ADVICE? QUESTIONS FROM A NEW SYSTEMS BUILDER -

[gogogorski]

Hello Fellow Nerds At The Nerdery

My name's Justin and I'm putting together a new build - actually, it's the 1st one I've done for personal use/non-business related purposes.

I've saved up a good amount of dough-ski and the overarching goal is to create something dynamic that will last me for 5-7 years - I am heavily involved in the arts and music so I need something that kicks ass as far as graphics and sound goes, also I occassionally do some serious hacking shite that requires tons of RAM and CPU demands - related to legal document productions and TIFF processing, so it'd be nice to have something that can handle that schtuff to, if ever I need to rake in some extra bread... anyways, here it goes [work-in-progress, looking for some exquisite corpse action on this, so PLEASE have at it - serve me some haterade, ask questions, give input, let's chat]:

ASUS Maximus IV Extreme-Z LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K

CORSAIR Professional Series Gold AX650 650W ATX12V v2.31 / EPSV12 v2.92 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC High Performance Power Supply

Creative PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Series Sound Card

ASUS MATRIX GTX580 P/2DIS/1536MD5 GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9Q-16GBRL

Intel X25-M SSDSA2MH120G2K5 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Western Digital Caviar Black WD2002FAEX 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

ASUS Black Blu-ray Drive SATA Model BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Compucase Case with USB 3.0, Black Interior and Four Fans-1x 230mm front RED LED fan, 1x 140mm rear fan, 1x 230mm top fan, and 1x 230mm side fan

====================================================================

Ideally wanna go dual monitor on this setup, appears Costco has a deal on Samsung LEDs, they're selling two (2) 22" S22A300B's for ~$350.00. Is this a wise decision, or is it better to invest in one (1) 27" S27A350H for around the same price and just save up for a secondary display when the money next rolls in? Any suggestions for monitors (looking to get the most bang for the least buck)?

Well, there it is for now. Thanks in advance for your thoughts/opinions/assistance.

Aloha!

-Justin

 

[madchemist83]

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advice

 

[gogogorski]

madchemist83,

Eek, Word Up. Sorry for the wack formatting, as you may notice I'm New to the forum dealy, here's my attempt at the proper formatting - again, please forgive the appearance of the first message in the thread:

=======================================================================================================

My name's Justin and I'm putting together a new build - actually, it's the 1st one I've done for personal use/non-business related purposes.

I've saved up a good amount of dough-ski and the overarching goal is to create something dynamic that will last me for 5-7 years - I am heavily involved in the arts and music so I need something that kicks ass as far as graphics and sound goes, also I occassionally do some serious hacking shite that requires tons of RAM and CPU demands - related to legal document productions and TIFF processing, so it'd be nice to have something that can handle that schtuff to, if ever I need to rake in some extra bread... anyways, here it goes [work-in-progress, looking for some exquisite corpse action on this, so PLEASE have at it - serve me some haterade, ask questions, give input, let's chat]:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Approximate Purchase Date: (sometime this month, before October 2011)

Budget Range: [less than 3Gs, hopefully closer to 2.5 (Before / After Rebates, though not entirely important - looking for longevity, need something dynamic - a system that'll hopefully last 5-7 years)]

System Usage from Most to Least Important: (High performance audio/video processing, audio manipulation, graphic/web design, gaming, office applications, surfing the internet, multimedia center)

Parts Not Required: (keyboard, mouse, speakers, OS)

Preferred Website for Parts: New Egg

Country of Origin: (USA)

Parts Preferences: by brand or type [would like to use an Intel CPU & ASUS mobo with two (2) Samsung 22" LEDs or - one (1) 27" LED and mid-full tower case]

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Monitor Resolution: (Whatever's clever)

