Gaming PC with Triple Monitor Setup

[polanskyy]

Hello everyone, I've been reading a lot of your posts, and the community here is awesome! I am planning on building my first PC within 2 months and I'm moving over from console. I have 3 22' HP (HDMI) monitors that I want to run. Any advice on what to get. My budget for this build is from $700-$1,000 US dollars. I have no need for keyboard, mice, and monitors as I mentioned before. I also don't need an OS as I already have a copy of Windows 8.1. I'm not sure about overclocking or not (not quite sure how all that works). Thank you guys so much!

 

[leeb2013]

Triple monitor gaming is pretty demanding, it's basically 3/4 of 4K. Assuming you'll want to game on high settings, 60fps, you'll need at least a R9-290 or 290x, or dual GPU like R9-280. (Or Nvidia equivalent, although 4GB Vram may be advantageous)

I'm not sure about Nvidia GPUs, but AMD GPUs force you to use at least 1 DP port for 3 monitors. You have to get an active DP to HDMI adapter ($50-100), I got one for $50 and it was a PITA and quickly died.

However, if you opt for a Sapphire GPU, they have their flex connect, which allows 1 HDMI and 2 DVI, no crappy DP adapter needed. That's why I went with Sapphire.

 

[MalakiArtook]

Its not really doable in that price range. you can build a awesome computer for 1000 but one that will run 3 monitors is very demanding. are your monitors 1080 or 720?

 

[polanskyy]

Ohh okay, I'm willing to bring it down to 2 monitors and just using the 3rd with something else, or having it run through some sort of USB adapter (not sure if that would work). The monitors are 1080p.

 

[polanskyy]

Triple monitor gaming is pretty demanding, it's basically 3/4 of 4K. Assuming you'll want to game on high settings, 60fps, you'll need at least a R9-290 or 290x, or dual GPU like R9-280. (Or Nvidia equivalent, although 4GB Vram may be advantageous)

I'm not sure about Nvidia GPUs, but AMD GPUs force you to use at least 1 DP port for 3 monitors. You have to get an active DP to HDMI adapter ($50-100), I got one for $50 and it was a PITA and quickly died.

However, if you opt for a Sapphire GPU, they have their flex connect, which allows 1 HDMI and 2 DVI, no crappy DP adapter needed. That's why I went with Sapphire.

And sorry, but I have no idea what any of this means haha Like I said, this is my first ever build so a bit overwhelmed.

 

[MalakiArtook]

maybe something like this? I suppose this should run 3 monitors just fine on high setting.

Any one got any better ideas?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.44 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 760 4GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($260.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 760 4GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($260.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($27.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1069.34
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-05 22:49 EDT-0400)

perhaps someone a little more knowledgeable on triple monitor setups can shed some light. what is the best budget GPU setup?

 

[leeb2013]

^that's pretty good. Another $90 on the CPU would also go a long way if possible.

 

[polanskyy]

maybe something like this? I suppose this should run 3 monitors just fine on high setting.

Any one got any better ideas?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.44 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 760 4GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($260.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 760 4GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($260.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($27.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1069.34
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-05 22:49 EDT-0400)

perhaps someone a little more knowledgeable on triple monitor setups can shed some light. what is the best budget GPU setup?

I like this solution. After thinking about it, I'll probably run only 2 monitors, how much could that lower my price point? I would also like to run a BluRay player/writer and I wouldn't need Windows OS since I already have that.

