Help deciding between two gaming configs

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russilker

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Hi guys, yet another thread about newegg wishlists I've created... I'm REALLY hoping this will be the last one haha, but bear with me as I really do want your suggestions now.

I've narrowed down my potential computer build to two configurations. I will be using this system for playing first person shooters such as Crysis and the HL series, watching movies, and web browsing. I will be overclocking, but not too much as I'm still new to OCing (hence using unlocked processors)

NOTE: I currently have an Acer H223H monitor at home + a 1TB WD hard drive + a spare SATA DVDRW + basic PS2 keyboard and USB mouse, so the absence of these parts in any of the builds is merely to cut cost and can be worked around

Config 1, using the monitor I have already with slightly more enthusiast parts:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=11991714

Config 2, cutting costs where I can to allow the purchase of 2 additional monitors for 3 way eyefinity:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=15055752

EDIT 12/9: Config 3 added with NV Surround due to the much better performance in surround rather than eyefinity:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=21766868

Main differences:
Config 1, no eyefinity
Processor: 1090t
Optical: Bluray/dvdrw combo drive
CPU cooler: Corsair H50 w/stock fan
Hard drives: 1tb Samsung F3 + WD 1tb I already have
Motherboard: higher-end 890fx chipset with an 8+2 power phase design + better cooling on VRMs for Thuban safety
Monitor setup: Single 23" 1920x1080 Acer H223h I already have

Config 2, with eyefinity
Processor: 955BE
Optical: dvdrw drive I already have
CPU cooler: Hyper 212+
Hard drives: WD 1tb I already have
Motherboard: Lower-end 870 chipset capable of x8 x8 crossfire
Monitor setup: Single 23" 1920x1080 Acer H223h I already have + 2 additional i similar monitors for 3 monitor eyefinity setup

Config 3, with NV Surround and 2 additional monitors:
Processor: i5 750
Optical: dvdrw drive I already have
CPU cooler: Hyper 212+
Hard drives: WD 1tb I already have
Motherboard: Biostar P55 chipset capable of x8 x8 SLi
Monitor setup: Single 23" 1920x1080 Acer H223h I already have + 2 additional similar monitors for 3 monitor eyefinity setup
Other changes: Well-rated $99 850watt rosewill PSU (no need for suggestions here, I know its not a Corsair but it received very good ratings online and can handle two 460s just fine), cheap case (nearly identical inside, just with a less flashy outside, one less fan and no fan controller), two overclocked 2gb GTX 460s in SLi (the VRAM is very important for 5760x1080 gaming)

My main questions I'd appreciate answered:
1) Are two 6850s enough to play Crysis with 3x 1920x1080 monitor eyefinity above 30fps on Very High settings?
2) Is 3 monitor eyefinity as beneficial for FPS games as it is for racing games (which I don't play? AKA is it worth the money?
3) If I don't buy the two slipstreams for the 212+, will my temps suffer and will it be louder than an h50?
4) Any parts I should change (providing they don't go over budget, I'm already pretty much over my limit of $1350 as it is when you account for shipping)?
5) Is the H50 that much better than the Hyper 212+ cooling-wise/noise-wise to justify the cost?

Thank you SO much for the help. I'd appreciate the most detailed responses you can give me, and as usual I can provide reasoning for all of my hardware choices if you need me to as I spent a lot of time deciding on each part.

Oh, and I'd appreciate if you don't suggest combo deals/limited-time specials. I may have to hold off buying for another couple of weeks (in which case I'll probably change the two 6850s to one 6970 or something), so they wouldn't be of much use. I don't have any Frys or Microcenters near me either, and I'm hoping to stick to newegg so I get all my parts at the same time + receive their awesome service in case something goes wrong.

Thanks again!

EDIT 12/9: How would the nVidia SLi setup I created compare to the 6850 crossfire one in regards to 3 monitor gaming? From some benchmarks I've seen, NV Surround performs considerably better across 3 monitors than eyefinity, is this true?
 
