Complete Noob Upgrade Questions!

Hey guys,

So here is my situation.  I have been a proud DS owner for about a year and a half now (loving this amazing machine!), but it has come time to upgrade a few components.  I have already ordered a second 4870x2 to put into crossfire, but I'm considering a few other options.  The problem is that I'm somewhat clueless about hardware, despite the fact that I'm only one semester away from graduating with a degree in software development.

So here is what I'm looking at.  I can't think of a more trustworthy bunch to advise me on this stuff, so would you be able to tell me if this stuff is compatible.

First off, I have acquired windows 7 through the MSDN Academic Alliance and I'm looking to upgrade that asap, but in the process I want to throw an SSD into my case to run my OS and main programs.  I'm looking at the Crucial c300, which is SATA III 6gb/s.  The only thing is that my mobo is an evga x58 sli, which only has SATA II.  Will I be able to use one of the these SATA III add-on cards?

Sata III add-on:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813995004&cm_re=SATA_6Gb%2fs_interface-_-13-995-004-_-Product

Crucial c300:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148348&cm_re=c300-_-20-148-348-_-Product

The Crucial c300 has a limited return policy, so I want to be sure it will work before I spend the money.

As for the 4870x2, I currently have one installed and it idles around 70-80 degrees, which seems pretty high.  Since I'm getting a second one, I was thinking about installing a better cooling solution than the pre-installed noisy fans.  I have found one fan solution which seems like a good product (Arctic Cooling Accelero Extreme 4870x2), but I can only buy it on ebay since it has been discontinued.  It is also extremely bulky, so I'm not sure if I want to get it.  My other thought is a liquid cooling solution, but I'm not sure if it is a complete package or if I need something else.  Its called the swiftech caldera:

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8474/ex-blc-556/Swiftech_Caldera_4870X2_Rev_2_Full_Coverage_VGA_Liquid_Cooling_System_CALDERA-4870X2.html

It makes it sound like its all inclusive, but then it shows a picture hooked up to hoses and whatever else is involved with liquid cooling.  If I don't need anything else, I think I might get it.

Thanks in advance for any help!  You guys rock!
-pad0

rholyrag,

Thanks!  But I'm actually not new.  I had to make a new account, because I forgot my password and my school changed our email system, so I no longer have my old email account.  My previous username was pad0.  :-)

his temps are old BIOS issue, just use MSI afterburner to set a better profile, and presto, good idle temps, and good load temps

in a few games the 4870x2 does better however in most games and dx11 games from what I have seen the 5870 does the same or better.

but there are other things to look at:

1. 5870 is a single gpu solution which is better then teh internal cf of 4870x2.

2. 4870x2 is in cf already, another one means quad cf, dual cf or tri cf has better scaling then quad cf.

3. the 5870 has better temps and less noise from what I understand.

I'm not very familiar with the c300, if that is the one that has the good controller then its ok but you need to look at 4k read speeds, those are the most important, and you will find that intel is king, which is why most of us advise the intel, plus it has gc so trim is not needed, and it keeps its performance better then others.

DST4ME:

Well I was not sure, as I said I don't know too much about the crucial, but justin is correct right now their controller is bs.

gc = garbage collection.

Originally posted by ablahblah their controllers are bs, yes, but you have to admit, the C300 256GB is seriously the cheapest (and decent) 256GB SSD on the market, by a somewhat reputable company, that is

Pffft. For the same price you could buy three Intel X25-M G2 80GB SSDs for a RAID0 array with much better performance.

Go with Intel SSDs, then you don't have to worry about buying an expensive motherboard or add on PCIe card for 6Gbps SATA. The Intels are time proven, having been out for some time. They don't need tweaks or special setup, they don't need firmware updates, they're compatible with the largest range of hardware, they don't randomly brick themselves, they don't degrade in performance with use (even without TRIM, making them perfect for RAID arrays), they have negligible performance loss from being full, and they have a wonderful price point.