Quest to Build an Almost-Future-Proof PC - Need Help with Parts - Please!

[offtherails2010]

I am planning on getting a server motherboard and plan to use it for hardcore gaming (24hrs+ straight) and my friend and i are going to set up a small business, he is the brains behind all the video editing and 'rendering' that he does and i have a strong interest with building pc's.

I only have 'A Plus' under my belt so i know the basics with computers, but i have tried googling for a post specific to what i intend to do and they dont really relate...

Anyhoo, my friend has an imac with 16GB of 1066Mhz ram and an i7 and he's forever complaining that its still taking him upto 4-6 days to complete one graphical (Video) rendering task...

So here's my hair-brained attempt to try to build a pc that i can upgrade and update as pc parts become cheaper for the pocket over time, eg, a 4gb ddr3 memory module costs around £50 but an 8gb module costs around £200 (DDR3 1333mhz ECC) and i just cant afford 12 stick of the latter! Basically as the tech gets cheaper, i'll be able to upgrade the ram at least, as time goes by and newer, faster technologies appear.

i have or at least will have 12 x 4096mb DDR3 ECC 1333mhz ram modules in the next 2 months and they are in the QVL list for intel's website so i know they will be compatible. That amounts upto 48GB of ram... The mobo i want,mentioned below, supports upto 288GB RAM.

i have the two parts below i am contemplating on buying soon;

CPU
http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=48768

MOTHERBOARD
http://www.intel.com/Products/Workstation/Motherboards/S5520SC/S5520SC-specifications.htm

NOW, my 2 questions are:

1. can i use a gaming spec PSU (1200watts/+) or MUST i buy a special server PSU ??

2. probably a silly question, but curiousity killed the cat!
- has anyone done this before?

i will use the pc primarily for heavy gaming using 4 SSD's in RAID-0 config and 1 or 2 pci-e graphics cards...

Please help !
Many thanks in advance!

 

[MagicPants]

I'd stick to a more standard pc, server tech might sound good but it's built for more specific applications, and if you don't really know why you might want one, you shouldn't get one.

The only future proof pc in existence is one cheap enough you don't mind replacing.

Server hardware is particularity bad for gaming, and most games don't really take advantage of the extra memory anyway. If you want an uber gaming system just get two really fast single gpu cards (like the geforce 580) and pair them up with the best intel consumer chip. (the i7 2600k I think).

If you really want something special, get a pci xpress interface ssd like the ocz ibiz. Personally I prefer air cooling (because I hate it when my pc blows up), but given your enthusiasm and extra cash maybe watercooling is right for you.

 

[offtherails2010]

many thanks for the reply!

Yaa, i've definately got my mind set on a server/workstation board and 2 cpu's for the sheer number crunching power...

It'll be used to render video, my friend, who we will be starting a small business in the future, has an imac with the i7 cpu and 16GB of DDR3 1066mhz ram and he's always complaining how its taking him upto 4-5 days to complete one render that when complete, only plays for a few mins if not 30 seconds, sometimes a video render has lasted to over 13 days - FOR ONE CLIP!!!!

I have built alot of PC systems for friends/family, be it for gaming or just budget, and i have got sick and tired of my main gaming system having the threat of being obsolete in just another 2/3 years - games will have problems being played flawlessly and all that...

I am definately going to consider putting 2 high end graphics cards in the machine, thanks for that !

Also i have been using a liquid cooling system for my CPU and VGA card for the last 4 years continuous - MY pc does not switch off! i do give it the occasional restart every few days but with the liquid cooling system (LCS) all i have had to replace was the 120mm fan - which was only replaced a month or two ago, along with a coolant change every 8 months to a year (only 1 top-up of coolant made per year) !

The unit i am using id a thermaltake Bigwater 780 (it takes up 3 x 5.25" drive bays)
and my cpu temp at idle is always 30 degress and at full gaming load (with 2 virtual PC's running in the background!) wont budge above 45 degrees!

On that note i am building a liqued cooling unit from scratch to get the temps alot lower, but thats a tangent i dont wanna get into just yet - a set of Q's for another day!

My dilema still stands, after some carefull research into the Server PSU's, apparently i need a special server PSU and it has to have another PSU linked to it as a redundant PSU - so thats 2 PSU's needed for my board!

Please would someone show me some suggestions as i cant even find an internet shop selling a 'server-based-psu' ???!!!???

Thanks again for the reply buddy ;-)