New Build for Christmas 2013 (help needed)

Hi all,

I'm thinking on building a new PC this Christmas and would like to know your opinions.

The PC is to be for both gaming and working (I'm a software developer). Furthermore the PC is going to be water cooled and overclocked.

Here are my plans so far:
_______________________________________________
CORE

CPU: Intel Haswell Core i7-4770K
MOTHERBOARD: Asus Maximus VI Formula
GRAPHICS CARD: EVGA Nvidia GTX 780
STORAGE: Samsung 840 Series Pro 256GB
MEMORY: Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB 1866 (2x8)
PSU: Seasonic X-850 850 Watt
CASE: CORSAIR Obsidian 900D
MONITOR: Dell Ultrasharp U2312HM
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WATER COOLING PARTS

CPU WATERBLOCK: XSPC RayStorm CPU WaterBlock - INTEL
GPU WATERBLOCK: XSPC Razor GTX Titan / 780
PUMP: XSPC Laing D5 Vario Pump with 3 Pin Tacho Cable Single Edition
PUMP TOP: EK Water Blocks EK-D5 X-TOP CSQ - Acetal
RADIATOR: XSPC RX360 Triple Fan Radiator
RESERVOIR: XSPC Photon 270 Tube Reservoir
TUBING: XSPC High Flex White
QUICK DISCONNECTS: Koolance QDC (New) Push Connect, No-Spill
FANS Scythe 120 mm 1450 RPM Gentle Typhoon (to be used for push-pull setup on the radiator)
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I'm definitely a noobie and I welcome all input. My main doubts are:

1) Regarding the graphics card, should I go for a Superclocked or Classified version? Since I'm going to water cool the graphics card it isn't worth going
for any of those right? I guess I can overclock it myself...

2) Regarding the memory, maybe they cost too much for the performance they offer. Meaning I could get similar performance at lower cost or even better performance at the same cost. The thing is I'm also planning on getting the Dominator® Platinum Light Bar Upgrade Kit (2x) for the looks. However, if you really think that this memory choice is not adequate, please advise me on a better one.

3) Is this PSU adequate? Am I overshooting on the wattage? I chose this one because I believe they are quite good and silent, and thinking that in the future I might add more stuff to my build, another graphics card for instance.

4) I really liked the 900D case but I think someone once said that with great features comes a high price and I'm not sure if I'm willing to pay that much for a case. Should I just open my wallet or you think I'm just jumping the 900D hype train?

5) The monitor choice was a compromise between the gaming, work and cost. The hardcore gamers will probably throw stones at me for suggesting an IPS monitor but I think for my casual gaming it's more than fine. Or am I wrong? Should I go for a different monitor?

6) This is going to be my first water cooling setup. I've researched a lot but I still have lots of doubts. For instance I still don't get very well the ID OD stuff. Can all of the components I've listed be put together? I was planning on using the Koolance QDC at every entry point. For instance: a couple at the in and out of the CPU block, another couple at the in and out of the gpu block and so on. Am I doing it wrong? I understand this greatly increases the cost since it will be quite a lot of QDCs but I do like the flexibility they give me.

7) Which kind of QDCs should I use? They have QD2, QD3 and QD4 series...

8) Which ID OD should I use for the tubing?

9) Can you advise me on how the water system should be set up? From your experiences what is the best order for the loop?

10) Is there anything coming out from now to Christmas that I should take into consideration?

Although those are my main doubts please point out any inconsistencies/improvements that could be done.

Thank you all!

Just a couple of notes: the i7 probably won't net you any tangible gain over the i5. You might see slightly lower compile times, but nothing of great value. But given that this build doesn't appear to really be budget oriented, I'd probably go for the i7 as well.

That motherboard is probably overkill for the amount of OC you'll be doing with a typical water cooling setup. You could probably get something $100 cheaper and be just fine.

The PSU is more than adequate, overshooting is always better than undershooting.

I personally couldn't bring myself to spend that much on a case, ever. There are tons of good looking options with plenty of room and features for half the price. A nicely sized mid tower would probably be fine. (The White 500R is only $80 at newegg right now after rebate, a STEAL!)

The RAM is overkill as well. Unless you're primary goal is getting high benching numbers, you won't notice a difference in that RAM vs a cheaper set of the same speed.

@pcgamer4life

Thank you for your review. I'll definitely take into consideration when the time comes to pay.
The 500R might be fine but since I'm planning on water cooling I wanted to make sure everything would fit without having to play some tetris and that I would have some space left if I added another graphics card and for isntance a second loop instead of making a single loop.

