Build help: Gaming PC

[Tolyngee]

(I've filled out the entire build suggestion template, but for now please just jump to the final question for now so I can decide. If you already know my current system will run like ass, just say so, and please start helping so I can upgrade! Thanks!)


1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1000 or so with tax and shipping, but after rebates (if you can suggest $3K in parts, but have $2K in rebates, I'm game!)
3) Where do you live?
Ummm... why?
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
heatsink, RAM, mobo, CPU.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Rocketfish case (the big Lian Li-like case that was sold at BB), Corsair 750TX PSU
6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes, the CPU.
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
Dual 30" 2560x1600
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Whenever my old E7400(?) C2D @ 3.8Ghz no longer cuts it. Haven't decided yet. If cheap enough to build a new i7 system now, I'll do it now.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
Thinking of the ASUS P6T. SLI but not tri-SLI, but still three PCI-e slots for a physx GPU
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?
No. Plan to get Windows 7 Pro 64bit OEM

Want to build an i7 system with a mobo that does dual-SLI with Physx GPU in third slot (so I believe not all three slots have to be x16?). Considering i7 920 with an ASUS P6T mobo. No idea what RAM to get, but would like to OC the CPU as far as possible, at least to 3.2Ghz. (My understanding is 3.2's nothing...)

I'm curious how cheap I can get this assembled by buying parts instead of a pre-assembled barebones system. I also want to know I'm getting the best parts, which
a barebones may not be, especially the RAM.

Need:

(IMPORTANT: That $1K number above is just for the mobo/RAM/CPU/HSF. It does not include the cost of additional video cards.
)

Mobo. SLI. With third slot for Physx GPU card if desired. COnsidering ASUS P6T, open to any suggestions though.
CPU: i7 920? Want to OC. Nothing major. 3.2+. (I know nothing about OCing an i7 CPU!)
RAM: 6GB or 12GB? Tri-channel? Simply put, I see 6GB of RAM for anywhere from $150-$300+. Quite a range for the same thing? I have absolutely no clue what RAM to buy. Your help here much appreciated.
HSF: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212? My e7400@3.8 is using a Zalman 9700(?) I believe. Don't care what HSF as long as it works.
HDs: (maybe) Considering four 1TB Samsung F3s in RAID-10. (not sure I want this added expense though. I have tons of 750GB HDs here already...)
OS: Windows 7 Pro 64-bit OEM (would rather just slap XP on another HD and boot off it than use XP mode on 7 Ultimate...)

Links to items considering:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131359
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118019
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

Already have:

Rocketfish case (no idea what model, that big one sold at BB for cheap that was a Lian-Li knock-off... huge case)
GPU: 5870 & GTX 480. Need to decide if I am going ATi x-fire or Nvidia SLI. Am NOT doing Eyefinity. Single monitor only.
PSU: Corsair 750TX. This should cut it. Also have a second 750TX, so can dual-PSU a system if decide to SLI?
DVD: Have plenty of optical drives to cannibalize for a new build



Look, I don't game much, but if my E7400@3.8 with a single GPU (5970 won't fit in the case, CPU's probably not enough for it anyway...) won't play games right, then I won't play at all. I'd rather upgrade. Obviously quad-core's the way to go. i7 I assume? 6GB or 12GB RAM? Will just game, so I'm sure 6GB will do, but 12GB sounds nice, since I currently have 8GB in my system, and I see my physical RAM usage go about 6GB on a typical basis (it's at 5.98 right now as I type this... and one major app I normally run isn't even running right now)

I assume after upgrading that one GPU won't cut it anymore after I get the quad-core CPU and it's not the bottleneck anymore. I won't do tri-SLI (just costs too damn much, I can't justify that expense, especially with the economy down...) I also don't care to Eyefinity. I have dual monitors, but when I game, the other is just to monitor whatever.
GPU? I already have a 5870 and a GTX 480. If going SLI/x-fire, I need to decide which team I'm going with. Two 5870s with the GTX 480 as Physx is overkill. But I imagine I want Physx, and am willing to buy an additional $100 GPU (or whatever I need to buy) to do it.

IMPORTANT: That $1K number above is just for the mobo/RAM/CPU/HSF. It does not include the cost of additional video cards.