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1) No. Last I checked, Crossfire scaling in Eyefinity didn't work that well. Generally, the HD 5870 or HD 5970 is needed for very high settings.
2) IMO yes. Being able to see more of the battlefield gives you a huge advantage over other players.
3) No and no

4) Unfortunately, you're gonna need either a Display Port to VGA adapter or a Display Port to DVI adapter if you want to use that Acer monitor as Eyefinity does not support 3 monitors via the digital ports yet. In addition, all three monitors have to be hooked up to the same card. Those adapters are a bit of a hit or a miss and for the resolution you're looking at, you're looking at those $100 adapters.

5) Not really. Look here at this recommended quiet/silent HSF list:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/Recommended_Heatsinks

The Coolermaster Hyper 212+ is on that list. The Corsair H50 isn't on that list. And yes that site did review the H50:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/corsair-h50

So no the H50 is not worth it.
 
Thanks for the concise replies!

In all my reading I never saw that all monitors need to be plugged into one card, and as I'm not planning on shelling out for an active DP to DVI adapter that makes eyefinity 3 gaming much less attractive, if its even a possibility for me.

How about the non-eyefinity setup? Anything I should change there? And if I go for the eyefinity build minus the two additional monitors (to save a ton of money), how will the performance compare to if I got the non-eyefinity build with the 1090t?

Thanks again for the help btw!
 
The ATI certified active adapters can be found for under $30 each
http://www.directron.com/b087b005b.html?hardocp=1
and for the new mini port on those new 6 series with two mini ports on each card
http://www.directron.com/b087b004b.html
Directron is a new HardOCP hot deals vendor and an old favorite for some people.

Use two DVI on the card for two monitors, and get one active adapter for the 3rd monitor

It might be good to wait and see if a single 6950 or 6970 will be better than crossfire 6850
 
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Hmm thanks for that, I didn't know they came down in price so much.. so if I decide not to get the Scythe fans, I can get the displayport adapter instead and not go over budget. That makes me consider an eyefinity setup again.

Anybody else have any thoughts?
 
In terms of gaming performance, the 1090T and 955BE will be pretty much the same as no game out now scales beyond 4 cores, even BC2. With that said, the 1090T and 1055T CPUs do OC a bit better than the 955BE.

As for what changes to do to the non-eyefinity build, here's what I'd do:
- Ditch the 1090T for the 1055T. The 1090T is only 400Mhz faster than the 1055T and it's been shown that's still relatively easy to OC the 1055T to the same levels as the 1090T. So the slightly easier to OC aspect of the 1090T is not worth the extra $50.

- Once you switch to the 1055T and if you're planning on buying this month, I recommend this CPU + mobo combo:
$284 - AMD Phenom II X6 1055T CPU + Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H AMD 890GX ATX Motherboard Combo

The performance difference between the 890FX and 890GX chipset is pretty much nilch. Despite the 4+1 Phase system, that Gigabyte can still handle the OC of a Thuban CPU very well.

- Case wise, after getting some hands-on time with the Lexa S, I cannot recommend that case at $70. Maybe $50 but not $70. The front door is made of super cheap plastic. It's kind of cramped and therefore a HD 6850 Crossfire setup may be a night mare in terms of cooling and cabale managedment. I'd spend the extra $20 for these cases instead, especially for a Crossfire setup:
$90 - Cooler Master CM690 II Advance ATX Case
$90 - Cooler Master HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP ATX Case

- Ditch the Corsair H50 and go with the Coolermaster Hyper 212+ since it cools just as well but is significantly quieter.
 
it is wiser to spend more on parts that don't depreciate as fast.
also consider how much your equipment will affect your productivity;
and whether that would give you maximum return on investment in a shorter period of time.

in other words, get config#2 and enjoy gaming 24/7/365!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Thanks so much for the responses guys.

I've done a little thinking, and after coming to the following conclusions I think I'll go with the Eyefinity setup, swapping out the scythe fans for an active displayport adapter.
1) Both builds should provide the same horsepower in games (the 955BE being even better since it's higher clocked at stock and unlocked, and since most games don't scale past 4 cores ATM)
2) I can always play a game on one monitor in the future, its not like I HAVE to use all three
3) As was said by the poster above, the monitors will last me longer
4) I don't need a special gaming mouse, backlit keyboard, bluray drive or gimmicky "liquid" cooling to get the most out of my system

My MAIN concern now is whether or not the 1gb of VRAM on the cards will limit my trifinity pleasures too much. Seeing as how my budget for video cards is around $400 (can be extended to $450 by opting for a non-modular PSU and cutting some more corners), I may be better off waiting for the 69xx cards with more VRAM and comparable performance, or at the very least price drops on the 6850s.

