# Gaming build, budget £700 (can be stretched to £800)



## RossComrie (Feb 7, 2011)

Hello there, I'm looking to build a new gaming rig to replace an aging Pentium 4 that I have to coax to life every time I want to turn it on. With dust coming out of it everytime the fan whirs and a CPU that thinks running at 90 degrees is cool, I'm looking to replace my 10 year old 'friend'. Served me well but need a new model. 

Basically, I've already looked out what I'm going to go for but I'm at a bit of a stick. Will these parts all be compatible, and is there anything I'm missing?

Also, if you know of any build that is superior for gaming at all, please feel free to correct me! 

Ok, so I'm set on an i7 2700K and a 560ti with 16GB of RAM, but everything else is negotiable.

Motherboard: Link
CPU: Link
GPU: Link
RAM: Link
Hard Drive: Link
Case & PSU: Link (Case with 750W built in PSU)

What kink of cooling am I going to need to get as well for this rig?

Many thanks in advance!


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## tanveerahmed2k (Jan 25, 2011)

I dont think you can use this built in 700w PSU with the CPU and GPU. its an awesome case btw.
I think you will need this sort of psu (650w+)
XFX 650W Modular Edition PSU | Ebuyer.com


im not a expert but every review I read about WD (hdd) is that some crap always happens down the line, and it has happened to me once ages ago. I would go for a better brand.

I wish I had a budget like yours


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## RossComrie (Feb 7, 2011)

Thank you, and xcases seems to be amazing for stylish cases  I'll go for a discrete PSU instead of an inbuilt one then thanks. 

I suppose £15 more for a reliable hard drive is reasonable enough, thanks again

Lots of overtime is the key to that budget, haha.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Looking over our suggested build list might be beneficial: http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...evised-2012-and-updated-regularly-448272.html

Have you considered an i5 2500k CPU? Considerably cheaper with very little sacrifice of performance.
You'll want a 750W minimum good quality PSU for the 560 ti. SeaSonic-XFX-Corsair.
8GB RAM sticks are new and new commonly has issues for awhile. I would suggest a matched pair of 2 x 4GB and 8GB will be more than enough.
Do you need 2TB of storage? Some issues have been reported with Hdd's over 1TB.
You can always add a second drive if/when needed.


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## RossComrie (Feb 7, 2011)

I haven't, no. How much am I saving vs what I am losing? I'm looking for a computer that can do a good amount of calculations as I'll be using it when I go onto university to model physics systems, will an i5 still cover the same bases as that do you think?

PSU sounds about right, is the 560ti a good fair price card for this market?

Hm, is there any significant advantage to having 16 GB instead of 8 GB of RAM? 

Again, I can downgrade to 2x1TB. I'm really looking for a futureproof rig that can run mostly every current game at fairly high settings on 1920x1080 and perform well outwith gaming tasks.

Many thanks again


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

All of our suggested builds use top quality known compatible components and can be a very useful guide.
8GB of RAM will be more than sufficient for your posted needs for now and for some time to come.
2 x 1TB Hdd's is not a downgrade. It's helping to insure you have no problems.
The "future proof" PC is unattainable. Technology advances almost daily in the PC world. That doesn't make it better, just newer. :smile:


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## RossComrie (Feb 7, 2011)

Hm, and in terms of assembling the actual computer how difficult is it? I've heard getting the components in and running fine isn't the hard part, it's getting the single pin connectors that work your buttons to run


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

There are a lot of videos available to assist you visually and all the help you need can be found here.
Assembling a PC is pretty simple if you read the Mobo manual thoroughly to familiarize your self with the Mobo and components and do a bench test before assembling anything in the case.

Bench Test
Set the motherboard on a non conductive surface. The motherboard box is perfect for this. DO NOT PLACE THE MOTHERBOARD ON THE STATIC BAG! It can actually conduct electricity! 
Install the CPU and heat sink. 
Install 1 stick of RAM.
Install the video card and attach the power supply connection(s) to the card if your card needs it.
Connect the monitor to the video card.
Connect the power supply to the motherboard with both the 24pin main ATX Power connection and the separate 4 or 8 pin power connection.
Connect power to the power supply.
Do NOT connect ANYTHING else. Make sure you have the power connector on the CPU fan connected.
Use a small screwdriver to momentarily short the power switch connector on the motherboard. Consult your motherboard manual to find which two pins connect to your case's power switch. Then touch both pins with a screwdriver to complete the circuit and boot the system.

