How does my next build look?

[codyw00]

This will only be my second build and I would be getting all these parts over the next few months however I would probably hold out on the cpu and motherboard until broadwell is released.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/8HfMXL

 

The 2 ssds I would want to put them in a raid 0 or boot from one and cache the hdds with the other. If I'm able to do it I also want the hdds in a raid 1.

cpu                    i7 4790k

cpu cooler         Thermaltake water 3.0 ultimate

Motherboard      Asrock Fatal1y z97 Professional (Couldn't find this board on pcpartpicker so I selected the closest one)

memory             G.Skill Trident X 4x8GB

ssd                    Corsair Force Series GT 120GB x2

hdd                    Seagate Barracuda 2TB x2

gpu                    Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 Windforce

case                   NZXT H440 (red and black version

psu                     Corsair RM series 750w 

 

I also plan on getting 3 Asus VG248QE monitors.

My current pc just for comparison.

cpu          Amd A10-5800k w/ stock cooler

----

MoBo      Asrock FM2A78M-HD+

Memory  Team Vulcan 1600mhz 2x 4GB

Ssd         OCZ Agility 3 60GB (Referbished)

---

---

Case      Apevia X-Sniper2-wht
Psu        Coolmax ZX-500 500w psu

It's a decent computer could be a lot better but I got it for less than $330 so I have no complaints. 

Well thanks for looking at my build and future build. I appreciate any criticism good or bad.

[vern021]

What will you do with your build @codyw00?

[aidenrelkoff]

it looks good

[brob]

Why 2x120GB ssd and 2x2TB hdd?

 

You can save a couple of $ and get a better psu to boot, EVGA 220-G2-0750-XR.

[codyw00]

Some gaming video rendering not anything too demanding but I don't want to have to upgrade for at least 2 years. @vern021

 

Well the 2 ssds are just for the heck of it really and the 2x 2Tb hdds because I want to have a raid 1 and have a large library (500+ gb) of movies / music already so I opted for the 2TB versions. Also I chose the corsair psu because it has flat cabling and I don't want to damage the noise canceling foam on the case. @brob

[CaffienatedBovine]

Don't invest in all those monitors with such an outdated resolution. I would suggest a single 1440p monitor (which a 970 will game at much better than triple 1080) and then buying more as you need them.

[brob]

Some gaming video rendering not anything too demanding but I don't want to have to upgrade for at least 2 years. @vern021

 

Well the 2 ssds are just for the heck of it really and the 2x 2Tb hdds because I want to have a raid 1 and have a large library (500+ gb) of movies / music already so I opted for the 2TB versions. Also I chose the corsair psu because it has flat cabling and I don't want to damage the noise canceling foam on the case. @brob

 

Get a single, larger ssd.

 

RAID 1 is not backup. It would be better to use a single hdd and get an external hdd (or NAS) to which you do regular backups.

 

I don't recall seeing any noise canceling insulation in the H440. Besides, there is a fair bit of cable management space so nothing should get pinched.

[codyw00]

Nope too expensive nor do I care for the small rise in resolution for such a high price. Besides I do a lot of multitasking on my current triple monitor setup only thing is 1 is 1080p, 900p, and the third is barely above 720p. @CaffienatedBovine

I know that having a raid 1 isn't a backup its in case of drive failure not human error. With the ssds wouldn't 2 120GB in raid 0 give better performance than 1 240Gb ssd? However now that I looked at that rout it is about $40 cheaper because I did have a planned budget for the pc that I had surpassed. @brob

[brob]

Nope too expensive nor do I care for the small rise in resolution for such a high price. Besides I do a lot of multitasking on my current triple monitor setup only thing is 1 is 1080p, 900p, and the third is barely above 720p. @CaffienatedBovine

I know that having a raid 1 isn't a backup its in case of drive failure not human error. With the ssds wouldn't 2 120GB in raid 0 give better performance than 1 240Gb ssd? However now that I looked at that rout it is about $40 cheaper because I did have a planned budget for the pc that I had surpassed. @brob

 

You may find http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-raid-benchmark,3485-13.html interesting. It is a good examination of ssd performance in RAID 0. As it shows, RAID 0 is faster than a single drive for some operations but slower for others. When all is said and done, in gaming and general use environments a single larger drive is usually optimal.

 

I used to use RAID 1 a fair bit, but have stopped doing so. In my experience it was typically more bothersome and good backups a usually sufficient protection. The only time RAID 1 makes sense to me now is when the cost of a few hours of down time are significant.

[codyw00]

You may find http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-raid-benchmark,3485-13.html interesting. It is a good examination of ssd performance in RAID 0. As it shows, RAID 0 is faster than a single drive for some operations but slower for others. When all is said and done, in gaming and general use environments a single larger drive is usually optimal.

 

I used to use RAID 1 a fair bit, but have stopped doing so. In my experience it was typically more bothersome and good backups a usually sufficient protection. The only time RAID 1 makes sense to me now is when the cost of a few hours of down time are significant.

Okay so what do you suggest I use for about $100 to do a full pc backup? @brob

[brob]

Okay so what do you suggest I use for about $100 to do a full pc backup? @brob

 

I have been using Seagate Expansion (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1J20UC1442) drives for awhile now and they seem to do the job. They are often available on sale. But pretty much any name brand external drive of sufficient capacity (the largest one can afford) will do.

[NumLock21]

It's always a bad idea to buy your components in bits over the course of a few months, as better ones may come out or prices can drop. Save up and buy them all at once. Broadwell will still use the current socket 1150, so getting a Z97 now won't make that much of difference. If you're waiting until Broadwell arrives, then wait until arrives and then buy your parts.

Skylake-S on the other hand will as they use socket 1151 and a new Z170 chipset, and possibly DDR4, but they say it might still keep DDR3 due to the high price of DDR4. Skylake-S won't arrive until late 2015 or early 2016.

[codyw00]

I have been using Seagate Expansion (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1J20UC1442) drives for awhile now and they seem to do the job. They are often available on sale. But pretty much any name brand external drive of sufficient capacity (the largest one can afford) will do.

Thanks, last two things: Sense you said you have experience with those drives are they okay to have the dc input plugged in even when the computer is off, so 24/7. Secondly do they come with or is there software that I can buy to automatically do a nightly backup? 

[brob]

Thanks, last two things: Sense you said you have experience with those drives are they okay to have the dc input plugged in even when the computer is off, so 24/7. Secondly do they come with or is there software that I can buy to automatically do a nightly backup? 

 

Seagate has a slightly more expensive line, Seagate Backup, that comes with software. I believe one can also use Microsoft Backup - it may have to be downloaded from their site. Personally I use Acronis True Image because it has a lot of options for automating backups and managing the disk space they consume.

 

While it is not best practice, the drive that backups up a home system is on 24x7 and attached to the machine.

[codyw00]

Seagate has a slightly more expensive line, Seagate Backup, that comes with software. I believe one can also use Microsoft Backup - it may have to be downloaded from their site. Personally I use Acronis True Image because it has a lot of options for automating backups and managing the disk space they consume.

 

While it is not best practice, the drive that backups up a home system is on 24x7 and attached to the machine.

Okay thanks. Kind of stupid question now, would the $300 price premium be worth it to switch to x99?

[brob]

Okay thanks. Kind of stupid question now, would the $300 price premium be worth it to switch to x99?

 

I don't think so.