Triple Monitor (1080p) System Build Opinions (GTX 970 SLI)

[ExodusGlint]

Hi all,

First of all I would like to say that I am not a fanboy. In regards to this please do not
have a hissy-fit about what to use and what not to use because you think something
is so better than the other (For example: Ultranationalist but Intel as a country). Simple
request.

Moving on, one of my friends had wanted to buy a system from a custom building company
that were apparently asking "$1,500" for labor costs which I thought was ridiculous. In this
case I offered to build him a PC for around $200, now of course I had to design a setup by
asking simple questions such as what he wanted it for which he said "gaming" and how he
wanted a triple 1080p monitor setup for his PC.

I had came up with a list though I want some personal opinions on this, he said a budget of "$2000"
or lower. I'm using Newegg for the time being (I'm not Canadian though I live in Canada so we're
obviously talking CAD - Canadian Dollar)

The subtotal so far is $1,727.86 ( 2015 / 05 / 14 ) On Newegg.ca. I may downgrade the CPU
since I believe he may not use all the power of it, although I'm a little unsure.
First of, he will be buying one of my GPUs to save himself some money since
I'll be getting a better one for when it comes out (AMD 390x - I currently have a ASUS Strix 970).
No 4GB jokes I got the card before all of that happened.

Gaming details:
Triple monitor @ 1080p (Mid range graphics)
As requested.

(Just want to mention, yes I'm new to PC building)
Tell me what you guys think:


CPU:
AMD FX 8320

Reason:
Picking AMD due to price/performance. This CPU has eight cores, which I find
will be used throughout multitasking situations that may come in future. 3.5Ghz
speed is a fair speed. Mainly due to the price/performance I feel as this CPU is
a sweet spot. Rather than going for the AMD 8350 he's saving a good $45~.

Mobo:
ASRock Fatal1ty 990FX

Reason:
With a nice price, it has RAM speeds of 2450 which he will
be using, though with my knowledge of motherboards I feel as
if I got RAM @ 2400Mhz the motherboard will switch down to
2100Mhz, correct me if I'm right or wrong there. This shouldn't
be too much of a problem. May change out the board.

Other things include plenty of SATA ports (x5 @ 6Gb/s)
It includes 3 PCI-E slots (x16, x16, x4) including 2 x PCI-E x1
which should be plenty. He will not likely get a 3-way SLI
only a 2-way.

Cooler:
Corsair H110i GT

Reason:
Corsair for me (I have a H100i which I want to change in future)
and my dad have had good trust and experience with (So far...).
With the latest release of this newer model and it's benefits I feel
comfortable saying "Be safe, not sorry". I've not dealt with NZXT's
or any other closed water loops for that matter so far, so I'm not
being bias here.

I'm not sure on the radiator difference between NZXT, Corsair,
and the other brands, however there doesn't seem to be much
difference in the thickness of core tubing in the radiator itself
to dissipate the heat. (You can give details opinions on this)

RAM:
G.SKILL Trident X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) (DDR3)

Reason:
8GB is enough for gaming, 2400Mhz speed (May need to change)
Of course price/performance, and it so happens to match the
colour scheme

GPU(s):
GTX Strix 970

Reason:
Not overkill for what he's doing, the price/performance compared
to other brands such as AMD kicks (I did suggest other GPUs but
the 970 was best) I also like the fan system, price compared to others
since all of them are the same (No overclocking happening, pre-clocked
already) All-in-all sweet spot for mid range graphics. In fact I run ultra
at higher res than 1080 myself (Stable FPS, no specifics).

(Also, if I was going to get a 3rd, I'd rather get a GTX 980 SLI.)
Notes: 980 SLI = 330W // 970 SLI = 290 //3 = 435

PSU:
CORSAIR RM Series RM750 (Gold 80+)

Trusting Corsair, efficiency, as for the wattage:
750 watts will be enough for an SLI setup as well
as other bits and bobs to be put in the system (aka
peripherals and such). If ever needed we could
always slap either a third card or a 980 SLI and
not have a problem OR a difference card all
together.

HDD:
Western Digital 1TB Black (7200 RPM)

Reason:
It's speed, price, reliability.

SSD:
Samsung 850 Pro (128 GB)

Reason:
OS is going on here, maybe some games though may change
for a higher storage if we can get the price down on the setup.
Speeds are good, price is also lower than most I've seen (so far)
Samsung is again a trusted brand.

Optical Drive:
(Yes people including me still use these)
Pioneer Black 8X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 40X CD-ROM

Reason:
Well it's in the name. $45.
But yes, games, OS, drivers, etc
come in discs.

OS:
Windows 8.1 64 Bit

Reason:
(Requested)

Security:
Norman Security Suite 1Yr 3 User ( $28 )
( NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH NORTON )

Reason:
I have this one personally, I has better and more functions
than other security. I has plenty of sandbox options and has
worked with me as well as my dad for many many years.

In fact, as my dad is a multi-skilled electrician "journey man"
( Here in Canada that's what they're called )
He had been working for a bank during for reasons I cannot
publicly say whilst we lived in the UK (where we're originally from)
to find out that's what the banks were using at the time
(Note "at the time").

Case:
NZXT S340 Matte Black/Red Steel ATX Mid Tower Case

Reason:
Requested, although I'm concerned for the radiator and air flow.
I'll be getting two sets of two Corsair SP 120mm performance addition
for the case to replace other fans as well
as provide better airflow (Not to mention they're
sexier ).


Again please NO fanboying,
give nice replies, and don't
be prick, please.

I hope this thread wasn't too much
of a mess,

Thanks for reading!
- Kieran .M

 

[Mattz982]

I think this would be better: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/b89HjX
I have the 4790K and it's the best CPU for gaming that you can buy, price to performance might not be as good but it's simply amazing. I know you pointed out that 8 cores were good but they wont be utilised at all unless he is editing, so the 4 cores hyperthreaded gives you a theoretical 8 cores which in my opinions is much better than 8 cores with no hyperthreading.
The rest of the build pretty much follows suit with that but it's all kept in budget. I agree that the case is not amazing but case is all abouts looks really at the end of the day. With the SSD, go bigger, 240 at least, becuase no matter how little you think you will use, there are updates and it soon fills up.
If you watch more advice I'm going to suggest watching some LinusTechTips builds, NOT becuase I'm a fanboy, I'm not, becuase he's canadian and uses candaian prices so he knows what has good price/performance whereas I'm british (4790K costs £250 here and so $400 seems stupidly expensive)
Hope this was slightly helpful

 

[ExodusGlint]

Thanks for your reply! It was very appreciated! I will change the build to suit the CPU as soon as I can actually get on my PC (Having major problems - Reinstalling windows 8 error) I'll look further into it for sure. Thanks again an sorry for the late, I've been busy. I'll most likely PM when I can.