If anyone can comment on the VRAM concern or let me know of what kind of framerates I'd get with trieyefinity 6850 crossfire I'd very much appreciate it.
 
wuttz, did you read Danny's post? There's no point in buying two high-end video cards and three 1080p monitors if they don't play well with each other. And while the monitors can (theoretically) last forever, the video card is the fastest depreciating component you could buy nowadays. It's better to not spend a lot of money on parts and features that you don't need -- especially if there's a possibility that you'll be spending more money on parts or a new system within a year's time.

russkiller, many games still don't scale very well with CrossFire, let alone CrossFire running a tri-monitor Eyefinity setup. The "easiest" way to answer that question is to conduct some research on the games that you want to play on this system. CrossFire performance generally varies wildly from game to game.
 
Thanks for the clarification, I totally forgot how he said crossfire eyefinity doesn't scale too well.

Although I assume that crossfire + eyefinity drivers will only mature with age, I think I'm going to wait for the release of the 69xx cards after all, and then buy a powerful single-gpu card and go triple eyefinity.

I'll reiterate again that I don't see myself upgrading this any time soon, so what I buy now will last me for a few years at least.

Also, I checked a list of games that run well with eyefinity, and most of the games I play are on that list (source games, mw2, gta iv, assassins creed, etc), so eyefinity still looks like the way to go.

I'll still greatly appreciate any more comments or suggestions, but ATM I'm settled on getting a single powerful 69xx card with >1gb VRAM with my 3 monitor eyefinity setup.

You guys have been really helpful, thank you!
 
i'd just change the 6850's to ONE sapphire eyefinity 6 w/ 2GB vram thats only $320 after rebates at newegg. :D:D:D even bettaaaaaaaaaar!
 
Right, but in games that scale well with crossfire + eyefinity, 2x6850s would theoretically destroy one 5870 (although I still don't know how much their 1gb of memory will affect performance).

A single 6970 2gb would probably be my best bet and with a little reorganizing could fall right within my budget, especially with all the holiday sales coming up.
 
russilker said:
Right, but in games that scale well with crossfire + eyefinity, 2x6850s would theoretically destroy one 5870 (although I still don't know how much their 1gb of memory will affect performance).
Click to expand...

True but that's not reality. The 1GB of VRAM may affect performance.

But yeah a single card plan is fine.
 
Hi guys, another update--

After reading some benchmarks, it seems that NV surround is the way to go for multi-monitor gaming (if you're SLIing, which I am) since it supposedly performs MUCH better than crossfire eyefinity. Can anybody back this up, and rate the SLi build #3 I linked in the OP?

Also, thanks for the feedback on the case, I actually DID choose it for the insides like the hard drive cage facing me, screwless HD mounting, holes for cable management (theyre sleeved on the lexa S, not on the m59), all-black painted interior, processor heatsink cutout, etc. Although you said it was a pain to work with, its the best option I can find without going over my case budget ($50 including shipping in the SLi build I just put up), otherwise I would probably go with the CM 690 II Advanced.
 
The biggest issue with the AMD SLI build is the Nvidia chipset of that motherboard. Not as stable as AMD's chipsets, can't OC as high as with AMD chipsets, slower storage controller, uses a bit more power, and generates more heat. Then there's the lack of USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0Gb/s considering that other AMD motherboard in that very price range have those features. Not to mention that Nvidia stopped chipset development back in October 2009. So in other words, if any driver or software related issue crops up with that chipset and future SLI and Surround setups, you'll be SOL and JWF.

The second issue is that case is not at all suitable for the relatively hot running GTX 470 SLI.

But yes Nvidia Surround + SLI does work/scale better than with AMD Eyefinity + Crossfire. However your limited budget does not allow for a decent Nvidia Surround + SLI setup (Intel based)

Also a common issue to all of your setups is the one year warranty on the motherboards. That's very worrisome IMO. Get a mobo with at least a two year warranty like the Gigabyte I linked earlier.

