New Build (inc. Watercooling) Advice needed

[Baldwonder]

Approximate Purchase Date: 2 weeks maxium
Budget Range: £850 approx.

System Usage: Gaming, Video Editing, Various Design/Development Applications (photoshop etc.)
Monitor: Already Purchased - 2x 1920x1080 Monitors

OS:Windows 7 Professional 64bit (Already Own)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Ebuyer.com Overlclockers.co.uk - These are preferred but I am fairly flexible.

Location: Oxford, UK

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU, relatively flexible with other parts.

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Additional Comments: I am looking to upgrade my current rig, was planning on investing in just an SSD but decided that it was time for a complete overhaul of the system. Iv included a list of parts I'm looking to purchase, mixed in with a few parts I intend on keeping from the current machine if possible. Iv always had great advice and help from the users of this site so was hoping for some people to look it over an make some suggestions for improvements or things iv over looked. I am also planning on water cooling the CPU, then possibly expand the loop in the future.

If I've missed anything out ill update as soon as possible.

Thanks in advance all,

Mobo:[£149.99] ASRock Z77 Extreme6 Intel Z77
CPU:[£256.18] Intel Core i7 3770K 3.5GHz
RAM:[£77.99]Corsair 8GB DDR3 1600Mhz
Case:[£149.99]CM Storm Stryker - Kinda made up my mind on case, open to suggestions. Likely wont change my mind however unless there is a serious issue with my choice.
PSU:[£0] Coolermaster Silent Pro 700W - Already Have
GPU:[£0] Asus 1.28GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448-cores - Already Own
SSD:[£71.99] OCZ 120GB Agility 3 SSD
Cooling Kit:[£178.99]XSPC Raystorm 750 RX240 WaterCooling Kit - I am new to water cooling, have looked into it a fair bit but any suggestions would be appreciated.
HDD:[£0] 2x 1.5TB Samsung F3 EcoGreen. - Already Own.

 

[TheBigTroll]

the case is pretty big for your usage.

personally, id stick with air cooling since it is cheaper and does the same job just as quietly. id get the noctua nh-d14 cpu cooler

gskill ripjaws x is a better option. its low profile so that you can fit it under a heatsink like the noctua

id get the gigabyte z77x-ud5h or the asus p8z77-v pro motherboards instead. gigabyte has more hardware features and asus has more software features

i can get a samsung 830 128gb at scan for 76 pounds and it will lay poop on the agility 3.



i would have upgraded the GPU to a gtx670 if you are running 2 monitors. a 670 beats a 560ti 448 SLI. not to mention they are less poer hungry.

 

[azeem40]

It doesn't do the same job. The D14 is not going to be quieter or cooler than the Raystorm kit.

 

[TheBigTroll]

it probably wont cool as well but it is half the price

 

[Baldwonder]

For some reason my post didn't display, probably just me miss clicking. So I apologise for the delay.

I will definitely look into both the RAM and the SSD that you have suggested, I am keen to keep the noise level of the system as low as possible, hence why I was opting for a water cooling option, however I will check out the Noctua option you have suggested.

Will having a case that is oversized for my usage negatively effect the airflow or temperatures inside the case? if so i have also been keeping an eye on the HAF-XM mid tower as a possible alternative. Any thoughts on that case?

The Video card is not something I have purchased specially for this build but a card that have from my last system. Would you recommend that I upgrade this also or will it be sufficient at least for now?

 

[TheBigTroll]

if you are looking for silence, id get the fractal define r3/r4 (when it comes out). another silent case would be the corsair 550D

a great video cards would be the gtx670 from asus but the 560ti 448core should last you until the 700 series

 

[Baldwonder]

Any idea when the fractal is due to be released? Hadn't come across that, just had a look and the white r4 does look pretty tasty. I have to wait until after work to do some research into it though. (And its cheaper always a plus!)

Thank you for your quick response also!

 

[TheBigTroll]

the r3 is usually avalable though. the main difference is that the r4 has a bit more cabling space in the back and it has removable drive cages

 

[TheBigTroll]

its already released. just that the boat from sweden needs to come to your country which takes a couple of weeks to a month

 

[Baldwonder]

Ah OK, well I think that is most definitely an option then!

The gigabyte board looks pretty good too, again going to have to wait until later to properly look into it.

 

[Baldwonder]

I have been doing a fair bit of reading this evening, the samsung SSD is definitely going on my shopping list. The same goes for the Gskill RAM.

