Critique ~$2600 Future Gaming Build

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formatedc

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Apr 13, 2013
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What do you guys think? Should I change/add anything?

Approximate Purchase Date: In the next 6-8 months

Budget Range: $2600-$2700

System Usage: Gaming

Are you buying a monitor: No

Do you need to buy an OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com, Amazon.com, FrozenCPU.com, Performance-PCs.com

Location: Cleveland, OH

Parts Preference: Intel, Nvidia, Asus, Corsair, WD

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Down the road

Why Are You Upgrading: It's time to build a new gaming PC

Part List: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Qv8J (with links to custom parts)

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K

Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5

Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z77

Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB (4 x 4GB) 1866Mhz

Storage:
Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 680 FTW+ w/Backplate 4GB

Case: Corsair Obsidian Series 800D

Case Fans:
1 x Corsair Air Series AF120 Quiet Edition 39.9 CFM 120mm Fan
3 x Corsair Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition 62.7 CFM 120mm Fan
2 x Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan

Power Supply: Corsair AX850 Professional Gold 850W 80 PLUS Gold

Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS


Watercooling (Single Loop)

CPU Block: Koolance CPU-380I Water Block
Link

GPU Block: Watercool HEATKILLER® GPU-X³ GTX 680 "Hole Edition" Ni-Bl
Link

Pump: Performance-PCs Über 655 Fully Modded (D5) 12 VDC Water Pump - Matte Black - Black Sleeved Cables
Link

Reservoir: Bitspower Water Tank Z-Multi 250 - POM
Link

Radiator: Black Ice Xtreme 3 X-Flow Radiator - Black
Link

Tubing: PrimoFlex Advanced LRT 10ft Tubing - 1/2in ID x 3/4in OD - Brilliant UV Blue
Link

Fittings: (All Bitspower G1/4 - Matte Black - 1/2in ID x 3/4in OD)
45-Degree Compression Fittings
Link

90-Degree Rotary Compression Fittings
Link

Low Profile Matte Black Stop Plugs w/ O-Ring
Link

Ultimate Compression Fittings
Link


Projected Build Image: http://i45.tinypic.com/jh6loh.jpg
 
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jackson1420

jackson1420

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May 10, 2010
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Seems more expensive than it should be..

I built an i7 machine with a GTX 680 4GB and all the same stuff for about $1550

I don't have the order or the parts but with a $2600 budget it would be best to get Crossfire/SLI right off the bat.

Get the 256GB SSD :)
 
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formatedc

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Apr 13, 2013
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Thanks for the suggestions! Keep in mind there is about $500+ in water cooling parts tacked on here. Also, the Corsair 800D case is $274. I would love to run SLI..
 
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boulbox

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Apr 5, 2012
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If going for watercooling, don't bother get Corsair's high performance fans. The point of WC is to make it have not as much noise as some other cases while getting great temps.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/QwqI

For fans, i suggest Gentle Typhoons which are great for thick rads and pretty nice on the noise, also i recommend getting a thick rad instead of that thin rad.

For case, if you are really going to spend over $200, you might as well pay for a premium product like Caselab's cases
http://www.caselabs-store.com/merlin-sm5-case/

way better choice for watercooling and mod friendly as you can buy extras fairly easy.

 
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formatedc

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Apr 13, 2013
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I think you're absolutely correct in changing to Scythe GTs.

What rad do you recommend?

Case wise, the 800D is one of the last stops before moving over to exotic cases (i.e. CaseLabs). I will definitely consider this, as these cases are future proof.
 
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formatedc

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Apr 13, 2013
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Absolutely.. I might spring for another 680 FTW+. I would need to put another rad in though...
 
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manofchalk

manofchalk

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May 11, 2012
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The rig itself is fine, only thing I would change is the RAM. RAM is expensive enough without paying nearly double what you have too for flashy ones. Have a look at Corsair Vengeance LP, they come in black so it could even be indistinguishable from the mobo if you set up lighting right.

Water-cooling looks all fine, all I would do is add another 240mm to get yourself some thermal headroom, which allows you to turn your fans very low and still have the same performance. Theres always the option of modding the case (the 800D can fit a quad rad if you do) or external mounting.
I agree with Boulbox that you want GT's instead of the Corsair fans, especially if your going with a thicker radiator.
Any plans on how to drain the loop? Theres a pretty nifty trick you can do with the 800D in regards to that.
If you get two cards, may want to consider getting another pump as well. Also running the cards in parallel with each other would be a good move.
 
