New rig component list - am I missing a trick?

[Mr.B @ DXB]

Mornign All,

first post here and woudl liek to get thoughts feedback on my planned summer build.
I am making a long overdue return to desktops having lived with a HP Pavilion Dv6 Laptop for the past few years.

With hardware changing so fast I want to build a gaming rig that will still be relevant in 2 years and will only require occasional component upgrades.

So, heres my component list

Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced - High Air Flow Full Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0 and All-Black Interior
1000W Power Supply
MSI X99A GodLike Gaming Carbon LGA 2011-v3 Intel X99 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard
MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Sea Hawk GDDR5X 8GB DirectX-12 *2 in SLI
Intel Core i7-6700K 8M Skylake Quad-Core 4.0 GHz LGA 1151 91W BX80662I76700K Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 530
Intel 750 Series 2.5" 1.2TB PCI-Express 3.0 x4 MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) SSDPE2MW012T4X1
Dominator® Platinum Series 128GB (8 x 16GB) DDR4 DRAM 2800MHz C14 Memory Kit (CMD128GX4M8B2800C14)
Microsoft Windows 10 Home - 64-bit - OEM
Corsair Hydro Series H115i Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler. 280mm CW-9060027-WW
COOLER MASTER MGZ-NDSG-N15M-R1 Master Gel Maker Nano, Born for Makers
ASUS EssenceSTXII Sound Card Model EssenceSTXII
WD RE 3 TB Enterprise Hard Drive: 3.5 Inch, 7200 RPM, SATA III, 64 MB Cache - WD3000FYYZ
ASUS DVD-Writer Black SATA Model DRW-24F1ST

Can anyone spot any potential conflict issues or make recommendations for improvements.

My budget for this build is about 10k USD so I have a bit of scope if there are better options (CPU?)
I have kept the mechanical drive reasonably small as I store important files and photos online so not concerned about RAID for these.

Big consideration for me though is that the unit will be in the living room, mainly used for gaining and streaming, so I'm looking for the best gaming performance in the quietest possible set up, I dont want the unit fans to drown out whatever I am watching/playing.

Thoughts?

 

[bob4933]

Lol, with that budget... you might be better off getting a full on custom build made for you.

For the budget, the haf 932 is pretty silly. There are vastly better cases, but they are a lot more expensive. But with 10k budget, thats easily in there.

"1000w power supply" is hilariously way over what you need. A 750w is PLENTY.

x99 is probably better for the longer term still, going with the 8 core 5960x.

intel ssd's are stupidly overpriced, but do provide a premium (albeit imperceptible) perfromance

128gb of ram? Again, thats just silly. 16gb is "too much".


The h115i is not even close to the best you can get, and is over priced compared to others.





Ill be acerbic here. You sound like those kids that come on and ask for a ridiculously over the top build, and then we give input, and its basically a giant troll fest the whole time and it never gets built. For "10,000$" to blow, you've chosen foolish parts, and your entire build just seems to be for "e-peen", not for performance, practicality or longevity. If Im wrong, so be it. Youre brand new, and we've all seen it dozens of times. My advice is real, but Im probably not gonna invest too much more time than that. You have a LOT of homework to do.

 

[Mr.B @ DXB]

Bob4933,

Thanks for your honesty, its been nearly 20 years since I last built a PC, and back then the biggest concern was parking the hard drive through Pascal, so I am really out of touch.

I had started out with the intention of getting a custom build, but want the satisfaction of being able to say "I built that".

I had debated between the Intel and the Samsung 850/950 SSD, the price difference is considerable but again was working on the assumption of long term investment, same for the 1000W power. but am open to any and all advice.

Appreciate what you are saying about having a lot of homework to do, I have only been investigating it for about a week or so, so am taking this as a good opportunity to get my *** kicked on my obvious mistakes.

I had chosen the Motherboard as my starting point and was working up from there, I suspect that even that will be OTT for my needs, but again, am keen to build something as a long term investment, but recognize that I have cobbled together what I am lead to believe (mainly by marketing) are the top spec components (exception being the case) which is not the best approach but I felt a good starting point for reference.

Any advice appreciated

Thanks.

 

[bob4933]

Fair enough, and thank you for taking my skepticism with a grain of salt.

My "advice" was sincere. With that budget, I would consider someone making it for you, and going full on custom. 10k is a LOT of computer, and there are things you may not be considering. For that level of build, you are foolish to NOT water cool it, but that also requires some maintenance as well. Thats where I would say get someone to help you out (roughing out your first build is gonna be tough, and thats a lot of money to "play around" with it. Your call, and I understand the DIY desires too)

There are some places to spend money (gpu) and some places to NOT spend money (ram). You sincerely do not, and will not, ever need 128gb of ram. 32 is even supremely overkill for any gaming/streaming tasks. I would go 32 "just because" of the budget, but more is literally wasting money. Some G skill ddr4-3000 with low timings would be where I would put the money.