EDIT: Also check out this other Acer monitor to save some cash since its specs roughly matches the specs of your current Acer monitor:
$160 - Acer G235HAbd Black 23" Widescreen LCD Monitor

It'll save you roughly $106 once you factor in shipping.

EDIT #2: Actually, a decent SLI build is within your budget:
$365 - Intel Core i5 750 CPU + Asus P7P55D-E Pro Intel P55 ATX Motherboard Combo
$50 - G.Skill F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT 2 x 2GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$400 - 2 x Gigabyte GV-N460OC-1GI GeForce GTX 460 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$320 - 2 x Acer G235HAbd Black 23" Widescreen LCD Monitor
$115 - Antec Truepower New TP-750 750W PSU
$90 - Cooler Master CM690 II Advance ATX Case
---
Total: $1340 plus tax and shipping

Yes that's with using a somewhat different monitor but I doubt you'll notice the difference. Anyway, key differences between the above build and your SLI list:
- Significantly better quality PSU. The Antec has 62A on the +12V rail. The Rosewill only has 64A on the +12V rail. So not much difference power wise actually.
- Significantly better cooling case for SLI
- Slightly faster CPU for gaming
- Better motherboard/chipset for SLI

Yes GTX 460 SLI is slower than GTX 470 SLI. But GTX 460 SLI is still faster than HD 6850 Crossfire, especially with Eyefinity/Surround involved.
 
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Alright guys, I'm almost there haha.

I decided to avoid Eyefinity alltogether. If I'm going single-monitor in the end I would definitely get ATi, but for multiple monitors NV Surround scales MUCH better.

Check out the NV Surround build in the OP again (heres the link if you need it: http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=21766868 ), I made significant changes. Its about $50 over my budget, but for what I'm getting I wouldn't be afraid to borrow a little from my parents.

My concerns about the NV Vision build:
1) Would I be taking a big risk getting open-box monitors off of ebay? I factored in the price of two DVI cables in case I get only monitors with no accessories, but what I'm worried about is dead pixels.
2) Would I be taking a big risk getting a Biostar motherboard? I would've liked to stick with ASUS, MSI, ASRock, etc., but that Biostar is getting good reviews and is the cheapest P55 by far with x8 x8 crossfire.
3) The Sparkle 2gb GTX 460s in my wishlist have no reviews/ratings, but they're considerably cheaper than the other 2gb 460s on NewEgg, like the ones from Zotac. Is Sparkle a reliable company?
4) If I can't borrow from my parents and have to end up removing something from the wishlist, it would be the Hyper 212+. How good is the stock HSF with the i5 750? I wouldn't overclock with it, if that helps, and I don't want it to be TOO loud (I have a feeling the SLi 460s will overpower it noise-wise anyway).

No need for any advice on the PSU as I know its powerful enough for my build + its very well reviewed online, despite not being a Corsair. I'm comfortable with it. Also, I'm happy with my choice of case and I think it being full tower will help with airflow.

Thanks again, and if you guys could answer these questions I would be VERY thankful!
 
1) Yes
2) I only recommend Biostar for ultra budget builds as their quality is still higher than other manufacturers in those price ranges. I don't recommend Biostar for relatively high-end builds like a SLI or Crossfire setup where extra quality is needed to cope with the extra heat and power usage. With that said, Biostar mobos tends to be generally ok in quality. So while not a big risk, IMO, it's still a decent sized risk to go with a Biostar mobo for such a high-end setup.
3) Find a few review showing that the 2GB GTX 460 cards actually are that much faster than the 1GB cards to justify the price over a GTX 460 1GB card or close to the price of a single GTX 470 card, whether in SLI, Surround, or in singles. I have a hunch that the answer is no. Sparkle is so-so in terms of reliability.
4) The stock HSF is fine in terms of cooling as long as there is adequate airflow. Loud is a subjective metric. While the stock HSF is not that loud IMO, to other with more sensitive hearing or a more acute sense of hearing, the stock HSF maybe too loud.

Seems like you're gonna be stubborn about that Rosewill.