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boulbox

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Apr 5, 2012
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For rads, i like blackice, they have been great for many builds.
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/5327/ex-rad-110/Black_Ice_GTX_Xtreme_480_Radiator_-_Black.html?tl=g30c95s570

Alphacool is also an Awesome choice as it gives you some flexible features
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/16237/ex-rad-412/Alphacool_NexXxoS_Monsta_Quad_120mm_Radiator_-_80mm_Thick.html?tl=c95s570b42#blank

of course both of these come with a 360 alternative

Also don't forget to draw a map for your build, it really helps.
 
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formatedc

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Apr 13, 2013
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Hey manofchalk, thanks for the reply.

I checked out the Vengeance LPs. Link (Newegg Comparison with Dominator Platinum)
You're right in that they are pretty much exactly the same RAM minus $70 :)

I've seen some tutorials on fitting a quad rad in the lower zone of the 800D, behind the PSU. Is that what you're referring too?

As for draining the loop; my pump would be at the lowest point. After the pump, the water would hit my GPU block first. So I thought about putting a Y-fitting on the tube after the OUT on the pump and the GPU block. This would then split off to a tube with a compression fitting and stop plug on the end.

This is the Y-fitting I would use. Link (Frozen CPU)
What is your trick?

What rad would you recommend?

I would surely run the gpu cards in parallel, good call.


 
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manofchalk

manofchalk

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May 11, 2012
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If you mod the case you can fit a quad at the top, you have to sacrifice a 5.25" bay though.

If you have the pump in the basement of the case it kind of makes what I was thinking redundant. Your solution should be fine

I personally use XSPC rads, though thats probably just because its what came with my kit and I just continued to use them. The EX series in particular is quite good, and matches the RX series (thicker rad) for performance using medium speed fans.
 
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formatedc

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Apr 13, 2013
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I am also drawn to Hardware Labs (Black Ice) rads. But I will check out XSPC at manofchalk's recommendation.

Here is the water cooling map (minus drain tube / SLI):
35lb6ua.jpg


This was setup with the intention of using the Black Ice X-Flow. This radiator has 1 port at each end of the radiator.

 
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manofchalk

manofchalk

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May 11, 2012
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Gotta love Crossflow/Xflow rads, they make tubing runs look so much neater. Use an EX360 Crossflow myself.
One thing you'v got to be aware of is that they are longer than typical radiators since they have tanks at both ends. So one of the ports might be inside your 5.25" bays, so you'l have to clear a path for it. For me in the HAF-X, I had to cut away some of the plastic that makes up my fan controller to do the tubing run.
1b59ee06-a73d-4bf2-b57c-99fc685c0516_zps9bde6cd2.jpg

Given that the 800D is a lot larger, you could probably just get away with an angled fitting.

Also, the Quiet edition fans are better for radiator usage than the High Performance ones believe it or not. Static Pressure is more important than CFM when it comes to radiators and heatsinks.
 
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formatedc

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Apr 13, 2013
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Awesome. Thanks for the info on the additional length on crossflow rads, this makes sense.

So going with a thick rad with lower cfm but high static pressure is usually the best?

 
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boulbox

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Yes, because the point of the build is trying to not have it loud(unless you like it loud) while performing well.

Don't forget about fan filters too. It can get a bit dusty sometimes.
 
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manofchalk

manofchalk

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May 11, 2012
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Thicker radiators are better since they offer up more surface area to dissipate heat from, however you really need higher static pressure fans to take advantage of that. This ends up costing a bit more, because pressure optimized fans can end up being $20 each and thicker rads are just more expensive outright.
Slim radiators don't benefit so much from higher pressure fans, so you can get away with cheap ones (like I have done, still decent enough fans the XSPC Xinrullians though).

The truly ideal setup would be a thick radiator, very good pressure optimized fans in push/pull with shrouds on both sides. But thats quite large, only those making custom rad-boxes could really use that.

EDIT: And I have completely forgotten something.
If its your first time water-cooling, I suggest reading through the water-cooling sticky if you haven't already. You seem to be pretty knowledgeable already, but it wont hurt to have a read.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/277130-29-read-first-watercooling-sticky
 
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