Lastly, I own a ton of games. Can someone suggest to me what game(s) to try on my E7400C2D@3.8 with a GTX 480 (so I can turn Physx on) so I can determine if it is acceptable performance for me? I'm looking more to bottleneck the CPU, since that's the part I could never do anything about in the future. Once I test that out, I'll know if I need to upgrade. For example, I just bought Metro 2033, but haven't played it yet, as it got me to thinking about upgrading to play it right. If I test it on my current machine and it runs like ass, I'm probably upgrading.

But please suggest to me some game(s) anyway so I can make up my mind! (see paragraph above) THANKS!!!

 

[Dangman]

We ask question 3 because of the following reasons:
A) If you live in NJ, TN, or CA, Newegg charges state taxes for buyers there. As such, we might have to go with Amazon.com and a different set of parts in order to fit the budget
B) We do get a lot of Canadian, British, Aussie, and various other nationalities in this part of the forum asking for help. Doesn't help anyone if we recommend parts that are cheap in the U.S but shit expensive over in their country.
C) It helps us detemine if you live near a Fry's or Microcenter and therefore can take advantage of the great deals those stores have. i.e a $200 Core i7 930 CPU is available at Microcenter.
D) If none of the above apply, then it's a straight normal "Newegg" everything build.

Get it?

Anyway, some thoughts:
- Get the Core i7 930 CPU. Definitely worth it over the Core i7 920.

- The motherboard you chose is a good choice for someone planning on SLI/Crossfire and a PhysX card due to the layout of the PCI-E x16 slots.

- RAM wise, for straight up gaming, 6GB of RAM is more than enough. Get 6GB of RAM first, if it's not up to your liking then add more RAM. I recommend this set:
$160 - G.Skill Ripjaws Series F3-12800CL8T-6GBRM 3 x 2GB DDR3 1600 RAM

- HSF wise, the Zalman 9700 is not taht good of a HSF for the money. In addition, it isn't compatible with LGA 1366. The Coolermaster HSF is overpriced considering that its normal price as $30 over the past several months. At $50, it's a ripoff. I recommend this HSF instead:
$40 - Thermalright Cogage TRUE Spirit HSF

- PSU wise, a single Corsair 750TX will be enough for a HD 5870 Crossfire setup:
205W - Core i7 930 OC'd to 3.2Ghz + mobo + single HDD
470W - Two HD 5870 at full load.
---
675W at full CPU and GPU load

However if you plan to OC past 3.2GHz or plan to OC the video cards, you will need a larger PSU or dual PSU.

For GTX 480 SLI however, you're gonna need two of those Corsair 750W PSUs no matter what. The GTX 480 are power hungry.

Games to play:
- Battlefield Bad Company 2
- Fallout 3
- Just Cause 2
- Mass Effect 2
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat

For sure, your E7400 @ 3.8Ghz will be a definite bottleneck in BF:BC2 due to that game's huge love of CPU cores.

As for an idea as how really cheap you could have gotten a Core i7 PC: Last month they had this Gigabyte mobo and this G.Skill RAM set in combo for $300 total. If you lived near a Microcenter, you could have gotten a Core i7 930 for $200. So last month, you could have gotten a Core i7 930 + Gigabyte X58A-UD3R mobo + G.Skill 6GB RAM for only $500 if you lived near a Microcenter.

 

[Tolyngee]

Get it?

yeah, sorry. I'm sort of a hermit, and even if someone's being extremely helpful, I don't want someone knocking on my door. I'll gladly come to you, though!

Anyway, some thoughts:
- Get the Core i7 930 CPU. Definitely worth it over the Core i7 920.

Interesting. Barebones systems that 930 is $80 more than the 920. But at Newegg it's the same price.

- RAM wise, for straight up gaming, 6GB of RAM is more than enough. Get 6GB of RAM first, if it's not up to your liking then add more RAM. I recommend this set:
$160 - G.Skill Ripjaws Series F3-12800CL8T-6GBRM 3 x 2GB DDR3 1600 RAM

That's nice and cheap!

- HSF wise, the Zalman 9700 is not taht good of a HSF for the money. In addition, it isn't compatible with LGA 1366. The Coolermaster HSF is overpriced considering that its normal price as $30 over the past several months. At $50, it's a ripoff. I recommend this HSF instead:
$40 - Thermalright Cogage TRUE Spirit HSF

Oops, I don't know my HSFs obviously. Whatever works is fine with me!

However if you plan to OC past 3.2GHz or plan to OC the video cards, you will need a larger PSU or dual PSU.