I still have plenty doubts about the water cooling part. Can someone shine some light in the questions related to water cooling? For instance, I do understand what the words ID and OD stand for but I always get confused when choosing the tubing to match a QDC for instance. The OD of the tube has to match the OD of the QDC?

You don't have enough radiator. You need a minimum of 120x1 MORE.

The OD of the QDC? A QDC has a tube end you usually screw to the QDC. If it's a barb you need the OD of the barb to match the ID of the hose. If you're using compression fittings instead of barbs then you have to match the OD AND ID of the tube (hose) to match the compression fitting.

QD4 has more flow area, always get the big ones.

You don't want 4" long QDCs everywhere, you will have major tube routing problems. You really just need one, and that is for your drain.

Best order for the loop is res feeds the pump. The rest is up to you, no difference.

Please spend time in our STICKIES for info on tubing and other things. Take your time.

Ditch the watercooling. You'll only get 500 extra Mhz out of your $500 in watercooling parts and you could easily damage or destroy your equipment when you're brand new to watercooling with no experience.

Don't be this guy
Just get a Noctua NHD14. You can then fit your system into a much smaller and cuter case.

^Yep.

And 500MHz is the very max. I'd say more like 200MHz between a custom loop and a NH-D14.

My first 2600k was doing 4.8GHz on air, and 5GHz under water. Could not go higher due to vCore danger limit.

The 3770k in sig does 4.8GHz on air, and I would not push it above 4.9GHz under water (still vCore limit).

So 200MHe and 100MHz. Not much...

@Theocnoob, manu2b

I understand your opinions but I'm not going to ditch the water cooling. It's true I'm unexperienced but if I never start when will I be experienced?

So keeping in mind that I really want to go down the water cooling road, keep the opinions coming! Thank you both!

@Conumdrum

Great community we have in this forums, I see. Good for learning and personal growth.
Clearly nice support.. oh wait.

Well if you're going to be like that you might as well delete the thread.

Have a nice day!

Conumdrum said:

You don't have enuff rad

Your a silly puppy wanting to use all QDs.

You still have no clue.

Your in the wrong forum for watercooling.

You need to learn, your fully a noob and need to learn.

Your basic air cooled stuff is fine.

I ban you to the WC forum for at least a few weeks till you have a clue.

You don't yet have a WC clue.

Will that do for getting your attention?

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Get off your high horse and stop being so condescending. Your attitude is pretty much always awful to people that are new to the scene and haven't spent weeks researching, and this is a prime example of how people like you leave a bad taste in the mouths of newcomers, on behalf of the entire forum.

EduardoMSerrano said:

@Conumdrum

Great community we have in this forums, I see. Good for learning and personal growth.
Clearly nice support.. oh wait.

Well if you're going to be like that you might as well delete the thread.

Have a nice day!

Click to expand...

Don't listen to him, he's always like this. I can't personally make recommendations on your WC loop, but I say you should definitely go for it if that's something that interests you. Whether or not it's practical makes no difference.. it's obviously something you have the money to get started, so do it. That being said, you can learn a lot from folks like Conumdrum, even if their attitude leaves much to be desired. Spend some time in the WC forum reading the guides, and asking specific questions, and you'll probably get a better idea of where you want to take your loop. No amount of research is equivalent to getting your hands dirty and putting the build together. Whenever you feel comfortable enough to take the plunge, do it.

I hope that you won't let the attitudes of certain members give you a negative impression of this forum as a whole. There's a wealth of knowledge here, even if those with a large amount of the knowledge aren't always so welcoming.

@pcgamer4life

Hum, I'll take your word for it then. He might know everything about water cooling but that kinda of attitude is definitely unbecoming of someone with such knowledge.

I am a noob in water cooling, sure. But that doesn't mean I didn't do my research. I did read lots and even so there are things that pass me by, things I believe I'll only get a better understanding by experience.

Also, he pointed out that I don't need all those QDCs in a depreciative manner. I know I don't need them, that's not the point. Do they hurt my water cooling? If so how so? I guess they would diminish my flow rate but wouldn't it also be only in the 1-2 degress range? I would like to do something like . What's so silly about that?

EduardoMSerrano said:

@pcgamer4life

Hum, I'll take your word for it then. He might know everything about water cooling but that kinda of attitude is definitely unbecoming of someone with such knowledge.

I am a noob in water cooling, sure. But that doesn't mean I didn't do my research. I did read lots and even so there are things that pass me by, things I believe I'll only get a better understanding by experience.

