E 3.2GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 2011 130W Six-Core Desktop Processor BX80619i73930K (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116492)Model #:BX80619i73930KItem #:N82E16819116492Return Policy:CPU (http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/ReturnPolicy.aspx#39)
$599.99

$599.99


2
https://ssl-images.newegg.com/ProductImageCompressAll/20-167-086-07.jpg
Intel 520 Series Cherryville SSDSC2CW240A3K5 2.5" 240GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167086)Model #:SSDSC2CW240A3K5Item #:N82E16820167086Return Policy:Limited (http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/ReturnPolicy.aspx#45)
$399.99
-$69.00 Instant
$661.98


4
https://ssl-images.newegg.com/ProductImageCompressAll/20-233-246-03.jpg
CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ16GX3M2A1600C10 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233246)Model #:CMZ16GX3M2A1600C10Item #:N82E16820233246
$119.99

$479.96


4
https://ssl-images.newegg.com/ProductImageCompressAll/22-145-473-07.jpg
HITACHI Deskstar 7K3000 HDS723020BLA642 (0f12115) 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145473)Model #:0f12115Item #:N82E16822145473Return Policy:Standard Return Policy (http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/ReturnPolicy.aspx#44)In Stock
$169.99
-$30.00 Instant
$559.96


2
https://ssl-images.newegg.com/ProductImageCompressAll/24-254-052-02.jpg
Hanns-G HZ281HPB 27.5'' 3ms Full HD 1080P HDMI WideScreen LCD Monitor Built-in Speakers (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254052)Model #:HZ281HPBItem #:N82E16824254052Return Policy:Monitor Standard Return Policy (http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/ReturnPolicy.aspx#35)In Stock
$319.99
-$50.00 Instant
$539.98


1
https://ssl-images.newegg.com/ProductImageCompressAll/24-260-055-16.jpg
Dell UltraSharp U2312HM Black 23" 8ms Widescreen LCD IPS Panel Monitor with LED (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824260055)Model #:469-1253Item #:N82E16824260055Return Policy:Monitor Standard Return Policy (http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/ReturnPolicy.aspx#35)In Stock
$269.99
-$20.00 Instant
$249.99


1
https://ssl-images.newegg.com/ProductImageCompressAll/35-181-017-02.jpg
CORSAIR H100 (CWCH100) Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181017)Model #:CWCH100Item #:N82E16835181017Return Policy:Standard Return Policy (http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/ReturnPolicy.aspx#44)In Stock
$114.99

$114.99


8
https://ssl-images.newegg.com/ProductImageCompressAll/35-610-003-02.jpg
Nexus PWM Series D12SL-12PWM 120mm Case Fan (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835610003)Model #:D12SL-12PWMItem #:N82E16835610003Return Policy:Standard Return Policy (http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/ReturnPolicy.aspx#44)In Stock
$11.99

$95.92


Subtotal:
$5,113.71

[Mokoi]

I think you should get 3 cheaper computers with more power. AND I think you should RAF about 20 more accounts. 25 box and have more fun than a rig that wont do much more than now :P

[JohnGabriel]

Thats an interesting case. Is it open to the air like that?

[thefunk]

I'm a strong believer in not overengineering a solution, but thats the lean manufacturer in me. Whats your goal?

[daviddoran]

The goal of the build is to let me 10 box with as much eye candy as possible turned on. I also might get more into SWTOR and I know that that game was pushing my graphics cards (570 SLI) pretty hard.

Te case is open air, yes, to facilitate easy benching for overclocking/testing. I will put it in my Antec P280 once it's built.

25 boxing, heh I think the stress of leveling more characters would take away any fun i could possibly have.

[heyaz]

16GB ram isn't very "insane"

you spent $119 on the RAM.. for a few hundred more you could have 32, 48, or 64gb ram no problem

[daviddoran]

Check the quantity, I have 4 of those packages listed, for 64gb total

[3box]

If it were me, I'd definitely get 30" Dell's, or if sticking with 1080p, find some nice 46"+ hdtvs.

I've never gone beyond 5 accounts, but I'd rather have multiple "great" computers vs one super duper insane one.

