Hello friends, I am working on gathering up the cash to (hopefully) build a 3 monitor setup. I plan to purchase this in 2-3 months time but if things don't quite go the way i'm hoping then perhaps up to 6 months. I'm not in big of a rush to get here.
The 3 monitor setup is to play somewhat older games such as World of Warcraft, Killing Floor, Left 4 Dead 1/2, and if at all possible the newish Modern Warfare 3. I understand that for my budget might not be able to pump out something like Battlefield 3 on all 3 but limit it to 1, and i'm A-Okay with that. Also WoW is really the only game I want to run at High/Ultra, the rest already look nice or have that feel that I don't need them to be super high detailed.
The current PC i'm using is a laptop strung into a 1080P monitor via HDMI cable from HP, I want to say a 20". Hank Hill, as I call her runs a Intel Duo 2 Core CPU, GTX 260M, a 360GB 5400RPM HDD, and running it all with 4GBs of RAM. Me and Hank go way back, about 4 years back, she is a hard working lady but I fear her time is near.
I've added the name and item number codes all for newegg.com
To the niddy!
My Budget: I want to sit at 1200-1500$ give or take a tad bit.
Things to Note: I live in the APO. So shipping costs a bit extra, ya dig?
Crossfire/SLI: For the flow of money I make, I would think that the Crossfire would be a better option for me, as I don't need to buy the same card, just a ATI card and we are good to go, but if the NVidea does that the clear force then that might be what I need.
AMD or Intel: I honestly would like an AMD just for the fact I see alot of the i5s and i7s these days I feel like in my later forum life I need to freshen up the room with an AMD. But if Intel is the way togo for what i'm doing, then Intel it should be.
What'chu doin'?: Listening to FLAC files, Steam sale buying, Internet Surfing, Shooters, WoW, Skype, and MSWord.
Now to the griddy!
I will need to buy Windows 7! 100$
Monitors: Item=N82E16824238007 130$ x 3 = $390
Famous Brand E2241V-BN Black 22"
From what I've read for the setup I need some DVI ports and a good aspect ratio, this one has 5,000,000:1. It's somewhat cheep to buy 3 and not break my bank. It's out of stock but with my buy date somewhat down the line I figure I can give it time while still keeping an eye on out on something else. (Notes: Wall mounting is right out, on base housing says nay. Figure i'll just line them up on the desk side by side if I can. Or get a bracket for them)
CPU: Item=N82E16819103962 150$
AMD FX-6100 Zambezi 3.3GHz
I figure the 6 cores would do well with running Google Chrome, Skype, WoW, Steam, and Winamp all at once and still have room to breath. Again not to sure, I figure I just don't need a 200-500$ CPU that only gets 25% of the use. As for overclocking I figure that looking at some youtube videos and perhaps a question from you guys would be enough, nothing to big of a boost but something small and manageable to work with.
Motherboard: Item=N82E16813128514 155$
GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3 AM3+
Big pro for this is that it has a Digital Output on it, so my headphones will still sound nice! It all so has room for 2 cards for the crossfire/SLI. I don't mind long boot times, as i never turn my crap off or I just get up and grab some water. It's whatever.
RAM: Item=N82E16820231417 43$
G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 1333
I have 4GB now, I want 8-12. Fight me.
Cooling: Item=N82E16835233082 30$
XIGMATEK Gaia SD1283
This one was cheep, I don't plan the burn my CPU into hell, but i'm thinking about it. Or should I get something that is raised a bit? For RAM clearance.
HDD: Item=N82E16822148697 110$
Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM
After sitting at 5400RPM for long... yeah I'm good. I figure the large size for the FLAC files. Can always get another one down the line if need be.
PSU: Item=N82E16817139020 90$
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS
Sorry about the long bold lettering up here, I remember reading that that PSU is a large part of the build so I tried to give as much info as possible the the people who browse on by. I also remember a Mod on these forums saying that a 650W or a 750W PSU could easily handle 2 GPUs and the rest of the system with ease.
Alright so right here we are sitting at 1068$ leaving us, well me a fair amount of cash for the GPUs. Again if the Intel's are just that much better for what I want todo with my PC then that may be the path.
GPU: Item=N82E16814150563 220$ x 2 = 440$
XFX HD-687X-CNFC Radeon HD 6870 2GB
I figure two of these can handle most older games on 3 screens and work as a group to tackle something like BF3 or MW3 on a single screen, assuming I understand how crossfire works. Also, they look nice. I like that.
All done we are left with 1508$ I can work with this. But if I can make it cheaper while still getting what I would like done with a PC please let me know. Thanks for taking a look and if you left a comment, thanks for helping a guy out.