A viable configuration?

So, I've been looking at a specific build for a few months now. It's a configured Apollo that looks ok on a technical standpoint:

Configuration Code: 1147604

My budget lies around $2000 to $3000 without shipping and tax.

What I want from this computer is the ability to do a wide arrange of things with minimal performance loss. I'd like it to be able to play a wide variety of games as well as be able to edit and render videos with a good balance between reliability and speed.

I'll be using it to play games such as Skyrim, Fallout:NV, Borderlands 2, PAYDAY 2 as well as recording, editing and rendering video and audio and hopes to do so with optimized graphics with minimal performance hits.

Any advice, alternative builds and suggestions are appreciated.

I'd step up to the level 3 and drop the raid 0 config. With 2 1Tb HDDs you have the storage but with raid 0 it makes a virtual drive of the three drives (SDD and 2 HDDs) and is not fault tolerant, meaning if one drive fails you lose everything.   I'd hate to lose 6 months or 5 years of work because the little SDD decided it's time to retire.

It would cost about $600 more but is still within your stated budget and you get so much more in the CPU and graphics that would be a lot better for what you will be doing.

The config is already level 3, although I do see what you mean with droppign the RAID 0 setup.

Thanks, Pace. I'll consider upgrading the CPU and Graphic card.

Ironically, Slade is the name of a hard rock band :)

So, I've edited the configurations with the tips you all gave me and I'd like you to see the results:

Configuration Code: 1148162

Specifications:

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Digital Storm Apollo
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 4790K 4.0 GHz (Codename Devils Canyon)

(Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS Z97-PRO (Intel Z97 Chipset) (Features 802.11ac

Wi-Fi Connectivity)
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1866MHz Digital Storm Certified

Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 750W EVGA SuperNOVA
Expansion Bay: Internal Digital Media Card Reader (Black)
Optical Drive: Blu-Ray & DVD Writer/Reader (Burn + Play Blu-Ray &

DVDs) (12x BD-R)
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (128GB Samsung 850 PRO)
Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (1TB Western Digital - Black Edition)
Storage Set 3: 1x Storage (1TB Western Digital - Black Edition)
RAID Config: RAID 1: Mirroring: Drive Failure Data Fault Tolerance

Protection (Requires 2 HDDs)
RAID Card: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable /

DSL / Network Connections)
Graphics Card(s): 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 4GB (EVGA ACX Cooler

Edition)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Digital Storm Vortex 240mm Radiator

Liquid CPU Cooler (Extreme-Performance Edition)
H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero

LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Fans: Upgrade All Fans to Corsair Airflow Performance Edition

(Up to 6 Fans)
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Blue)
Airflow Control: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz
Boost Graphics Card(s): - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video

card(s)
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the

operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD)
Virus Protection: FREE: McAfee AntiVirus Plus (1 Year Service Activation

Card) (Not Pre-installed) ($35 Value)
Office: - No Thanks
Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
Portable Gaming: - No Thanks
Branded Gear: - No Thanks
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 10-15 Business Days After Order

Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year

Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)

Are you looking for the two 1Tb HDDs to be duplicates of each other so if one fails you still have everything on the other and they are fault tolerant?   The 2 Hdds would be a mirror image.

RAID 0

RAID 0 is not a true RAID as there is no redundancy with RAID 0. RAID 0 is typically referred to as a performance RAID as it takes all of your data and stripes it across two drives. The idea behind this RAID is that with two drives actively accessing all of your data it could theoretically be accessed twice as fast. Statistically this is not accurate, though performance is increased.
Advantages ◦Faster load times/speed increase
◦Uses the capacity of both disks


Disadvantages ◦No redundancy - one drive fails all data is lost


RAID 1

RAID 1 is most commonly referred to as a mirrored RAID. RAID 1 takes all of your data and duplicates it exactly between the two drives in a RAID. Should one drive fail within the RAID 1 setup the other drive will take over as the primary drive without any data loss. The failed drive can then be replaced and the RAID array rebuilt in order to re-establish the mirror between the two drives.
Advantages ◦Data Redundancy
◦One drive fails the other keeps going
Disadvantages ◦Requires 2 hard drives of equal capacity only



If this is what you want, you are set. If not I'd consider making a "virtual drive" by partitioning the HDD and creating the virtual drive and just drop the raid array.

The build looks good to me and will be good for what you said you want it for.

I am indeed looking for the mirror drive setup, Pace. I'd hate to lose programs and big games which takes forever to download, as well as capture data. I already utilize 1TB of space and find it sufficient.

Thanks for the extra info on the 100i, . I didn't know the real differences between the pumps. However, the SSD is mostly to boost boot time for windows and core programs like web browsers and the steam client itself.

Also, I know the Apollo is an Corsair case, but I forgot which. Would anyone care to remind me?

Thanks, bp.