Thinking of going all out

[Heartview]

On my next PC build. Well, maybe not FULL out like I could, but I dont really plan on holding back much this time around. My last build was about a year ago and has a Phenom II X4 Quad at 3.4, and an HD 4850. Only 4 GB of RAM, as I am still running XP.

So for the longest time I had considered going all out Quad crossfire, but after actually sitting down and thinking about it, decided against it, due to bad scaling over 2 cards, and bottle necking. Im not big on overclocking CPU's, as the most I have done is pushed this 955 up to 3.8. I use a passive air cooling (120 mm mind you) so I did not feel like going to 4.0 and feel safe.

So here is what I have decided on:

ASUS Crosshair IV Extreme
(If its not in stock by the time I buy, ill go amazon)
AMD Phenom II X4 975 @ 3.6
Corsair Dominator 8Gb (4x 2Gb) w/ Airflow fan
Crossfire HD Radeon 5870's 2Gb
(If anyone knows where to find a cheaper set of 5870's let me know, all the ones I found had 7 small ports, and no DVI ports)
Corsair HX 1000w
4 Velociraptor 450 Gb
1 30 Gb OCZ SSD
Corsair 800D
And plans for water cooling.

The total cost is going to be about $3100, and with my income, it will probably take me around 6 months before I have the money to do this, including bills and shit.

The thing I am concerned about is the velociraptors, and the SSD. Both of which seem to have issues with slowing down/dying. I would only be using the SSD for OS, so after I figure out what temp files I need to move to a mechanical drive, I should have no problems there. HAs anyone used the velociraptors extensively enough to know how big of a gain they have? 7200 RPM drives are good for me so far, but it would knock around $600 buying a couple of 500Gb barracudas if someone notified my of the velociraptors being bad. The SSD is only $80, but I have always been very very wary of them. Still going over it in my head. I do want to have a drive dedicated to OS, another for games type thing, but meh.

So would some of the more enthusiast builders give me some feedback on this? This will be one of the higher end builds spec wise I have done. I did some case mods for a friend, but that was some simple metal/fiberglass work, which he helped me with. I may buy some prefab case mod parts, if they are not too expensive.

[Krypton1x]

That's amazing! You should get it.

[Heartview]

That's amazing! You should get it.

I do plan on it. I just want some feedback from people that have done top-line builds before because I am used to building economy builds.

My main concerns are:
Cheaper GPU's ._.
HDD reliability
Also, if the Crosshair IV is too much. I bought I believe the 790GX over the 890FX when doing this build, simply because the 890 had more than I needed. But I did not find a lot of decent stuff for AMD chips that really suited me. I had considered getting the Rampage, and doing an intel build with dual 480/580's, but I guessed beforehand it would take a lot more money. I want this built soon too.

[Krypton1x]

I have a shitty computer, so I wouldn't know good from bad.

[[MPGH]Austin]

if you got the money, do it.

[StayTrue]

Sounds like a pro computer.

[Moto]

If you gotta wait 6 months, its worth it.. Honestly, the velociraptors sound sexy, but like any good dude you should study all aspects of your computers for faults and bullshit.

[Krypton1x]

Just remember, computers go out of date fast. Within a month or two?

[Heartview]

If you gotta wait 6 months, its worth it.. Honestly, the velociraptors sound sexy, but like any good dude you should study all aspects of your computers for faults and bullshit.

Trust, at least a month of reaserch and planning goes in before I do builds. The fasted build I have done (researched that is) took me a week. I can think of builds withing 5 minutes, but I rarely go through with them, especially if I am going to be using them. I have done a ton of average grade computers, and I dont usually spend more than 3-4 days planning them. I usually sell these to people that would use them for work and such. I built one for my gf's mom that brought her from a 10 y/o comp with a 5 minute start up time, to a new comp with 22 second start, for less than $300 I put about 3 1/2 days of planning into that one.

So yes, I always take a serious look at what I'm putting into my computers, which is why mine tend to last 5-10 years more than everyone's. My friends still has one I built years ago running a AMD 3500+ and a 8600GTS and its still going strong.

Just remember, computers go out of date fast. Within a month or two?

Not particularly. The technology advances pretty quick, but its application does not. That 3500+/8600GTS I built a long time ago still plays a lot of games out there, even though technology has far advanced past it.

[Krypton1x]

Trust, at least a month of reaserch and planning goes in before I do builds. The fasted build I have done (researched that is) took me a week. I can think of builds withing 5 minutes, but I rarely go through with them, especially if I am going to be using them. I have done a ton of average grade computers, and I dont usually spend more than 3-4 days planning them. I usually sell these to people that would use them for work and such. I built one for my gf's mom that brought her from a 10 y/o comp with a 5 minute start up time, to a new comp with 22 second start, for less than $300 I put about 3 1/2 days of planning into that one.

So yes, I always take a serious look at what I'm putting into my computers, which is why mine tend to last 5-10 years more than everyone's. My friends still has one I built years ago running a AMD 3500+ and a 8600GTS and its still going strong.



Not particularly. The technology advances pretty quick, but its application does not. That 3500+/8600GTS I built a long time ago still plays a lot of games out there, even though technology has far advanced past it.

True. I'm just always afraid something amazing will come out next, and I will have not wasted, but used my money for something not as good.

[CyberGenius]

I have a shitty computer, so I wouldn't know good from bad.

Then why would you post in this thread?

[Heartview]

True. I'm just always afraid something amazing will come out next, and I will have not wasted, but used my money for something not as good.

This is usually the case regardless. As soon as you purchase something, it is automatically outdated. But having the newest parts doesn't usually mean the best. I always like to hang back a few tiers behind the newest tech. After getting a much higher income (hopefully from selling more computers like this one, rather than average grade workstation computers and cheap gaming comps) I will be able to build as parts come out.

[Heartview]

Bumping for a little more info.

Also I have decided against water cooling, even though I had a set mostly picked out. The hassle of it is just a little over what I care to put up with, so Ill just get a good air cooling unit. I will keep it in mind for later, or maybe if I sell it, but for the time being, its all airflow for me now.