High End Gaming PC Advice

Trojan · 23 Jun 2013 at 07:54

I've been asked by a friend of mine to help him spec and build a new high end gaming PC but the trouble is I simply haven't kept up with the latest technology in recent years and am looking for some advice on the best options.

He will be running 3 monitors, and wants the build to be powerful enough to play any current game on Ultra/Max settings. Games in particular include Crysis 3, Battlefield 3, Bioshock Infinite, and Company of Heroes 2.

I was thinking something along the lines of:

CPU - i7
GPU - 2 x 7970
Motherboard - Dual GPU Capable, RAID Capable
Hard Disk - 2 x 256GB OCZ Vector RAID 0 + 2TB WD Black
RAM - 16GB kit
PSU - 850W

What do you think, would a build like this have any issues with the latest games on full?

If you've got any specific component recommendations, like which CPU or motherboard, that would be really helpful.

In terms of budget, well, there isn't one. Whilst this isn't a 'money no object' scenario, my friend is prepared to pay whatever he needs to get the performance he wants.

Cheers

olivier renault · 23 Jun 2013 at 10:47

I suppose. I'm finding it hard to recommend anything triple displays nowadays. Just too much hassle and money. Similarly, SSD RAID is quite unnecessary.

For dual GPU triple display, I don't know. I like the 7970 384bit / 3GB interface for that, but it's relatively ancient now. 780 are just too expensive. Looking at some benchies, dual 7970 isn't as bottlenecked as the 770 at those resolutions.

I don't know, I'd rather stay away. Haswell i7, high speed memory, a good mobo, and a good air cooler, that we can agree

Besides, for next-gen gaming, I'd be far more interested n the Oculus instead of triple displays. But that's just me!

silvagti · 23 Jun 2013 at 11:33

I'm kind of the same opinion as Olivier. Triple monitors aren't really worth the hassle. Buy a nice 27/30" 1440p one (maybe a 2nd 1080p for watching videos on) and that'll do the trick.

Specwise I'd go for a single 512Mb or 1Tb SSD with a 4Tb HDD for data. Modern SSD drives are so quick RAID isn't worth it unless you need mirroring IMO.

If you really want the performance and money isn't a problem I'd guess a couple of 780's would be the best price/performance option for £1K (if you're set on a Dual GPU/SLI) and should handle pretty much anything out there with ease with whatever display setup you opt for.

Personally if I wanted high end I'd shy away from dual/SLI setups and just go for a single 780 though! Avoids any driver scaling issues and makes for a more stable/reliable setup.

Doomedspeed · 23 Jun 2013 at 11:41

The real question is does it have to triple screen? If so the costs will rocket..

If he can handle a single screen @ 1200/1440p or 120hz it can be a lot better value/performance..

So which is it?

Trojan · 25 Jun 2013 at 10:22

All right. I've had a good chat with my mate and if a 3 screen setup is likely to be a hassle from game to game, he's happy to invest in a single large, high resolution screen. 30" plus ideally.

So, given this, what do you suggest? Again, whilst this isn't a 'money no object' situation, he's happy to pay pretty much whatever it takes to run every current game on Max/Ultra settings.

Which i7? Single beastly GPU or dual slightly less power GPUs? Any advice you could provide would be much appreciated.

Cheers