But hey, can't go wrong either way:)

[daviddoran]

I still plan on keeping my current PC which is no slouch, it's a core i7 930 12GB ram 2 Vertex 2s in RAID 0 GTX 570 SLI, so I'll have two "great" computers (three if you count my old core2quad i still have)

I'll consider the 30" dells. They would most likely outlive the PC anyway. I think I'm already pushing it as is, with 6 total monitors, with a 28 for the "main" one. If I only had one monitor, it'd definately be a 30".

I also may build a microatx LGA1155 build and put it into an old Mac G4 case, but the cost for that is relatively low compared to the build I am planning for the "main" pc.

[confusedtx5]

I've had my 30" Dell monitor for at least 2 years now. Only part of my computer that can say it has survived 3 upgrades. Definitely recommend them to anyone. The resolution (2560x1600) is just sooo goood. I still want to buy 2 more for some Eyefinity goodness. Only downside to them is you can't go back to 1080p, and you need just that much more graphics grunt. And if you LAN a lot, they're kinda heavy. edit: It's gonna take a while before technology can replace 2560x1600 res monitors, even 3D displays are only a sidegrade.

You could also look at the 27" versions - 2560x1440, they're just 16:9 versions of the 30"s 16:10, and the 27"s are half the price of the 30"s.

That said, if you keep with 1080p, then you could use your current/old pc, with a HDMI input/recording card to screen record and/or stream gameplay without it affecting your new pc at all.

G.Skill have an X79 specific 64GB kit that may or may not be worth looking at. Aussie store: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=186_912&products_id=20099

I would also NOT recommend using an open case like that. Heard too many woe stories of spilt drinks.

[daviddoran]

The open case is not meant to be used long term, I've just always wanted one to set up new builds on, to get the overclock set before putting it in a regular case.

I think you all are right about the monitors. They will definitely last a long time. I think I will definitely wait for the 4GB GTX 680s, due to the resolution.

[Plankers_Pend]

You have 2 vid cards listed, and not the same ones. You have the 2 GTX 680's, and then a HD6670.

Also you have Vengeance RAM, which for just a few bucks more (anywhere from $5-20) you could get Dominator RAM, which overclocks a little better. Even then, you could get Dominator GT RAM which is even better still, if you're trying to have an insane build. And as said, you only have 16gb. 32, 48, or 64 would be INSANE.

Also if you want a high pixel monitor without spending massive buck, get a Yamakasi Catleap. It supports 2560X1440 for a single 27" and its pretty affordable too (same price as one of your monitors).

Don't get a 690 as opposed to 2 680's, because the 690 is just 2 underclocked 680's, which also generates more heat, and is a little more loud.

Otherwise it looks good enough.

[Sajuuk]

Okay.

IPS monitors - Get them. You have the money, go all IPS. 30", 27.5", whatever. Just make sure it's IPS.
SSDs - With this money you're getting MLC NAND? SLC is top tier in the SSD world.
Bulk Storage - Eh, go get yourself a nice raid controller - one that pops to mind is ...perc5i? I dunno, but something other than onboard. (Well, for shits, giggles, and performance if you can swing it)
CPU(s): With this much cash why not go dual/quad-cpu? There are at least two dual-2011 motherboards out there. The EVGA SR-X (not released yet, I think) would allow for more memory than the other solution. Don't forget you can get 8 core Xeon chips, and will need a xeon chip if you do decide to go dual-cpu. You've got the money, why not?
GPU: First priority with running high resolutions: RAM. MORE RAM. Second and just as important: Speed. As many as you can. (Money no object, right? - oh, leave space for the raid controller)
RAM: I have nothing against your ram as it stands. Consider ECC ram for more capacity (You can get 16GB ECC DIMMS, but I think you need a xeon cpu for that) - wait, crap, your current motherboard doesn't support more than 64GB RAM.
This motherboard: http://usa.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_2011/Z9PED8_WS/#specifications supports 256GB ram with registered ECC RAM. Dual Socket 2011 too.
PSU: Better put another one in. Just in case.


Cooling:
Water cooling sounds like something to get into, but is admittedly a big hassle. Might be easier to install ducting in your house and funnel all the heat into that. :p



Go big or go home. You've not even used 1/3rd of your proposed budget.

