Mmmm so you're looking into an $800+ GPU, but when it comes to ASIC, you choose a $149 ASIC that delivers 4.5 Ghash, instead of the $1299 ASIC that delves 60GHash?
That doesn't sound right to me considering that with 10 jalapenos you were 45Ghash for $1500 when you get 60Ghash with one Single for $1299
The method to that madness has basis in primarily four points. First, those $800+ GPUs can be had for less if one plans and researches before purchase. Maybe not a lot less, but can still possibly get them for cheaper than average. Second, those GPUs have uses other than mining so for that reason I think the investment is better than with a purpose-driven system like the ASICs. Third, the ASICs have yet to be obtainable in a determined timeframe and have an inflated cost of acquisition which will level out after the rush is over. Fourth, purchasing 2-3 Jalapenos for around $500 with ~10Gh processing is one of those give it a try things, if the ASICs have a few alternative uses other than mining then I could see that but if they do I am not aware of it. Of course I am new to this and may not completely understand what the ASIC can and will do.
I understand your logic concerning the power versus cost of the various ASICs but for me these are still in the "maybe" stage. We read a lot about them but there is nothing I have seen that makes want to jump on that particular bandwagon at this time. If the theories about these machines prove to be accurate and they alter the process of mining in the manner most believe they will then yeah I will be looking at the 60Gh model at that time.
Here is my two cents:
CPU: A4-5300
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113283Why? Cheap cpu, two cores (just in case) and as a bonus, you can get a few extra MH/s with the APU
Motherboard: anything with 3x PCIe x4 or higher
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157339Why? quad rigs are harder to get the parts for and harder to keep cool. They are also harder to get a powerful enough PSU for
PSU: Any 1000W Corsair or Seasonic
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139014Why? Because the PSU is the last thing you want to cheap out on. not enough power, or a bad PSU means an entire rig is down. Another reason to stick to 3x GPU instead of 4x GPU rigs.
Seasonic makes the most reliable Power supplies. Seasonic makes the power supplies for Corsair.
RAM: 4GB of corsair or mushkin
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233349Why? Because it's cheap and I trust mushkin and corsair. I have no real basis for this trust though.
Case: make one yourself out of wood. Set it up in a rack style with 1 system on each level. Set it up as an open-air system.
why? because it is fun and will be easier to manage than what you could buy
storage/OS space: a hard drive. Western Digital blue or black
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136567why? because I have good experiences with WD warranty. They have an option where they send you a new drive first, then you send the defective back. This will reduce your downtime because of a failed drive.
and finally....
The video cards:
You want 3 for each system. Get them where you can and get the best deals you can find. 5970s, 7970s, etc. This is where you will spend the rest of your money so balance it out accordingly. There are no issues with mixing and matching video card generations as crossfire is not a part of mining.
Consider cooling. I personally would never use a reference cooler for mining. Also, XFX single fan coolers are total garbage. My experiences with sapphire custom cooling have been good. I also read a lot about and if I were to purchase a 7970, it would be one of the 3-fan gigabyte ones.
I would recommend installing and running linux to get the most out of your overclocks.
Thank you for your reply, mokahless! I like many of your suggestions, the use of a mid-range CPU does give one more options of what to do with their rigs if he or she quits mining. If I am investing several hundred dollars into GPUs I have no problem spending $50-$100 more on a decent CPU which gives me more possible uses for my investment. That is also why I like the open rack-style mounting system you reference, it makes swapping things out much easier as well as easier to cool because of greater dissipation and airflow. The one thing I disagree with is the use of Linux, I have used a few *nix flavors and personally I am not impressed enough to switch from Windows. I would like for you to expand on your belief of better overclocking through Linux though, I am not sure how the OS would really make a difference here. Of course Windows needs more resources to run than any typical install of pretty much any *nix OS, that is the only way that I can see the benefit.