For GTX 480 SLI however, you're gonna need two of those Corsair 750W PSUs no matter what. The GTX 480 are power hungry.

I'm planning to just dual-PSU anyway. But if going the single-GPU route (which I doubt), I realized a single PSU would probably suffice.

Games to play:
- Battlefield Bad Company 2
- Fallout 3
- Just Cause 2
- Mass Effect 2
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat

For sure, your E7400 @ 3.8Ghz will be a definite bottleneck in BF:BC2 due to that game's huge love of CPU cores.

Crap, I only own FO3 and JC2 in that list. I have SoC & CS though, and can buy CoP in a heartbeat. Also already have ME1. Might be buying ME2. No plans to buy BBC2 unless it goes cheap during the Steam sale. Would Ghostbusters be a good test? I heard it's tough on CPUs?

As for an idea as how really cheap you could have gotten a Core i7 PC: Last month they had this Gigabyte mobo and this G.Skill RAM set in combo for $300 total. If you lived near a Microcenter, you could have gotten a Core i7 930 for $200. So last month, you could have gotten a Core i7 930 + Gigabyte X58A-UD3R mobo + G.Skill 6GB RAM for only $500 if you lived near a Microcenter.

Wow, I can still snag all that for ~$700 though (with HSF)! That still beats $1K+!!!

 

[Dangman]

Crap, I only own FO3 and JC2 in that list. I have SoC & CS though, and can buy CoP in a heartbeat. Also already have ME1. Might be buying ME2. No plans to buy BBC2 unless it goes cheap during the Steam sale. Would Ghostbusters be a good test? I heard it's tough on CPUs?

It supposedly is but I wouldn't get Ghostbusters simply because it wasn't that good of a game IIRC.

Other games to try out:
Batman Arkham Asylum
GTA4
Supremer Commander 2 (It's $7.50 RIGHT NOW at Steam. Hurry up, price is only stable for the next 6 hours)
Splinter Cell: Conviction
Blur
Far Cry 2

Wow, I can still snag all that for ~$700 though (with HSF)! That still beats $1K+!!!

Yup.

 

[Tolyngee]

It supposedly is but I wouldn't get Ghostbusters simply because it wasn't that good of a game IIRC.

Other games to try out:
Batman Arkham Asylum
GTA4
Supremer Commander 2 (It's $7.50 RIGHT NOW at Steam. Hurry up, price is only stable for the next 6 hours)
Splinter Cell: Conviction
Blur
Far Cry 2

I already have GB though. And BAA & GTA4. FC2 runs acceptably on my current system. (Actually, it's why I upgraded to it!) I figured Batman's going to choke on my single-GPU GTX 480 system when I turn Physx on, instead of gagging on my CPU, and I've already heard GTA4's going to gag on my CPU, so I haven't even bothered to install it. But FC2 does run quite well, so maybe I better give some other games a twirl before I decide.

But wow, $700 ($850 for 12GB, still under $1K!) for the new system. And I'm sure my E7400 system would have some value still on Craigslist or something.

Can I OC the 930?

 

[Dangman]

I already have GB though. And BAA & GTA4. FC2 runs acceptably on my current system. (Actually, it's why I upgraded to it!) I figured Batman's going to choke on my single-GPU GTX 480 system when I turn Physx on, instead of gagging on my CPU, and I've already heard GTA4's going to gag on my CPU, so I haven't even bothered to install it. But FC2 does run quite well, so maybe I better give some other games a twirl before I decide.

But wow, $700 ($850 for 12GB, still under $1K!) for the new system. And I'm sure my E7400 system would have some value still on Craigslist or something.

Can I OC the 930?

Yes. That precisely why the Core i7 930 is the better buy over the Core i7 920: The slightly higher multiplier making it slight easier to OC as well as its capability to hit higher OCs than the Core i7 920.

 

[Tolyngee]

Yes. That precisely why the Core i7 930 is the better buy over the Core i7 920: The slightly higher multiplier making it slight easier to OC as well as its capability to hit higher OCs than the Core i7 920.

Well, I meant what might I hit? Without pushing it? 3.2 without question? 3.6 probably?

I heard the i7's about 20% faster than my C2D, so 3.6 would be like my C2D @ 4.3, or something.

I just want to know for older single-core gaming that I'm not immediately gimping myself.

 

[Shadowssong]

With a decent air cooler you can most likely get 3.8 without breaking a sweat.

