TheLunarHero

Thanks everybody

I've considered that CPU but with no hyperthreading the two cores could really be a problem.

What do you guys think of this for a gaming setup?
 
i7 4790k
2x Asus R9 280x in Crossfire
 
Before you say anything, I don't want a 4690k because I play a lot of mmo's so I'll be able to really leverage the extra horsepower. Also, I already have 1 280x so just buying another would be a lot cheaper than buying say, 2 290's. I'd like to stick with AMD for the GPUs because Mantle looks pretty promising imo. 

Yes it is; unplug the hard drive and then go into the BIOS, set the SATA controller mode to RAID, then simply shove the two drives into RAID (will be in storage settings). Then, install Windows and plug your HDD back in.

Yes it is perfectly possible.
 
I have 2 Samsung 840 EVOs in RAID0. The speed increase from a single SSD is noticeable. I get about 1GB/s Sequential read.

Ive recently purchased a 250gb Samsung EVO SSD in attempt to increase the speed of my PC. (Previously used a 1TB WD Blue HDD) Obviously, Id like my OS (Windows 8.1) and some key applications on my new SSD while using my 1TB slow drive for mass storage. I was planning on transferring the majority of the data (many games) from my HDD onto an external drive allowing me to migrate everything from the HDD to the SSD. I would then reload my games onto the HDD and be good to go. Are there any better ways to migrate my OS and key applications? I'm an SSD novice so any tips would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

You use a program that will fully stress the graphics card. Something like a GPU heavy game (i.e. BF4), 3DMark, or something like Unigine Heaven.
 
If an overclock is benchmark stable, it may not be game stable. Synthetic benchmarks are what the name implies. You are not 110% guaranteed it is game stable. That is why you have to test is thoroughly -- especially after reaching your overclock goal / limit. But increase your overclock in small increments; 5MHz / 10 MHz / 15 MHz.
 
Increase the power and/or voltage is not linear. There will be a point where you need more power / voltage to reach a certain speed -- you need to get over a hump if you will. Beyond that, there will be a point where either:
more voltage will no get you further or, temperature becomes a limiting factor or, the card isn't capable of being overclock further. We can't tell you for sure what voltage / power limit to use, as it is completely different from card to card. Your ASUS Direct CUII 280X may need 1.25V for 1150MHz for the Core....while mine may need 1.30V for even just 1100MHz...or Bob here can run 1300MHz with stock voltage.
 
Overclocking memory is very similar. Increase it by 5-10 MHz and test. Just like overclocking the Core, you will reach a limit. Usually it is much easier to detect if the memory overclock is unstable (odd coloured squares all over the screen, computer crashes, odd lines, etc).
 
It's best to overclock on thing at a time -- not Core and Memory at the same time. If it becomes unstable, you won't know what caused it. Core unstable? Memory unstable? Not enough voltage? Other reasons?
It doesn't matter which on you start with, but best to find the limit for one, and thoroughly test it to make sure its stable. Bring it back to stock, and start working on the next. Once you've found the limit for each one individually, the Core and the Memory, THEN you combine the two together. What's next? Test, test, test. Make sure both are stable together.