High-end Gaming Rig

[Neotin]

Hi all,

I'm looking at moving back to a desktop after my dalliance with an Alienware MX15 (which I was very underwhelmed with). I game alot and am looking for a high end machine that will run the next generation of games and MMO's at maxed out settings. I'm looking for 4+years longevity from my new machine, I'm not a techie but upgrading RAM or adding a GFX card I can manage (which I appreciate I may have to do in a year or two's time).

I have a Dell monitor capable of running at (2048x1152) and would like to add another 2 monitors in 6 months time.

I have spec'd a GTX 580 but have considered 2Gb GTX 560 Ti x2 in SLI. Would like to get a view on best options. Happy for any thoughts ideas.

Have been very impressed with feedback on the forum and feedback for PCSpecialist customer service and machines, it was a recommendation made by Total Biscuit that encouraged me here.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'll be updating the warranty.

Thanks for the comments on the GFX card - I'll figure on needing another one for a 3rd monitor. Setting up SLI difficult?

In regards to overclocking I hoped that would future proof and build some longevity into the system - what would you recommend instead?

Lastly maintance of the Watercooling is there much to that or does it take care of it's self?

Look forward to your feedback.

Case
COOLERMASTER CM STORM ENFORCER - GAMING ENTHUSIAST CASE
Overclocked CPU
Overclocked Intel® Core™i7-2600k Quad Core (3.40GHz @ max 4.80GHz)
Motherboard
ASUS® P8Z68-V: USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs, NVIDIA®SLI™, ATI®CrossFireX
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz, X.M.P (2 x 4GB KIT)
Graphics Card
3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 580 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
80GB INTEL® 320 SERIES SSD, SATA 3 Gb/s (upto 270MB/sR | 90MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
SSD CACHE DRIVE
20GB INTEL® SSD 311 SERIES - CACHE DRIVE FOR SYSTEM / 1st HDD
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1050W PRO SERIES™ HX1050-80 PLUS® SILVER MODULAR (£162)
Processor Cooling
COOLIT ECO II A.L.C (ADVANCED LIQUID COOLER) (£59)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC COOLING MX-3 HIGH THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
ONBOARD GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps PCI-E CARD (£19)
USB Options
NZXT INTERNAL USB HEADER (4 Additional Powered Internal USB Ports) (£18)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS & UK OFFSHORE ISLANDS / N IRELAND (£19)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,719.00 including VAT and delivery.

 

[Fear]

Best reccomendation for GPU's is get the best single card you can afford rather than 2 lesser cards so get the GTX580 and seen as you already have a 1050W PSU you will be able to add a second at a later date if you feel it is needed.

On your spec above i see you have selected an SSD cache drive and this is a waste of time seen as you already have a SSD drive as your main so you can save yourself the money on the cache drive, don't forget to add the silver warranty for £5 as that will give you a full year on the collect and return instead of just 1 month apart from that nice spec

 

[Neotin]

Thanks for that feedback. Will update the warranty. Does the cache drive not offer smart caching and thus speed up running frequently used software, which the other SSD doesn't do? Any thoughts on water cooling vs. Titan Fenrir? Is setting up SLI tricky?

 

[Rakk]

I have a Dell monitor capable of running at (2048x1152) and would like to add another 2 monitors in 6 months time.

I have spec'd a GTX 580 but have considered 2Gb GTX 560 Ti x2 in SLI. Would like to get a view on best options. Happy for any thoughts ideas.

Fear has a very good point about getting one higher specced card rather than 2, and I would generally also advise the same.

However, do note, if you're planning on adding another two monitors later, one GTX580 will only support two monitors (afaik), so you'll either need another graphics card to support the third monitor, or choose an AMD Eyefinity card, Eyefinity 3 will support 3 monitors, Eyefinity 4 will support 4 etc.

 

[MadMan]

Also an overclocked pc isn't needed for gaming.