Water-cooled desktop 1000$ or up

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rotmaster

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Hello, I am looking forward to build a water-cooled desktop. I already have a mouse and a sweet monitor. My budget is around 1000$ but I can go over if needed. I'm from Canada.
I need the desktop for gaming purposes, I will also code a lot with it, and I need it for graphic programs like Photoshop and such. I want an Intel processor and a GTX 970 and up, or a SLI, or whatever you guys suggest. I want a case that is fun to customize and upgrade and that is made for it. The case I had before was not well built and it was so hard to move pieces around and sucked for cable management. I don't want this anymore, I'm willing to invest a lot more for a top-quality case that I will be able to keep for years.
I want a SSD in it, and about 2To of storage, I already have a 4Tb external hard drive. My desktop will be wireless for now, there is no possibility for ethernet cable yet, so I will need a good wifi adapter.
If I missed or forgot anything please let me know, or if there is a similar thread with what I need tell me.
I want as much ideas and advices as possible.
 
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Chayan4400
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Illumynization

Illumynization

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Not sure if this is possible with lots of upgradability. Prices seems to be much higher in CA.

I gave it a shot but went way over. Maybe someone can edit this.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($298.39 @ Vuugo)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool CAPTAIN 240 91.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($90.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($149.39 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($104.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($99.98 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($113.50 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB FTW ACX 2.0 Video Card ($389.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($127.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ Memory Express)
Total: $1485.19
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-28 10:01 EDT-0400
 
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Chayan4400

Chayan4400

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-C ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($56.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital WD Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($76.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($296.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($88.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($37.24 @ Amazon)
Total: $1161.06
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-28 09:28 EDT-0400

Superb build, but a bit over your budget. Why are you so intent on watercooling? You can get an air cooler that performs just as well for less, allowing you to get a better PSU (Not that the one I suggested is bad, it is made by Super Flower, one of the best in the business.).

EDIT: Did you mean CA $1000? In that case disregard the build above, it costs about CA $1500. I'll post a new one as soon a possible. I can tell you though that for this budget you will be losing out on a lot if you plan to watercool. You may also not be able to have both a K series CPU and a GTX 970.

EDIT 2: Yes, I'm afraid that for your budget watercooling or even an unlocked CPU isn't possible if sticking with the 970:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($227.39 @ Vuugo)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.39 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: Asus H97M-E Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($121.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($70.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.89 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($86.39 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB FTW ACX 2.0 Video Card ($389.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($82.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ NCIX)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($44.98 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $1210.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-28 11:09 EDT-0400

Indeed, to come close to CA $1000 you'd only be able to get a GTX 960:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($227.39 @ Vuugo)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.39 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: Asus H97M-E Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($121.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($70.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.89 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($86.39 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card ($231.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($82.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ NCIX)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($44.98 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $1052.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-28 11:11 EDT-0400
 
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rotmaster

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Hello, yes I meant Canadian dollars. And I plan on water cooling because I had a big gaming rig once and it was so hot the temperature in my room was unbearable, it reached 30 degrees (celsius) at times and that honestly sucked. And I can go over 1000$ finally, I'm ready to spend more if it is really worth it. Thank you for the build suggestions.
Is it possible to have a rig that is not water cooled and that doesn't heat so much?
 
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Illumynization

Illumynization

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Editing from above post last build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($247.39 @ Vuugo)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.39 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($82.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($56.95 @ NCIX)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.89 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($86.39 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card ($231.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($82.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ NCIX)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($39.99 @ Canada Computers)
Total: $1014.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-28 20:59 EDT-0400

Changed to a Standard ATX Z97 motherboard just incase in the future you wanted to get an unlocked cpu and watercool it for overclocking. Made a few other minor adjustments here and there.

With a big window in that case I would hate to see a small micro ATX board.
 
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Chayan4400

Chayan4400

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What is the absolute maximum you can go? I'd say $1250 is a reasonable price. How long ago did you have that computer? Modern gaming systems are much more efficient than their predecessors, so it is very possible to build an air cooled rig that is efficient. Will you be overclocking in the future? Do you need windows to be included in the build?

And finally: why do you think that a watercooled set up will make your ambient temperature lower? In the end, even the heat from the radiator, and from the tubes leading to the CPU block will be lost to the surroundings, and while it may take a little longer to heat up, the end result will be the same after about an hour or so. People choose to watercool not because they want to stop the room from heating up, but because they want computers with less noisy fans, and lower CPU temperatures.

Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($82.99 @ NCIX)
Click to expand...

While a good motherboard for the price, the ASRock Z97 Anniversary motherboard was created specifically as a cheap motherboard for overclocking the Intel Pentium G3258 Anniversary Edition (Hence the 'Anniversary' name.), and isn't really suited to overclocking a core i5, as it is essentially a budget board for people looking for decent performance as cheaply as possible. The ASRock PRO4 would be a better choice.
 
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rotmaster

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Thank you guys for all the replies, I don't get the big window in the case with a small board?
And I had an Asrock motherboard in the past and it wasn't good, I had many problems with connecting it to the case, and many usb ports didn't work well, when I would plug a usb stick it would shutdown the computer, so I guess I will go with an Asus motherboard this time just to be sure...

And the maximum I can go is 1250$, it is a pretty reasonable price indeed.

The rig I had was about 2-3 years ago, and it was so loud, there was clicking in the case, the fans made so much noise, it heated up my room a lot. I thought water-cooling it would be cooler and maybe quieter. Lower CPU temperatures would be great. Does water cooling applies to the GPU as well?
And well yea a water-cooled rig would look badass. But if I can get a kinda cool and quiet rig with fans I could go for it... I'm ready to spend a bit more for water-cooling though.
 
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capt_taco

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Unless you go all-out with water cooling, a decent air cooler will perform as well or better. The standard H75, H100i, etc., are no better than big air and just add complexity.

And if you went with high-end water cooling, you are now spending as much or more than the cost of the CPU itself (plus adding a huge pain in the neck), for a few percent performance gain over what you could do with air. It doesn't really pencil out.

Truth is, just spend the money you would've spent on cooling on the best CPU you can, and don't worry about overclocking. Any i5 or i7 on the market today is more than adequate to handle any game at stock. Overclock when the CPU is getting old and you want to squeeze some extra performance out of it to get an extra year or two from it.
 
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Illumynization

Illumynization

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Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($149.39 @ Newegg Canada)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($184.99 @ DirectCanada)

Both are great higher end motherboards that will support future upgrades.

Also what I meant by small board big window..
The S340 shows off internal hardware with the window and gives a clear shot of the motherboard. The mother board that he had selected was a micro ATX board, meaning a much smaller size than a standard ATX sized board. it would look almost empty with the interals of the case showing and a lot more of the excess wire showing without being hidden.
 
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rotmaster

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Okay that's nice guys, thank you for your output.
I have a friend selling a Maximus VII hero motherboard for sale at a low price because he just got the wrong one and couldn't return it. I was wondering if it was compatible with the intel processors mentionned in the build. Is there a way to know if they are compatible?
 
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Illumynization

Illumynization

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Yes the Maximus VII hero is an LGA 1150 socket motherboard compatible will 4th gen intel cpu's which were all listed here
 
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Chayan4400

Chayan4400

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($230.75 @ shopRBC)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.75 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: Asus H97-PLUS ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.75 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($74.39 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.99 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.94 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($399.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.75 @ Vuugo)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $1249.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-30 11:27 EDT-0400

This build will be VERY quiet (It's got one of the best, and quietest coolers on the market.). Substitute the motherboard for the Maximus VII Hero and you should be good to go!
 
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