Build son's PC

[thatguy7]

As a surprise I am building my son A high end 3 monitor rig for his first computer engineering job...
I want the monitors to be 20"+ and need the 'power' to support them all. This is what I have thrown together, I'm using tigerdirect.ca as my source for peace of mind due to the retail store near where I live.
SO far...
Motherboard:
EVGA X58 SLI Classified Motherboard - LGA 1366, Intel X58, SATA, SLI Ready, CrossFireX Ready, Triple Channel DDR3, RAID, Hyperthreading
CPU:
Intel Core i7 920 Processor BX80601920 - 2.66GHz, LGA 1366, 4.8GT/s QPI, 8MB L3 Cache, Quad-Core, HyperThreading, Bloomfield, Retail
RAM:
OCZ Gold Tri Channel 6GB PC16000 DDR3 2000MHz Memory - 3x2048MB
PSU:
Cooler Master Silent Pro M1000 Modular 1000-Watt ATX Power Supply - 80 Plus, Modular
Case:
Cooler Master HAF 932 AMD Special Edition ATX Full Tower Case - ATX, 7x Expansion Slots, 2x 120mm Fan Ports, Acrylic AMD Dragon Side Panel(Not much to choose btw)
HDD: Suggestions maybe some 1TB drive that are good
Optical drive: Is a blu-ray Burner worth it?
Graphics card:
EVGA GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 Video Card - 896MB GDDR3, PCI Express 2.0 x16, SLI Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV, VGA Support (2 SLI)(More of a ATI guy open to advice)
Cooling: One that can handle this heat
OS: Dual boot Ubuntu/Windows 7 Each on a HDD of there own

I am open to opinions, but if suggesting an alternative part could it be backed with a pros to doing that. Also like a recommendation on the three monitor or if the graphics card can support 3 23"+ monitors on 2 SLI'ed Graphic Cards.

[Jd007]

- 3 monitor setup = ATI HD5800 series card(s) for sure, as even just a single 5800 card can output to three monitors simultaneously. I recommend a 5870.
- Motherboard wise, the Gigabyte X58A-UD5 is worth a look into, which has USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps support (plus 3-way SLI/CrossFire).
- PSU wise, an alternative would be the Corsair HX850. Even with 2x 5870 CrossFire you really don't need more than 800W of PSU.
- HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black is really good (they come in 640GB, 1TB, and 2TB I think) for both system drive and storage. If you are willing to pay more money, get an SSD for system drive.
- As for Blu-Ray burner, IMHO I don't think it's worth it. At most a reader for watching Blu-Ray movies. There's really no reason to burn Blu-Ray discs.
- Cooling for CPU, get the Thermalright Venomous X or the Noctua NH-D14 - currently two of the best air coolers on the market.

[thatguy7]

I've seen if you board is based off a Nvidia structure it is best you stick with there cards for optimum performance.
Seem like reviews are not liking the mobo spacing, issues cycling when more then 1 usb device is plugged in

[jcmaz]

Originally Posted by thatguy7

I've seen if you board is based off a Nvidia structure it is best you stick with there cards for optimum performance.

Wrong, i run a Nvidia 8800GS on a ATI 690G chipset mobo. No problems at all.

And i would forgo the coolermaster psu coz they are not known for good psus. Stick with Antec, Corsair, or Seasonic.

Btw, what will your son use the computer for?

[Arinoth]

Holy crap, do you mind me asking where or what kind of job he landed that would need a computer as powerful as that. I'm a computer engineering technologist graduate and computer engineering student and i've never run into anything at least at school or from those i've talked to that worked in industry that need that much power.

[thatguy7]

lol its more of I love you gift and you met my expectations. He doesn't know so chances are he will say the same thing. The graphics cards up there could 2 SLI'ed rise to the occasion of a 3 monitor rig looking for maybe 23-25".

[jcmaz]

Use the newer 5850 or 5870 because you only "need" one card to power all three monitors. But keep in mind, you need a monitor w/ Displayport.

[MonsterSound]

Thanks DAD!
j/k - (couldn't resist)
Look into the 5870 as ^suggested^ for 3 monitors as Eyfinity is only on the new 5000 series cards: very cool.
Sounds like a great gift and congrats

[Zero82z]

I recommend this PSU instead: Buy the BFG EX-1000 1000W Modular Power Supply at TigerDirect.ca

[thatguy7]

XFX Radeon HD 5870 Video Card - 1GB GDDR5, PCI-Express 2.0, CrossFireX Ready, Dual DVI, Display Port, HDMI
I've bought XFX works very well anyone have opinions for others