All in all, that setup is still not there in terms of best price to performance ratio and quality.
 
Thanks for the reply again, heres the thread I'm basing my decision for the 2gb gtx 460 on:
http://www.overclock.net/nvidia/801683-surround-gaming-nvidia-gtx460-mainstream-card.html

As for the open box monitors, biostar motherboard and rosewill psu, they were all compromises to cut down on price. I'm not so worried about the motherboard or PSU as I wont be heavily taxing my system.

What I may do is get a cheaper midtower, not buy the 212+ and use some of that money on a better motherboard and a corsair 850tx, but I'm not sure yet.
 
I'm with Danny on the "don't buy a Rosewill PSU" bandwagon. A bad PSU will kill your system without any warning. It's not worth the risk to choose a PSU that can't handle its rated load properly.

Since you've been all over the map in this thread, I have a few questions so I can understand your needs a little better:

If we held a gun to your head, would you prefer excellent performance on one 1080p monitor or good performance on three 1080p monitors?

Why again are you going with the 2GB version of the GTX 460? (Better question: Are you sticking with one 2GB GTX 460?)

What is the most that you can spend (including taxes, shipping, and other "fees") on this system? (And why are you willing to go over that limit?)

When would you like to start buying parts for this system? When do you expect to start building this machine?

The power supply notwithstanding -- I have serious issues about your logic there -- which parts are must-have?

As a long-time eBay shopper, I have one bit of advice for you: READ EVERYTHING. Read the product guides for the monitors (and research their prices at "competitive" online retailers) before you even look at the auction. Read every word posted in the auction description, especially the parts describing the warranty and shipping/return policies. Read some of the feedback of the seller, and read as much of the seller's neutral and negative feedback as possible so you know what issues you may run into. And search some of the completed auctions so you'll know what the monitors' "true value (on eBay)" is. In other words, make sure that you do all of your homework before you click Buy.
 
Thanks for the reply, I'd be happy to answer those questions.

tiraides said:
I'm with Danny on the "don't buy a Rosewill PSU" bandwagon. A bad PSU will kill your system without any warning. It's not worth the risk to choose a PSU that can't handle its rated load properly.
I agree 100%, which is why I didn't choose a PSU from Kingwin or Sunbeam, for example. The 850-S-B psu in my wishlist is identical to the 850-d-b reviewed by JonnyGuru here except for the fan placement in it, and based on the review I wouldn't hesitate to use it in my build.

Since you've been all over the map in this thread, I have a few questions so I can understand your needs a little better:

If we held a gun to your head, would you prefer excellent performance on one 1080p monitor or good performance on three 1080p monitors?
If I can factor in good performance on three 1080p monitors into my budget of $1400 MAX (preferrably max of $1350), I'll obviously take that, but because I know i can build a much more reliable system using the 1 monitor I already have, I decided to make two possible variants for me to choose from: one with 3 monitor gaming, one with 1. Which one I choose will depend on if the 3 monitor gaming build will give acceptable framerates, and if I can pull the cost.

Why again are you going with the 2GB version of the GTX 460? (Better question: Are you sticking with one 2GB GTX 460?)
As I said in my previous post, this thread very clearly shows a significant FPS boost with 2gb of VRAM when it comes to 3 monitor gaming, and no I would crossfire 2 gtx 460 2gb cards together, but only if I go 3 monitor build. If I go 1 monitor setup I'm going AMD everything because IMO the nvidia cards in my pricerange run too hot, and intel processors are too expensive for what they are. Unfortunately for me, though, NV Surround scales MUCH better than eyefinity, and since I can't SLi on AMD hardware without either nasty hacks or using an outdated not-very-well reviewed nForce chipset I'm stuck with going the cheapest modern intel quadcore route.

What is the most that you can spend (including taxes, shipping, and other "fees") on this system? (And why are you willing to go over that limit?)
The most I can really spend is $1350, but if an extra $50 can give me significant improvements then I can most likely scrounge up some more by borrowing from my parents. For obvious reasons though I'd like to keep it below $1350, including shipping and everything.

