Widescreen Gaming Forum

Type Item Price

1. CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor $214.99 @ SuperBiiz


2. CPU Cooler: Corsair Hydro Series H60 74.4 CFM CPU Cooler $67.99 @ Super Warehouse


3. Motherboard: Asus Maximus IV Extreme (REV 3.0) EATX LGA1155 Motherboard $334.98 @ Newegg


4. Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive $49.99 @ Newegg


5. Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2GB Video Card $269.99 @ SuperBiiz


6. Power Supply: Corsair 950W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply $150.98 @ Newegg


7. Optical Drive: Samsung SH-B123L/RSBP Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer $64.99 @ Newegg


8. Prices include shipping and discounts when available. $1153.91

I'm not sure I'll have the time to game to justify eyefinity now, but I do want to keep the option open, hence the rather extreme choice of motherboard. A recent Tom's Hardware analysis showed that the only way to really avoid micro-stuttering with multi-GPU setups is to double down and get at least 3 video cards in SLI or Crossifre. This board is the only 1155 socket board that has 3 PCIe16 slots, and has an NF 200 chipset that for those pcie16 slots to support 3 GPUS at 16/16/8 lanes instead of the 16/8/4 lanes that a non nf-200 chipset would allow.

How long do motherboards usually last, though? Are there frequent chipset updates that make "futureproofing" that a bad idea too? The 1155 is compatible with Ivy Bridge, so I can update the processor in a year or two easily. And whenever I want to boost performance or go to tri monitor I can just drop another 6950 in there.I believe the GPU i picked can be unlocked to 6970 based on the new egg comments.

If I went for a 3 6950 build in the future, could that be aircooled or would I need to go to a water system? I had my eye on a NZ Phantom, but if cooling may be an issue, i'd go with function over form and just get a HAF X or some cooling maximizer.

Short answer, yes.

_________________
Brad Hawthorne
Product Manager
Nthusim Pty. Ltd. | www.nthusim.com

Quick question: so, air cooling will work for 3 6950s?

Quick question: so, air cooling will work for 3 6950s?

Are you planning to do anything exotic with the cards or use them stock? Just have a case with good cable management. No reason to water cool unless you're looking for a more than 15% OC.Water cooling simply isn't worth it. It's not a matter of if your loop will get a leak but when. No issue in having triple card at stock on stock cooling. They're engineered for it. Be mindful that dual card is more supported than triple card and I really suggest for driver scaling consistency, that you keep to dual card.Spend the money you save on preference of IPS displays instead of cheaping out on TN displays.

_________________
Brad Hawthorne
Product Manager
Nthusim Pty. Ltd. | www.nthusim.com

Thanks for clearing up the cooling bit, I was kinda worried about that. The reason I'm thinking about three way SLI/crossfire is essentially due to the results in this Tom's Hardware review. I still don't know what it is, but i've seen enough Eyefinity users complaining about it on the internet to believe it is a legitimate concern. The only real solution apparently is to move up to 3 card SLI. I really wouldn't want to for pure performance purposes, but i'm not sure I have any other option.

As for monitor, I wanted to go for 120hz. I don't think they have reasonably priced IPS for that refresh rate.

One of the biggest complaints I have with my mobo/case combination is the positioning of the 3rd PCI-E slot on the mobo.

Case = COOLER MASTER Storm Sniper SGC-6000-KXN1-GP Black Steel (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119194)
Mobo = ASUS P6X58D-E (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131641)

Due to placement, I am unable to use the 3rd slot OR separate the 2 cards I do have. (6950s flashed to 6970) This causes a bit of a heat problem for the top card, but they are surviving. Just consider this when making your purchase. =)

Ninefingers