OTT SPec - Help Cut the fat

[davlyo]

I am looking for a top end(ish) system with a degree of future proofing.

Running three monitors for photo / graphics editing and gaming use.

This is what I have come up with. The question I have is what fat can I trim off without overly detracting from performance?

There seem to be three main areas;

1. Video cards - 2 x 580 / 1 x 590 / 2 x 590?
2. RAM - Windows 7 ultimate does 24gb provide any real gain over 16gb?
3. SSD - Used as O/S boot disk, any real gains.

Case
STYLISH PIANO BLACK ENIGMA CASE + 2 FRONT USB
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Processor Extreme Edition i7-990X (3.46GHz) 6.4GTs/12MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® P6X58D-E: DDR3, USB 3.0, SATA 6.0GB/s, 3-Way SLI
Memory (RAM)
24GB SAMSUNG DDR3 TRI-DDR3 1333MHz (6 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 590 - 2 DVI,mHDMI - DX® 11, 3D Vision Ready
2nd Graphics Card
3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 590 - 2 DVI,mHDMI - DX® 11, 3D Vision Ready
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
80GB INTEL® 320 SERIES SSD, SATA 3 Gb/s (upto 270MB/sR | 90MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
2TB WD CAVIAR GREEN WD20EARS, SATA 3 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE
3rd Hard Disk
2TB WD CAVIAR GREEN WD20EARS, SATA 3 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE
RAID
RAID 1 (MIRRORED VOLUME - 2 x same size & model HDD / SSD) (£9)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
2nd 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
1200W Quiet 80 PLUS Quad Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (Special Offer) (£149)
Processor Cooling
COOLIT ECO II C240 A.L.C (ADVANCED LIQUID COOLER) (£99)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE

 

[Phoenix]

Unless you're planning on gaming with a multi-monitor setup then you really don't need more than one GTX590. 16GB of RAM is more than enough, 4GB is still enough for gaming and 8 would be enough for most photo-editing software so 24GB is really overkill. You could then drop down to a 750w power supply and change the ECO C240 cooler for a triple heatpipe cooler (the only reason to get such a high end cooler would be to overclock). I would then pick a better case since it's going to have a lot of nice hardware inside, the Coolermaster Sileo and Fractal R3 are both designed for quiet computing and would be a good choice if you're not interested in side windows or lights.

 

[Wozza63]

my opinions

with such a high end computer id consider a much better case with better cooling, this case you have chosen is mainly for home PCs

24GB RAM is overkill, you will never ever get to 16GB by even running 100 programs at once, 8GB will be plenty

id probably say its better if you got two 580s they will require less power and at the moment will be maxing out just like the two 590s and will be for a while

I recommend getting one of the 6 gb/s SSD drives, the 120GB OCZ 6 gb/s one is supposed to be very good and you will benefit greatly from the speed

i also recommend making the two HDDs to 6 gb/s as a method of futureproofing, its only a tad more

there is no point in getting RAID, effectively it just wastes one of the HDDs

unless you need two disc drives simultanously you may as well drop to one

you can remove the memory card reader if it is not needed

i recommend getting the Corsair 1200W it will last much longer

drop down to the £49 liquid cooling system, you are not overclocking so you dont need the top one

get the wireless card if you need it

and what OS are you going to use, unless you have one already

and make sure you get the silver warranty, its well worth it

 

[davlyo]

Thanks,

Case: Would Fractal R3 be a good choice - I quite like the subdued styling, other suggestions welcome
Ram: 16GB seems to be enough or 8gb faster memory?
CDs: 2 are so cheap and enables faster copies
SSD: Orn between SSD and fast HD
PSU: Seems sensible.
O/S: Windows 7 ultimate 64bit

 

[Tracker]

As far as graphcis cards go, If you're concerned about future proofing, what about going for a single 590 now ( which is cheaper than twin 580's), it'll max most things out now, and in a year or twos time once it starts to struggle, you can get a second 590, (probably for alot cheaper than you can right now), and go right back to max performance again.

if you go for twin 580's you're paying more than you would for the 590, and you wouldn't be able to upgrade without replacing both the cards, and it's not really worth buying two 590's right now as you'll struggle to find anything that'll make full use of it all.

 

[davlyo]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I have now tweaked the spec as below.
There remain a couple of issues;

1. The Case, the clever build adviser gives the HAF 932 as about the only case that will take this build. Are there any alternatives out there (even if i have to supply them myself)? I really liked the R3 in looks (but not enough space), but I want a quiet case with subdued looks. I would also like room for a fan controller on the front panel.
2. Fan controllers, I think they look cool (pun intended), what would you recommend and would it keep the noise down to a significant degree?
3. 590s are they all equal so far as SLI is concerned? I.e. If i want to add another 590 in say a year or two will I need the same brand and model or just any 590 board?

Case
COOLERMASTER HAF 932 FULL TOWER GAMING CASE
Overclocked CPU
Overclocked Intel® Core™i7-2600k Quad Core (3.40GHz @ max 4.80GHz)
Motherboard
ASUS® MAXIMUS IV EXTREME (NEW REV 3.0): INTEL P67 ROG MOTHERBOARD
Memory (RAM)
16GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz, X.M.P (4 x 4GB KIT)
Graphics Card
3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 590 - 2 DVI,mHDMI - DX® 11, 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)
3rd Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
4th Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
2nd 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 1200W PRO SERIES GOLD (AX1200) 80+ MODULAR PSU (£205)
Processor Cooling
COOLIT ECO II C240 A.L.C (ADVANCED LIQUID COOLER) (£99)
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 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
NZXT INTERNAL USB HEADER (4 Additional Powered Internal USB Ports) (£18)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£146)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour) (£135)

 

[Phoenix]

1. The Silverstone RV03, Coolermaster Cosmos 1000, Antec 902, Coolermaster Storm Sniper and Coolermaster 690 II can all fit this build in. The Storm Sniper has a normal fan controller knob on the top of the case and the RV03 has switches to control the fans.
2. You could use a third party fan controller like the Scythe Kaze Master but all of the cases will provide enough cooling as standard.
3. No you need to be careful about this, some of them are built with a factory-overclock so make sure that you get a normal one if/when you SLI. You can order another one directly from PCSpecialist though if you're worried about choosing the wrong one.