4k future proof gaming build

Try something like this, if you have any questions just say

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PzznD3
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PzznD3/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($365.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($104.20 @ Mac Mall)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 7 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($199.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card ($669.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Mid Tower Case ($148.20 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1843.23
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-22 10:25 EDT-0400

Here is what I would do for that kind of money - PSU is overkill but it will allow for an SLI 980TI setup:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($369.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z170A GAMING M5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card ($659.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Noctis 450 ATX Mid Tower Case ($136.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 P2 1000W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($196.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) ($92.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1937.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-22 11:02 EDT-0400

Isn't that PSU a bit overkill? and also, why not get watercooling when there's plenty of budget

I mentioned this exact thing in my post. I hate closed liquid loops which is why I don't recommend or use them. A strong dual tower air fan is not only safer, but get something like a Noctua D15 or a Cryorig R1 and it will perform the same or even better when overclocking. And you don't run the risk of a leaky pipe or busted radiator - on liquid cooling more things can go wrong than with air.

Sorry didn't see the part about the PSU.

But as an avid waterloop user I would defiantly recommend one due to their quit performance, better aesthetic, and if you get a decent one, better performance. Plus, the likelihood of a leaky pipe is very low as the quality control is plenty high enough.
But it's OP's decision so yes he could add the waterloop to yours or remove it from mine

I bought a Kraken X61 and the thing had a defective radiator, and caused system temp read errors left and right. I replaced it with a Noctua D14, been running smoothly ever since.

Fair enough, you just got unlucky

That's actually a pretty common problem with the Kraken after I found out. The thing is - the Kraken and the Corsair H-whatever series is all based on the same generic Asetek 240 and 280mm units. So there's really no difference among most of the mainstream closed loops. If you're going to do liquid right I'd do a full custom loop but that can get extremely costly.

Get the Cryorig R1 instead - it's pretty much the same as the D14 except that the towers are a lot slimmer and more easily manageable. You can see what one looks like installed in my Dark Knight rig.

Get an H100i GTX or whatever it's called, IMO it's very good looking, nicely made and they're very reliable, it's highly unlikely that it's gonna leak, and if it does, you have warranty that the CPU cooler company should stand by because their product wasn't made to standard. But leaking is hardly a problem and IMO, people who say watercoolers are untrusworthy and don't recommend them because they dont like them are naive. Watercooling is the way forward with computing and that's something that people need to realize.

Plus physics proves water moves heat away much better than the air coolers, so anyone who says "a good air cooler can out perform a 240mm waterloop" is just plain lying

Not everyone cares about overclocking, bling, or making their PC incredibly quiet though.

Where are you getting this information from? In reality it's quite the opposite. Any kind of liquid loop - whether its' closed or a full open loop - requires additional cooling for the RAM, GPUs, and anything else that requires additional cooling. No matter which way you set up your airflow in your case, you have to make sure that it moves air out, not recirculates. When you add a radiator with no additional cooling, you are exactly doing that - recirculating instead of moving air out. You are definitely misinformed when it comes to liquid cooling. Sure they look good - but in reality except for some really high end ones like the Swiftech H240x - are all the same generic Asetek 240 and 280mm radiators that are known to be problematic.

If the actual CPU were immersed in liquid vs air, you would be correct. Since there are a whole lot of other parts in the mix...that does not always apply.

Quality parts of one design often outperform mediocre parts of a theoretically 'better' design.
Physics is complicated.

A good quality liquid cooler, or custom setup, will probably outperform a good quality air cooler.
But an air cooler will never pee all over itself.

And then, we get the question....outperform by how much? 1C, 5C? Doing what? And for how much extra money?

What's really needed is good ventilation. If you get a case that has solid ventilation and plenty of fan mounts you're good to go. Like I said the key to setting up good air flow is that you want to have air moving from one end of the case and out the other. Allowing air to recirculate is a no no.

To get the air out the case you orientate the fans to blow out the case, simple as
Water transfers heat better than air, simple as, no ifs or buts, it's physics, and they both have the heat sink,
You have your opinion and I have mine, but the majority of people share my opinion and water cooling is defiantly the way forward

Majority?
Show us these numbers:
Of all the PC's in use around the world, how many are liquid cooled vs air cooled.
Of all the enthusiast PC's in use around the world, how many are liquid cooled vs air cooled.

Water is a logistical nightmare.

Unless you physically cannot fit a large enough air cooler (or weight issues happen), I'd go with air.

You still have to get the heat out of the water with radiators, and all those joints plus the pump are just extra things to fail.

This is just blatantly incorrect/ all speculation.

1. A liquid cooler warranty covers the liquid cooler. Not the components that are damaged if it leaks. So in the case of a leak, your warranty comment is moot.

2. It's been proven time and time again using decibel meters and other measuring devices, that in almost all cases, a liquid cooled system is louder due to the simple fact that more case cooling is required to extract the heat added inside the case from the radiator as well as the fact that with liquid cooling you no longer get residual cooling of other internal components that would normally occur due to the presence of the fans on the CPU cooler in an air cooled system. VRM components, northbridge, RAM, drives, all benefit from the movement of air caused by a traditional or aftermarket CPU air cooler.

The CPU may receive better direct cooling with a liquid cooler, but without water blocks on everything else, in a custom loop configuration, something is going to suffer. Very good, significant case cooling through the use of additional case fans can mitigate this, but again, at the expense of a louder system.

3. Plus, it's an unarguable fact that air moving through a radiator, a radiator that is directly against an external opening in the case, thus not dampening sound at all, makes far more noise due to the resistance of the radiator fins against the airflow, than the noise caused by a tower cooler's fan that is situated near the center of the case and somewhat sheltered from external openings. Radiator fans are more discernable than tower or stock cooler fans, pretty much period.

4. Liquid cooling, degree for degree, is more expensive than an air cooler. AND, in most cases the fans that come with them are not the highest quality nor do they have the greatest static pressure or bearing designs, so most people end up replacing the included fans which further increases the costs. Most air coolers over forty dollars already come with pretty good, to great, fans.

Aesthetics or extremely high overclocks, requiring custom loops, or very small, or oddball, case configurations that don't support large air coolers are the only reasons to use liquid cooling in my opinion. If noise levels are an issue for you I would certainly not recommend choosing water over air.

Also, if your liquid cooler fails for whatever reason. Pump dies, fan quits, whatever, you stand far more chance of catastrophic hardware failures from overheating than you do with a large air cooler. Most tower cooler heatsinks have the capability to dissipate enough heat even without a functional fan to allow for some minimal operation of the system without terrible damage. The small heatsink block on liquid coolers will do little if there is a failure.


Don't get me wrong, water cooling is great, but not for every system and there are specific instances where it should be applied, and those where it makes little sense. Water cooling enthusiasts will of course disagree with all of this, but enthusiasts almost always disagree with anything that doesn't comply with their enthusiasm for whatever the subject matter is.

One other thing I'd note: Water cooling is a misnomer. Almost nothing is directly water-cooled; maybe nuke plants by the sea or a river and similar installations. We're talking about air-cooled water cooling.

Unless you can get significantly more radiator volume due to the flexible piping, it won't perform better. I don't think there's a significant difference in the thermal resistance of heat pipes vs flowing water - I wouldn't be surprised if the heat-pipes conducted better. Phase change consumes/releases pretty ridiculous amounts of energy. But both are going to be pretty negligible.

Good point. Very good point actually.