Need help on new high end desktop build

[AkG]

Pros and cons to each mate. No real 'right' answer. I prefer ONE large monitor, but honestly others here prefer multiple. NOW...if you want the ultimate setup....get one 30" now...and then get a couple more later. Of course...they did just refresh the 27" so it makes a lot of sense that soon'ish they will refresh the 30" (my guess is withing 4-6mths)....and the new anti-glare on the 27" is amazing compared to older gens. YMMV, but if you NEED big multiple monitors NOW you can get the new U27" a lot cheaper than the 30" and no one can say that multi-27" surround doesnt make for one KILLER rig. ;)

As for hdds.... They are making smaller versions. No idea on ETA or even if they are already out. I honestly dont pay much attention to small hard drives anymore. BUT my vague recollection from the product brief w/ WD is they were refreshing the entire lineup.

[YoungMan]

I used to have eyefinity, now I'm back to a single monitor. I like the extra monitors when you're doing work and multitasking.
But if you're trying to game, the bezel gets in the way, performance takes a huge hit, etc. etc.

[rjbarker]

Single monitor here U2711 27" 2560 x 1440, had this for a few yrs now and is by far one the best investments I made for gaming. Just remember, as soon as you move to 2560 x 1440, 2560 x 1600 or multi monitors of that size your certainly going to need "poop" to run things smoothly, consider going to an I7, multi GPU's and a DECENT PSU. You cheap out on any of these components w a high Res monitor = disappointment! You've got the Budget to build a great gaming Rig :)

[dustin1706]

My preferred monitor setup would be to have a good single 27-30" for gaming, video etc. and have a cheaper ~24" monitor beside to use for productivity. Best of both worlds for a reasonable price. Good call on the RAID1 for your storage drives. That being said, do you currently use an SSD? I think you will find that one is plenty fast. Since you are building a pretty serious machine and you will be editing video, I would suggest stepping up to an i7. It will speed up any compiling, transcoding etc, but have no effect on gaming.

I think you can pull this off very near budget if you go single SSD, choose whichever brand of 7970 is on a good sale and pricematch NCIX to any sales at other retailers.

[Rollergold]

CPU: With your budget I would spring for the 3770k. Socket LGA 1155 is a dead man walking at this time so may as well get as much horsepower as you can (now and for the future).
CPU Cooling: No issues here. The H100i is an excellent cooler with fans that kick the crap out H100. (Stock H100 fans are sever grade for noise).
Mobo: No issues there either.

Ram: With RAM so cheap these days you may as well max out the board with 32 gigs. Also I wouldn't spring for the faster 2400mhz ram if your main use for the machine is gaming (DDR3 1600 is plenty fast).

HDD/SSD's: Great choices overall on both fronts. Those Neutron GTX making me just a little jealous (still rocking all mechanical drives here.)

Video card(s): Can't go wrong with Dual 7970's (especially with AMD's $150 Never Settle game bundle thats going on at the moment). If you have any plans on trying steroscopic 3D gaming in the future go with dual 680's instead. If your also going to edit video with Adobe's CS6 suite you will need a 680 or 670 to take advantage of its accelerated encoding/playback engine.

PSU: I personally go with 1000w PSU from your favorite brand. Never hurts to have some extra leg room on your PSU since you may change your upgrade plans in the future.

Case: Unless you plan to install a custom water cooling loop in the future, personally the HAF X is overkill for your current plans. The HAF XM has all the features (minus the weirdly shaped side window) of HAF X but in a cheaper more manageable package.

Monitor Can't give a real opinion on a monitor (still haven't ditched TN panels here, I need the response time for gaming and the quality is good enough for me anyway). Using an Asus VH236H and LG Flatron W1943 btw.

Hope this helps.

[Black_Ice-Dragon]

Updated the first post to reflect changes.

Thanks everyone for your recommendations I am getting very close now I think. The hardest part is going to be deciding on a monitor. I used to have a 3008wfp back in day when the good old 4870x2 was around so I love the size and workspace especially for gaming. But I am thinking about your idea AKG running 3 27" for a crazy setup as they almost half the cost of the 3011.

I do have an SSD is my sager laptop im using as my primary currently and I could never go back now

[BobbyLou]

For monitors, I'd recommend getting either 2x Samsung SyncMaster LS27A850DS or 2x Dell u2713hm and turning one of them 180 degrees for productivity.

Personally, I find that the bezels really kill the gaming experience with 3 panels.

[rjbarker]

Response time on the Dell U2711 is NOT an issue for gaming!! Don't let the slower response times scare you, I have never noticed any ghosting or blurring ever in game or at any time. Think I have around 30 Titles in my Steam / Origins accounts, played 90% of them on the Dell ;)
Also, with multi GPU set-ups spend the time researching best Case for Air Cooling, you'll want very good air flow with emphasis on the GPU's expelling the majority of the heat outside the Case. I've been running these 580 Classy's now for a yr and U can say there damn good GPU's balancing noise n heat ( never have to set fan speed higher than 45% w highest temps running DX11 titles hitting 68c. Most I'd the GPU heat is expelled out the back of the case.
Bear in mind filling all available RAM slots in the Mobo puts extra strain on the CPU Memory Controller, generally meaning tougher to achieve higher OC's (just cause RAM is cheap n you have the available Slots doesn't necessarily mean "buy more")

[Stuart]

Are you using a soundcard in this build?

[Black_Ice-Dragon]

No I am using a fiio e7 DAC/amp for the moment but I may add a sound card.

I am going to go with the dell 27" monitor. Thanks for the help on this point. This leaves some free money for my system so I curious what about going to LGA 2011 and a 3930K?