PROJECT LOG Starting my next build - Techvault2.0

Well its bee close to 6 years since i built my last machine to handle the newest of upcoming games.

Last build was as follows:

XCilio Windtunnel
Asus P5N-D
XFX GTX 260
E8500 C2D
8GB Gskill DDR2
Asus Xonar DX
WD HHD (1TB, 150GB Raptor)
Corsair 750w

Other than changing drives and adding a bit more RAM its been the same hardware for the past 5 years and my video card is starting now to crap out on me. Crashes on low end games like TF2 and NWN. Anyway, I have been rolling to specific builds around AMD and Intel, and would like the input of the forum on which would be best for my needs.

Play all current games on Max or close too it without hiccuping. A lot of FPS and RPG. Some MMO. this is the most important to me
Able to stream media across network from NAS to mobile devices like Wii, Laptops, 360, PS3 etc. (I know network is mostly on my end, but I don't know if an extra NIC would help this or not)
Multiple boot options with Windows, Linux, and Hackintosh OSx86
Rip movies and convert them (mostly a software issue, but hardware does play a part in the quality as I need suggestions for BD hardware) second major concern

Anyway, here is the Intel build i have put together from last November and updated recently.

Lian Li PC a71f
Asus Maximus IV Extreme
i7-2600K
3x EVGA GTX 560 Ti
8GB Gskill DDR3 1600
Corsair Hydro H70
2x 2TB WD Green
Subtotal: $2190

AMD Build:

Asus Crosshair IV Extreme
Phenom II x6 1090T
2x Asus 6970
Same case, ram, cpu cooler, and HDDs
Subtotal: $2080

I have been an intel fanboy since the beginning but with AMD on the rise I thought I would give them a try.

So which would be better for me and my reqs? Feel free to add or remove components, my price limit is around 22-2300.

Thanks for the input in advance.

You can't put 3x560's, I almost positive it only allow you 2 in SLI, leaving the more advanced configurations for more expensive cards. Also, I would go with 2 gtx 570 for the same price. I rather intel/nvidia world, but that's just me!

to OCForums!

For your most important concern, games, Intel/AMD doesn't really matter. Although, for your 2nd major concern, encoding BD, Intel's Sandy Bridge will be a better choice.

You don't need an expensive motherboard for Sandy Bridge OCing, and if you aren't OCing, then that's even more of a reason to get a cheaper board. The Asus P8P67 Pro will suit your needs just fine; a quality board with 2-way SLI/CFX for ~$190.

anhikilator is right about the GTX560's, you can only SLI two of them since there's only one SLI connector per card.

I would go with better drives than the WD Green, at least Blues, but Blacks would be best. If you're moving large files (BD images), then you'll want fast drives. Greens have had trouble with RAID too, so that's another downside of them.

I would also go air cooling over the H70, you can get the roughly the same performance without the added risk of using liquid cooling. If you were doing a custom loop, then the added risk would be worth it, in my opinion.

If I was going to build a system as close to the Intel one you have listed, I would do:

Lian Li PC-A71F
i7 2600K
Venomous X, Megahalems, <insert other high-end air cooler>, or Cooler Master Hyper 212+ for ~$30 (great performance per dollar)
Asus P8P67 Pro
2x 2GB G.Skill DDR3-1600 *I'd just go with 4GB since you aren't rendering or using virtual machines*
2x GTX560
2x 2TB WD Black

~$1750 with 4GB RAM, ~$1810 with 8GB RAM

I dont know how I missed that...

Thanks for pointing that out to me about the SLI connectors.

I chose 8GB of ram due to the fact that I do run some VMs at times. Mostly linux distros for trying out new unstable releases etc.

So sli 570/580 is decent for the gaming part? I am very excited for the new CryEngine.

WD Black HDDs

Is air cooling with a nice heatsink going to be enough to keep the CPU running smoothly?

ALSO, i forgot to mention this, I, hopefully, will soon be hosting private MMO servers for WoW, CoV, and if DC Online allows it, that as well. Graphically it doesn't matter, but will I have the power to host a small lan server to play private MMOs?

Anything else I am missing?

Yeah, GXT570/580 SLI should handle everything even at really high resolutions, SLI GTX560 will be able to handle just about everything as well. Speaking of resolution, what res are you running?

If you really need/want 3-way SLI, you'll have to step up to a more expensive board like the M4E, WS Revolution, or UD7; with the WS Revolution being the cheapest at ~$270. Forgot to mention that...

I do want the extra power of Tri-SLI, but if SLI will handle everything I want I wouldn't mind saving a bit of change. That is also why I chose the mobo I did. That board supports Tri-SLI.

Ill be running dual asus 23" monitors 1920x1080.

In essence, I don't want to upgrade again for another 6-10 years. Granted, with games coming out that are just incredibly GPU intensive like the CryEngine and the like, I will probably not be able to run everything maxed out later on, but it will still look good. By that time I will be looking at a new build anyway.

I do like the specs on the P8P67 WS though. If I am not going Tri-SLI would I need that one or could the pro, as you mentioned, be just fine, but also prove in the future to be a good asset. So I am not kicking myself 3 years from now that I should have upgraded to the WS board?

So, you'll be using Nvidia Surround giving you 3840x1080 for gaming?

3840x1080 = 4,147,200 pixels
2560x1600 = 4,096,000 pixels

Using reviews with 2560x1600 resolution, you should have playable framerates in most games using SLI GTX560; with Metro 2033, Crysis, and Farcry 2 on the edge of playability (around 30FPS or under). Also, your Sandy bridge CPU should boost FPS a little too.

A couple GTX560 SLI Reviews
http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-560-ti-sli-review/1
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_560_Ti_SLI/1.html

After looking at the benchmarks for SLI 560Ti, SLI GTX570 and SLI GTX 580 and per price.

I think the SLI GXT 570 is going to be the best selection of video cards. Right in the middle of FPS and cost.