If all is well, it should power up and you should get a display. Then assemble the parts into the case and try again. If the system now fails to boot, you have a short in the case and need to recheck your motherboard standoffs.

If the system does not boot after this process, then you most likely have a faulty component. You'll need to swap parts, start with the power supply, until you determine what is defective.


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## RossComrie (Feb 7, 2011)

Ok, thanks! Decided to go with the 2500K. If need be I can always just go ahead and upgrade to the i7 later on if things don't work out. Will let you know how results going but I might end up just buying a prebuilt one off of ebay. 

Ebay has machines like this;
VIBOX iV-B9 INTEL CORE i5 2500 QUAD CORE 2TB 16GB ATI HD 6450 GAMING PC COMPUTER | eBay


Can you see any disadvantage to this kind of rig?


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## A1tecice (Jun 1, 2010)

Stear clear of EBAY deals. They always tend to cause trouble by either being vague in what parts are being used (Such as this case not giving you a brand name for the PSU + its well underpowered for that system anyway) its safe to assume its a cheap piece of hardware.

Yet again 16GB of ram is totally not needed I currently have 12GB and I rarely use over 40% of my capacity. 6-8GB is more than enough.

I suggest you take a look at the above posted link by Tyree:
http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...evised-2012-and-updated-regularly-448272.html

Im sure everyone will say the same thing.

Thanks,
Altie


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## RossComrie (Feb 7, 2011)

Ok, I've gone with a variation on hat rig. Thank you


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## A1tecice (Jun 1, 2010)

RossComrie said:


> Ok, I've gone with a variation on hat rig. Thank you


Ok glad to hear it, could you post your current variation so we can inspect your choices :wink:

Thanks,
Altie


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## RossComrie (Feb 7, 2011)

Sure!

Case: Gaming computer cases , lastest uk designs online at X-Case , no 1 for pc cases
Mobo: Asus P8P67 PRO REV 3.1 Motherboard (Socket 1155, ATX, DDR3, Quad USB 3.0/SATA 6Gb/s Support): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories
CPU: Intel Sandybridge i5-2500K Unlocked Core i5 Quad-Core Processor (3.30GHz, 6MB Cache, Socket 1155): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories
GPU: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004K8R8DA/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE
RAM: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004CRSM4I/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE
PSU: Corsair CMPSU-750TXV2UK Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 High Performance 750W Power Supply: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories
HDD: Seagate ST500DM002 3.5 inch 500GB Hard Drive (Serial-ATA, 6Gb/s, 16Mb, 7200RPM): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories
Cooler: COOLER MASTER RR-212E-16PK-R1 Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler (EU Version): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Just over £700 total.


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## A1tecice (Jun 1, 2010)

Yup that should run fine.
Very nice choices, I am a Asus Loyalist myself


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## RossComrie (Feb 7, 2011)

I'm just wondering.

On the website PCspecialist.com, I can get a computer of (what I think is) a slightly better spec for a more competitive price.

Case
AEROCOOL SYCLONE II MID TOWER GAMING CASE


Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5-2500k Quad Core (3.30GHz, 6MB Cache) + HD Graphics


Motherboard
ASUS® P8Z68-V LX: USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs, ATI®CrossFireX


Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz, X.M.P (2 x 4GB KIT)


Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 560 Ti - 2 DVI,HDMI,VGA - 3D Vision Ready


Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB SATA-II 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 32MB CACHE (7,200rpm)


1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM


Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W ENTHUSIAST SERIES™ TX650 V2-80 PLUS® BRONZE (£69)


Processor Cooling
SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE INTEL CPU COOLER (£19)


Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)


Network Facilities
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCS


USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD

Is this setup superior for the price? Because the £700 for my other rig doesn't really include the prices of things like a DVD drive or sound cards and such, so it may be that this is a better option. Second opinions?


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## A1tecice (Jun 1, 2010)

Sounds cards are totallay unessential for motherboards in our days. the inbuild ones are more than good enough.

The build you linked has a slower hard drive (3GBPS vs 6GBPS) on the build i checked two posts ago . so no I would stick with what you had.


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## toothman (Jul 13, 2008)

Looks great to me, too.