When would you like to start buying parts for this system? When do you expect to start building this machine?
I would expect to buy parts sometime either late December or early January, mid january at the VERY latest. I would build it as soon as I get the parts, obviously. Note: this is why I'm willing to wait for the 69xx series of cards from ATi, but that wouldnt go well with my 3 monitor build because of the poor eyefinity scaling, so any 69xx card would go in my single monitor variant. Unless Bulldozer comes out in early January I doubt I could wait for its release.

The power supply notwithstanding -- I have serious issues about your logic there -- which parts are must-have?
There aren't any "must have" parts, but I'd like to have at the very least a quad core processor (no cheaper than the phenom II x4 955, I like the L3 cache it has) and GFX performance equivalent or better than two 6850s crossfired (or two gtx 460s SLi, if I go the 3 monitor route). I need all parts necessary to form a working system minus one monitor (i have an acer 23" h223h 1920x1080 at home), hard drive (have a 1tb), DVD drive (have one) or keyboard and mouse (have an okay PS2 keyboard and a USB trackball mouse I use for gaming). If the budget allows it, I'd buy another 3 monitors first, hard drive second, dvd drive 3rd and keyboard and mouse last. In the 3 monitor build, though, i can't buy any of the parts I already have if I want to get the additional 2 displays.

As a long-time eBay shopper, I have one bit of advice for you: READ EVERYTHING. Read the product guides for the monitors (and research their prices at "competitive" online retailers) before you even look at the auction. Read every word posted in the auction description, especially the parts describing the warranty and shipping/return policies. Read some of the feedback of the seller, and read as much of the seller's neutral and negative feedback as possible so you know what issues you may run into. And search some of the completed auctions so you'll know what the monitors' "true value (on eBay)" is. In other words, make sure that you do all of your homework before you click Buy.
Thanks for the advice. Thats one of the reasons I'd like to keep most, if not all, purchases to newegg since they have exceptional customer service and usually carry good parts. Believe me, I did my homework on EVERY part, and as I said previously I can explain my reasoning behind choosing each part if you'd like me to.
Click to expand...

If there's anything else you'd like to know, or have something to suggest, please don't hesitate to post. I may rule out your suggestion due to personal preference/research I did myself, but I would still like to hear it at least so I can look it over one more time and refrain from possibly making a costly mistake. I'd like to keep this thread going until I am completely confident with my setup, and I'm thinking this thread would be helpful to other people in the same boat as I am.

Thanks again, I just can't say thanks enough for all your help guys.
 
Is your budget $1350 shipped wth tax (if you live in either CA, NJ, or TN)? Because you've actually exceeded your budget in most of your builds once you factor in shipping for the monitors and the GTX 460 2GB cards, etc.
 
I live in PA and I always look at the final price including shipping, and all of my builds fall below my MAXIMUM budget of $1400 (although I would like to keep it at $1350 max, I don't see that happening). And yes, $1400 includes shipping.

The current nVidia SLi 3-monitor setup I have (I just updated the wishlist to reflect the open-box monitor going out of stock) comes out to $1362 shipped. All I did was replace the out of stock open box monitors with new ones, and drop the NZXT fulltower case to the NZXT midtower Lexa S I had earlier (the one you suggested I avoid haha, although I like it quite well TBH).
 
Yeah your wishlist only has the GPUs, monitors, and case in it dude.
 
Yeah, only the GPU, monitors, and case are coming up. And this is with four different browsers (Chrome, IE8, Firefox, Opera) on this PC and two different browsers (IE8 and Chrome) on another PC.

Weird.
 
Huh, strange.

Well, here's what I'm seeing:
http://i52.tinypic.com/2n24oi0.png

Besides the things you've stated previously (IIRC, you're not suggesting the Rosewill PSU, Lexa S case, or Biostar MB), is there anything else you'd like to change? Despite me not agreeing with some of your suggestions they're still REALLY helpful haha, there's no such thing as overthinking something with so much money going into it.
 
You're not gonna notice a difference between that G.Skill set in the list and this G.Skill RAM in real world apps and games:
$48 - G.Skill F3-10600CL9D-4GBNS 2 x 2GB DDR3 1333 RAM

Saves ya about $7.

