Some questions about planned upgrades

[Danja]

I have a couple upgrades planned for my computer that I would like to start on soon. I'm looking for advice about the components.

My first planned upgrade is related to my upcoming purchase of an HD camcorder. I'd like a good storage solution for the video I plan to take; it won't be anything professional but I do like to take some long clips, so I want at least 2TB of storage. I also want to RAID them to make sure I don't lose my videos due to HDD crash. I'm very wary of noise though; I have a quiet system and I don't want to ruin it with HDD motors whirring. What hard drives would you recommend for this project?

My other plan was to eventually set myself up for 6950 Xfire. To this end; I'm almost positive I want to switch to a full ATX mobo; I'm going to want the other ports for things like a TV tuner and maybe a sound card at some point in the future. Since I'm on a Rampage III gene now, I was thinking of going Rampage III Formula. However, it's almost $300 dollars on Newegg. I almost pounced on the open box deal a few days ago, but didn't because of the 30 day warranty (I won't even be home to work with my PC until 8/8). Is the Formula a good choice, or are there other cheaper motherboards that will let me continue my OC? If not, how often to Formulas (Formulae?) come up in the FS forum? edit: price check removed

Next, can my PSU handle xfire? It only has 2 PCIE connectors but I was thinking of maybe getting molex-PCIE adapters. Could that sustain my system, or would I need to upgrade that too?

Finally, would I need to reinstall Windows if I change motherboards? If so, could I use a COMODO .cbu backup to restore my image, or would that defeat the purpose of the reinstall?

Thanks!

 

[E4g1e]

I have a couple upgrades planned for my computer that I would like to start on soon. I'm looking for advice about the components.

My first planned upgrade is related to my upcoming purchase of an HD camcorder. I'd like a good storage solution for the video I plan to take; it won't be anything professional but I do like to take some long clips, so I want at least 2TB of storage. I also want to RAID them to make sure I don't lose my videos due to HDD crash. I'm very wary of noise though; I have a quiet system and I don't want to ruin it with HDD motors whirring. What hard drives would you recommend for this project?

My other plan was to eventually set myself up for 6950 Xfire. To this end; I'm almost positive I want to switch to a full ATX mobo; I'm going to want the other ports for things like a TV tuner and maybe a sound card at some point in the future. Since I'm on a Rampage III gene now, I was thinking of going Rampage III Formula. However, it's almost $300 dollars on Newegg. I almost pounced on the open box deal a few days ago, but didn't because of the 30 day warranty (I won't even be home to work with my PC until 8/8). Is the Formula a good choice, or are there other cheaper motherboards that will let me continue my OC? If not, how often to Formulas (Formulae?) come up in the FS forum? Also, how much could I expect to get for my Gene, with original box & manual but no accessories, if I sell it in the next two months?

Next, can my PSU handle xfire? It only has 2 PCIE connectors but I was thinking of maybe getting molex-PCIE adapters. Could that sustain my system, or would I need to upgrade that too?

Finally, would I need to reinstall Windows if I change motherboards? If so, could I use a COMODO .cbu backup to restore my image, or would that defeat the purpose of the reinstall?

Thanks!

Did you know that price checks for any single component or system are prohibited in any of the [H] forums? (This goes for multiple parts, not just single parts.) So, do not ask for any pricing in these forums except in the paid-subscription-only General May[H]em Forum.

 

[tiraides]

To help others help you out, I'm posting the specs you've listed in your sig:

NZXT Phantom Black (full fan placement + DIY side panel dual 120mm setup)
Asus Rampage III Gene uATX board
Intel i7 930 with Corsair H70, 3.8 gHz
XFX 6950 (unlocked!)
OCZ gold 6 GB Tri Channel
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB
Corsair TX650
Windows 7 Ultimate x64

Regarding your upgrade plans:

- What does the Rampage III Formula offer that you won't find from, say, the Sabertooth X58? And why is NewEgg's 30-day open box warranty stopping you when most of the boards you'd find used come with essentially no warranty?

- A good 2TB "green" drive is Samsung's HD204UI. The green drive runs at around 5900RPM and is designed to run quieter than a traditional 7200RPM drive like the HD103SJ.

