Planning my 5boxing Setup NEED suggestions/help

In the planning stages of setting up my rig - hoping to 5 box on 3-4 computers.

I plan to have my main character on my 40" monitor and 2 characters on each of my 2 19" monitors.

Main Computer Specs:
CASE AND PSU
600W ATX
PROCESSOR
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700(2.66Ghz)
MOTHERBOARD
eVGA nForce 680i SLI
MEMORY
Corsair 2GB DDR2-800 x2
HARD DRIVE
Maxtor 300GB
SOUND CARD
Creative Labs X-Fi Xtreme Music
VIDEO CARD
GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB
or
GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB
_________________________________

So far these are the specs im looking at - im not really that great with computers but im looking at post here and other places to help with this.
Things im most concerned with is the compatibility of the parts, the psu and the memory. id like something up to date that i wont have to upgrade within the next 5-6 years at least.

I still need help with my 2? alt computer specs - anything that will run 2 wows with 30fps+ will do

Any suggestions or if you see something wrong please post- open to anything.

Note: I'm 18 years old and my money is limited but I would like to do something exceptional with this and i want it done right, willing to spend 2500-5000 to set this up.

Hopefully i can edit this post as i progress in this planning stage :)

Video card is your main issue.

I have a 8800GTS (640MB) running 3 O.K. Main is 45fps, other 2 are 15fps details low.

I bought Kingston - 8500 - 1066mhz 2gb. Instead of the 4gb 667 i had, and the difference is noticeable.

I also have a Q6600.


Wait a few weeks for the 8900 to become available and you won't regret it.

Yea ill probably wait for the 8900 gtx to come out

as far as future responses go can you be a little more descriptive, all responses are appreciated but like i said- im not that great with computers.

also im looking for a desk

something like

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S39835924

this but with more space and T-legs, something like cepheus' desk-
http://ts.fh-guild.com/mb/IM000026.JPG

sorry for the double post but i was wondering with the 8900 gtx, would that set up for the main computer be enough to run 5 wows maximized on that one box, running 30-45fps? i need atleast 30 fps while frapsing

You should be able to.

Would you really want to FRAPS all your characters at the same time though? Because I severely doubt you'll get it on all of them, however you can setup one to have Higher FPS than the other ones.

lol idk if i would use it while i was 5 boxing but i still have other 70s - maybe play around with sony vegas and make a pvp video?

just looking around at my options

Update:

Main Computer Specs:
PSU - $85
600W ATX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817701004
PROCESSOR - $1005
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700(2.66Ghz)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115011
MOTHERBOARD - $220
eVGA nForce 680i SLI
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813188012
MEMORY - $120
Corsair 2GB DDR2-800 x2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184&ATT=20-145-184&CMP=OTC-pr1c3watch&nm_mc=OTC-pr1c3watch&cm_mmc=OTC-pr1c3watch-_-Memory+(Desktop+Memory)-_-Corsair+(XMS+Series)-_-20145184
HARD DRIVE - $70
Seagate 300GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148290
SOUND CARD - $50
Creative Labs X-Fi Xtreme Music
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-FiXtremeMusic
VIDEO CARD - ~$500
GeForce 8900 GTX
URL: not available yet
____________________________________
If you notice any thing thats not compatible or any minor upgrades/price checks its all appreciated.

:)

-vindicated

There is a cheaper quad core if $$ is a factor. CPU matters but will not be bottleneck if it is quad core. If you can swing it, faster is always better.

if you guys are talking about

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 - $280
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115017

i just saw that on newegg and was seriously concidering it. its almost $800 cheaper and if its not huge cut in performance i think this is what ill get.
maybe throwing in a Zalman 9500 heatsink for overclocking
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835118003

also im looking at

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129021

i see that its one of the toprated- has a nice look and i notice a lot of reviews with great feedback

if switching those two processors would be an option and still run 5 wows at 30-45fps in major cities thats good enough for me. also maybe i could put some of that saved cash into other places.

as far as video cards go, is it worth it to wait for the geforce 8900gtx. i mean is the cost worth the difference from the 8800

thanks again for the feedback guys - its a good cause lol

Get the Q6600 imo. With the right mobo and a high-end heatsink/fan you can OC it to 3GHz anyway, for a fraction of the price. I'd recommend more than one HDD if you'll have 5 copies of WoW on one box though. SATA is fast, but your load times will still be atrocious, I think.

ok, i think im gonna go with the cheaper processor -
any recommendations on a faster compatible HD then?


also, ive heard some bad things about the
eVGA nForce 680i SLI

that 680i isnt compatible with a lot of ram and it fries it. also that the sli isnt worth the cost.

and recommendations on a better mobo since im saving ~700 on the processor?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by vindicated

ok, i think im gonna go with the cheaper processor -
any recommendations on a faster compatible HD then?


also, ive heard some bad things about the
eVGA nForce 680i SLI

that 680i isnt compatible with a lot of ram and it fries it. also that the sli isnt worth the cost.

and recommendations on a better mobo since im saving ~700 on the processor?

---

I use the P5W DH Deluxe, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131025

works great for me, supports 4gb of RAM and quad core CPUs. Also has a number of other nifty features unrelated to WoW. It does support SLI but I dont use it atm.