 

[MalakiArtook]

this will run 3. it has a ton of v ram. only on like high setting. you can drop the price at all though. If any thing Id get a slightly better motherboard. If you are only going to run to 2 monitors though you can drop the price a lot.

example:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.44 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 670 4GB Video Card ($330.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($27.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $878.35
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-06 01:02 EDT-0400)

EDIT: Or better this

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.44 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 770 4GB Video Card ($359.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($27.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $907.35
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-06 01:04 EDT-0400)

 

[polanskyy]

this will run 3. it has a ton of v ram. only on like high setting. you can drop the price at all though. If any thing Id get a slightly better motherboard. If you are only going to run to 2 monitors though you can drop the price a lot.

example:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.44 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 670 4GB Video Card ($330.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($27.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $878.35
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-06 01:02 EDT-0400)

EDIT: Or better this

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.44 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 770 4GB Video Card ($359.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($27.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $907.35
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-06 01:04 EDT-0400)

Just wanted to say thanks for all the help first of all. When looking at some of these setups, why does this come up at the bottom?
"Some AMD 970 chipset motherboards may need a BIOS update prior to using Vishera CPUs."
Also, why is there no need for a CPU cooler?

 

[MalakiArtook]

this will run 3. it has a ton of v ram. only on like high setting. you can drop the price at all though. If any thing Id get a slightly better motherboard. If you are only going to run to 2 monitors though you can drop the price a lot.

example:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.44 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 670 4GB Video Card ($330.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($27.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $878.35
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-06 01:02 EDT-0400)

EDIT: Or better this

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.44 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 770 4GB Video Card ($359.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($27.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $907.35
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-06 01:04 EDT-0400)

Just wanted to say thanks for all the help first of all. When looking at some of these setups, why does this come up at the bottom?
"Some AMD 970 chipset motherboards may need a BIOS update prior to using Vishera CPUs."
Also, why is there no need for a CPU cooler?

Because it might need a bios update 😛 and it would be ideal to get a cpu cooler. The cpu come with a heatsink/fan but i would upgrade to the 212 EVO. Also you will want to get another case fan or 2. Keep in mind these are minimalist build. The point was to offer the highest possible performance for the lowest price.

I'd spend the little extra and get a 1150 MOBO and i5. it will offer better single core performance.

 

[polanskyy]

this will run 3. it has a ton of v ram. only on like high setting. you can drop the price at all though. If any thing Id get a slightly better motherboard. If you are only going to run to 2 monitors though you can drop the price a lot.

example:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.44 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 670 4GB Video Card ($330.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($27.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $878.35
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-06 01:02 EDT-0400)

EDIT: Or better this

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.44 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 770 4GB Video Card ($359.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($27.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $907.35
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-06 01:04 EDT-0400)

Just wanted to say thanks for all the help first of all. When looking at some of these setups, why does this come up at the bottom?
"Some AMD 970 chipset motherboards may need a BIOS update prior to using Vishera CPUs."
Also, why is there no need for a CPU cooler?

Because it might need a bios update 😛 and it would be ideal to get a cpu cooler. The cpu come with a heatsink/fan but i would upgrade to the 212 EVO. Also you will want to get another case fan or 2. Keep in mind these are minimalist build. The point was to offer the highest possible performance for the lowest price.

Where could I get instructions on how to run a bios update for that particular AMD chipset? And yes, definitely highest performance > price is my ultimate goal here.

 

[MalakiArtook]

this will run 3. it has a ton of v ram. only on like high setting. you can drop the price at all though. If any thing Id get a slightly better motherboard. If you are only going to run to 2 monitors though you can drop the price a lot.

example:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.44 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 670 4GB Video Card ($330.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($27.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $878.35
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-06 01:02 EDT-0400)

EDIT: Or better this

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.44 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 770 4GB Video Card ($359.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($27.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $907.35
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-06 01:04 EDT-0400)

Just wanted to say thanks for all the help first of all. When looking at some of these setups, why does this come up at the bottom?
"Some AMD 970 chipset motherboards may need a BIOS update prior to using Vishera CPUs."
Also, why is there no need for a CPU cooler?

Because it might need a bios update 😛 and it would be ideal to get a cpu cooler. The cpu come with a heatsink/fan but i would upgrade to the 212 EVO. Also you will want to get another case fan or 2. Keep in mind these are minimalist build. The point was to offer the highest possible performance for the lowest price.

Where could I get instructions on how to run a bios update for that particular AMD chipset? And yes, definitely highest performance > price is my ultimate goal here.

just google it.