New system for WoW 10 boxing?

[Palee]

Guys, I want to buy this system with the specs below, but I was wondering if I really need a 4gb video card or if a 2gb would be enough.

Also, for hard drives, is 2 SSDs better than 1 HDD and 1 SSD?

Also, I don't want to build it myself with parts from newegg or something. I'm willing to pay for someone else to make it for me, so if you know of a builder that's better than falcon-nw.com please let me know.

Chassis
X79 Talon - Standard Black

Chassis Fan Kit
Performance Fan Pack

Sound Dampening
AcoustiPack Sound Dampening Foam

Power Supply
750 Watt Modular

Motherboard
P9X79 Pro

Processor
Intel® Core™ i7 3930K 3.2Ghz

Processor Cooler
Liquid Cooling – Talon

Processor Overclock
Processor Overclock – Talon

Memory
Tactical 1866MHz 16GB (4x4GB)

Video Card
GeForce GTX 680 (4GB)

Sound Card
On-Board Audio

Networking
On-Board Ethernet

Hard Drive
Caviar® Black™ - 1TB

Hard Drive 2
m4 SSD - 128GB

Optical Drive
24x DVD Writer

64-Bit Operating System
Windows 7 Professional (w/ upgrade)

Warranty
1 Year Warranty - Talon

Shipping options
UPS Ground : $82.66
UPS 2-Day : $214.83
UPS Overnight : $332.64
USPS (APO Only) : $315.00
UPS 3 DAY : $126.00

Total System Price: $3067.00

[Palee]

I gave up on the idea to buy a built PC. It turns our I was able to save $1000 if I ordered parts from newegg...

[widdle]

For 10 boxing. yes you need 4 gig of vram.. you will use 2gig per 5.

[MiRai]

For 10 boxing. yes you need 4 gig of vram.. you will use 2gig per 5.
It really depends how you want your games to look. Below is a screenshot of me doing a test with 10-boxing and I'm only using 2GB of VRAM. Depending on whichever software solution he's going to be using, you can easily adjust how much VRAM each client takes up. I would still recommend the 4GB card, though... it gives you more headroom.

http://www.dual-boxing.com/images/fenril/tenboxtest-full.png

[Palee]

Yea I got the 690 card. I went all in, I'm tired of withholding back.

1 x ($1049.99) EVGA Signature 04G-P4-2692-KR GeForce GTX 690 4GB 512-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130790)

$1049.99

1 x ($569.99) 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)

$569.99



1 x ($369.99) ASUS P9X79 DELUXE LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131799)

$369.99



2 x ($109.99) Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442)

$219.98



2 x ($91.99) CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233143)

$183.98



1 x ($154.99) COOLER MASTER Silent Pro RSA00-AMBAJ3-US 1000W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.92 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171049)

$154.99



1 x ($144.99) COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0, Black Interior and Four Fans-1x 230mm front RED LED fan, 1x 140mm rear fan, 1x 230mm top fan, and 1x 230mm side fan (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160)

$144.99



1 x ($112.99) Thermaltake WATER2.0 Pro Closed-Loop All In One Liquid CPU Cooler Dual 120mm PWM Fans 120x49mm Radiator CLW0216 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106189)

$112.99



1 x ($59.99) NVIDIA Gift - Borderlands2 Free Game Coupon (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16800999294)

$59.99



2 x ($11.99) SilverStone SDP08 2 x 2.5" to 3.5" Bay Converter (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817997007)

$23.98



1 x ($19.99) ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204)

$19.99



1 x ($9.99) Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Compound AS5-3.5G - OEM - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007)

$9.99



1 x ($-35.00) DISCOUNT FOR COMBO #1033236

$-35.00



1 x ($-59.99) DISCOUNT FOR AUTOADD #53606

$-59.99





Subtotal:
$2825.86


Tax:
$204.87


Shipping and Handling:
$11.75


Rush Order:
$2.99


Total Amount:
$3045.47

[MiRai]

The 690 is a dual-GPU card and uses 2GB per GPU. It doesn't have 4GB of video memory. Buy a GTX 680 with 4GB of video memory and save yourself a giant headache.

[Palee]

Well I already ordered :(
So you're saying that one 690 will perform worse than one 680 for 10 wows?

[jstanthr]

the ocz vertex 3 ssd is on sale for 10 less each and would be better, if they still have the mushkin drives that would be better yet

[Palee]

I canceled the order in time.

