I may be overdoing it let me know what you think pls!

[terribleteee]

I started by upgrading an old old gateway off the shelf circa '04. I started researching and realized how far behind that comp was. So I started buying parts; from the bottom up this is what I'm putting together.
MSI 790FX-GD70 Motherboard
AMD Phenom II Black Edition 965 X4
Patriot 4GB PC3-16000 2000MHZ
-upgrading to 12GB total when hardware's available
Two XFX ATI Radeon HD4890 (intended for crossfire)
-upgrading to directX 11 cards eventually
WD 1.5TB HD (OS Windows7 HP64bit)
-upgrading to 250GB solid state HD for OS when prices come down
WD 1.5TB HD (storage)
Rocketfish 900W PSU
Thermaltake Spedo VI90001W2Z Full-Tower Case (air cooled)

I havn't got the system together yet I've got a pile of parts I'm still waiting on the CPU and Case. The motherboard has a good power managment temp control program DrMos I think so I'm forgoing the 5.25" fan controler/temp monitor. I'm still considering liquid cooling the CPU, the Memory and GPU's have massive fans and heatsinks they'll be good. I'm tossed between a low maintence liquid cooler, a 5.25 drive liquid cooler, or the kit I have to figure out for myself. With anything but the 5.25 drive cooler I'd have to sacrifice the top fan for a radiator which I don't want to do because I intend to overclock the memory and I want to maximize airflow it the top case partition. Also I might eventually install a second PSU to take advantage of crossfireX (two more GPU's) and that makes me worry about the airflow in top partition. (The thermaltake Spedo case has a partition between the upper and lower sections of the motherboard to increase airflow across the video cards.

When I started this build I quoted the great gonzo journalist and told myself that anything worth doing is worth doing right... I know I'm overdoing it but I want to be "future proof" and I want to run any game with good reviews at max everything. I'm looking for creative ideas I buy things based on their value obviously I'm not building on a tight budget. Please let me know what you think about how I could make this system better.

 

[Twoboxer]

Future proof is an illusion. If that needed proving, I'd just quote someone who once said:

"- upgrading to 12GB total when hardware's available"

"- upgrading to directX 11 cards eventually"

"- upgrading to 250GB solid state HD for OS when prices come down"

The only other advice I'd offer is: If you are considering factory sealed liquid coolers, know that none have outperformed the best standard air coolers. And air never leaks.

 

[terribleteee]

Point taken spending more money... hence ("")
but with the solid state HD I should speed things up a bit and then gain 1.5TB of storage. When the price is better.
I'll upgrade the cards when the price comes down "A LOT"
as far as memory when I can find DDR3 at 4GB per stick I'll add it.
I was thinking of liquid cooling the cpu and I was leaning against the factory sealed option and leaking is a major concern cosidering the cost of this system. I have a good fan CPU cooler and if when overclocking I need more cooling I'll go liquid. I'll probably go with the 5.25 drive bay cooler by thermaltake with aftermarket hoses. Placed at the bottom of the case.
BTW I wasn't looking to be mocked. I'm an airline pilot not a hacker and this is my first build it ten years; I was looking for ideas so thanx buddy. If ya have any let me know.

 

[atomicdumpling]

You asked for ideas to improve the computer:

Since money doesn't seem to be a barrier I would go ahead and add the SSD drive now. That will speed up the computer noticeably right away.

How about adding a Blu-Ray burner drive for high-def video and enhanced data archiving?

I would avoid the water-cooling unless you want to do it because it is cool -- as in "hip" or "en vogue" rather than lower temperature. It would be quieter, but air cooling should be sufficient to protect the components.

Maybe go with Windows 7 Pro instead of Home Premium for the added features such as XP Mode.

You didn't say how many monitors you are using or what type or resolution they are. You could always add more monitors or upgrade to bigger ones.

