# 6-monitor system build



## krot (May 5, 2005)

Hi:

I need a system for my business and personal use that will not hold me back - fast, spacious, upgradeable, able to handle 6 monitors.

So I want to build a very fast system, largest RAM available, with many USB ports (10?) and many card slots for future expansion (3?).

Here's the data you requested. I have built a few systems before. Thanks for helping.

Tork


Budget: How much money are you willing to spend on the new build? $3000 (or more if necessary)


Brands: Are there any brands of components you want or don't want? Altec case preferred


Multitasking: Will you be multitasking with this computer and if so, how much? 90%


Gaming: Will you be gaming and if so, how much and how new are the games? 5 hours/week - latest MMO games (EG: Matrix Online, Guild Wars)


Calculations: Will you be doing any intense calculations or media encoding? Musical composition (Notion 2.0) (10%), InDesign (5% max.)


Overclocking: Do you plan on overclocking and if so, how much? No overclocking


Storage: How much storage will you need and what will you be storing? 2 x 500Gb min; Data, music, video (1 disk for system & apps; 1 disk for data)


Legacy Support: Will you need support for older hardware like parallel, serial, or PS/2 devices? PS/2 keyboard (but can change this to USB)


Operating System: Do you want Windows XP or Vista, or Linux compatibility? XP Prof or Vista (please advise re my apps: InDesign, Quickbooks, Notion 2.0, Progression 1.1, Web App development, Games)


Case: Do you want help selecting a case and if so, how big do you want it? Altec preferred; size not an issue


Accessories: Do you want a keyboard, mouse, or other items included? No

Recycled Components: Will you be reusing any components you already have? Maybe PS/2 MS keyboard, and mouse (USB Logitech cordless optical mouseman)


Monitor: If you want a monitor, what size do you want and should it be widescreen? Have Samsung LCD: [email protected]", [email protected]", [email protected]" (Web app development)


Stores: Do you have any online stores that you prefer to purchase from? CanadaComputers.com, but open to others such as TigerDirect.ca


Location: What country do you live in? Canada (Ontario)


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## krot (May 5, 2005)

Oops! Read Antec where I have Altec ..


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## 199312051993 (Mar 21, 2008)

Im guessing your storing tonnes of data instead of gaming alot. so... with your budget expectations i reccommend the following. 
Here are hardware:

Case: Altec NRG. Otherwise a Thermaltake Armour (seeming you prefer an altec)

Motherboard: Gigabyte EP35-DS3P

CPU: Q9300 (Newest Intel CPU atm)

GPU / VGA: 9800GTX or (if this is going to be over budget) 8800GT
because you are wanting 6monitors get
4x 9600GT sonic edition

HDD (Hard drives): 1TB Seagate 7500rpm, 32m (your main)
2x 500 Seagate 7500rpm, 16m (backups / other data recommended)

Cooling: If you want water cooling, Thermaltake Big water
Air: stick as much fans as possible lol (just use $5-20 fans)

CPU cooling/heatsink: Thermalright 120 xtreme

PCI extras: 10dock USB 
TV tuner (i would get seeming you have 6 monitors)

PSU: 1000w antec (any version)


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## krot (May 5, 2005)

Hey 199:

Thanks. What's your reasoning behind these recs?


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

I would look at the PC Power & Cooling 860W since the Antec Quattro units aren't made by Seasonic like the Antec Trio units are.

MSI P7N SLI Platinum Nforce 750I LGA775 ATX 3PCI-E16 2PCI SATA2 RAID Sound GBLAN 1394 Motherboard 
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=28769&vpn=MS-7380-010&manufacture=MSI/MicroStar

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Dual Core Processor LGA775 3.0GHZ Wolfdale 1333FSB 6MB Retail 
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=27784&vpn=BX80570E8400&manufacture=Intel

OCZ Platinum XTC REV.2 PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL4-4-4-15 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=19337&vpn=OCZ2P800R22GK&manufacture=OCZ Technology

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB SATA2 8.5MS 7200RPM 16MB Cache Hard Drive 5YR MFR Warranty (x2)
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=25667&vpn=ST3250410AS&manufacture=Seagate

Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 3.5IN 500GB SATA2 8.5MS 7200RPM 32MB Cache NCQ Hard Drive
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=27144&vpn=ST3500320AS&manufacture=Seagate

Pioneer DVR-115DBK DVD+RW 20X8X16 DVD-RW 20X6X16 DL 12X Black OEM IDE DVD Burner No Software
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=27553&vpn=DVR-115DBK&manufacture=Pioneer