****************************
Corsair M4s (current Gen) Are currently selling for around 1$/GB. Nice savings, good drives.

[Sajuuk]

My LULZ build

Qty. Product Description Savings Total Price


HITACHI Deskstar 7K3000 HDS723020BLA642 (0f12115) 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822145473
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
Recover Your Data(expand for options)
-$30.00 Instant
$679.96
$559.96
($139.99 each)



HP ZR30w Black 30" S-IPS Panel Height &Swivel Adjustable Widescreen LCD Monitor w/USB Ports
Item #: N82E16824176177
Return Policy: Monitor Standard Return Policy
-$220.00 Instant
$4,199.97
$3,539.97
($1,179.99 each)



EVGA 03G-P3-1595-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) Classified ULTRA 3072MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support ...
Item #: N82E16814130751
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
$1,099.98
($549.99 each)



HIS H667F1GD Radeon HD 6670 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card with Eyefinity
Item #: N82E16814161375
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$97.99
1


AMD Gift - Dirt3 Game Coupon - OEM
Item #: N82E16800995114
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$49.99 Saving
$49.99
$0.00



Antec TPQ-1200 1200W Continuous Power with PowerCache Technology SLI Ready CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular ...
Item #: N82E16817371032
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$60.00 Instant
$559.98
$439.98
($219.99 each)



ASUS Z9PE-D8 WS Dual LGA 2011 Intel C602 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 SSI EEB Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813131817
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$599.99



areca ARC-1231ML-2G PCI Express SATA II (3.0Gb/s) Controller Card
Item #: N82E16816151033
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$40.00 Instant
$769.99
$729.99



Kingston 16GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 ECC Registered Server Memory DR x4 w/TS Model KVR1333D3D4R9S/16G
Item #: N82E16820139932
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
-$40.00 Instant
$2,319.92
$1,999.92
($249.99 each)



CORSAIR H100 (CWCH100) Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler
Item #: N82E16835181017
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$229.98
($114.99 each)



Crucial M4 CT256M4SSD1 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC 7mm Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Item #: N82E16820148530
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
-$55.00 Instant
$1,199.96
$979.96
($244.99 each)



Intel Xeon E5-2687W Sandy Bridge-EP 3.1GHz LGA 2011 150W 8-Core Server Processor BX80621E52687W
Item #: N82E16819117272
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
$3,799.98
($1,899.99 each)
Subtotal: $14,077.70
3 30" monitors
2 1200W psus
Same gpus as before (Using the 580 as a price placeholder)
different mobo (dual 2011)
Dual 3.0ghz 8core chips
128gb ECC registered ram
Raid Card
4 2tb drives
Corsair M4s since the price is down
Tack on another 300 for a enormous case and BAM 15k computer.

[Quiding]

I've been looking for a new Monitor aswell in the 23-24" sized area, and I think im going for the U2412M instead of the U2312HM, since it seems everywhere I look them up people seem to favor the U2412M (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824260047).
Also its a 1920x1200 monitor :cool:

Very jealous on the setup you got lined up!:(

[Multibocks]

Don't get a 30" monitor! I forever regret the one I got. It's difficult to find a good layout for 5 accounts that looks good and when you are not playing WoW your web browsing experience is shit. Having a 30" window of a webpage is super lame in the looks dept so I would reduce the size of the window. Well that left me with a 3" border around the window and you can't use that space for anything. Don't do it! I bought 2 24" monitors and wish I had done so from the start. Also 30" monitors will be rough on your GPUs (I had a 3G 580 at the time) if you are doing another monitor in the setup. I couldn't get all the eye candy on all 5 accounts and run another smaller monitor off the card for web browsing.

Looking back I would probably do 3 or 4 good computers with 6 monitors and all the eye candy you can handle in WoW, but I just don't have that kind of space in my house.

[Sajuuk]

Also 30" monitors will be rough on your GPUs

Duh.

That's why there are so many (gpus). :P

[Vecter]

Gaming IPS monitors are tough to find. Make sure the refresh and input lags are good enough for gaming, that's why most go with TN panels. Cheaper and faster response times. Can't beat IPS panels for color reproduction, but for gamers that's less of a requirement.

[Multibocks]

Duh.

