Need advice/how-to on RAID-0 and second opinion on selected parts

[Apokk]

Hey all, I'm going to say right out that this is going to be my first PC from scratch so I'm going to need your professional opinions on this stuff, and please explain the basis of your opinions. Thanks in advance for your help.

Ok first off here are the parts I've selected for my PC

Case - Rosewill TU-155-P

Motherboard - Asus Rampage Formula LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX

HDD - Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000333AS 7200 RPM x 2

Optical Drive - LITE-ON DVD/CD combo

Processor - Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550

Processor Cooling Fan - XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler

Memory - OCZ 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM 800

Power Supply - Corsair CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V/EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready

Video Card - EVGA 01G-P3-1280-AR GeForce GTX 280 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16

Sound Card - Creative Sound Blaster SB0570 Audigy SE 7.1

Operating System - Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders 1pk


Ok, now my first and obvious question is do I have everything I need? I've looked at the lists and I notice that some say I need a floppy disk drive, but the guids are fairly old so I'm not sure if I still need one--and if so, why.

Second question, is everything up there compatible? Is the power supply sufficient? Should I get more fans? Or anything else you guys can think of.

Third question: I'm probably going to eventually hook in a second GTX 280 for SLI, and that mobo has two PCI-E 2.0 slots so is that all I need for it to be SLI ready? Will my power supply be sufficient for two GTX 280's? How much of a pain is it to upgrade the power supply in the future?

Fourth question: I'm planning to setup my harddrives for RAID-0 for the increased performance, even though I definitely won't need the full 2TB of hd space, I figured might as well fork over 40 more bucks for an extra terabyte. I've also heard of RAID-1+0 configurations which have both the data security and performance, but is that possible with only two drives? Is it possible for me to set 500GB to data security and 500GB to performance on each drive in a raid configuration? Also, how do I setup the harddrives for RAID during construction?

Fifth question: When choosing an OS I noticed that there were "upgrade" versions and "system builder" versions of the same OS, and 3pk or 1pk. This is probably a retarded question, but I need confirmation, I need a system builder version of the OS and since it's only for one computer it should be 1pk? Also is there any real performance difference between Vista Ultimate and Vista Home Premium?

Thanks so much for your time guys, I really appreciate it.

[minsonngo]

Usually most people DO NOT need floppy drives. Unless you have a specific need for it... do NOT purchase one.

You should use the heatsink/fan that is included with your retail boxed processor as to avoid voiding the warranty on your CPU.

The minimum suggested power supply is 550w for ONE of the GTX 280s... they don't state what is the requirement for TWO GTX 280s. If you plan on going SLI later... it would probably be a better choice to simply buy ONE of the better cards available at that time rather than to go SLI.


Raid 0 is simply not worth the trouble datawise. You lose one drive you lose everything.

As for the OS... you want to purchase the system builder version. The upgrade is if you have a pre-existing OS installed and you just want to upgrade it to Vista.

[Apokk]

How often does RAID-0 fail though? I hear a lot of people warning about the possibility of drive failure than I see people reporting it of happening, so if it's a low chance of drive failure I definitely wouldn't mind the extra performance.

[minsonngo]

Hard drives fail here and there.

But in a Raid 0 setup... the chances of failure is essentially double since all it takes is one hard drive failure out of the two.


But its your call. The additional performance isn't much.

[Apokk]

Well I've never had a harddrive failure in my life, so I don't think the risk is too bad. How much of a performance increase is it actually?

[not important]

You can do a clean full install with the upgrade Vista disc.
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase...rade_clean.asp
HDD's DO fail and the slight performance gain is not worth the risk of losing all of your data...in my opinion.

[shadowpr]

If you want to sli two 280's, you need the corsair 1000.

Refer to this site for approved psu's: http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone_build_psu.html

Personally, I wouldn't worry about sli. Stick to one video card, and get a lower psu. Taht will save you money, and then you can drop the mb down to a asus p5q and save more money.

Or go to a i7 build.

[Apokk]

the main reason I want my system to be SLI ready is because I'd much rather have the option of adding in a second card at a later date, or even buying two new cards, rather than having to upgrade the mobo at a later date to accommodate SLI.

Right now what I'm leaning towards is the EVGA motherboard and GTX 280 combo (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813188027), which would mean I'd have to use new memory (2x http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820104038). However I'm having a hard time picking out a PSU. What's the difference between a 1000W PSU that isn't SLI certified for 2x GTX 280's, and a 1000W PSU that is SLI certified, but not for those specific cards? Will I have problems later on if I get a http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817159072 and hook in two GTX 280's?

Thanks again for your advice guys.

[shadowpr]

The ddr2-800 would be fine. No need for 1066 unless you're going to overclock.

Not sure, but I wouldn't want to risk my system when I already have a resource that tested that configuration with different power supplies. If they say that's the way to go, I would trust them. The psu isn't the place to try and save money.

[Apokk]

All of the SLI-ready power supplies for the GTX 280 cost twice as much as the other ones, so I'm thinking I'll scale back for now to keep the cost down, so my question is, how difficult/feasible is it to replace the power supply at a later date then add in a second GPU for SLI?

[minsonngo]

Replacing the PSU is simple. You may have to redo your wire management inside the case, but its a simple pull and swap.

[Apokk]

Well it won't be necessary now because I managed to find a combo deal for an nForce 750i mobo with a GTX 280 SLI certified PSU, ontop of that I found a combo for my GPU and Processor, and since the mobo is now a 750i instead of a 780i (I don't really need 3 PCI-E slots so 2 is fine), that shaved enough off to make my system fully SLI ready now and in the future.

Only problem I'm having now is selecting a case. I want to make sure that the case is big enough for two GTX 280's, but since I've never built a PC I'm not sure if an ATX mid-tower will be large enough, and I'd like to avoid the size and price of a full tower if possible, so I'd appreciate suggestions for the case as well.

[minsonngo]

What is your budget for the case?

[Apokk]

I'd like to keep it within $50-$80, and if possible with multiple fans, preferably 120mm since they're quieter.

[minsonngo]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129042

[Apokk]

Heh, it's interesting that you mention that one because I had checked it out yesterday and it seemed like the best. One question though, are you sure that the dimensions for it are large enough for two GTX 280's? I'm a complete noob so I have no idea.