So replace 690 with 680 4gb.
Will look at the mushkin drives or ocx vertex instead.

Will post the new list.

[daviddoran]

Well I already ordered :(
So you're saying that one 690 will perform worse than one 680 for 10 wows?

one 4GB (2GB per GPU) 690 will most likely perform worse than one 4GB (4GB per GPU) 680, yes. If they made an 8GB 690 then it would be more or less equal, but a single GPU is better for cooling. I would recommend switching to the 680 if possible, or if not, sell it and buy one or two 4GB 680s.

[widdle]

But take that were lots of other characters are(not in an empty area) or where lots of spells and aoe and movement is happening and you would barely be able to play.

sure you can run with 2 gig doing nothing. but in a bg or a full org or stormwind?


It really depends how you want your games to look. Below is a screenshot of me doing a test with 10-boxing and I'm only using 2GB of VRAM. Depending on whichever software solution he's going to be using, you can easily adjust how much VRAM each client takes up. I would still recommend the 4GB card, though... it gives you more headroom.

http://www.dual-boxing.com/images/fenril/tenboxtest-full.png

[Palee]

I replaced the 690 with a 680 4GB.
I kept the M4 crucial though because reviews say it's more stable.

[Palee]

Do you guys have any other suggestions or it's goog to go with just replacing the video card?

Thanks a bunch for the answers.

[Palee]

Updated list:




1
Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Compound AS5-3.5G - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007)Item #: N82E16835100007Consumable Item Refund Only Return Policy (http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/ReturnPolicy.aspx#43)
$11.99$9.99


1
COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0, Black Interior and Four Fans-1x ... (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160)Item #: N82E16811119160
$15.00 Mail-In Rebate11-119-160 (http://images10.newegg.com/uploadfilesfornewegg/rebate/SH/CoolerMaster11-119-160Aug13Aug1912tt35.pdf)
Standard Return Policy (http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/ReturnPolicy.aspx#44)
$159.99$149.99


1
COOLER MASTER Silent Pro RSA00-AMBAJ3-US 1000W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.92 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active ... (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171049)Item #: N82E16817171049
$25.00 Mail-In Rebate17-171-049 (http://images10.newegg.com/uploadfilesfornewegg/rebate/SH/CoolerMaster17-171-049Aug13Aug1912tt35.pdf)
Standard Return Policy (http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/ReturnPolicy.aspx#44)
$197.99$164.99


1
EVGA 04G-P4-3685-KR GeForce GTX 680 FTW Standard, w/Backplate 4GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support ... (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130798)Item #: N82E16814130798VGA Standard Return Policy (http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/ReturnPolicy.aspx#30)
$599.99$579.99


1
NVIDIA Gift - Borderlands2 Free Game Coupon (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16800999294)Item #: N82E16800999294Standard Return Policy (http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/ReturnPolicy.aspx#44)
$59.99


1
Thermaltake WATER2.0 Pro Closed-Loop All In One Liquid CPU Cooler Dual 120mm PWM Fans 120x49mm Radiator CLW0216 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106189)Item #: N82E16835106189
$15.00 Mail-In Rebate Card35-106-189 (http://images10.newegg.com/uploadfilesfornewegg/rebate/SH/Thermaltake35-106-189Aug06Sep0812yh62.pdf)
Standard Return Policy (http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/ReturnPolicy.aspx#44)
$112.99


1
CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233143)Item #: N82E16820233143Memory Standard Return Policy (http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/ReturnPolicy.aspx#41)
$91.99


1
SilverStone SDP08 2 x 2.5" to 3.5" Bay Converter (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817997007)Item #: N82E16817997007Standard Return Policy (http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/ReturnPolicy.aspx#44)
$13.99$11.99


2
Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442)Item #: N82E16820148442Limited Replacement Only Return Policy (http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/ReturnPolicy.aspx#45)
$299.98$219.98($109.99 ea)


1
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204)Item #: N82E16827135204Standard Return Policy (http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/ReturnPolicy.aspx#44)
$19.99


1
ASUS P9X79 DELUXE LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131799)Item #: N82E16813131799Limited Replacement Only Return Policy (http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/ReturnPolicy.aspx#45)
$379.99$369.99


1
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)Item #: N82E16819116492CPU Replacement Only Return Policy (http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/ReturnPolicy.aspx#39)
$569.99

[Khatovar]

But take that were lots of other characters are(not in an empty area) or where lots of spells and aoe and movement is happening and you would barely be able to play.

sure you can run with 2 gig doing nothing. but in a bg or a full org or stormwind?