Additional Comments: [(If possible, I would like a quiet PC, though not entirely important.) (Ideally wanna go dual monitor status on this setup - extra real estate comes in handy for multitasking and the design stuff I do.. Appears Costco has a deal on Samsung LEDs, they're selling two (2) 22" S22A300B's for ~$350.00. Is this a wise decision, or is it better to invest in one (1) 27" S27A350H for around the same price and just save up for a secondary display when the money next rolls in? Suggestions for monitors are most appreciated - looking to get the most bang for the least buck from a reliable brand, in my experience Samsung monitors have lasted the longest, hence my "loyalty" to that brand - see parts preferences, though am open to moving to a different brand if folks think there's a better deal around)]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ASUS Maximus IV Extreme-Z LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K

CORSAIR Professional Series Gold AX650 650W ATX12V v2.31 / EPSV12 v2.92 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC High Performance Power Supply

ASUS MATRIX GTX580 P/2DIS/1536MD5 GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Creative PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Series Sound Card

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9Q-16GBRL

Intel X25-M SSDSA2MH120G2K5 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Western Digital Caviar Black WD2002FAEX 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

ASUS Black Blu-ray Drive SATA Model BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Compucase Case with USB 3.0, Black Interior and Four Fans-1x 230mm front RED LED fan, 1x 140mm rear fan, 1x 230mm top fan, and 1x 230mm side fan

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, there it is for now. Thanks in advance for you thoughts/opinions/assistance.

Aloha!

-Justin

 

[madchemist83]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157269

that PSU will not be enough (especially if u go sli) and for 580 I would suggest u go with at least 750W

and 8Gb will be enough

I would get 2 monitors one 27" and one smaller

 

[gogogorski]

Thanks for your input, per your recommendation here's the monitor deals I've been checking:

Samsung 27" Widescreen LED Monitor 1920x1080 Resolution 2ms Response Time HDMI and D-sub Inputs MagicAngle Tilt Stand

Samsung 23" Widescreen LED Monitor 1920x1080 Resolution 2ms Response Time HDMI and VGA Inputs MagicAngle Tilt Stand

Do those look like good investments?

-Justin

 

[ScrewySqrl]

I'll suggest that the Asus Maximus IV may be a touch overkill
Consider this mobo instead:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271

Consider this faster SATA III 128GB SSD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442

a 650W PSU will handle a 580, but its a near thing without much room for overhead, (595W fora 580 + i7-970 6-core). I'd suggest an Antec Hard Core Gamer 750W or an XFX 750W model.
Newegg has an Acer 23" 1920x1080 monitor regular priced for $139.99. 2 of those will be quite nice looking.

 

[madchemist83]

That or Viewsonic.
oh Screwy .. that mobo can pull x16/x16 or x8/x8/x8 urs only good for x8/x8

@OP

if u plan on pluggin in 3 GPUs later on stay with ASUS if just two then go for something like Screwy recommended

Also if u plan on serious video editing u might have to get Nvidia quattro series GPU

 

[ScrewySqrl]

the difference between 16x/16x and 8x8x on a 580 at 1920x1080 is 2%. 98fps instead of 100 fps. 49fps instead of 50 fps. Given you're talking about SLIing 580s, 196fps instead of 200.

Who would ever need to triple-SLI 580s? Unless you need a space heater, there's just no point.

 

[gogogorski]

ScrewySqrl and Madchemist,

Thanks for the suggestions. Also intrigued by the mobo(s), video card + cpu combo referenced in your replies. Shall I rethink CPU choice? Whaddya thinka this one:

Intel Core i7-990X Extreme Edition Gulftown 3.46GHz 6 x 256KB L2 Cache 12MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Six-Core Desktop Processor BX80613I7990X

Definitely thought about the 3GPU flexibility when selecting the ASUS mobo, as it will be nice to have that option down the road, don't expect I'll be able to make it happen immediately but it'll be nice to add to this system piecemeal. Looks like we're openin' a whole new can o' worms re GPUs, as the Quaddro's are slick - tho altogether new territory, could potentially break the bank with this build.. what do you think of this one:

PNY VCQ5000-PB Quadro 5000 2.5GB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Workstation Video Card

Again, if it's a good investment, willing to spare the extra gravy and splurge (within reason) on a NVIDIA product, though I know they had some beef with Intel and some of their stuff got recalled due to compatibility issues (it was in the newspapers a lil while back). Lemme know whacha think.