Also, he pointed out that I don't need all those QDCs in a depreciative manner. I know I don't need them, that's not the point. Do they hurt my water cooling? If so how so? I guess they would diminish my flow rate but wouldn't it also be only in the 1-2 degress range? I would like to do something like

. What's so silly about that?

Click to expand...

He has that kind of attitude because he's written sticky after sticky, which you didn't read yet. Go into the watercooling section and read. You'll start to learn and understand.

When you understand, you can put together a proper loop and know how to maintain it.

@ATMINSIDE

That's still no excuse. If he believes he's wasting his time then don't reply. More, by your logic, you can close the forums and just point everyone to the sticky section. I'm posting in the general hardware section because that's were you advise to post for build opinions. Just because my build has water cooling I should go post it on the other forum?

I just asked for opinions on my build. For instance, I understand that using just that rad is probably not going to give me the best results but I know (from reading) that it is enough for a single cpu/gpu loop. If people who have personal experience with similar setups believe its truly detrimental and that I have substantial temp gains by using an extra 240 rad then speak up.

Anyways, unfortunately this thread is starting to derail...

EduardoMSerrano said:

@ATMINSIDE

That's still no excuse. If he believes he's wasting his time then don't reply. More, by your logic, you can close the forums and just point everyone to the sticky section. I'm posting in the general hardware section because that's were you advise to post for build opinions. Just because my build has water cooling I should go post it on the other forum?

I just asked for opinions on my build. For instance, I understand that using just that rad is probably not going to give me the best results but I know (from reading) that it is enough for a single cpu/gpu loop. If people who have personal experience with similar setups believe its truly detrimental and that I have substantial temp gains by using an extra 240 rad then speak up.

Anyways, unfortunately this thread is starting to derail...

Click to expand...

You'll probably be better off posting specific WC questions in a thread in
the WC section. General hardware is a great place to have people review your hardware, but things like WC setups are better suited to be in the WC forum. I think the problem with using a large number of QDCs is probably related the tube routing. I would think QDCs occupy a large chunk of tube routing real estate, which would make your loop not as tight, and probably require a larger case (of course if you go with the 900D I doubt that will be an issue).

It might be in your best interest to do a little bit more research about the amount of rad you'll need for your setup, and then come back and ask questions 6-10 in the WC forum, and just leave this thread for feedback on the hardware components of the build.

@EduardoMSerrano don't be discouraged by his sassiness, he was the same way towards me when I first joined the community. Just take his advice at face value and do some research, because watercooling can be a very daunting task to a nooby, so the more you learn the better off you will be. Just click http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=628092and use these links to begin your research, and good luck!

@pcgamer4life

Ok, that makes sense to me. I just tried to keep all in the same thread but I understand your point. I'll do so, thank you.

EduardoMSerrano said:

@ATMINSIDE

That's still no excuse. If he believes he's wasting his time then don't reply. More, by your logic, you can close the forums and just point everyone to the sticky section. I'm posting in the general hardware section because that's were you advise to post for build opinions. Just because my build has water cooling I should go post it on the other forum?

I just asked for opinions on my build. For instance, I understand that using just that rad is probably not going to give me the best results but I know (from reading) that it is enough for a single cpu/gpu loop. If people who have personal experience with similar setups believe its truly detrimental and that I have substantial temp gains by using an extra 240 rad then speak up.

Anyways, unfortunately this thread is starting to derail...

Click to expand...

His first post in here was actually VERY helpful, but you simply didn't reply to it.

With that radiator being such a low fpi, and knowing how much heat a 780 dumps, it won't be enough. You want at least 120x4, preferably 120x5 radiator slots.

I'd say that simply by reading in the link that Anarchy posted you'll answer 8 of your 10 questions.

@ATMINSIDE

Thank you, will do!

EduardoMSerrano said:

@ATMINSIDE

Thank you, will do!

Click to expand...

Eduardo,

The offensive post has been deleted, please accept the staff's apologies for that tastelessness of it.
I'll leave the quoted post visible so everyone can see the inappropriate comments directed at you.
I can assure you that is not the standard welcome offered to new members and the appropriate action has been taken.

RT

@RollingThunder

Ok, thank you for your words. I understand people sometimes aren't in a good mood. I didn't take it personally. I'm still open to his opinions, he could have said exactly the same thing without being so "harsh". Or better yet, answered my bullet questions. Anyways, I'll do like the above members have mentioned and leave this thread open for build advises and open one in water cooling for questions regarding that topic.