 

[Tolyngee]

What's the best HSF to get then?

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/9...rue_Spirit_4-Heatpipe_Core_i7_CPU_Cooler.html

That?

And the two mobos:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131359
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128423

What video card do I need for Physx? Single or dual slot?
If dual slot, I'll need the Asus, but that leaves no expansion slots available (don't think I need 'em anyway...)
If single slot, can go with the Gigabyte (which I like), and have two PCI-e x1 slots available... (If I'm understanding which slots are x16)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231304

Sure that RAM will work with either mobo?

With shipping, things are currently ~$710. I'm willing to pull the trigger...

 

[tiraides]

Get the CPU cooler and board that Danny recommended earlier. The Core i7 processor overclocked to 3.2GHz or faster will outperform the other processors in most tasks/benchmarks.

Regarding the Gigabyte board, use the first and third PCI-E x16 slots for SLI and the bottom PCI-E x16 slot (which runs at x8) for the PhysiX card.

The G.Skill Ripjaws kit that you linked to will work, but at 1.6V, it may limit how far you'll be able to push your CPU overclock. Unfortunately, the RAM kit that I'd normally recommend is out of stock, and other 1.5V kits are more expensive than the Ripjaws kit.

 

[E4g1e]

Regarding the Gigabyte board, use the first and third PCI-E x16 slots for SLI and the bottom PCI-E x16 slot (which runs at x8) for the PhysiX card.

Actually, both the third and fourth PCI-e slots on the Gigabyte motherboard run at x8 when both slots are filled at the same time. By contrast, the Asus P6T motherboard runs its three cards in x16/x16/x4 mode, lacks both onboard USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gbps controllers, has an extra PCI-Legacy slot whose space should have been used for an additional PCI-e x1 slot (as configured, if you're using three PCI-e graphics cards on the P6T and the card that's installed in the primary slot has a double-width HSF, you cannot install any additional PCI-e cards on that board since the single PCI-e x1 slot would then be blocked by the graphics card's HSF), and is more expensive than the Gigabyte motherboard.

 

[tiraides]

Wow, I can't believe that I missed that the first time around (regarding the Gigabyte board).

Rhetorical question time: Who's the genius who thought placing two true PCI-E x16 slots right next to each other was a good idea?

 

[E4g1e]

Wow, I can't believe that I missed that the first time around (regarding the Gigabyte board).

Simple. The X58 chipset's IOH has 36 PCI-e 2.0 lanes - but the operation in x16/x16/x8 mode would have required at least 40 PCI-e 2.0 lanes. Hence, there is no room in the X58 to operate three cards in x16/x16/x8 - and therefore, only x16/x8/x8 or x16/x16/x4 mode is possible with three cards.

 

[Tolyngee]

Simple. The X58 chipset's IOH has 36 PCI-e 2.0 lanes - but the operation in x16/x16/x8 mode would have required at least 40 PCI-e 2.0 lanes. Hence, there is no room in the X58 to operate three cards in x16/x16/x8 - and therefore, only x16/x8/x8 or x16/x16/x4 mode is possible with three cards.

So, if doing GTX 480 / GTX 480 / ??? (Physx), the ASUS is better since the two 480s would be in x16 slots?

Can the Gigabyte tri-sli GTX 480s? Or does that go below the final slot on the case, so can't do that?

Still not sure what card I need for Physx? Single slot? 9800GT?

The G.Skill Ripjaws kit that you linked to will work, but at 1.6V, it may limit how far you'll be able to push your CPU overclock. Unfortunately, the RAM kit that I'd normally recommend is out of stock, and other 1.5V kits are more expensive than the Ripjaws kit.

I can simply wait 'til next week for that RAM kit to come back in stock!

 

[tiraides]

What E4g1e is saying that you won't be able to have all three cards use the full x16 bus (per card). In other words, buying three GTX 480 cards is out of the question. Since virtually any Nvidia card could be used for PhysX, you could pick up a cheap single-slot card for that role.

 

[Tolyngee]

What E4g1e is saying that you won't be able to have all three cards use the full x16 bus (per card). In other words, buying three GTX 480 cards is out of the question. Since virtually any Nvidia card could be used for PhysX, you could pick up a cheap single-slot card for that role.

I thought he was saying that SLI with the Gigabyte one card would be on x16, while the other would have to be on x8, but with the ASUS SLI both cards would be on x16?

Isn't both on x16 preferable?