The Cases do seem to be a great bet at keeping things quiet but I am a little worried when reviewers keep saying that because its a lot more closed off its running hotter than other cases. Have you had any experience with the fractal cases or the corsair one for that matter?

 

[TheBigTroll]

i have the corsair 550D (silent case) and it is pretty quiet but i do have to sacrifice 3-5c. on the fractal, its slightly louder (1-2dba) but it is like any other case in temps

fractal case fans are so quiet that if you use a h60 cooler (dont use it. i saw one on demo), you can only hear the radiator pump in the h60

 

[Baldwonder]

Instead of full on water cooling what are your thoughts on the H100? for cpu cooling worth it or better of with a high end heatsink?

That's interesting about the fractal case fans though, seems like you can pick them up for 7.50 a piece which isn't too bad if they are dead quiet.

 

[Baldwonder]

My HDD on my current rig has just died too so ill need to get one of those aswell now - just my luck!

Also 15DBa on those fractal fans is incredible.

 

[TheBigTroll]

they dont really move much air though but they are dead quiet.

for the h100, you have to get aftermarket fans. the stock ones perform well but are hair dryers. by the time you get aftermarket fans, its probably better off with a noctua since it is cheaper to start off with

if you do think that a h100 is good for you, you can get the corsair sp120 quiet edition fans. their aftermarket fans are actually good

the fractal define r3/r4 do not support rads though. and putting one on the 550D kinda messes its looks up

 

[Baldwonder]

Yea I saw the "TimeToLiveCustoms" review of both cases a few minutes ago, noticed they don't really natively support water cooling.

Not really fussed with the h100 to be honest, I think if I went the water cooling route id want a custom loop so i could expand later on. Jut thought id enquire as I don't know anyone personally running one.

Its so damn tough making a case choice, too many options! Too many variables!

Oh and thank you for the advice on the Mobo, think ill grab myself the Gigabyte one. Iv had good experience with Gigabyte in the past, just a shame they make half the board bright blue! (sure I can live with it, at least the main board is not blue as well like my last board.)

 

[jacknhut]

If you want to go full custom watercooling, get the nzxt switch 810 case. It's currently the best case that are designed for watercooling for a low price. It can house up to 2 big radiators (420 mm and 280 mm) without any modification.
For watercooling, get the xspc raystorm 360 instead because its only a little bit more expensive than the 240 mm version but can cool both CPU and GPU later on.

Check the watercool subforum for build log if you decide to go this route. I have just finished a full custom watercool build log posted in there with nzxt switch 810 case and xspc raystorm kit. I have 2 radiators though since I watercool both CPU and 2 gpu.

For memory, I would recommend the Samsung 8 gb kit low profile 30 mm. This kit can run up to 2133 mhz at cas 9 10 10 24 1t @1.45v stable for less than 50 bucks. Google Samsung 30 mm ddr3 and you will see how good this memory is.

 

[TheBigTroll]

samsung memory is beast for memory overclocks. its up to you to do the overclocking though. at stock, its pretty slow since it is cas11 but it can easily be fixed to cas7 if you really want it to. i value lower cas over clockspeed but as long as cas is under 9, its fine

heres the link to the samsung modules

http://www.cclonline.com/product/84734/MV-3V4G3D/US/Desktop-Memory/Samsung-Green-8GB-2x4GB-DDR3-PC3-12800C11-1600MHz-30nm-Dual-Channel-Kit/RAM0612/?siteID=8BacdVP0GFs-Cfo0x_3z_ciy.fXf.T4TyQ

 

[Baldwonder]

I don't mind having to put a little effort in if I will see the benefits, so ill definitely have a look into the Samsung ram also.

I have just seen the white switch 810 and that's well and truly a case worth looking at in more detail, its got the right kind of aesthetic for me so ill have a look at a few reviews and see what i think after that.

Does it look plasticy in real life like some of the other nzxt cases( ie. phantom)? Doesn't seem to have that gloss finish in the few pictures I saw which is good, but have not seen to many this morning to make a proper judgement.

 

[TheBigTroll]

the switch 810 white is pretty glossy. the others are more of a matte finish. saw some at the local store. my favourite is the gunmental version

 

[Baldwonder]

Yea I saw that one too, looked pretty nice I must say. Don't know why but I seem to have a thing for white cases atm. It wont match anything in my office or my monitors so I have no idea why :s I may have to broaden my search to non white cases in order to get the right thing. ill check out the gun metal one if its more of a matte finish.

They are full tower cases though right? or is there a mid tower version?

 

[TheBigTroll]

no there isnt a mid tower version