-Justin

FYI, you folks prolly know about this.. but putting it here for anyone that's interested/wants to bone up on the dispute(s):

Intel to pay $1.5bn in Nvidia settlement

Intel Settles With NVIDIA: More Money, Fewer Problems, No x86

Intel, Nvidia Are Seeking Settlement of Chip Dispute

Potential NVIDIA/Intel settlement could mean good news for Apple

Intel, Nvidia reach $1.5-billion settlement in licensing suit

 

[ScrewySqrl]

the 990x is actually *worse* than the 2600 at almost everything.

Stick with the newer 2600 part.

If youre *primary* purpose is 3D Rendering in Maya/3DStudio, or building movies with Framemaker, get the quaddro. If you plan to mix gaming with 3D, get the 580.

The 580 will handle rendering fine... that expensive Quadro 5000 is based on the GTX 470. The 580 isn't going to be as fast as the dedicated rendering card (the systems are built a little differently), but it won't be a slouch, either, and will be much better at gaming.

 

[madchemist83]

I hope Nvidia will invest that money in cheaper and better GPUs .. ya think

 

[gogogorski]

Madchemist,

Indeed.

ScrewySqrl,

Good to know my gut feeling with the CPU was/is OK with the crew. Now I'm thinking of a compromise between the Quaddro and the GTX, do you/anyone think it wise to upgrade from the 580 to any of the following:

eVGA GeForce GTX 590 Classified - graphics adapter - GF GTX 590 - 3 GB PCIE 2.0 3072MBCTLRGDDR5 DUAL-LINK DVI-I 630MHZ REG PK

ASUS ENGTX590/3DIS/3GD5 GeForce GTX 590 Video Card - 3GB, GDDR5, Dual-GPU, PCI-Express 2.0 (x16), 3x Dual-Link DVI, Mini DisplayPort, Dual-Slot, DirectX 11, 3D Surround Ready, SLI Ready

ASUS ENGTX590/3DIS/3GD5 - graphics adapter - 2 GPUs - GF GTX 590 (3 GB, PCI Express 2.0 x16, Dual DVI, HDMI)

Here's what NVIDIA's gotta say about it..

GeForce > Hardware > Desktop GPUs > GeForce GTX 590 > Performance

-- or --

Stick with this one:

ASUS MATRIX GTX580 P/2DIS/1536MD5 GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Whaddya think?

Thanks,
Justin

 

[madchemist83]

well 590 is fastest gpu on the market so .. it's up to u

 

[gogogorski]

Thanks for all of the input thus far
Here's the shopping list:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[MOBO, CPU, PSU, GPU, SOUND CARD, RAM, SSD, HD, OPTICAL DRIVE, CASE] FROM NEW EGG

$ 334.99* ASUS Maximus IV Extreme-Z LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard

$ 314.99* Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K

$ 99.99 Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-750 750W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

$ 529.99 ASUS MATRIX GTX580 P/2DIS/1536MD5 GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

$ 199.99 Creative PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Series Sound Card

$ 109.99 G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9Q-16GBRL

$ 199.99 Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

$ 139.99 Western Digital Caviar Black WD2002FAEX 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

$ 68.99 ASUS Black Blu-ray Drive SATA Model BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM

$ 159.99 COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Compucase Case with USB 3.0, Black Interior and Four Fans-1x 230mm front RED LED fan, 1x 140mm rear fan, 1x 230mm top fan, and 1x 230mm side fan

$2158.90 [Before Tax | After Rebates]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[MONITORS] FROM COSTCO

$ 279.99 Samsung 27" Widescreen LED Monitor 1920x1080 Resolution 2ms Response Time HDMI and D-sub Inputs MagicAngle Tilt Stand

$ 199.99 Samsung 23" Widescreen LED Monitor 1920x1080 Resolution 2ms Response Time HDMI and VGA Inputs MagicAngle Tilt Stand

$ 479.98 [Before Tax | After Rebates]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

$ 2638.88 [Before Tax | After Rebates]

$ 99.98 [2-year Extended Waranty* Fees]

$ 224.30 [Sales Tax 8.5% (California, USA)]

$ 29.84 [3-Day UPS Ground Shipping]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

$2980.93 [Grand Total]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mission Accomplished? A system for less than 3Gs that'll hold up 5-7 years? What say you..