GeForce 8800GT 512MB Overclock
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=888865443&vpn=NX8800GT512MOC&manufacture=MSI Video

Geforce 8400GS 256MB Heatsink (x2)
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=888865433&vpn=NX8400GS-TD256EH&manufacture=MSI Video

PC Power & Cooling 860W ATX 24PIN ATX Eps 64A 12V Power Supply W/ Voltage Adjust
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=28966&vpn=PPCT860&manufacture=PC Power & Cooling

MassCool 8WA740 CPU Fan For Intel LGA775 with Heat Pipe
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=666623997&vpn=8WA740&manufacture=MassCool

Antec TriCool 120MM Case Fan 3-SPEED 1200/1600/2200RPM 25/28/30DBA 39/56/79CFM 3 & 4PINS 
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=17129&vpn=TRICOOL 120MM&manufacture=ANTEC

ANTEC CASE EXHAUST FAN 22CFM 28DBA 2200RPM *PCI SLOT REQUIRED* 
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=14433&vpn=CYCLONE BLOWER&manufacture=ANTEC



Antec Nine Hundred Mid Tower Gamer Case 900 ATX 9 Drive Bay No PS Top USB2.0 1394 Audio
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=21123&vpn=NINE HUNDRED&manufacture=ANTEC

-or-

Antec P182 ATX Black Mid Tower Case 4X5.25 1X3.5 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB Audio Firewire
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=24122&vpn=P182&manufacture=ANTEC


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

I really like the looks of this beast


http://forums.legitreviews.com/about12946.html



use the one PCI expansion slot wisely :laugh:


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## krot (May 5, 2005)

Thanks guys! I'll study this - I'm sure to have questions. If I want more PCI slots for expansion, any advice on the best MB option? Also, what are your views on OS: XP Pro or Vista?


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

the board I linked has PCI express 1.0 expansion slots ?



Gigabyte GA-P35-DQ6


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## 199312051993 (Mar 21, 2008)

most of the parts in there are the best money and quality comparisons.
so its basically u get what u really pay for that offer best performance.

most things are top of the range atm
and it is very good for ur suggested use


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## krot (May 5, 2005)

Hey Matt:

Wow! I should be tucked up asleep 
I researched your recs and they look impressive. I'm not concerned much about looks or gimmicks (fancy case), so I appreciate the options you gave. My governing parameters are performance, reliability and quality.

1. From what I've been reading, since I use my system for 8-15+ multi-tasking, do you think I might be better to get a quad cpu, eg the Q6600? 

2. Also, bearing the future in mind, would I be better to get DDR3? 
I really want to be able to whizz through my projects instead of waiting for the 100% utilization to slowly deliver. If I have to throw in more yen, then so be it - my time is more important since this is for business mostly. 

3. Also, again bearing in mind future expansion/upgrades, would it be ok to get the PC Power & Cooling Turbo Cool 1200 PSU instead, or would this be unsuitable for the config?

4. Lastly, NCIX.com doesn't state the manufacturer of the video cards. TigerDirect.ca shows the Palit models:
Palit GeForce 8800 GT Sonic Video Card - 512MB DDR3, PCI Express 2.0, SLI Ready, Dual DVI, HDTV, HDMI Support, Video Card
(http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=3525669&sku=P458-1050)
Palit GeForce 8600 GT Sonic Video Card - Sonic Overclocking Edition, 256MB DDR3, PCI Express, SLI Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV, Video Card (x2)
(http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicati...tails.asp?EdpNo=3511122&body=MAIN#detailspecs)
I'm not knowledgeable about Palit. Is this a good make in your opinion, or should I be looking at another one - maybe you know what NCIX's make is?

Much obliged.


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

When the Quad core Yorkfield processors come out, yes, but unless all the apps are very CPU heavy then even a good dual core will do.

DDR3 is way ahead of it's time. DDR2 will be fast enough for today's and tomorrow's CPUs. As such chipsets will still be available for DDR2 in the future. I would stick with DDR2.

The Turbo-Cool 1.2kW is an industrial-grade power supply. Even the Turbo-Cool 1000W will be more than you need. It will also come at a much higher cost. You don't need it now, and I predict that as components become more and more efficient, the need for it in a home PC will become less and less. Decide for yourself if the higher cost will fit in your budget and be worth it.

I checked, and the manufacturers are MSI at NCIX (good manufacturer). I picked out those cards for a very specific reason. The 8800GT has a really well designed stock cooler and the two 8400GS cards are low profile in design.

