Core i7 w/ 4x Raid 0 SSD .. Questions on SSD setup and PSU

[justinkeith]

Hey there, i'm wondering how large of a power supply i'd need for the following system. Also looking for suggestions on SSD setup.

Intel Core i7 920 w/ Xigmatek HDT-1283 + Crossbow
EVGA X58 SLi LE
12GB G.Skill DDR3 1600
Nvidia GTX 285 ( Possibly Two )
1TB WD Blue HDD
Running Windows Ultimate x64 currently till 7 comes out.

SSD setup, i plan to do one of the following options.
1x http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220389
4x http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227393

I plan on spending 300-500 on SSDs, whether that be one larger ssd, 2 raid 0, or 4 raid 0. I just plan on putting apps and the OS on them so i don't need a ton of space at all. I'm thinking 120-128gb is my target size and should be more than enough. I really just want to get the best speed/reliability for around that price range/size. Let me know your thoughts. I was told 4x raid 0 is the way to go with SSDs to get the most performance.

For the power supply, would this one be good, too much, or not enough?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139007

Thanks in advance for any help you can contribute!

 

[JohnnyLucky]

The general rule of thumb is that a high quality 750 watt power supply can easily handle two video cards operating in dual mode.

The two GTX 285 cards you mentioned are power hungry. They will use more power than all your other components combined.

A high quality Corsair 750 watt psu is more than sufficient for your system. Other high quality brands are PC Power & Cooling and Seasonic. Technical reviews are consistently favorable for all three brands.

 

[justinkeith]

Well thank you!

 

[cjl]

For SSD, instead of either of those options, I'd get two of these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167016

 

[daship]

Intel drive seem ok but I'm getting four of these http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227451 they are better then the vertex drives.

 

[cjl]

They're slower and more expensive per GB than the Intel drives though...

 

[daship]

More per GB, but definately not slower, well 30MB/s read but summit is 50MB/s faster @ writes. With 4 of them the Sata 2 interface will be maxed out anyhow.

 

[cjl]

The Intel absolutely FLATTENS the OCZ drives in random and application performance - don't be fooled by the spec.

 

[daship]

The Intel absolutely FLATTENS the OCZ drives in random and application performance - don't be fooled by the spec.

Do you got any links? I'd really like to see some befre i pull the trigger if you got any.

 

[daship]

Thanks for chiming in. Found some info, definately getting Intel now. Cant wait. Gonna buy 2 for me and two for my son.

 

[justinkeith]

I really liked the intel and originally i was going to go with the 80gb ssd. After doing some research and hearing multiple people saying 4 SSDs in raid 0 is the way to go i decided to look at some other 30gb options as i cannot find an intel drive smaller than 64gb.

 

[daship]

2x Intel will almost max out the chipsets bandwidth. The Intels are way faster and random reads and writes.

 

[justinkeith]

I see people with 4x and 8x setups tho. What kinda mobo are they using for that kinda setup?

 

[daship]

Probably a high dollar raid card.

 

[jonnyberthiaume]

Definitly go with 2 Intel X25-M G2.

I've read more than my share of reviews and digged a lot of forums and they are the absolute kings of SSDs. Their only drawback is a CONSTANT 95 MB/sec sequential write. I know the specs are 70 MB/sec, but the G2 is faster than the G1 (first version), they just didn't update their specs. As I said, their only drawback is a slower sequential write speed, but pair 2 of those in RAID-0 and you still get a kick ass speed. Sequential writes are the less important stat you'll need on a SSD for now, because you won't use those to put all your big data (music/videos).

Be sure to get the G2 as it is the second version of the drive, G1 is the first. They will support TRIM (Windows 7) and have a world class wear leveling algorithm.