 

[terribleteee]

You asked for ideas to improve the computer:

Since money doesn't seem to be a barrier I would go ahead and add the SSD drive now. That will speed up the computer noticeably right away.

How about adding a Blu-Ray burner drive for high-def video and enhanced data archiving?

I would avoid the water-cooling unless you want to do it because it is cool -- as in "hip" or "en vogue" rather than lower temperature. It would be quieter, but air cooling should be sufficient to protect the components.

Maybe go with Windows 7 Pro instead of Home Premium for the added features such as XP Mode.

You didn't say how many monitors you are using or what type or resolution they are. You could always add more monitors or upgrade to bigger ones.

blu ray's gonna wait until it's below 150 its at about 199 right now and blank disks are still a buck fifty.

I thought about Pro but I don't need XP really and Microsoft advertises the new OS to be pretty supportive of older applications if I really need it; well I guess I'll find it.

How much of increase percentage wise do you think I would get with a solid state drive?

I have dual Acer h233h max 1920 x 1080

 

[Twoboxer]

Sorry, no intention to mock. But too many people come here with "future proof" as the improbable goal of a hardware configuration. A 1000W psu is likely "future proof", a good case will last quite a while as well, beyond that . . .

I'll lead with what I said earlier about liquid cooling. A good case (and the Spedo is a good one, esthetics and size being a personal matter) and a top-notch air cooler will handle any cpu OC'd for 24/7 use. And the currently available factory-sealed liquid coolers do not perform as well as the current top air solutions.

The hassle of full-on liquid cooling is worthwhile for noise reduction and for relocating heat transfer by relocating the radiator. It also is useful when using two or (especially) more than two vid cards.

5870s and an OC'd i920 would probably have lasted longer than your current pair, but that flight has left the field.

An SSD (I'd recommend OCZ Vertex - see below) has just crossed into "acceptable buy" status IMO. You really don't need quite as large an SSD as you think to gain significant system response because of it. A 120GB SSD paired with a WD Black 640GB drive is a great combo. The new WD 2TB drive outperforms the Velociraptors, and so makes an even better - if maybe overkill - partner.

SSD article, conclusion page: http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=3667&p=9 (Anand has several articles preceding this one if you want to gain a better understanding of the recommendations.)

WD 2TB drive, conclusion page: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/2tb-hdd-7200,2430-12.html

 

[terribleteee]

Sorry, no intention to mock. But too many people come here with "future proof" as the improbable goal of a hardware configuration. A 1000W psu is likely "future proof", a good case will last quite a while as well, beyond that . . .

I'll lead with what I said earlier about liquid cooling. A good case (and the Spedo is a good one, esthetics and size being a personal matter) and a top-notch air cooler will handle any cpu OC'd for 24/7 use. And the currently available factory-sealed liquid coolers do not perform as well as the current top air solutions.

The hassle of full-on liquid cooling is worthwhile for noise reduction and for relocating heat transfer by relocating the radiator. It also is useful when using two or (especially) more than two vid cards.

5870s and an OC'd i920 would probably have lasted longer than your current pair, but that flight has left the field.

An SSD (I'd recommend OCZ Vertex - see below) has just crossed into "acceptable buy" status IMO. You really don't need quite as large an SSD as you think to gain significant system response because of it. A 120GB SSD paired with a WD Black 640GB drive is a great combo. The new WD 2TB drive outperforms the Velociraptors, and so makes an even better - if maybe overkill - partner.

SSD article, conclusion page: http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=3667&p=9 (Anand has several articles preceding this one if you want to gain a better understanding of the recommendations.)

WD 2TB drive, conclusion page: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/2tb-hdd-7200,2430-12.html

The board comes with manual overclock features but I'm not gonna play with it too much until I have a better understanding of all factors involved voltage frequencies ext. I want this to system to last min 7 years "future proof" 12/4 is more the idea. I think I'll stick with air though thanx for killing my $250 idea appreciate it. I'll look at the SSD you mentioned as well I already have the 1.5TB drives though. Big help man

 

[amnotanoobie]

I want this to system to last min 7 years "future proof" 12/4 is more the idea.