About CPU choices, as you were asking above about CPU-intensive tasks, there will be some discrepancy between a 2500k and a 2700k like you linked in the first post. Besides a slightly higher clock, the i7 also comes with 2mb more L3 cache. Worth the extra $100? I would say no. The i5 should be very satisfactory, and with a solid overclock under that awesome cooler I can't see you complaining anytime soon. The first worthwhile upgrade down the road is at best potentially from Ivy Bridge, but I wouldn't count on it.


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## RossComrie (Feb 7, 2011)

Besides a DVD drive, what else do I need to buy for the rig I posted?


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## A1tecice (Jun 1, 2010)

Thermal Paste to apply between your cooler and CPU.


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## RossComrie (Feb 7, 2011)

And that's pretty much me? No I get to have the fun of ordering it all over the next few days haha. If I order the case and the motherboared first, am I safe to just add the parts as they come in?


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## Amd_Man (Jan 27, 2009)

RossComrie said:


> I'm just wondering.
> 
> On the website PCspecialist.com, I can get a computer of (what I think is) a slightly better spec for a more competitive price.
> 
> ...


Using a 650w PSU with your 560ti is not a wise idea. The Corsair TX750 you had would be better.


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## RossComrie (Feb 7, 2011)

Yea, gone against that rig. Ordered my case just now and will be ordering the other parts over the next few weeks. Your help has been much appreciated and I'll let you all know how I get on!

Thanks!


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## A1tecice (Jun 1, 2010)

Well before you start building your computer in your case (sorry for the pun :whistling its very advised to make sure all your hardware is working! . 

I suggest you benchtest all your hardware first THEN install it in your pc.

http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f255/how-to-bench-test-troubleshoot-your-system-171424.html


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## RossComrie (Feb 7, 2011)

I'll do that as soon as I get my components together. Thanks for the help again and I'll let you know how I get on!


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

dont order a pre-built from pc specialist I know people who have had horror systems from them that have been basic piles of crap. Your always best building your own and the build you have mentioned in post 13 will be great.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Very wise advice from greenbrucelee. Go with your list in Post #13.
It is also a good idea to order all the parts at once. 
Good retailers have a 30 day return policy for defective hardware. If you have all the hardware at once, you'll have plenty of time to RMA any defective parts found during the bench test.


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## tanveerahmed2k (Jan 25, 2011)

never buy from computerplanet they sent a faulty pc to my cousin and then wouldn't refund within 7 Days. we ordered in christmas and they delivered in february, then they tell us the original overclocked 4gb ram and phenom x4 black edition is not in stock so they put a rubbish bulldozer in. and the vibox gaming pc's use low quality psu i have bought from him before 2 years ago and I cant trust him again. Ebuyer is best get from there


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## toothman (Jul 13, 2008)

tanveerahmed2k said:


> never buy from computerplanet they sent a faulty pc to my cousin and then wouldn't refund within 7 Days. we ordered in christmas and they delivered in february, then they tell us the original overclocked 4gb ram and phenom x4 black edition is not in stock so they put a rubbish bulldozer in. and the vibox gaming pc's use low quality psu i have bought from him before 2 years ago and I cant trust him again. Ebuyer is best get from there


That's quite a story haha have you considered demanding to return and get a full refund?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

tanveerahmed2k said:


> never buy from computerplanet they sent a faulty pc to my cousin and then wouldn't refund within 7 Days. we ordered in christmas and they delivered in february, then they tell us the original overclocked 4gb ram and phenom x4 black edition is not in stock so they put a rubbish bulldozer in. and the vibox gaming pc's use low quality psu i have bought from him before 2 years ago and I cant trust him again. Ebuyer is best get from there


All too common tale from online builders. It's always best to get good quality components and assemble yourself.


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## RossComrie (Feb 7, 2011)

Ok, so I've bought in the graphics card (560ti 448 core for only £170, on a limited deal. Saved myself some £70 so I'm happy with buying it early), I've bought in the case, and ordered in the DVD drive/antistatic band and thermal paste.

Case: Gaming computer cases , lastest uk designs online at X-Case , no 1 for pc cases

Graphics Card: Palit 1.28GB GTX560 448.

Motherboard: Asus P8Z68-V/GEN3 Intel Z68 Socket 1155 Motherboard - Scan.co.uk

RAM: Corsair Memory 8GB Vengeance Jet Black Low Profile 8GB DDR3 1600 MHz CAS 9 XMP Dual Channel Desktop - CML8GX3M2A1600C9 - Scan.co.uk

CPU: Intel CPU Core i5 Unlocked 2500K Sandy Bridge Quad Core Processor - BX80623I52500K - Scan.co.uk

PSU; should I go for this: LINK , go with a £25 extra payment for this; LINK or shell out a complete extra £50 over the first link for this; LINK ?

