building first RIG need help

[achillez]

ok so here's my situation - I have a MSI-x58 motherboard with a 5850. I thought it'd be brilliant to purchase two 6870's put them in a crossfire setup, and then throw the 5850 in an old PC. Problem is that the x58 PCIe slots are too dang close together and the 6870s quickly go to 80C ++ within a matter of seconds when running a bitcoin client.

So I'm thinking of building a dedicated bitcoin mining rig, maybe keeping a 6870 in my dedicated PC (for gaming). Does anyone have suggestions on how best to do this? Budget isn't that much of a concern for me. I could spend $1K+ if this would enable me to build a 2GH/s system (of course I realize I'll need new cards to achieve this).

thanks in advance for any advice folks might have

[Bitweasil]

Well, my first thought is that 80C isn't bad at all... I usually get cranky if my GPUs are regularly breaking 100C.  They're designed to run that hot...

If you want to look at a pre-done 4 GPU build (which won't break 2GH/s on stock clocks), I have a quad nVidia build for other purposes detailed here:

http://blog.cryptohaze.com/2011/06/quad-gpu-builds-with-case.html

I have the board/case/PSU/etc listed.  I got all of this plus a 6870 for right around $1000 shipped.

You're not going to be great on cooling, but the Antec 900 pulls plenty of air through the side window once you remove the plexiglass & as long as my garage isn't too hot, I don't have trouble keeping them cool.

If you're looking for the most cost efficient way of doing this, I'm probably not of much use.   But you said budget wasn't a concern.

[release]

don't buy a case. Open air is the way to go.

[Slab Squathrust]

They do make PCIe extender ribbons.  See below

http://www.9mart.com/products/2-Lots-PCI%252dExpress-Extension-Cable-8x-To-16x-Riser-Card-For-1U%7B47%7D2U.html

These would only work well if your case has plenty of expansion slots.  Also some people have claimed they can melt or catch fire so proceed at your own risk.  I have two 5870s in my rig with a slot in between and never let the temps go above 75^oC
Also you should look at 5970's if you are interested in a dedicated mining rig, and have $1000 to spend.  They are probably the best cards for hashing (two 5870's on 1 card)

[Slab Squathrust]

don't buy a case. Open air is the way to go.

Oh and a buddy of mine has a test bench mining away, and the temps usually stay in the 50s.  This ^^^ is a good suggestion.

[Bitweasil]

don't buy a case. Open air is the way to go.

That's true for temperature and cost reasons.

There are benefits to having everything tucked in a case.  Significant others, for instance, typically complain much less about it.

;-)