Also, for the two secondary cards, there is no reason to even get an 8600GT. The 8400GS will handle dual monitors and won't be used for video acceleration so a higher end chipset is not necessary.


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## krot (May 5, 2005)

Thanks Matt. That puts it all in perspective for me. Looks like the config will suit me just fine.

I like the Antec case with the audio and USBs at the top. How do I connect these to the mainboard, since it looks like the mainboard has rear ports only?

I see that the mainboard has 2 SATA headers. Yet I need 3 SATA ports. Does each header support 2 SATA ports? Are the 2 eSATAs in addition to 4 onboard ports?

Thanks again.


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## krot (May 5, 2005)

And .. what are your views on XP Pro vs Vista for this type of config, use and performance requirement?

I guess that wraps up my questions!


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

The motherboard has headers for the front panel audio, USB, and firewire. The board also has 4 SATA ports for disk drives, and you can even add a SATA controller if you need more than 4 disk drives.

I would personally stick with XP now. With the amount of storage you have, you can easily dual boot XP and Vista later on. You will definitely see higher performance in games under XP. You will also tend to see better application compatibility under XP.


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## blackduck30 (Sep 7, 2004)

I couldn't keep under the $3000 and ended up at about $3600
I had you in at 8G of ram to allow for addressing required for 3X512mb video cards so i also added vista ultimate 64bit to allow for that as vista 64 has more drivers available than XP 64 bit
I also used 32mb cache hard drives
and a 1200W silverstone power supply
The only quad 45nm core i could find was the extreme edition
*
SilverStone Temjin SST-TJ09 Black Aluminum Big Tower w/ window side panel $284
*
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=012032&cid=CS.220


*Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 Quad-Core Socket LGA775, 3.0GHz, 1333 MHz FSB, 12MB L2 Cache, 45nm (Retail Box) (BX80569QX9650) $1184*

http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=016915&cid=CPU.84


*Seagate Barracuda (ST3500320AS) 7200.11 SATA NCQ 3.0Gb/s 500GB 32MB Cache (OEM) $112 X2*

http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=014525&cid=HD.443.877


*Asus P5N-T Deluxe 3-Way SLI nVidia nForce 780i SLI Chipset Dual-Channel DDR2 667/800/1066 Mhz 3x PCI-Express 2.0 8-Channel $273
HD Audio SATA/eSATA GigaLAN 2x IEEE1394a Support Core 2 Quad Processor & 1333Mhz System Bus*

http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=016934&cid=MB.157


*XFX GeForce 8800GT nVidia 8800GT Chipset (600Mhz) 512MB (1.8Ghz) GDDR3 Dual Dual-Link DVI PCI Express 2.0 Graphics Card $261 X3*

http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=016913&cid=999.243.390


*Silverstone Decathlon DA1200 1200W 24 Pin Modular Power Supply ATX / EPS12V Active PFC 135MM Fan 90A $356*

http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=017211&cid=PS.808


*Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X4096-6400C5 G PC2-6400 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory $153 X2*

http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=014664&cid=RAM.346.307


*Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate 64-Bit (OEM) $230
*
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=013275&cid=SW.815


*Pioneer DVR-115D(Black) IDE DVD-Writer 20x DVD+R/-R 8x DVD+RW/6x DVD-RW 10x DVD+/-R9 Dual Layer 40xCD-R 32xCD-RW OEM $31*

http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=016493&cid=CR.184

Here are some hot fixes from MS for vista 64bit that could help your 64bit system when using large amounts of ram and performance in general, Altho i dare say these will all be addressed in vista SP1 which i think is out now or very soon

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940105

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...7C-614B-404C-850C-377541E93C18&displaylang=en

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...44-FEF3-4C80-AF1A-8B732DCB2756&displaylang=en

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...A0-77F6-4196-8A3F-78C1470AC18E&displaylang=en


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## krot (May 5, 2005)

Hey Blackduck30, thanks. That's an illustrious system there! I appreciate the time you put in, however, I have business apps that may not be able to run on 64 bit Vista (according to my last hour's research). Matt, are you recommending 32 bit XP Pro or 64 bit XP Pro?

Blackduck30, I may build this one for my son. He's a scary MMO player . He's got friends all over, Australia too 
Any changes to the config for an almost solely gaming rig?