-Justin

 

[mauler184]

GReat setup. but your gettin two different size monitors? I would steer away. Also the WD Digital seems a bit over priced. It seems to me your paying for the 5yr warranty. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152245 this is a good alternative but you may be giving up a few features. you choice.

 

[madchemist83]

two different size monitors I think is a good choice as u can keep programming/editing on smaller and ur results can go on bigger .. also game on bigger one
that PSU will not power up sli 580

 

[gogogorski]

Mauler,

Thanks in advance for your input on this. Yes, my gut feeling is/was to go with two (2) identical monitors. I appreciate your recommendation to stick with that gut feeling. Do you reckon performance will likely be more consistent with identical displays, even if both are from the same manufacturer [SAMSUNG]? In other words, I guess I'm curious as to the reason (other than plain aesthetics) as to why you suggest steering away from two monitors with different sizes. But I'm not as interested in the answer to that last question as I am to hearing what y'all think after reading the rest of this post!

The GTX580 has one (1) HDMI and two (2) DVI outputs.

If one were to elect aforementioned Costco deal, would have to make use of the one (1) HDMI output and one (1) of the DVI outputs to run a dual monitor setup with those models [have to double check but I think the 27" uses one (1) HDMI input and the 23" uses one (1) DVI input]. Does anyone foresee this having an adverse effect on GPU performance?

Appreciate anyone's thoughts on this...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Below quote from my first/second post in this thread:

"Monitor Resolution: (Whatever's clever)

Additional Comments: ...Ideally wanna go dual monitor status on this setup - extra real estate comes in handy for multitasking and the design stuff I do.. Appears Costco has a deal on Samsung LEDs, they're selling two (2) 22" S22A300B's for ~$350.00. Is this a wise decision, or is it better to invest in one (1) 27" S27A350H for around the same price and just save up for a secondary display when the money next rolls in? Suggestions for monitors are most appreciated - looking to get the most bang for the least buck from a reliable brand, in my experience Samsung monitors have lasted the longest, hence my "loyalty" to that brand - see parts preferences, though am open to moving to a different brand if folks think there's a better deal around)]"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Below is the feedback received thus far from the community:

ScrewySqrl:

"Newegg has an Acer 23" 1920x1080 monitor regular priced for $139.99. 2 of those will be quite nice looking."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Madchemist:

"That or Viewsonic...I would get 2 monitors one 27" and one smaller"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mauler:

"but your gettin two different size monitors? I would steer away."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MONITORS ON SALE AT NEW EGG

The challenge is to now see if there are any deals through Newegg or elsewhere for two (2) identical monitors that can bust the $ 479.98 [Before Tax | After Rebates] deal currently at Costco. I was unable to locate the Acer 23" 1920X1080 monitor for $ 139.99 that ScrewySqrl referenced in his comment, though if those could realistically compete with the Widescreen LEDs from Samsung [27" and 23"], at $ 279.98 [Before Tax | After Rebates] that would be a huge savings.

MONITORS ON SALE AT COSTCO

Unfortunately can't go with two (2) 23" Samsungs from Costco for $ 199.99 a pop (at least with this GPU), because there's only one (1) HDMI out on the GTX580 and the monitor(s) only inputs are HDMI and VGA, grr..