I also heard for Physx not any ol' single-slot card will do. You don't want to go too low, so I'm making sure how low I can go?

 

[tiraides]

NewEgg has a link to the manufacturer page for the motherboard. Go to the Gigabyte site, look at the user manual for the board in question, and see if you can find out how the PCI-E x16 slots are utilized under CF/SLI mode.

Then, determine whether it's more important for you to have dual x16 SLI or functioning PhysX. IIRC, the 9800GT can function as a PhysX card, but it's been a while since I last researched the subject.

 

[Tolyngee]

Simple. The X58 chipset's IOH has 36 PCI-e 2.0 lanes - but the operation in x16/x16/x8 mode would have required at least 40 PCI-e 2.0 lanes. Hence, there is no room in the X58 to operate three cards in x16/x16/x8 - and therefore, only x16/x8/x8 or x16/x16/x4 mode is possible with three cards.

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/gigabyte_ga_x58a_ud3r/3.htm

This is saying the Gigabyte's 1st/3rd/4th PCI-e slots are x16/x16/x8, which you are saying it can't do. The notes agree with you ("when PCIEX8_2 is populated with an expansion card, the PC IEX16_2 slot will operate at up to x8 mode.") that the board will run in x16/x8/x8 if I add a third card for Physx. (edit: actually the manual makes it sound like you either have the two x16 slots run at x16 and that's it, or all four slots run at x8 according to the diagram on page 8... Then again, wouldn't running SLI on one x16 and x8 be just as gimped anyway as both at x8? )

Is it then preferable for SLI with a third card for Physx to get the ASUS x16/x16/x4 mobo then? I would think you want the SLIed cards to both be on x16 lanes?

Is x8 over x6 that gimped? Is yes, ASUS sounds like the route to go?

 

[Tolyngee]

Then, determine whether it's more important for you to have dual x16 SLI or functioning PhysX. IIRC, the 9800GT can function as a PhysX card, but it's been a while since I last researched the subject.

Physx only needs limited bandwidth. x16/x16/x4 would offer both dual x16 SLI and Physx was what I was thinking. Otherwise the third slot's useless.

 

[tiraides]

I'll have to look at the board's user manual myself to help answer your earlier question. Absent that bit of knowledge, I can't recommend one board over the other.

 

[Tolyngee]

I'll have to look at the board's user manual myself to help answer your earlier question. Absent that bit of knowledge, I can't recommend one board over the other.

The manual doesn't help, that's why i went to a review site to try and get their take on it. The manual doesn't really discuss SLI configurations. And it doesn't mention Physx at all.

The review said the same as E4g1e. But the diagram in the manual shows either the two x16 slots alone working at x16, or all four slots working at x8. Suggests to me that if you put a card into one of the x8 slots, they're all running at x8 now.

 

[engiNURD]

tl;dr. send them (gigabyte, asus, or whoever you're talking about) an email and ask.

 

[Tolyngee]

tl;dr. send them (gigabyte, asus, or whoever you're talking about) an email and ask.

Dear Gigabyte: Does running SLI at x8 instead of at x16 gimp SLI?

Dear Asus: Does running a Physx card on a x4 slot gimp Physx?

Both are just going to say no. They want my sale.

I'll dig around for some reviews. It's easy to find SLI reviews, and it's easy to find mobo reviews. Finding mobo reviews doing SLI's the tricky part, though... If you can't find reviews to compare, it's hard to figure out if there may indeed be a gimp going on.

What I should do it just forget the third card and just live with SLI. Then both mobos are perfect.

 

[Dangman]

What I should do it just forget the third card and just live with SLI. Then both mobos are perfect.

Yes. PhysX isn't that big of a deal anyway. The few games that supports it don't really showcase it that well. So in other words, not really worth planning a new build around PhysX.

 

[engiNURD]

Dear Gigabyte: Does running SLI at x8 instead of at x16 gimp SLI?

Dear Asus: Does running a Physx card on a x4 slot gimp Physx?

Both are just going to say no. They want my sale.

you fail at phrasing the question properly. and I'm too lazy to read all the other posts to rephrase it for you, sorry.

 

[Tolyngee]

you fail at phrasing the question properly.

Both: Will your motherboard configuration negatively affect my intended setup?

Regardless of what verb I throw in there, they're going to say no, regardless of the truth. They want my sale.

I'm too lazy to read all the other posts

Thanks for your time anyway!

