Seeking Input on New 5-Boxing Build

[bradleyb]

I've been multi-boxing a 5-man team for a while now, but on a system I built about 6 years ago. It's a bit slow at times - okay, more than a bit ;-) This week I spent about 6K building a new box. Everything is on order and I am just waiting for the components to come in so I can get to work. I'd like to get some feedback on my build though - seeing if there's any additional advice or thoughts anyone may have on this system.

Case
Cooler Master HAF 922

PSU
Cooler Master SilentPro Gold 1000W

Motherboard
ASUS P8Z68-V Deluxe

CPU
Intel Core i5 2500K @ 4.5GHz

Memory
G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB DDR3-1866

Graphics Cards
EVGA GTX 560 ti 2GB x 2 (SLI)
Galaxy GTX 460 Razer 1GB (Standalone)

Drives
OCZ Vertex 3 120GB (Boot)
OCZ Vertex 3 220GB (Games)
OCZ Vertex 2 60GB x 4 (Alts)
WD Caviar Black 1.5TB (Storage)
Lite-On 12x Blu-Ray Burner (Optical)

Cooling
Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler
Kingston HyperX RAM Cooler
Cooler Master 200mm Blue LED x3
Cooler Master 140mm Blue LED x1
Cooler Master 120mm Blue LED x1

Accessories
Logitech G19 Gaming Keyboard
Logitech G9x Gaming Mouse
Logitech G35 Surround Sound Headset

Monitors
Dell UltraSharp U3011 30" LCD (2560x1600)
Dell UltraSharp U2211H 21.5” LCD (Portrait, Left)
Dell UltraSharp U2211H 21.5” LCD (Portrait, Right)
Dell IN1920 18.5” HD Monitor (Landscape, Top)


Here's the background on a few key decision points:

- 2500K vs. 2600K: I just don't see the need for hyperthreading and would probably just disable it on the chip anyway. Any other difference are dwarfed once you start overclocking. I am planning to rev this up to 4.2 to 4.5 GHz (max).

- 16Gigs of RAM: Yes, I am aware that this is kind of overkill, but memory is really cheap these days... even with the higher-end modules. I also use the box to host virtual systems for work testing though, so it matters.

- Graphic Cards: Okay, so I am picking up 2 GTX 560 ti's with 2GB of memory each. These will be run in SLI (x8/x8) and used to feed my new 30inch monitor at 2560x1600 resolution (for my main) and my small 18 inch web browsing monitor. There are other things I do and other games I play that will make use of these cards in SLI setup, so not a complete waste. As for the single 1GB GTX 460 Razer... I have an open PCIe-x16 slot at the very bottom of my board that will run at x4 speeds. Originally I was going to dump a refurbished GTX 460 768MB card into it and dedicate it to PhysX, but then I started thinking. If I can run 2 side monitors in portrait mode from their own dedicated card, that would actually be really ideal. I can't fit a double-wide card in the last slot, so I wanted to find the fastest, beefiest sing-slot card I could. The Galaxy GTX 460 Razer is the perfect match. I realize that it will bottleneck a bit running at x4 speed, but based on all of the research I've been doing it will only be a 5%-15% performance hit - and it won't hurt my SLI setup at all. This card will be used to feed my twin 21.5 monitors running in portrait mode, each with two characters on them. I'll tinker with the resolution and setting options as much as possible to get a solid 24 FPS on each of the 4 instances - but we'll see how that plays out. And yes - this setup is all workable according to NVIDIA - you can run two monitors off of an SLI configuration and another 2 monitors off a standalone card. More about all this in the monitors section below.

- Drives: This cost me like 1k all by itself to set up, but should be worth it since hard drives are usually a nasty bottleneck for multi-boxing. In this setup I'll have my OS running on its own 120GB Vertex 3 SSD. My Main will be run off my 240GB Vertex 3 SSD, and each of the 4 alts will be run off their own independent 60GB Vertex 2 SSDs. The 1.5TB drive is there for something else, but can also be used to back up everything if needed. That and I have an 18TB NAS already set up on my home network, so it's not like I need this box to have a ton of storage on its own. Obviously the Vertex 3's are going to go into the native SATA III ports on my board, with the Vertex 2's going on the SATA II ports. My Blu-Ray burner and the 1.5TB drives will be running of the Marvel SATA III connectors. I have to say that I'm pretty excited about this SSD setup... probably overkill, but it should be damn quick ;-)