Again, for the budget, you'd be foolish to not go x99. 6-10 core i7's would probably give you some fantastic longevity over the quad core z170 variants. Keep in mind, you chose an x99 motherboard with a z170 chip. You will have to wait a couple weeks for those to come out though.

If you're trying to stay more pragmatic, I would consider running a raid 0 sata SSD setup over a pcie rig. 1tb pcie cards are still ridiculously expensive, and running raid 0 is "fairly" safe (back up to a big drive). In "real world" performance, you really wont notice any differences though in raid or against a pcie ssd. "how fast is FAST" is what it comes down to. I added a blue drive for mass storage, and a red drive for a primary backup drive.

Pass on a soundcard. Use the optical out and get a REAL sound system going imo. Either a DAC with a nice set of cans, or get a decent stereo. Sound card is a needless expense nowadays.

And finally, Im assuming youre going for 4k. I would say youre probably going to enjoy 1440p/ips/120hz more than a 60hz 4k monitor for GAMING. Grab a second monitor for streaming tools ofc, but yeah, gaming on faster monitors is more enjoyable for most persons over a bit of extra dpi.


Heres my suggestion for a build. The GPU's are place holders, and the cpu will be around 700$

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/m8BRsJ

This brings the full cost to around 4500$. Then do full water cooling (300$ for GOOD gpu water blocks, 150 for a GOOD cpu waterblock, 300$ for some good radiators, and lets just say 500$ for extraneous crap [tubing, fittings, coolant, res, pump]) so that adds another 1250$

Total is around 6k, far less than 10k with room to add some serious sound equipment, extra monitors and mounts if you want surround stuff, a new desk/chair even, top notch peripherals. Definitely would get custom sleeved psu cables.


edit: FWIW, everyone here would LOVE to see a build of this caliber. Go ham, just seems pointless to spend money where it gives you literally no benefit is all (even if its just a "because I can" thing).

 

[Mr.B @ DXB]

Bob,

thanks for this, its exactly the type of advice I was looking for, ie separating the wise investment from the marketing sell.

The logical side of my brain says "just pay someone that knows what they are doing to do it right", the stubborn side of me is saying, "you can do this, just don't screw it up!".

The liquid cool is an absolute essential, ambient temperatures here are pretty high all year round, so without cooling it would probably have a life span of 6 months, so will do some serious research, I'm drawn to the MSI Sea Hawk, on the basis that someone far cleverer than me has already figured it out but will also look to see what other options are available.

Will go through the list you have attached and look at availability / shipping. Will likely buy the "advanced" components from US sites and the heavier / generic gear here.
For the sound card, I will probably come back to that later, I run a lot of music through my laptop, in particular want to be able to run my guitar and backing tracks on the new setup, so keen to get the best sound quality that I can (when the wife is out).

Again,

thanks for your advice, will post pics once its up and running which subject to shipping stuff should be end of July.

Cheers

 

[bob4933]

Well lucky you, I do that too lol.

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 is fine for 99% of the home users, and is the best on the market. Soundcard not required as its usb based. Has an audio output you can run into whatever stereo you want, or headphones even.

 

[EarthDog]

This brings the full cost to around 4500$. Then do full water cooling (300$ for GOOD gpu water blocks, 150 for a GOOD cpu waterblock, 300$ for some good radiators, and lets just say 500$ for extraneous crap [tubing, fittings, coolant, res, pump]) so that adds another 1250$

Sweet jebus that is a high estimate!!

Are there any CPU blocks that cost $150? Maybe that Heatkiller gold from a few years ago was $110? You can find a "good" CPU block for slightly more than half that.

Not sure how many radiators you are planning for the guy... but 2 480s (Alphacool Nexxos XT45 for example) would be $226. That setup can easily cool 2 250W GPUs overclocked and a 140W CPU overclocked. Heck, 2 360mm rads of the same would do it.

$500 for extraneous is high unless you are looking full compression fittings at every single location (which would be curious).

 

[JrClocker]

If money is no object, I would add in the Samsun 950 Pro M.2 SSD at 512 MB. It's blazing fast. You use it as your Windows boot drive.

Also, you need to add in another $100-ish for a Windows license.

Your original parts list had a LGA-1151 processor on a LGA-2011-v3 motherboard. Bob corrected this in his part picker.

I have a H110i GTX Corsair cooler - works great. Though I did replace the fans with quieter ones.