The Biostar mobo, Rosewill PSU, and NZXT care are the three big issues now with that whole setup. None of those parts are the level of quality or capability I'd recommend for a SLI + Surround setup.
 
Thanks for the link to that RAM, just curious though, would the heatsinks on the RAM I have now help with overclocking or keeping temps down? If I end up upgrading the x4 955 to a x6 1055t (not now, but by the time 6 cores are being taken advantage of in games), I'll rely on overclocking the memory too because of the locked multiplier, so if the heatsinks make a difference with temperatures I think that would be worth $7 though (plus, the case I'm getting will have a side panel so they look cooler haha).

I am more than happy to swap out the Biostar for an ASUS, the Rosewill for an XFX or Corsair, and the Lexa S for an NZXT Phantom, but the comparable parts I'm finding are just too expensive. What would you suggest, while still not going over my max budget of $1400?

P.S. Isn't JonnyGuru considered a very reliable source for PSU testing? I was told on another forum that if that website approves a PSU, then the PSU is good enough.
 
The RAM heatsinks are designed to help keep the RAM cooler. I forgot the source or figures, but IIRC, heatsinks don't really offer that much improvement on the RAM's operating temperatures. Faster RAM (or, more accurately, RAM with a higher bandwidth) aids in overclocking the processor, but you only need DDR3 1600 RAM for the Phenom II processors.

Speaking of which, if you really want to overclock the processor, then you have to buy a better board. Biostar is generally not known for have OC-friendly boards. However, the problem is simply that you're trying to shoehorn a lot of things into your $1400 budget, and you've made quite a few compromises in doing so. Without spending the entire weekend to research things, it would be hard for Danny or me to offer replacement parts without having to rebuild your entire system from scratch. (If you were willing to stick with one monitor for now, and buy the other two over the next couple of months, or up your budget another $100 or $200, we could probably do it. But I know that you're pretty limited on available options.)

JonnyGuru is a reliable source for PSU testing, and he said that your PSU choice is good since it's based off the same design as the PSUs he tested in that particular review. The issue that Danny and I have is that Rosewill has very few quality PSUs; but again, JonnyGuru said that the Rosewill PSU is good enough.
 
Thanks for that, and as I said previously I'm not dead-set on buying a 3 monitor setup, so if my build is that bad then I might pass on it.

Let's say I decide not to overclock anything, and am willing to turn the fans up a little to keep temperatures down. Would I be able to pass with my current case and motherboard then?

Another option I'm starting to consider is to get rid of the 212+ heatsink, and max out my budget to $1400 by getting a better case and motherboard. If I don't overclock I'm guessing the stock heatsink should be good enough for me.
 
If you're not overclocking, you can omit the Hyper 212 Plus and stick with DDR3 1333 RAM. Your motherboard will be fine if you're not overclocking.
 
Alright, I may do that since I have 0 experience with overclocking anyway, I was just hoping to keep it as an option.

Just wondering, why is the nVidia 750a chipset for AM3 motherboards considered so bad? It would save me some money, still manage to run at x8 x8 SLi, and seems to have gotten good reviews when it came out.
For example, going with this nForce setup would allow me to get the NZXT Phantom full-tower case and still fall within my budget. Again, keeping in mind that I won't be overclocking (well, maybe I'll rase the 955BE's multiplier to match the 965's, but not much more) or running 3-way SLi or a RAID setup, would it be alright to consider the 750a chipset?

If the nForce setup above would be acceptable it will probably be what I go with, otherwise I would go with this single-monitor setup using an LCD + keyboard I already have.
 
russilker said:
Just wondering, why is the nVidia 750a chipset for AM3 motherboards considered so bad? It would save me some money, still manage to run at x8 x8 SLi, and seems to have gotten good reviews when it came out.
Click to expand...

You don't read do you? Read Post #15 again.

russilker said:
For example, going with this nForce setup would allow me to get the NZXT Phantom full-tower case and still fall within my budget. Again, keeping in mind that I won't be overclocking (well, maybe I'll rase the 955BE's multiplier to match the 965's, but not much more) or running 3-way SLi or a RAID setup, would it be alright to consider the 750a chipset?
Click to expand...

Not really IMO. The slow storage controller still affect single drive configs.
 
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