That's why there are so many (gpus). :P

I realize this, just wanted to make sure he did as well.

[JohnGabriel]

I am really happy with my 22" screens. I would probably go as high as 24" for my desk, 27 or 30 would have to sit too far back to see it well.

I definitely in love with dual monitors though.

[confusedtx5]

You're really comparing 1x 30" to 2x 24" monitors? Of course the 2x monitors are going to work better with a 5-toon layout. What you really should do is 1x 30" and 1x 24" if that's your concern.
I run my alts on the secondary monitor, and the main on the 30". alts are scaled down so much its barely readable though. If I was smart, I would put the main on the 24" monitor, and the alts on the 30", but I have 2 secondary monitors on either side of the main 30" so that would feel wierd. 1x GTX580 1.5GB can handle 5 windows @ 2560x1600 @ low quality, but I'm constantly hitting the vRAM barrier.

The majority of website aren't designed for that much screen real estate. hit windows+right(or left) arrow to put the browser up to one side of the screen. Makes things much more read-able, or just keep it windowed.
One of the bonuses for 30" monitors is being able to have up to 4 windows open, sitting next to each other, and still have plenty of space inside the browser for viewing.

[Ualaa]

I originally had a 24".
Upgraded to a 30".

Eventually the 30" went...
And I didn't have the $1200 to replace it.

So I went with a pair of 27" monitors.
Which combined, cost about half of the 30".

If you count the pixels...
1x 30" (2560x1600) = 4,096,000
2x 27" (1920x1080) = 2,073,600 x2 = 4,147,200.
The pair, are only slightly more demanding on resources than the single 30".

[Mokoi]

I'm stil not convinced that spending so much is worth it.
There is obvious and gaping diminishing returns on computer parts above specific thresholds. That means that for every 10% more power, you are spending exponentially more money. ie: to make a "good" computer twice as fast, it might cost you 1000, but to make that great computer twice as fast, you might spend 10,000.

2 computers, 3 computers, 4 computers will ALWAYS outperform a single "ridonkulus" gaming rig. and with ISboxer, input director, etc its the SAME as working with 3+ monitors.

I have 2 PCs with 2x 24" monitors side by side, and its the exact same as a single computer worth 5x the price.

[daviddoran]

I really want to keep the 10 boxing to one PC, just for PvP and being able to switch leaders instantly.

I was trying to keep the build under $5000. Just cause I have 15k doesn't mean it needs to be a 15k machine. I could build a nice machine for 2-3k, so 5k is excessive enough.

[Ualaa]

So... 15K is the ceiling.

But ~5K is the goal.
And if there were a significant advantage by going 5.5 or 6K, you'd consider it.



I spent 4K on a gaming system, a few years back.
The same system, was upgraded for about 1-1.5K twice.

Each of those upgrades were significant, in terms of performance.
And ultimately, I was as happy with the performance of a system that would have been under 2K (from scratch), as I was with the 4K system.

Although it was nice to have top of the line, or close enough to it.

[daviddoran]

So... 15K is the ceiling.

But ~5K is the goal.
And if there were a significant advantage by going 5.5 or 6K, you'd consider it.



I spent 4K on a gaming system, a few years back.
The same system, was upgraded for about 1-1.5K twice.

Each of those upgrades were significant, in terms of performance.
And ultimately, I was as happy with the performance of a system that would have been under 2K (from scratch), as I was with the 4K system.

Although it was nice to have top of the line, or close enough to it.

You pegged it right there. 15k ceiling 5k goal, with plenty of room for worthwhile upgrades.

I'm gonna spend the rest on a kickass custom car stereo, and a nice 60" tv.

[Sajuuk]

You pegged it right there. 15k ceiling 5k goal, with plenty of room for worthwhile upgrades.

I'm gonna spend the rest on a kickass custom car stereo, and a nice 60" tv.
Okay.

Still.

Jump on Corsair M4s right now. Selling like hotcakes and <$1 per GB!

[d0z3rr]

daviddoran:

They have 80" tvs at Best Buy now, frickin awesome. Also, if you don't have a kickass 5.1 system to go with your 60", you should get one.

