Build It: A Six-Monitor Gaming PC

We harness the power of six to build an impressive gaming desktop with killer multi-monitor capabilities.

December 2, 2010

Intel recently introduced its CPU, a six-core chip that lacks an unlocked multiplier, is slower, and a bit less expensive than the groundbreaking Core i7-980X Extreme Edition. The Core i7-970 has made it possible to construct a top-of-the-line performance PC without going completely crazy in the process. That got us thinking: How many other "sixes" could we pack into a build and still maintain our sanity and some semblance of fiscal discipline? It turned out to be a little easier than we thought—and thus our "Big 6" gaming machine was born.

We started with the most obvious choice, given the processor we were determined to use: RAM. We went with 6GB of DDR3 from Crucial, in the form of two ($185.99)—ideal for getting the performance boost from Intel's triple-channel memory technology. Then we looked at storage, and chose three 7,200-rpm for $179 each. Yes, , but this saves us a few bucks and retains the speed that using those drives would sap.

Our favorite part of the build—and, truth be told, one of the reasons we wanted to explore this theme of sixes—is the video card ($479). It's AMD's highest-level single GPU card, with 2GB of video memory that makes it powerful enough in its own right. But it comes with six mini DisplayPort connectors, which gives us the opportunity to hook up an entire wall of monitors if we want to.

You could pick any motherboard with an LGA1366 socket to unit all these components, but we went with the ($219). It has plenty of things we like: advanced overclocking features, excellent integrated audio, six RAM slots, eight SATA ports (two of which run 6Gbps SATA), and power and reset switches on the board itself. We decided to install all these pieces in a ($89.99) case, which has—you guessed it—six drive bays covered by a hinge door, and hot-swapping capabilities.

The power supply is a basic ($104.99 after rebate), a modular PSU (which always helps with cable management) that's strong enough to deal with these components today, and give us the freedom to add more in the future. We also decided to employ a Thermaltake SpinQ cooler ($51.99), which we'll definitely want if we ever get into overclocking. As for the operating system, we briefly considered installing , but we thought it best not to tempt fate. So we just stuck with the latest 64-bit version of ($99.99). After all, seven isn't that far removed from six.

Components

Case: ($89.99)
Motherboard: ($299)
Processor: ($885)
Video card: ($479)
Hard drive: Three ($179 each)
Optical drive: ($31.53 list)
Power Supply: ($104.99 after rebate)
Memory: 2 x ($185.99)
Operating System: ($99.99)

Step 1) Open up the side of the case. Set the case on its side on a flat surface, so you have plenty of room to work.

Step 2) There are two supports for the power supply: one protruding from the motherboard tray, and one an adjustable bar on the floor of the case. Line up the power supply with the opening in the case to determine where that bar needs to go, then unscrew it and move it to that position. Maneuver the PSU under the tray support and gently push it until it's all the way in. Screw it in from the rear of the case.

Note: In most cases you would need to attach motherboard risers at this point, so you'd have somewhere to screw the motherboard into the case. The Armor A60 has built-in ATX supports, so we don't need to do anything this time around.

Step 3) It's usually most convenient to install the CPU before placing the motherboard in the case, so that's what we're doing. Release the socket lever by moving it slightly sideways, then raise it to a 90-degree angle to open the socket. Line up the golden triangle on the CPU with the one in the upper-right corner, but don't force the chip into the socket—you should just be able to lay it gently in place. Once you've done that, push the lever down and lock it into place by tucking it under the metal overhang.

Step 4) Place a small dollop of thermal paste—no bigger than a small pea—on top of the chip. The compound conducts heat well and increases cooling efficiency by filling in the microscopic spaces between the CPU and the surface of the heat sink.

Step 5) Place the cooler on top of the CPU and line up the four posts in its corners with the holes in the motherboard. Secure the cooler to the CPU by pushing down on the posts on opposite corners of the cooler: The upper-right and the lower-left together, then the remaining two. Press firmly until each post clicks—this is how you know the post's locking mechanisms have completely engaged.

Step 6) Insert the RAM. Our motherboard has six RAM slots, but we'll want to make sure that the ones we use let us take advantage of high-performance Intel's triple-channel technology. A check of the motherboard manual tells us that we need to put our three sticks in the orange slots. That's easy enough: Just make sure the slots are opened (pull the plastic clips at either end of the slots outward), align the memory so the position of the notch in it matches that of the small bump in the RAM slot, and push the memory into place until the plastic clips engage.

Step 7) With everything now installed on the motherboard, it's ready to go into the case. Start by installing the I/O plate that comes with the motherboard. Check it against the board's rear panel connectors to make sure it's oriented properly, then press it into the opening at the back of the case. You may have to apply a fair amount of pressure to get it to click into place.

Step 8) Carefully put the motherboard into the case, pushing its rear-panel connectors through the openings in the I/O plate you installed in the previous step. Make sure that when you look down through the holes in the motherboard, you can see into the screw holes in the center of the preinstalled risers. Screw all the screws in about halfway, to make sure the motherboard remains properly positioned throughout, and then tighten them all up.

Step 9) Remove the front panel of the case and then pop out one of the temporary face plates that protect the 5.25-inch drive bays. Because the Armor A60 comes with tool-free construction, you don't need a screwdriver to install the optical drive into the bay. Press together the two sides of the pressure-sensitive clip on the optical drive restraint; this "unlocks" the bay. Insert the drive into the bay until its faceplate is flush with the front of the case. Squeeze the clip again and lower it back into place until it clicks. The drive is now secure.

Step 10) One cool feature about the Armor A60 are its hard drive trays: Just pull up on both sides of the plastic "flap" to pull the tray out so you can secure the drive in it. If you plan on moving your computer around a lot, you can screw the drive into the tray, but we found that the tray was plenty secure if the drive was "loose." Once you're done, carefully return the tray to the case. We need to do this a total three times for our drives, but we're going to skip the topmost tray in our installation. That one lines up with the SATA backplane and the hinged door on the side of the case—if we want to get into hot-swapping later, we'll be glad we left this free.

Step 11) With all the other hardware in place, it's time for the video card. The ATI Radeon HD 5870 Eyefinity6 Edition is a longish one, but there's just room for it in our case. Open up the two free expansion slots nearest the first PCI Express x16 slot, line up the card's gold connectors with the slot itself, and gently push down on the card until it's in place. Use two screws to secure the drive in the expansion slot.

Step 12) With all the hardware installed, it's time to start running the wires and cables. Find the 20-pin power socket on the motherboard, and plug in the matching power-supply connector. Do the same with the power plug that mates with the four-pin socket near the CPU. The video card requires two dedicated connectors from the power supply, so make sure to plug both of those into the connectors on the side of the card. Finally, connect all of the leads from the external USB ports, indicator lights, the status display, and audio jacks to their appropriate motherboard partners. Next, do the same with the internal drives' power and data connections. Because our motherboard has two USB 3.0 ports on the rear panel, if we want to take advantage of the front-panel USB 3.0 jack, we need to run the blue cable from the front through the center of the case, out a hole in the back, and then plug it into one of the ports there. It's kind of inconvenient, but it's currently the only way to get USB 3.0 up front.

Step 13) Close up the case. That's it! The assembly is done! You can start gaming as soon as you install Windows. To do that, of course, you'll need to hook up at least one monitor—but isn't it nice to know that you don't have to stop there, and that you can let your six drive go wild?

Components