- Monitors: As alluded to in my comments on video card selection, I am going for a four monitor setup. I am not really interested in Nvidia's Surround setup, because I really really really wanted a 2560x1600 monitor to play most stuff on (and use for my main). I'd need to spend another 3k to 4k to bump up to the tri-SLI GTX 580 3GB card setup I'd need to drive 3 huge monitors at max resolution. I thought about it, but I don't really have the desk space ;-). Anyway, I ordered a Dell U3011 as my main monitor which will be set up in Landscape mode at 2560x1600 running of my GTX 560 ti's (in SLI-mode). I then have two U2211H monitors that I'll set up in portrait mode, one on each side of my 30 inch monitor. I'll split the screens so that I have two regions running on each one - giving me the 5-boxing setup I've really been wanting for a while. The two 21 inch monitors in portrait mode should match up with the height of the 30inch monitor making it all neat and clean looking... these two 21inch monitors will be running off my GTX 460 Razer.... Lastly, I've added a small 18.5 inch monitor that I am going to wall mount (at a downward angle) right above my 30 inch monitor. This will be my web surfing monitor, so I can look things up while playing without having to switch screens or anything like that. This little guy will run off the same card as the 30inch monitor, but should have a negligible impact since it will hardly be doing anything at all really.

- Sound: Not listed, but I also have an ASUS sound card and Altec-Lansing speaker setup, but this won't be used very often. It's far more likely that I'll be using my G35 headset at all times (to keep from annoying my significant other).

Well anyway, that's it. That's the box. The goal is a powerhouse that can run all 5 wow instance without so much as a flicker. 60FPS for the main (at awesome resolution) and 24FPS for each alt (at low resolution). I think this setup should get me there (and then some), but what else might I consider doing to maximize my investment?

Thanks all,

[MiRai]

Welcome to dual-boxing.com...

I easily could have misread something in these replies, I have a killer headache which I never get and it took
me forever to write this post. =\

Motherboard
ASUS P8Z68-V Deluxe

I may be missing something but I don't see a -V Deluxe.
NewEgg
Asus

- 2500K vs. 2600K: I just don't see the need for hyperthreading and would probably just disable it on the chip anyway. Any other difference are dwarfed once you start overclocking. I am planning to rev this up to 4.2 to 4.5 GHz (max).

Hyper-Threading is helpful for multiboxing.

- 16Gigs of RAM: Yes, I am aware that this is kind of overkill, but memory is really cheap these days... even with the higher-end modules. I also use the box to host virtual systems for work testing though, so it matters.

I would have suggested getting the the lowest latency RAM you can find at 1.5V.

- Graphic Cards: Okay, so I am picking up 2 GTX 560 ti's with 2GB of memory each. These will be run in SLI (x8/x8) and used to feed my new 30inch monitor at 2560x1600 resolution (for my main) and my small 18 inch web browsing monitor. There are other things I do and other games I play that will make use of these cards in SLI setup, so not a complete waste. As for the single 1GB GTX 460 Razer... I have an open PCIe-x16 slot at the very bottom of my board that will run at x4 speeds. Originally I was going to dump a refurbished GTX 460 768MB card into it and dedicate it to PhysX, but then I started thinking. If I can run 2 side monitors in portrait mode from their own dedicated card, that would actually be really ideal. I can't fit a double-wide card in the last slot, so I wanted to find the fastest, beefiest sing-slot card I could. The Galaxy GTX 460 Razer is the perfect match. I realize that it will bottleneck a bit running at x4 speed, but based on all of the research I've been doing it will only be a 5%-15% performance hit - and it won't hurt my SLI setup at all. This card will be used to feed my twin 21.5 monitors running in portrait mode, each with two characters on them. I'll tinker with the resolution and setting options as much as possible to get a solid 24 FPS on each of the 4 instances - but we'll see how that plays out. And yes - this setup is all workable according to NVIDIA - you can run two monitors off of an SLI configuration and another 2 monitors off a standalone card. More about all this in the monitors section below.

You will have to manually force your 560's, which will be hooked up to the 30" and the 18", into a power
saving mode which I'm not 100% if you'll be able to do. Fermi cards with mismatching resolutions and/or in
SLI will not let the card automatically go into an idle state. This has been a bug with the cards/drivers since
the 400 series was released.

- Drives: This cost me like 1k all by itself to set up, but should be worth it since hard drives are usually a nasty bottleneck for multi-boxing. In this setup I'll have my OS running on its own 120GB Vertex 3 SSD. My Main will be run off my 240GB Vertex 3 SSD, and each of the 4 alts will be run off their own independent 60GB Vertex 2 SSDs.

I have no idea what software you're using to multibox but paying for an SSD just to put your alts on is a
waste of money IMO. You've already ordered the drives but, good luck with OCZ.