Cooler: Corsair H60 Hydro Series CPU Cooler - CWCH60 - Scan.co.uk

HDD: Seagate ST31000524AS 3.5 inch 1TB Hard Drive (Serial-ATA, 6Gb/s, 32Mb, 7200RPM): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Total comes to almost £800/£825/£850 exactly (PSU dependant), as the mobo, CPU, cooler, RAM and PSU all come in a bundle from scan.co.uk and the i5 is professionally overclocked to 4.7Ghz. Am I paying over the odds for a better PSU and the overclocking, as well as the assurance all the components work since they're tested and insured by Scan? I could get the build mentioned in Post #13 for £720 from Amazon, with a slightly worse PSU. In the future I may look to SLI my 560ti with another 560ti 448, as it'll probably give me more bang/buck upgrading thean buying a new card altogether, and that's why I opted for the better PSU.

Opinions on pricing and such? Am I going to be paying over the odds for something I don't need yet?

Only components I have with me are the case and the GPU. The HDD, DVD-RW and antistatic band/thermal paste have all been ordered, though. And some cable tidys. I love me cable tidies.


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## toothman (Jul 13, 2008)

If you're not doing SLI then you can get the cheaper 80+ Bronze PSU. Being 850w and a Corsair TX already makes it more than good enough.


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## RossComrie (Feb 7, 2011)

I woud however like to go SLI in the future with minimal upgrading costs. Will the 750W PSU in the first build (Post #13) be enough if I don't go SLI?


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

sli and crossfire are best avoided as it means you need a more powerful psu, you need decent cooling as more heat is generated because of more power usuage and you will find not alot of games actually use sli or crossfire at all.

Most of the time you would be lucky to see a 20% increase in performance.

You are also best going fopr one big powerful card.

Both the power supplies you mention above are great but if you were to go sli with the gtx560 then 850w should be ok however I personally would do 950w to be safe.

You would get better performance by going for a gtx580 or 590 than going sli with 2 gtx560s


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## toothman (Jul 13, 2008)

If you want to add on a second 560 Ti 448-Core in SLI, Nvidia recommends a minimum 750w PSU. Here we strongly recommend adding 30% to the manufacturer's recommendation, and then picking only top-quality units. This only becomes more important with SLI and Crossfire.

750w + 30% makes for 975w. Here's some excellent recommendations:
Newegg.com - XFX ProSeries P1-1050-BEFX 1050W ATX12V 2.2 / ESP12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
Newegg.com - CORSAIR Professional Series HX1050 1050W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Power Supply
Newegg.com - SeaSonic X-SERIES X-1050 1050W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
Newegg.com - SeaSonic Platinum-1000 1000W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified Modular Power Supply


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## Azeem40 (Jan 28, 2012)

Actually, SLI helps in multi-monitor scenarios when you want the eyecandies turned on.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

Azeem40 said:


> Actually, SLI helps in multi-monitor scenarios when you want the eyecandies turned on.


yes it does help in multimonitor scenarios but most people who go sli dont do that so are technically wasting their time.


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## toothman (Jul 13, 2008)

SLI configs mirror the GPUs' RAM, meaning if you SLI two 1.28gb cards then you still only use 1.28gb of GPU memory. So for multimonitor gaming, such as Nvidia Surround or AMD Eyefinity, you will gain FPS but the best impact on performance would be to get to 2gb of GPU memory. This is why single cards like the 7950 that cannot max out newer games in Eyefinity still have that unnecessarily high 3gb of memory: so when you crossfire, you have enough memory to keep from bottlenecking yourself.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

More excellent advice from grenbrucelee in Post #33.
What two GPU's will do for you - cost more, consume more power, generate more unneeded heat inside the case and give you a small percentage of performance increase in the few games & apps that can utilize them.


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## A1tecice (Jun 1, 2010)

Tyree said:


> More excellent advice from grenbrucelee in Post #33.
> What two GPU's will do for you - cost more, consume more power, generate more unneeded heat inside the case and give you a small percentage of performance increase in the few games & apps that can utilize them.