I don't see any fans in the part picker. You will be cooling more GPU heat than processor heat...so you will need plenty of intake fans. You also might want to check out the upcoming 1080 Hybrid cards. You will have to mount 2 smaller 120 mm radiators (for SLI), but these cool the cards much better than the air coolers. I like my 980Ti hybrid...I get to direct the "exhaust heat" where I want it.

 

[caddi daddi]

I would like to see his first parts list corrected to show a cpu that will actually work in that socket.

 

[bob4933]

My estimate was fine ED lol

CPU/Mobo mono block (not necessarily the exact one) - 190
http://www.performance-pcs.com/ek-fb-asus-r5e-monoblock-nickel-original-csq.html

GPU blocks - 250 (these are the only ones I saw anyway lol)
http://www.performance-pcs.com/ek-fc1080-gtx-nickel.html

Radiators (he claims to live in a hot environment, so I was thinking 2x 480 just for headroom) - 260$
http://www.performance-pcs.com/hard...r2-multiport-black-carbon-radiator-480mm.html


Pump 100
http://www.performance-pcs.com/alph...r-thread-including-eisdecke-d5-plexi-v-3.html

Res 70
http://www.performance-pcs.com/alphacool-eisbecher-lighttower-all-in-one-250mm-plexi.html

so those are the major parts, and we're at 870$. You also didn't think about FANS I dont believe.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...181027&cm_re=120mm_fan-_-35-181-027-_-Product

To run a push pull config (which he really should at this budget), he needs 16 fans. Theres 175$, which brings us to 1045$.

Now, add in the 14 fittings, tubing, coolant, whatever anti-contamination route he chooses, and yes, we're getting close to 1250$. So yeah, its a fair enough estimate for cooling.

- - - Updated - - -

I would like to see his first parts list corrected to show a cpu that will actually work in that socket.

already been addressed.

 

[EarthDog]

I'm sure you can make it work at that price as you did (motherboard block/double thick 480s/ $70 res, etc). Could be done for less with similar performance and headroom is all I am getting at.

 

[bob4933]

I'm sure you can make it work at that price as you did (motherboard block/double thick 480s/ $70 res, etc). Could be done for less with similar performance and headroom is all I am getting at.

I am taking the caliber of the build into consideration as well. I'm sure the 79$ xspc version works just fine... You know me, I'm all about cost effectiveness, but with (nearly anyway) flagship components, yoh probably are better off with top shelf components for your cooling as well. To be fair I recommended the 8 core i7 over the 10 core .

 

[EarthDog]

Haha, I hear you. I'm not trying to throw Honda Civic trim into a Lexus either...but there are plenty of places where money can be saved while still getting strikingly similar performance and using high quality parts appropriate for this kind of build.

* We never recommend motherboard blocks as they are useless (but pretty!) for the most part.
* No need for the more expensive and 'thick' radiator. Even with his higher ambient temps, 2 480's are PLENTY of rad and then some for 2 250W cards and 140W CPU with everything being overclocked. Hell, 2 360's are still fine really.
* There is no need for push/pull fans. None... not with all the radiator he would have (there isn't a 'should' about it when thinking strictly about performance), particularly in with 2 480 rads.

Clearly it is up to the OP. Your list is great, please do not misunderstand me... but there are ways to save a lot of money there and still get solid performance.

 

[Mr.B @ DXB]

This is it - Dont get scared now

Good Afternoon all,

thanks for all the advice.

spent the past few days reading, researching and learning.

This is the updated parts list which I would appreciate your feedback on before I hit confirm on Amazon (easier for shipping).

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Mr.B@dXB/saved/NcrzK8


Couple of things in particular I would appreciatte your thoughts on.

First off, the case. Although the Obsidian 900d looks like it will do a great job, its a bit of a monster. I like the look of the flexibility of the Thermaltake Core X9, in particular the sheer number of fans/radiators it seems to accommodate. It also gives flexibility if I want to double stack later to change layout or add additional cooling. Has anyone worked with this case before? what are your thoughts?

I have gone for the WD Red drives as reviews I have read mention that these tend to be a lot quieter than most. Again, Any thoughts?

For the RAM, Corsair Dominator Platinum 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory . For reasons I absolutely cannot explain I keep coming back to these over the GSkill Ripjaws. Again, Feel free to tear me a new one if I am about to screw this up.

Still waiting for the GPU cards to come out, not keen on the founders edition cards based on the reports that I have read about temperature issues.

Spent a lot of time debating about the i7 6850 - 10 core, but came to the conclusion that I am never going to get the full benefit out of it for gaming, streaming, music etc so binned off that idea and instead going for the Intel Core i7-6900K 3.2GHz 8-Core Processor. (thoughts?)