 

[Tolyngee]

Yes. PhysX isn't that big of a deal anyway. The few games that supports it don't really showcase it that well. So in other words, not really worth planning a new build around PhysX.

I'm thinking with two GTX 480s in SLI that even if I want to turn on Physx just to see eye candy, that my framerate won't plummet too far anyway.

From reviews I've read, turning Physx to max with a single card didn't seem too bad. Not bad enough to have a dedicated Physx card, but bad enough to consider SLI, but SLI was a consideration for those games regardless of Physx on/off. But, being [H], I wanted to leave my options open.

That said, I bet x4 is enough for the Physx card, otherwise the Asus board is useless. So I'll take another look at both mobo layouts, with this thought slightly giving the Asus the advantage. Since I don't plan to throw any additional expansion cards into either, layout's probably an unnecessary factor to consider.

 

[Tolyngee]

From reviews I've read, turning Physx to max with a single card didn't seem too bad. Not bad enough to have a dedicated Physx card, but bad enough to consider SLI, but SLI was a consideration for those games regardless of Physx on/off. But, being [H], I wanted to leave my options open.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1529397

And this is why you consider a dedicated Physx card if you want to do Physx.

Look at what happens to Batman's framerates when Physx is turned on, even with 480GTX tri-SLI. Look at the difference in minimum framerate!

 

[Bdonedge]

Just putting my 2 cents in for my experience with RAM. I have had one set of G-skill die on me within 4 months. I switched to a smaller company named Mushkin and have been so satisfied. I can't recommend this RAM enough. It overclocks extremely well, doesn't get too hot (came with great heatsinks) and was a good price.

 

[Bdonedge]

Dear Gigabyte: Does running SLI at x8 instead of at x16 gimp SLI?

Dear Asus: Does running a Physx card on a x4 slot gimp Physx?

Both are just going to say no. They want my sale.

I'll dig around for some reviews. It's easy to find SLI reviews, and it's easy to find mobo reviews. Finding mobo reviews doing SLI's the tricky part, though... If you can't find reviews to compare, it's hard to figure out if there may indeed be a gimp going on.

What I should do it just forget the third card and just live with SLI. Then both mobos are perfect.

Also, double post, I've done so much research on this subject and the best thing you can do is look at benchmarks. Because there really is no solid answer. No company I've contacted has specifically told me how much bandwidth each card accesses. That being said, higher end cards will see a little bigger drop in performance rather than the ones that aren't top of the line, but x8 and x8 vs x16 and x16 are minimal performance difference.

 

[Tolyngee]

Also, double post, I've done so much research on this subject and the best thing you can do is look at benchmarks. Because there really is no solid answer. No company I've contacted has specifically told me how much bandwidth each card accesses. That being said, higher end cards will see a little bigger drop in performance rather than the ones that aren't top of the line, but x8 and x8 vs x16 and x16 are minimal performance difference.

I just realized two people (including the OP) in that thread are doing tri-SLI, but are either using the same Gigabyte mobo or another mobo that does x16/x8/x8.

See their sigs:

http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1035887931&postcount=3
http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1035888306&postcount=7

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131614
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128423

So, it doesn't matter enough for them. And the OP is using a $1,000 CPU with three $500 video cards, I'm sure he could afford a better mobo if that one was just going to gimp him...

Just putting my 2 cents in for my experience with RAM. I have had one set of G-skill die on me within 4 months. I switched to a smaller company named Mushkin and have been so satisfied. I can't recommend this RAM enough. It overclocks extremely well, doesn't get too hot (came with great heatsinks) and was a good price.

Wow, surprised to hear anyone call Mushkin smaller. I've known about 'em for a decade. Always known for quality.

I'll consider contacting them as well for compatible RAM, as post #7 of the benchmark thread that's doing tri-SLI on the same Gigabyte mobo is using Mushkin!!!

 

[Tolyngee]

The Coolermaster HSF is overpriced considering that its normal price as $30 over the past several months. At $50, it's a ripoff. I recommend this HSF instead:
$40 - Thermalright Cogage TRUE Spirit HSF

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1530000

Just got the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus for $24 shipped! W00t!

 

[Tolyngee]

Anyone want to suggest what thermal paste I should use on this build? Thanks!

 

[tiraides]

Go with Arctic Cooling MX-2 or MX-3. Either one performs just as well as (if not better than) Arctic Silver 5 but with no curing time needed.