[Multibocks]

You're really comparing 1x 30" to 2x 24" monitors? Of course the 2x monitors are going to work better with a 5-toon layout. What you really should do is 1x 30" and 1x 24" if that's your concern.
I run my alts on the secondary monitor, and the main on the 30". alts are scaled down so much its barely readable though. If I was smart, I would put the main on the 24" monitor, and the alts on the 30", but I have 2 secondary monitors on either side of the main 30" so that would feel wierd. 1x GTX580 1.5GB can handle 5 windows @ 2560x1600 @ low quality, but I'm constantly hitting the vRAM barrier.

The majority of website aren't designed for that much screen real estate. hit windows+right(or left) arrow to put the browser up to one side of the screen. Makes things much more read-able, or just keep it windowed.
One of the bonuses for 30" monitors is being able to have up to 4 windows open, sitting next to each other, and still have plenty of space inside the browser for viewing.

Actually I meant to compare it with my 30" and 24" combo, but eh... don't care much now.

[Sajuuk]

daviddoran:

They have 80" tvs at Best Buy now, frickin awesome. Also, if you don't have a kickass 5.1 system to go with your 60", you should get one.
That's just a terrible idea. (if you want to use them as monitors)

[candlebox]

So.....

I spent about 2k on a system back in 08. I still use it. I built a system for my home built arcade for ~400 bucks. Both 5 box wow with low graphics/no lag.

Might be something to think about. Don't forget we are in a recession. I love blowing cash as well, but everything I've bought expensive I've almost replaced with something better for cheaper.

Id drop 2k in a system and sit there. Take the rest, and get your tv. Whatever is left you should buy silver bars and store them away.

This is my $400 pc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kWtkc7jvXk&feature=channel&list=UL

[Pycno]

My rig costed about 10,000 $ when I bought it around two years ago, I know alot about computers but my build was far from perfect. Very far from perfect. My budget was unlimited but I ended up gimping my computer regardless :P

The CPU was a 6-core monster, it was a waste as the heaviest "work" I did was 5-box WoW and cpu-usage was never above 30%. A single quad-core would already be overkill. This didnt gimp my performance but it didnt help it in any direction either.
Go for a quad-core, at least for WoW. You could buy a double-cpu motherboard and go 12core instead of 6 core but whats the point? Same thing applies to quad-core and hexa-core, its just not needed.


Ram - I went for 6x2gb sticks of ram for a total of 12gb. I thought 3x2gb would be sufficient but it was not, I ended occupying all 6 ram slots and took a relatively big performance hit as my ram had to run at 1333mhz instead of its rated 1600mhz. 1333mhz is enough of course but its just stupid to spend 1000 bucks on a CPU and then slow it down with the ram sticks. My motherboard was the only board available to support the 6-core cpu but it could not run 6 ram slots at 1600mhz.


Gpu: I bought a 5970 (card with dual 5850 chips), I dont think there was any documentation available anywhere that stated Innerspace did not support using both GPUs on the 5970 card. My 10,000 dollar machine had a bottleneck as it could not perform better than a single 5850 in WoW, I ended up adding a 5850 to run my slaves on but the combination 5970+5850 proved to be unstable. Even though I needed the monitor outputs on the second card I ended up just giving it away and learned to live with low gfx settings.
Buy one GPU, if its too slow then add another.
The only thing I will consider using multiple gpu for again is rendering slaves on another monitor. The drawbacks of multiple gpus in general gaming is so great I would pay a premium price to be able to use a single gpu again.

NIC: I bought a killer pro network card, it was supposed to be great but it was the worst networks card I have ever used. Second perhaps only to another model of Killer pro network card that I had tested years earlier. I ended up tossing it in the garbage and using the onboard network card and had no trouble after.
Use onboard NIC, or buy some good quality intel Nic. Do not buy a killer nic.

Harddrives/SSD: I was considering going for a large amount of ram (20-30gb) and mount WoW into the ram-drive to eliminate loading times. It was important for me to get my team into the same group in battlegrounds. Im glad I didnt, my 2xX25-M 80Gb drives in raid-0 loaded everything near instantly. I always occupied the first 5 slots in battlegrounds, not even in AV or IoC could anyone load a toon faster than I loaded all mine. SSDs are definately the way to go.