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## blackduck30 (Sep 7, 2004)

Morning Krot,
Well for a gaming only system i would cut back on 1 video card and drop the power supply back to a 850W unit and ram back to 4G if staying with 64 bit.
Also I would consider dropping a hard drive if 1TB is not needed.
From what i can remember I think the extreme edition CPU's have the multipliers unlocked so that opens up some great overclocking possibilities as well.
Thats a shame on the business apps, if anything you would think they would be more inclined to use 64bit technology to help speed things up.


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

I would stick with 32-bit XP unless you have a specific need for 64-bit.


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## blackduck30 (Sep 7, 2004)

Matt is correct, if your programs you use are not designed for 64 bit you will not get any benefit.

Any of the above systems will work with 32bit XP pro and 2G to 3G of ram



*Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400C4 Matched Pairs 2GB kit (2x1GB) PC6400 DDR2-800 CL 4-4-4-12 240-pin Dual Channel Memory $59 ( after rebate )
*
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=012573&cid=RAM.346.307


*Corsair XMS 2 TWIN2X1024-6400C4 Matched Pairs 1GB kit (2x512MB) PC6400 DDR2-800 CL 4-4-4-12 240-pin Dual Channel Memory $68*

http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=011138&cid=RAM.346.307


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## krot (May 5, 2005)

Awesome advice guys!

I'm waiting for Notion Music to get back on whether their apps need 32 or 64 bit. I'll post it for anyone interested.
http://www.notionmusic.com/

Thanks again!


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## krot (May 5, 2005)

According to Notion Music, both Notion 2.0 and Progression need 32-bit XP, and XP Pro is recommended.

Have a good one!


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## krot (May 5, 2005)

32-bit XP Pro is preferred.


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## krot (May 5, 2005)

The MSI P7N SLI Platinum Nforce 750I LGA775 ATX 3PCI-E16 2PCI SATA2 RAID Sound GBLAN 1394 Motherboard has one PCI-E x16 slot, two PCI-E x8 (physically x16) slots, and two PCI slots. The MSI NX8800GT-T2D512E OC PCI-E video card needs a x16 slot. The two NX8400GS-TD256EH cards must therefore go into the x8 slots. 
However, I can't find out whether they are x8 or x16 cards, and don't know if I could put them in the x8 slots if they are x16 (although I realize they would physically fit). Can you help me understand this?

Thanks.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

they will fit in the 16X slots but they will run at half speed (8x)


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## krot (May 5, 2005)

That'll be ok for this use. The main video card will be the fast one. Thanks for the input.


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## derekcfoley (Apr 19, 2008)

I've had big problems getting PCI drivers for Vista 64. The ATI drivers just aren't being updated at the moment. After upgrading and rebuilding my system into a Quad core, dual PCI-E mobo (Asus P5N-E SLI) , I discovered no drivers were available for my older PCI Radeon 9250 cards that powered screens 3-6 previously in XP(32bit)

So I decided to go for 2 PCI-E cards, the Radeon 3850 and a 2600 PRO, and started hunting around for recent PCI cards, thinking drivers must be available. Having had bad experiences with NV4disp.dll errors and crashes in the past with Nvidia cards, ATI seemed a more robust solution (this might not be true now... can anyone comment on this?)

I'm wondering if anyone successfully got a 6 screen system going, mine's got 4 out of 6 working at the moment. Every now and again I try to get the other card working, but no luck. 2xPCI-E work fine, add the PCI, and it doesn't.

There are 3xPCI-E mobos out there... but from the looks of the specs the third slot is for a physics card only... again, anyone tried those with 3 real PCI-E graphics cards?

I've also tried mixing cards from vendors, which worked before the days of the packages of drivers from Nvidia and ATI. 

I can tell you than a PCI 6200 Nvidia card will only work with ATI cards if the others are disabled, otherwise on boot you keep getting "Incompatible display adapter detected". Obviously the reverse is also the case, so don't mix cards - stick with ATI or Nvidia.

My spirits were lifted recently upon finding a PCI version of the PowerColor HD 2400 card (dual head) - supposedly "Vista Compatible" as the marketing blurb said.... but no - it seems Vista 32 compatible.

A quick trip to the ATI website to download standard drivers confirms this, the only 2400 drivers are PCI-E for Vista 64.

So I'm still stuck, every weekend I try and resolve this, even thought about one of those quad head Fire GL cards, but again, will it be compatible with the other cards?

I havent had any software issues with Vista 64 yet, so its ironic that this hardware driver problem is the main issue for perhaps sticking with XP or perhaps choosing Vista32

Whats the solution to all this? Go Nvidia, or buy stupidly overpriced "workstation" cards like the Fire GL series?


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

Please start a new thread for this. Although the topics are related, they are separate issues.


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