- I believe that the TX650 wouldn't be the best option for dual 6950 CrossFire, especially if you're able to unlock both of them to run as dual 6970s. I would recommend a quality 80 Plus-rated PSU with over 60A on its 12V rail(s), but something like the XFX PRO850W would give you plenty of power.

- With Windows 7, I've seen as many instances of a motherboard swap prompting an OS reinstall as I've seen of a drive working as if nothing was changed. You could probably try to just swap the hard drive from system to system, but it's recommended to reinstall to minimize any compatibility issues (from Windows trying to recognize new hardware). If Comodo has a drive imaging program similar to Acronis True Image, then you should be able to use a drive image instead of having to reinstall everything. However, if you're using an OEM version of Windows 7, it's illegal to transfer the license from motherboard to motherboard (which is what Microsoft uses to identify a computer system).

 

[Danja]

Did you know that price checks for any single component or system are prohibited in any of the [H] forums? (This goes for multiple parts, not just single parts.) So, do not ask for any pricing in these forums except in the paid-subscription-only General May[H]em Forum.

Huh. My bad. I'm on OCN as well and they have an appraisal forum, so I assumed it would be OK to ask here as well. Never mind then; don't tell me how much I can expect for it .

- What does the Rampage III Formula offer that you won't find from, say, the Sabertooth X58? And why is NewEgg's 30-day open box warranty stopping you when most of the boards you'd find used come with essentially no warranty?

1. A color scheme that doesn't make my PC look like it belongs at a U.S. Army motor pool . Also, it seems like the rampage products have a better integrated sound system, which means I won't have to occupy a PCI slot with, or pay for, a discrete sound card. Finally, more PCIE x8. The last one probably does not matter much to me, but I don't want to move to a lower quality sound card.

2. If I were to buy a used board via [H] or OCN with Paypal, and the board came in a defective state, I could presumably get my money back. I hear Paypal frequently sides with the buyer on such issues. Meanwhile, if I were to have bought the board on sale, I would have come home to install it after the 30 day warranty expired and if it were defective, I would be SOL. On the other hand, the more I think about it, the more I think I should have just bought it while it was so cheap.

- A good 2TB "green" drive is Samsung's HD204UI. The green drive runs at around 5900RPM and is designed to run quieter than a traditional 7200RPM drive like the HD103SJ.

Thanks! That will be my most immediate upgrade, and will probably be what I get. Thanks for the suggestion!

- I believe that the TX650 wouldn't be the best option for dual 6950 CrossFire, especially if you're able to unlock both of them to run as dual 6970s. I would recommend a quality 80 Plus-rated PSU with over 60A on its 12V rail(s), but something like the XFX PRO850W would give you plenty of power.

What about this guy? I'm almost certainly going modular if I buy a new PSU; I hate cable clutter.

- With Windows 7, I've seen as many instances of a motherboard swap prompting an OS reinstall as I've seen of a drive working as if nothing was changed. You could probably try to just swap the hard drive from system to system, but it's recommended to reinstall to minimize any compatibility issues (from Windows trying to recognize new hardware). If Comodo has a drive imaging program similar to Acronis True Image, then you should be able to use a drive image instead of having to reinstall everything. However, if you're using an OEM version of Windows 7, it's illegal to transfer the license from motherboard to motherboard (which is what Microsoft uses to identify a computer system).

I'm using a student copy from my university, so no worries there . I'm not exactly sure if it's a drive "image" or not; it doesn't back up the free space. I guess I can always try and see; I don't have anything particularly important installed on my gaming rig.

 

[Dangman]

2. If I were to buy a used board via [H] or OCN with Paypal, and the board came in a defective state, I could presumably get my money back. I hear Paypal frequently sides with the buyer on such issues.

Actually there's a chance that you won't be able to get your money back: If there is money in the seller's account, then Paypal will freeze it and refund you. However if there is no money in the seller's account (due to him immediately transferring it or withdrawing it), you're pretty much SOL as Paypal will not give you money it does not have.

Then again if you're using Paypal with a credit card, you'll be significantly safer as Paypal will just issue money back to your credit card even if the seller has no money in his account.

What about this guy? I'm almost certainly going modular if I buy a new PSU; I hate cable clutter.

Not that good a choice when the slightly better quality and larger Corsair 850HX costs the same:
$165 - Corsair 850HX 850W Modular PSU