As for video, a GTS will be fine for you, you can go with a GTX if you really want to spend the money (going with the cheaper cpu after all) but my GTS and 4gb of system memory is enough for 5 clients +FRAPS on my main. Outside I get 30-40fps on each minion and 50 or so on main. in org on a bad day alts will drop to the teens but at decent times its around 25-30; it is Org after all.

And you are correct on the 680i, it is very finicky about RAM, the issue with frying has been determined though. it has to do with how the motherboard draws power from the PSU even when the computer is off. So unplugging the PSU and then hitting hte power button to drain the last bit of juice from the PSU will prevent you from frying memory

couple of things, if you are looking at a 5-6 year timeframe...

1 drop to the q6600
2 get vista 64 or xp 64
3 get better ram like http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231145 or any of these cas4 sets http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2508081&name=4
4 get a better power supply.... clean stable power is super important for a stable system http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817703009
5 consider moving up to 8gb of ram
6 go with a p35 or x38 based mobo (unless you want to do SLI)

All of these things will give you a better system for less than the price of the qx6700

Also I have the antec 900 case and it is great...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Vos

couple of things, if you are looking at a 5-6 year timeframe...

1 drop to the q6600
2 get vista 64 or xp 64
3 get better ram like http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231145 or any of these cas4 sets http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2508081&name=4
4 get a better power supply.... clean stable power is super important for a stable system http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817703009
5 consider moving up to 8gb of ram
6 go with a p35 or x38 based mobo (unless you want to do SLI)

All of these things will give you a better system for less than the price of the qx6700

Also I have the antec 900 case and it is great...

---

1. dont bother with 8GB of Ram, its a waste of money and by the time you actually need 8GB of ram DDR3 will be mainstream and time to upgrade again.
2. that PSU is sufficient, I prefer Corsairs though (520W version is plenty unless you intend to OC a lot then go with the 620W)
3. I also have the Antec 900 and love it. lots of airflow and very qiuet due to the size of the fans. A bit on the heavy side though so not the best for LAN party travel.
4. Your right on the motherboards, was just sticking with an SLI board for that futureproofing thing since even though WoW doesnt there are some games that are pushing the envelope on GPU needs these days.

i really appreicate the comments - they're helping a lot.

a few things im thinking about atm

going vista 64bit for direct x 10

deciding on a motherboard - want to get away from the 680i and deciding on SLI, i might in the future want to add another video card so..not sure what to do there might just get SLI to be safe.

Are there any issues with SLI regarding using 2 monitors?

video card
VGA 512-P3-N841-A3 GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130312

ram
G.SKILL 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231145

if anyone has information regarding the ram or video card, SLI issues or winxp vs. vista, multiple HDs to handle loading times.

those are the issues at hand now - once these are resolved there will probably be more questions lol. thanks for the time spent looking for answers or helping me out - its all appreciated

this is the card I use
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130080
but either one is fine.

SLI is not needed for WoW but as long as you are using horizontal span you should be fine

DX10 gives you nothing in WoW either (or much else in any other game for that matter thanks to DX9c) Vista however doesnt have the same issue with dual view as xp does so there is no horizontal span. Minor difference but meh. Also vist will be able to see the full 4gb of ram while XP will see at most around 3.5 or so. but then WoW wont need it all anyways

G.Skill is a great brand, I use them for a lot of my rigs.

I do find a 2nd hard drive is a nice help, especially if you intend to fraps things.

mmm i think that card is older ill prolly stick with the 512mb 8800 gts

still thinking about the motherboard - idk if i want something with sli just incase and i want a stable one for overclocking.

and i think you're wrong about winxp 64bit - it can see way more than 4gb of ram

update:

ok for motherboards ive narrowed it down to
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...TE%2bP35%2bDQ6

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128048

i decided against sli since it cant run dual display but ive got a widescreen 40" and a 19" regular so...we will see whats happens with that. might decided to grab sli after all. both those mobos i hear are very good for overclocking.

so my last two issues i guess after this mobo thing is dual HD set up and.. vista vs winxp

thanks again for all that are helping me with this - its helping very much

edit: decided to get a
Raptor X WD1500AHFD 150GB 10,000 RPM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136011

for my programs and a Seagate 300GB for storage

what's your intended setup with the 40" and 19" for multiboxing? going to put them all on the same screen on the 40? split between the 19 and 40?

1 on the 40" 4 on the 19"

this might be awkward but oh wells

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by vindicated

mmm i think that card is older ill prolly stick with the 512mb 8800 gts

still thinking about the motherboard - idk if i want something with sli just incase and i want a stable one for overclocking.

and i think you're wrong about winxp 64bit - it can see way more than 4gb of ram

---

I didnt say xp 64bit I said xp and same goes for regular vista. In order to see the full 4gb of ram (or more) you must be using a 64bit OS.

yea my bad - i just assumed we were talking about the 64bit because of the 4gb of ram

well, sofar ive got everything picked out except for the mobo and thats between the two i linked a few post up.

its a little more than i wanted to spend but it will definantly run well

with two monitors that different in size, you are pretty much forced to go with vista.... (dual view in vista)

oh didnt realize that - thanks vos