Specs for ultimate gaming pc?

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computing34

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Apr 27, 2013
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Hello, I am planning on building an ultimate gaming machine that will be able to run games at max settings for years to come. I've done a lot of research and here's what I've come up with:

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570k Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo)

Video Card: Sapphire Vapor-X HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB

RAM: Corsair Vengence 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA115 Intel

Power Supply: Rosewill Tachyon-750 750W

Hard Drive: Seagate SV35 Series 1TB Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive

Optical Drive: ASUS 24X DVD Burner

Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER-U3 Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

OS: Windows 8 64-bit OEM


Peripherals:

Monitor: ASUS VE248H 24" Full HD HDMI LED Backlight LCD Monitor w/built in speakers

Keyboard: RAZER DeathStalker RZ03-00800100

Mouse: I already have one(standard not gaming)


I also want to record my gaming footage, are these good for that?:

TV Tuner(to record it): Haapauge WinTV HVR-1250 Hybrid TV Tuner w/ Video Recorder

Recording my console: Usb 2.0 Video and Audio Capture Creator

To edit the videos: SONY Movie Studio 11


QUESTIONS: (these are the things that i want to know most)

Are all of these compatible?

BIG NOTE: I plan on putting another vapor-x video card in x-fire mode in a few years. Should I do that or get a better video card up front? Do I need a bigger motherboard if I go x-fire, I have heard that i might.

Is this good enough for me to be able to play games on Max settings for years to come, especially with the next-gen games? (The Most graphically intense games out there like bf4(when it comes out) the next cod, fc3, bioshock, crysis 3, and every other new game for years to come)

Should I go i7 instead of i5? (I heard that I dont need to, but i do plan on maxing out these games)

Should I get an SSD?

Is my 850w power supply strong enough to handle all of this? (possible x-fire or monster video card)

Will these parts fit into my case and still have room to breathe? (cooling wise)

Nvidia or stick with AMD?

Is there anything that I should improve on? (please keep in mind that this build is $1,815 so far)

Are there any other things that I need?

Is my monitor good enough for my Video Card? (Monitor: 1920x1080)


Thank You!
 
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Ok so if I don't want to risk cooling space on my motherboard, I'll just upgrade to a better card 3-4 years down the road?
 
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($135.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tactical Tracer 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($309.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($309.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF XM (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($167.58 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($167.58 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($167.58 @ Newegg)
Total: $2108.62
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-05 11:15 EDT-0400)
 
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Thanks, but that total is a bit too out of reach for me. Would a tri monitor setup work with my 7970 ghz edition 3gb or would I have to upgrade to 6gb?
 
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but if i want to put everything at max settings on a tri monitor setup, would i need 6gbs? also would 6gb last longer than 3?
 
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Ya that could work but im worried that my motherboard and case wouldnt be able to handle that. Also a 6gb costs less. Would 6gb work, or is it better to pay more and go double 7970s?
 
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If you want to run three screens off of one card, you would potentially be one of the few for whom the 6Gb model had some utility. That said, if you want to run three screens and get maxed games, you have essentially no option other than a multi-GPU configuration. A single 7970 Vapor-X Ghz. Ed. will handle 1080p gaming fine and dandy, but 5760 x 1080 is far more intensive. Your only option for a non-multi-GPU setup there would be a price-inefficient Titan, which would be ourperformed by multi-GPU setups (at optimum performance. Multi-GPU cofigurations have a lot of problems.).
 
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Ok so if I go tri monitor, I'll go x-fire thanks!
 
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Ok because I heard that the Extreme4 is too small for two vapor-x, something like .1 inch in between which hurts cooling and airflow, making the vapor-x cooling not so great. Also is the case big enough for all of this and are its fans strong enough?
 
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Ph and will I need an aftermarket CPU heatsink for x-fire? And is 850w enough for this machine with tri monitor and x-fire?
 
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My pleasure.



I would argue that the NZXT Phantom 410 would be a slightly better choice. It scored markedly higher than the 300R when Tom's compared them: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/solo-ii-400r-buc-ravager-seiran,3274-10.html
 
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Ok, so i dont know which case to pick based on what everyone has said, i just need one big enough for x fire and great cooling. Also will i need a better mother board for vapor x xfire(bigger, stronger, room for cooling) i heard that xfire, especially vaporx needs a lot of space. Also is 850w psu enough for xfire and tri monitor?
 
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