How to Build a Quad Gaming Rig - Game Buster

The launch of GeForce GTX 590 brings with it the ability to develop a Quad SLI gaming PC - four GTX 500 GPUs combined to deliver some wicked FPS. The system requirements of Quad SLI may not be for that faint of heart, but if you have the budget and the skills to construct a Quad SLI rig, then you’ll end up getting the sweetest PC on the block.

To help you get started we’ve outlined the essential components required for a trusted and fast Quad SLI dream PC, plus some system design considerations you may want.

Graphics Cards

Of course, you’ll need two GeForce GTX 590 graphics cards. With SLI, you are able to mix graphics card manufacturers, so one GTX 590 card from Firm A, an additional GTX 590 card from Firm B is AOK.

Motherboard

GeForce GTX 590 inside a Quad SLI configuration takes a SLI-certified motherboard by having an extra PCIE slot between the two, double-width cards to ensure both receive enough cool air. If you’re water cooling them, you will get by without this extra slot, however for air-based cooling it's a necessity.

Quad SLI certified motherboards that have the right connector spacing for use with dual GTX 590s are as follows:

• ASUS Maximus III Extreme
• ASUS P6T7 WS Supercomputer
• ASUS P8P67 Deluxe
• ASUS P8P67 Pro
• ASUS P8P67 WS Revolution
• Asus Rampage III Extreme
• ASUS Rampage III Formula
• ASUS Sabertooth P67
• DFI LanParty_DK_P55_T3EH9
• EVGA P55 E658
• EVGA X58 FTW3
• Gigabyte GA EX58 Extreme
• Gigabyte GA-P55-UD5
• Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD5
• Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD7
• Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD7
• Gigabyte GA-X58-UD9
• MSI Big Bang - Trinergy
• MSI P67A-GD65
• MSI X58 PRO-E

CPU

Using the combined power of four GTX 500 GPUs, Quad SLI can be easily bottlenecked by the central processor. Therefore, it’s important in this case to possess a fast CPU to get maximum performance. Core i7 CPUs with Turbo Mode enabled are recommended, as well as for even better performance, you may even be thinking about overclocking your processor.

Power Supply

Operating a Quad SLI GTX 590 system requires a power that has four 8-pin PCI-Express supplementary power connectors, because both versions must receive 150 watts. Because of the complexity of designing, building and making certain the ability supply meets these necessary requirements, NVIDIA works directly with power manufacturers to certify many for Quad SLI use. Their email list of power supplies certified for use with a Quad SLI GTX 590 configuration is as follows:

• AcBel PC8055-000G 1100W
• Antec HCP-1200
• Corsair AX1200
• Nexus RX-1.1K Gold
• Silverstone ST1500
• Thermaltake Toughpower W0171 1500

Chassis

A good computer case provides the proper airflow to cool down the the graphics cards, without sounding just like a jet engine. The perfect chassis has multiple fans that draw in cool air and push out hot air, with a large fan put on the door or side panel to blow cool air within the graphics cards. The case should also support an 11 inch graphics cards. Just like the ability supplies, NVIDIA works together with manufacturers to ensure that their cases are certified for use with Quad SLI configurations, so that as of today the list of certified cases is as follows:

• Coolermaster HAF X
• Silverstone Raven RV02
• Thermaltake Element V
• Watercooling

While the right case and air-cooling setup can result in low temperatures inside a Quad SLI PC, water cooling may take thermal performance one stage further, resulting in an even cooler, quieter system that can be heavily overclocked. We’ve caused some of the top water cooling companies in the world to build custom water blocks for that GeForce GTX 590, including:

• EK
• DangerDen
• Coolit

System RAM / Operating System

For top performance possible inside a Quad SLI configuration, 6GB of system memory is highly recommended, and due to this the use of a 64-bit operating system is needed. Windows 7 64-bit is usually recommended, though Windows Vista 64-bit will also suffice.

System Design Configuration

Now that you've got all right hardware to construct your Quad SLI system, here are some tips for building your rig:

1) Cable management

Keep your power and SATA cables tidy and from the path of airflow between the system fans and the graphics cards. The same applies for hard disk drives, optical drives, and any other cables.

2) System fan settings

Check your BIOS to make sure your system fans are going to high to maximize thermal performance, or enable PWM-cooling so your system remains quiet when idle, but cranks in the fans automatically when heat levels rise. Utilities like SpeenFan makes it possible for you to dynamically take control of your system fans based on the temperature of the GPUs.

3) BIOS

Be sure you possess the latest BIOS firmware for your motherboard - important updates may be available that improve PCI Express and SLI performance, or enable compatibility with new components.

Finally make sure to grab the latest driver for GTX 590 Quad SLI support.

Using the correct Quad SLI-certified components and some basic system-building skills, you should be well on your way to some using a great Quad SLI gaming PC, able to play games in the highest possible quality settings and resolutions. Have some fun!

Source:
www.geforce.com