I agree, I am currently running two 480gtx's and i have to say i would advise you to buy one powerfull card other than going for two. Most of the time when i game GPU1 only gets used while GPU2 is idle. and yes i have dual display :wink:

Thanks,
Altie


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## Azeem40 (Jan 28, 2012)

It may not apply here, but using it as a general argument for not running SLI doesn't apply to everyone. It is the price you pay for a more "in-to" experience with multimonitors.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Anyone is free to do as they please with their money. 
Using multiple GPU's is solely the decision of the user but, generally speaking, the small performance gain is very rarely worth the substantially added investment.


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## Amd_Man (Jan 27, 2009)

Azeem40 said:


> It may not apply here, but using it as a general argument for not running SLI doesn't apply to everyone. It is the price you pay for a more "in-to" experience with multimonitors.


I'd say there's proof in post #39. If it made a huge "justifiable" difference I would of been running in Cross Fire X long time ago.


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## Azeem40 (Jan 28, 2012)

I still don't believe that CF/SLI is not worth it for multimonitor gaming. #39 only shows it not worth it for single monitor tasks. You can't use that as an end-all-be-all argument. Have a look here: HARDOCP - Conclusion - NVIDIA Kepler GPU GeForce GTX 680 Video Card Review 

I know you all have experience and you use it as "proof" but the above is evidence otherwise.


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## toothman (Jul 13, 2008)

It all depends on the game, Azeem. Most people are not building their PC for only one game. Skyrim is an excellent example where Crossfire is a terrible investment, whereas BF3 is an example where Crossfire and SLI can be worthwhile. My Steam library has dozens of games. Many older games, such as Oblivion, I have heavily modded to improve visual fidelity. Dual GPU configs are not friendly with most such things. Two 6850s may have better price/performance than my single 6950, but in games that do not benefit from that configuration I would only get performance equal to a single 6850. As such my single 6950 is a much better choice.

For multimonitor gaming, such as Eyefinity, SLI/Crossfire are only good options because of the sheer quantity of GPU muscle triple HD gaming requires. No single card can max out Crysis 2 in 3x Eyefinity, for example. The only way to exceed the best single card is Crossfire/SLI.

Now if you're content with high/very high settings in Eyefinity, get a high end video card with 2gb or more of memory and be done with it.


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## Azeem40 (Jan 28, 2012)

That is what I now plan to do with the GTX 680, seeing that its framerates at ultra on 5760x1200 is very very playable.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Azeem40 said:


> I still don't believe that CF/SLI is not worth it for multimonitor gaming. #39 only shows it not worth it for single monitor tasks. You can't use that as an end-all-be-all argument. Have a look here: HARDOCP - Conclusion - NVIDIA Kepler GPU GeForce GTX 680 Video Card Review
> 
> I know you all have experience and you use it as "proof" but the above is evidence otherwise.


How can real world usage be less reliable information than a review that may be compensated?


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## A1tecice (Jun 1, 2010)

Azeem40 said:


> I still don't believe that CF/SLI is not worth it for multimonitor gaming. #39 only shows it not worth it for single monitor tasks.


What I think you will find I said. Is I am running SLI with a dual monitor display. But I cant say I notice any difference if I take one out and run two hdmi cables from one card and play a game. another monitor sitting at desktop isint very gpu intensive while the other is playing the game.

But it seems as if you have already made you mind up, So i wont bother trying to talk you out of SLI any more but just be warned, It wont live up to expectation.

Altie


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## Azeem40 (Jan 28, 2012)

We'll see what lives up to whose expectations when I post back here with pictures on how well it is doing. There is no point in trying to argue or defend anything I say here because I will just get barraged.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

you wont get barraged at all but when you say a review is better or equal to real world experience then you are wrong.

Many reviews of equipment are done in so called perfect conditions and not a proper enivronment this is especially common with power supply and graphics card testing. This is why real world xp trumps a review


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

greenbrucelee said:


> you wont get barraged at all but when you say a review is better or equal to real world experience then you are wrong.
> 
> Many reviews of equipment are done in so called perfect conditions and not a proper enivronment this is especially common with power supply and graphics card testing. This is why real world xp trumps a review


And many reviews are compensated by the manufacturer/ retailer.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

Tyree said:


> And many reviews are compensated by the manufacturer/ retailer.


yep just like when huntkey gpt done for paying reviewers to say their power supplies were good.


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