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Been doing a bunch of browsing and here's the wide selection that I'm hoping folks can help to narrow down. Check out the below list, make some suggestions, reflections on experiences (positive or negative) with the below monitor brands [SAMSUNG, Acer, ASUS, ViewSonic, HP]. Here is goes:

$ 149.99 Acer S231HLbid Black 23" 5ms HDMI LED-Backlight LCD monitor Slim Design 250 cd/m2 ACM 12,000,000:1 (1000:1)

$ 149.99 Acer G235HAbd 23'' 5ms 1920x1080 WideScreen LCD monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1

$ 149.99 ViewSonic VX2250wm-LED Black 21.5" 5ms Full HD LED Backlight LCD monitor Slim Design 250 cd/m2 DC 10,000,000:1 (1,000:1) w/Speakers

$ 159.99 ViewSonic VA2431WM Glossy Black 23.6" 5ms Widescreen Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor Built-in Speakers 300 cd/m2 DC 100,000:1(1000:1) Built-in Speakers

$ 159.99 Acer G245HQAbd Black 23.6" 5ms Full HD WideScreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 ACM 80,000:1 (1,000:1)

$ 169.99 SAMSUNG S22A350H ToC Rose Black 21.5" 2ms Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2 DCR 1,000,000:1 (1,000:1)

$ 169.99 ASUS VH232H Glossy Black 23" 5ms Widescreen Full HD 1080p LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 ASCR 20000:1 w/Speakers & HDMI

$ 169.99 ASUS VH242H Black 23.6" 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 ASCR 20000:1 (1000:1) W/Speakers

$ 179.99 Acer V243HAJbd Black 24" 2ms(GTG) Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 ACM 80000:1(1000:1)

$ 184.99 ASUS VS Series VS238H-P Black 23" 2ms HDMI LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2 50,000,000:1

$ 189.99 ASUS VE247H Black 23.6" 2ms Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD Monitor w/Speakers 300 cd/m2 10,000,000:1 (ASCR)

$ 194.99 HP DEBRANDED tSS-25X11LED Black 25" 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2 DC 3,000,000:1 (1,000:1)

$ 199.99 ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 ASCR 20000:1 (1000:1) Built-in Speakers

$ 199.99 SAMSUNG S23A350H ToC Rose Black 23" 2ms Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2 DCR 1,000,000:1 (1,000:1)

$ 204.99 ASUS VS248H-P Black 24" 2ms HDMI LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2 ASCR 50,000,000:1

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Above research is listed lowest to highest price, then organized by brand. So, whaddya think, which model/brand shall we top off with this build? Last remaining step is selection of the monitors.. Appreciate any additional input.

Thanks,
Justin


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Then of course, there's the 3D Display option. Though openin' a whole 'nother can 'o worms on that one, could break the bank for this build..

3D Samsung Monitors

 

[gogogorski]

Madchemist,

Appreciate your input re monitors and the potential issue with PSU. Thanx for catching that Keeping in mind the overarching goal with this system is to have something that lasts 5-7 years, it's likely a good idea to have some overhead/flexibility.

Do you have any suggestions for a solid/heavy PSU that can potentially power sli 580/590 and who knows, perhaps something else down the road? Aforementioned PSU is rated for 750W, how much more wattage do you think will be generous/necessary?

Thanks,
Justin

 

[madchemist83]

I would go either http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194081
or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139034
just to be sure

 

[ScrewySqrl]

The acer monitor that was $139.99 was apparently a sale on one of the several $149 models. It'll be back there in a week or three,

 

[draynoe]

Just built my PC with two GTX 580's and I love them so far ... I'm running them on this PSU and it works great ... I am new to builds however so I'm not sure if you want more power than this in the future, but I love it so far: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194083&Tpk=lepa%20900w

 

[gogogorski]

Hi,

I just wanted to say, Thank You to everyone that spent time with this post/thread and to all that contributed their thoughts/opinions. It feels great to receive that validation, you know - it's really tough buying new technology these days - everything is so fluid and changing. As soon as you get one thing it becomes obsolete the next day/week/month/year as a new(er) more exciting product is released [Exhibit A. Limited Edition ROG Mars II Ha!].

I'm looking forward to putting this beast together someday soon and just wanted to express my gratitude to the community of people that offered up their thoughts and/or those that read and thought about it.

Cheers!
-Justin