The difference between a 2-3000$ computer and a 10,000$ gaming computer is not much to show for at all, you get very little back in return.
My suggestion? Go for a 3000$ computer and buy some furniture, sofa, home cinema, stereo, audio equipment, professional headset or something for the 7000$ - that would give you entertainment on a whole new level. Paying 7000$ to be able to bump up anti aliasing another notch isnt really that jaw dropping :P

Enjoy the computer, I had a blast upgrading from my 3 lesser computers to one imba one. My slowest computer was a slide show in dalaran and took 1 minute or more to load it xD



By the way, BUY A 120hz monitor! its crazy to buy a beefy gaming rig without it.

[Lyonheart]

My rig costed about 10,000 $ when I bought it around two years ago, I know alot about computers but my build was far from perfect. Very far from perfect. My budget was unlimited but I ended up gimping my computer regardless :P

The CPU was a 6-core monster, it was a waste as the heaviest "work" I did was 5-box WoW and cpu-usage was never above 30%. A single quad-core would already be overkill. This didnt gimp my performance but it didnt help it in any direction either.
Go for a quad-core, at least for WoW. You could buy a double-cpu motherboard and go 12core instead of 6 core but whats the point? Same thing applies to quad-core and hexa-core, its just not needed.


Ram - I went for 6x2gb sticks of ram for a total of 12gb. I thought 3x2gb would be sufficient but it was not, I ended occupying all 6 ram slots and took a relatively big performance hit as my ram had to run at 1333mhz instead of its rated 1600mhz. 1333mhz is enough of course but its just stupid to spend 1000 bucks on a CPU and then slow it down with the ram sticks. My motherboard was the only board available to support the 6-core cpu but it could not run 6 ram slots at 1600mhz.


Gpu: I bought a 5970 (card with dual 5850 chips), I dont think there was any documentation available anywhere that stated Innerspace did not support using both GPUs on the 5970 card. My 10,000 dollar machine had a bottleneck as it could not perform better than a single 5850 in WoW, I ended up adding a 5850 to run my slaves on but the combination 5970+5850 proved to be unstable. Even though I needed the monitor outputs on the second card I ended up just giving it away and learned to live with low gfx settings.
Buy one GPU, if its too slow then add another.
The only thing I will consider using multiple gpu for again is rendering slaves on another monitor. The drawbacks of multiple gpus in general gaming is so great I would pay a premium price to be able to use a single gpu again.

NIC: I bought a killer pro network card, it was supposed to be great but it was the worst networks card I have ever used. Second perhaps only to another model of Killer pro network card that I had tested years earlier. I ended up tossing it in the garbage and using the onboard network card and had no trouble after.
Use onboard NIC, or buy some good quality intel Nic. Do not buy a killer nic.

Harddrives/SSD: I was considering going for a large amount of ram (20-30gb) and mount WoW into the ram-drive to eliminate loading times. It was important for me to get my team into the same group in battlegrounds. Im glad I didnt, my 2xX25-M 80Gb drives in raid-0 loaded everything near instantly. I always occupied the first 5 slots in battlegrounds, not even in AV or IoC could anyone load a toon faster than I loaded all mine. SSDs are definately the way to go.


The difference between a 2-3000$ computer and a 10,000$ gaming computer is not much to show for at all, you get very little back in return.
My suggestion? Go for a 3000$ computer and buy some furniture, sofa, home cinema, stereo, audio equipment, professional headset or something for the 7000$ - that would give you entertainment on a whole new level. Paying 7000$ to be able to bump up anti aliasing another notch isnt really that jaw dropping :P

Enjoy the computer, I had a blast upgrading from my 3 lesser computers to one imba one. My slowest computer was a slide show in dalaran and took 1 minute or more to load it xD



By the way, BUY A 120hz monitor! its crazy to buy a beefy gaming rig without it.

I learned that long ago. My current PC cost me 2200 and can 10 box wow ( main oh high details alts on low with high distance viewing ) in Org with very little to zero lag. I can 5 box with all clients on ultra and next to no lag .. but I never do that. im always looking at my leaders screen.. so to keep my PC cool i just have main on high and alts on low ( always have high viewing distance on all so when i swap i can see shit )