I haven't seen a system that would still be considered "quick" after 5 years.

 

[terribleteee]

maybe not quick but usable and upgradable is what I was thinking.

 

[Twoboxer]

I'd offer a piece of advice FWIW . . .

Three years ago I paid $6,000 for a Dell XPS 710 H2C with a 3.2GHz factory OC'd quad (I was chicken to OC), a pair of 8800GTX gcards in SLI (fastest card on the planet at that time), a pair of raptors in RAID 0, a 1,000W psu (needed for the incredible power consumed by those parts), a hybrid air/water cooling solution (to deal with the heat those parts throw off, a *huge* 50lb case, and a 24" high quality monitor (expensive at that time). Oh, and a 4 year warranty.

I am typing on that system now. It still games pretty well but there really isn't any way I can see it going beyond the 4-year warranty or perhaps 5 years in its role as "primary game system". Is it "upgradable"? Maybe.

Instead of buying a future-proof system, I could easily have purchased one step below the "fastest card/cpu/disk/cooling on the planet", and bought 2 or 3 high-power systems for the same price. Or less.

The approach I took is not completely analagous to yours - times are different. But the principle . . . with a "new" system every couple of years I'd be future-proof by always being in the present, likely for a far lower price.

 

[dndhatcher]

Good story. Should you buy a $3000 system every 5 years, or a $1000 system every 2 years? The second option is cheaper and every 10 year cycle will likely beat the more expensive system in years 3,4,5,7,8, 9 and 10.

 

[terribleteee]

I never really thought about I figured with an AMD socket I could always get a new chip eventually without a new board. Get new cards when the ones I have are out of date. I've only built one other comp back in '02 and ddr i think was just coming out with ddr3 if figured I'd be able to hang about that long if I treat it real nice and a hurricane doesn't blow out my windows (South Florida ya know). BTW I'm a little chicken to OC too but my board has a manual OC dial built in. I'll take a picture and let ya'll know how it runs when I get the CPU. I've got it all put together save for that, and the dual 128 SSDs I havn't bought yet.

 

[bartleby3004]

hey man whats goin on i just wanted to let ya know im almost running the same setup as you are planning on but i have the 790fx-gd70 with a phenom ii x2 550 be but is is unlocked and overclocked to 3.8 on air dont be scared to overclock it this board is SUPER EASY to OC with this was my first build and it kicks ass but i also wanted to let ya know you wont be able to do 12 gigs because this board uses dual channel so in order for it to post u would have to have all four slots filled up and also maybe consider going with a radeon 5830 card the new 5800 series ati cards kick ass plain and simple but no its not overdoing it at all. im actually planning on upgrading my system to an i7 setup which im pretty excited about i just gotta sell mine first but if ya have any questions just shoot me an im and i will be happy to answer sorry for the terrible grammar i just got off of a 12 hr shift so its time for bed haha GL with the build[:tapko:3]

 

[coldsleep]

How much of increase percentage wise do you think I would get with a solid state drive?

In general, I agree with the people telling you to build systems more frequently at lower price points. However, I think that it's not unreasonable to build a $2000 system every 2-3 years (reusing things like case, PSU, etc. where possible) and get good performance for most of that lifespan.

On SSDs vs. traditional hard drives...if the anandtech articles didn't convince you, it is a world of difference. If you can, go to a Best Buy or an Apple store and ask to play around with a system configured with an SSD (probably a laptop). Programs launch instantaneously, boots are incredibly quick, and everything just feels snappier.

Of course, the SSD won't have any real in-game benefits, other than loading levels quickly. But the overall improvement to your computing experience is amazing. An SSD isn't just 25% faster or 75% faster...it's on a completely different level. It's like the scooter or big wheel you grew up with vs. a race motorcycle.