Well anyway, that's it. That's the box. The goal is a powerhouse that can run all 5 wow instance without so much as a flicker. 60FPS for the main (at awesome resolution) and 24FPS for each alt (at low resolution). I think this setup should get me there (and then some), but what else might I consider doing to maximize my investment?

Why is 24FPS for each alt window the special number?

Other than that... $6,000 is a lot to spend on a machine. Regardless of what I or anyone else says at the
moment doesn't really matter since you've already ordered the parts and they're already on the way. I'm
not trying to make you feel bad for any of the purchases you've made but, normally someone posts here
first asking for advice or feedback on a system they're about to purchase.

[bradleyb]

Sorry... No -V... Just the deluxe z68 board.

How much of a performance gain would I get with multithreading? All of my research indicated that it would be so minimal as not to really matter. I still have the option of switching.

I'll look at my RAM choice again. I was planning to OC anyway...

Yeah, I agree that the ssd"s for alts is way overkill I have the money though, so why not? ;-). I am already using OCZ ssd's in my htpc, and I really love the drives. I know there have been a few issues here and there, but I can deal with them if they arise.

20-24 fps has always been a good speed for me when running alts. If I can go higher I will, but that's the minimum target I want to be able to hit on all of them.

Yes, I had ordered everything based on research, but I always have the option of changing things around; I already have on a couple of items. If someone here makes a good argument for a better choice, I can switch things around. I wasn't about to wait though. I am confident in most of my choices (thoigh have been debating the cpu, memory, and razor card). Always good to get a few second opinions though.

[bradleyb]

Updated:

Decided that i'll return the 2500k and pick up the 2600k instead. Additional research has indeed indicated that the hyperthreading capabilities of the 2600k adds additional value. Looks to be worth the extra $100 after all.

As for the memory, I'm looking at some lower latency 4x4 (16GB). For not much more there is a nice 7-7-7-21 option available at 1066MHz. Here's the kicker though - speed is more important than timing on a sandy bridge (http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/mem...idge-ddr3.html), meaning that my G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 1866 (PC3 14900) F3-14900CL9D-16GBXL is the best option G.Skill has for my 16GB goal. G.Skill is my preferred vendor, so I think I'll stick with what I have and then play with the settings a bit till I get the best results. More info: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231455

[Sam DeathWalker]

As impressive as your set up is I would put my "best system at any price" set up as enough better to make a difference, and at around $2000, less costly then your set up.

You cannot beat 48G of system ram and running wow from a ram drive, even with your system. And adding the 3G video card Fenril uses would be ideal, for a total of about $2200, for wow anyway.

http://samdeathwalker.com/forum/showthread.php?t=286

[RSM72]

Running the alts from separate drives will actually increase memory usage and load on your system because windows will try to cache the game client 5 times while with one shared client It will be loading most stuff from cache once the first client is in memory. 4x separate SSD cant beat loading stuff from cache or ramdisk.

Also SLI will most likely give you more headaches then performance improvements so unless you really need those cards to power your 4 screens its better to go for a 3GB 580 (I'd probably go with 2x 30 inch if money wasnt an issue).

EDIT: btw I'm running your intended setup on a sturdy i7 920 (3.6Ghz) with a single gtx580 (upgraded to 3G but 1.5G worked too) from a single SSD at 55-60 fps (main) / 30 fps (slaves) on two 24 inch screens

[Sam DeathWalker]

Everything RSM72 says is correct.

I think though that the sandy bridge (2600K) is a lot better then the 920 as many have stated, but for 5 boxing the 920 should do the job also. But if you are buying today, as stated, the 2600K is the choice.

[daanji]

I agree with same.

I do 5x boxing with a Core i7 920 and a GTX 580 3 GB with 12 GB of system ram.

For storage, I use two 64GB Kingston SSDs in RAID 0. My throughput is 450 MB read / writes. Loads times are about 5 seconds.

I can run all 5x clients on "good" settings at 60 fps each with the GPU showing only a 50% load and about 1200 MB of ram used.

[bradleyb]

So I ordered the 2600k (I'll return the 2500k when it comes in). I also ordered a Zotac GTX 580 Amp2 (3gb) to take the place of the 560 ti's. That should punch things up just a bit. ;-)

[Sam DeathWalker]

Ya I have 2 of the Zotec 460 2G cards (I have to buy 6 of everything so I can't afford first line stuffs) coming they were $160 each after discount at tigerdirect. I wish I could afford 6 of the 3G 580's lol ....

Never bought Zotec before though hope they are ok. Been using Gigabyte for video cards.

Daanji how are your SSD drives after a few weeks, I had one and it just didn't do much after a few weeks cause I didnt trim or anything. I moved to velociraptors which on paper are a lot worse then the SSD's but cost effective enough I guess.