Here's the thread (http://www.dual-boxing.com/threads/44505-Multiboxing-Hardware-Science!). MiRai did all sorts of testing. You can read about it there.

[daanji]

Hey Palee, did you get your new machine yet and build it? How awesome is it for 10-boxing? Everything you dreamed it would be?

Just curious if you are pleased as I am thinking about buying a new machine for 10-boxing soon.

[Palee]

GOD DAMN IT I tried 3 times to post something and the site keeps craching my IE.

Yes, I started testing the new build.
The best setting I can 10 box is on GOOD. In both ORG (30fps) and SW (20fps).
On HIGH it starts to lag.
I'm not overclocking though.
These numbers are on Tichondrius realm which has a LOT of people in SW. The 20fps is reached only when between the AH and the Bank in SW and facing the AH with all 10. Any other facing or if you move out of that spot the FPS goes up to 30fps.

[Palee]

System is running great so far with 10 wows.

CPU is under 50% utilization. The temp rarely goes over 50 degrees Celsius, maybe the last core sometimes reaches 52 or so.
GPU is also running at around 50-60% and temp is around 60 C, sometimes reaching 65.
Loading the wows and logging on and off is just fantastic. It takes 2-3 seconds to log on or off with ALL of them.
Starting an extra wow or 2 on top of those 10 doesn't cause any difference. I think I could 20 box easily, maybe would just need to reduce the graphics settings a bit.
This is thanks to the dual SSD, I have the OS on one and WoW on the other.

At the same time I can listen to music, compile code, browse websites with no impact to performance.

And the best thing is I built it myself so I can at any time exchange components if I need to.

If any of you are planning to upgrade, don't hold back, it's worth a few extra hundred bucks to have a realy nice experience. It's better to use a little more cash and then be happy for at least a couple of years, than to hold back and feel frustrated and then do it again in 2 years and feel frustrated again. No more. Life is too short. Go all the way NOW, not when you're 70.

[Palee]

One more thing. I was messing with the FPS caps in foreground and background and I found something interesting. Everything is much smoother if you set both foreground and background FPS caps at the SAME value.
Not sure if this is the same on any computer but on mine, when I had them different I would see some stutter when moving.
So right now I have both foreground and background FPS capped at 30 FPS on all 10 wows.

[3box]

I've been thinking about an upgrade for a couple of weeks now. Which do you think has a greater impact on performance for 10 boxing, the 3930k or 4gb GTX680? I sure wish a Microcenter would come out here one day.

Also, do you have all the windows on good video settings? Or the main on good, everyone else toned down?

[Palee]

I've been thinking about an upgrade for a couple of weeks now. Which do you think has a greater impact on performance for 10 boxing, the 3930k or 4gb GTX680? I sure wish a Microcenter would come out here one day.

Also, do you have all the windows on good video settings? Or the main on good, everyone else toned down?

Both the CPU and GPU are critical. Last night when everyone and their mother was logged on, my CPU actually reached 100%. I had to overclock it a little bit (from 3500MHZ to 3900MHZ) in order to keep up with all the toons in ORG.
I have Good settings on all 10. Might be an idea to try low on the slaves and high on main. I haven't thought of that. Will try it tonight and update the thread.

[Ñightsham]

Palee, my system is similar to yours, with the exception of 680 and the CPU cooler.
I'm anxious to get my 5 other accounts going. .......btw, which way did you go utilizing RaF?

NS

[Palee]

I did "old account" > 1 > 2 > 3 > 4 > 5 > 6 > 7 > 8 > 9 > 10
1-5 on one bnet
6-10 on another bnet
Then after leveling one team to 80 on 1-10, I grant levels to 10 DKs to 80 since they only need 22 levels out of their starter zone.
Then level more teams and grant more levels.

[Palee]

So last night I messed with different gfx settings on main vs slaves and indeed the difference is big.
I can run on Ultra on main if the slaves are on low. But I'm not sure if it would keep up in a large scale battle. Just moving around ORG doesn't tax the system that much. A city raid where a lot of people are fighting will be a more accurate test.

[pinotnoir]

Micro Center had a great deal on i7 3770k cpu and Asus p8z77 v pro mother board. The board was $159 and the cpu was $289. The cpu is unlocked so you can OC it very high.