Am getting more confident about the liquid cooling concept. Thanks Bob for the Links. Think I am likely to build the PC first then add the cooling next month. am sure the concept is much simpler than the reality (given my various botched plumbing attempts around the house which ALWAYS result in calling in a professional).

I think I will probably need/want a double system, one for CPU & Mobo, a separate one for the GPUs (looking at the full GPU cooling case units). Again, your thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Once again, thanks for all your input. Parts are ready to ship in Amazon, mainly looking to you guys to tell me that I haven't screwed up.

 

[EarthDog]

I have the case...reviewed it for the front page. There is plenty of room for things, but you really need to be creative for wire management/aesthetics.

I didn't know they were any quieter, the WD Red's, they are made for a NAS setup. I am sure they can be used in other capacities though.

I don't think you are 'screwing anything up' going with the dominator plats, but you are paying through the nose for them when GSkill Trident's will do the same job cheaper: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=GSkill_Trident_Z-_-20-232-211-_-Product

CPU choice is fine.

I don't see a point for two systems. It just adds complexity and cost for no reason.

 

[Daleon]

This is going in your living room. What kind of tv are you connecting it to?
Using wireless kb\mouse?
Any kind of joysticks, gaming seats, steering wheels, etc?
What kind of games are you going to be playing?

Personally I'd re-adjust and focus the build on speed and performance for what you are going to use it for and put more into accessories. HTC Vive, Gaming Chair\Steering Wheel\Joy Stick cockpit, Projector, 65" 4K, etc.

An extra $60 on ram, who cares. Extra $75-100 on psu, who cares. $2K in cpu\ssd's, I'd care. Your not building a workstation, doing video editing, encoding, mining, etc. Do you really need tons and tons of storage or redundancy.

A 6800K, 950 Pro 512, and 4TB physical for under $1k really gets you to the top of where you want to be. Going higher end is really for hardcore benchers with serious OC's and cooling not gamers who just want stuff to work and perform smoothly.

Its your money though, god knows I spent way to much for my stuff that I really didn't need but impulse control not my strong suit just giving you some input from experience.

Diving right into building a open loop water cooled setup on your first time might be a little much. One leak could really ruin your day. There are pre-built systems with radiators and custom loops already installed available online and probably at local pc shops if your in or near a decent city as an option, otherwise just start with air and see how loud it is.

I would start simple and develop the system over next 6 months-year. Start with right case that gives you room to expand. Start with one 1080, if you need another its easy enough. If you need more storage, add more. That is the beauty of building your own system, it can grow with you to meet your needs. Buying something new for my system gives me great joy. I get sad when I go long periods with no decent upgrades. No reason to start at overkill when the journey to it is so much sweeter.

 

[Mr.B @ DXB]

So, I did it, thanks to everyone for their advice, I am pleased to introduce Merlin (wife's decision to name it):

In the end went for the following
MSI X99A Godlike Gaming Carbon Intel X99 (Socket 2011) DDR4 EATX Motherboard
i7-6900K 3.20GHz 8 Core (Broadwell-E) Socket LGA2011-V3
2 MSI GeForce GTX 1080 SEA HAWK EK X
Corsair Dominator Platinum 32GB 3200MHz Dual/Quad Channel Kit
2 EK-CoolStream XE 480 (Quad)
Nickel EK-Supremacy EVO X99
Nickel EK Water Blocks
NZXT Grid+ V2 Internal Digital 6 Fan Controller
Phanteks PWM Fan Hub
2 WD Black 4TB 7200rpm SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache HDD
2 Samsung 1TB SSD 850 PRO SATA 6Gbps 3D NAND
Corsair HX1000i 1000W '80 Plus Platinum Digital Modular Power Supply
MSI GAMING 2-Way LONG SLi Bridge with LED Dragon Logo
BitFenix Spectre PWM 120mm Fan Red LED - Black 12
XSPC D5 Photon 270 Reservoir/Pump Combo
LG Blu-ray / DVDRW combi SATA
all stuffed in to a thermaltake core x9 case and linked up to a Benq XR3501 144hz curved (realised once I had built everything that I had no monitor, got a 300 dollar discount on this one, great picture but no Gsync so will sell it if / when the Asus 4k 144Mhz comes out) which is then connected via bluetooth to the surround sound.


It was a pretty hairy experience, but I took my time over it, in all about 3 days.
Spent an entire afternoon trying to find a way to fit the reservoir without having to drill the case and about a day re-positioning drive cages and cables to try to get the look right.

I haven't got to OC settings yet (only finished it this week), but figure I have got plenty of time to get to that.
but so far it hasn't gone above above 45'C (so about the same temperature as it is outside at the moment), despite running a few games at max everything for a couple of hours

Thanks for the advice on the EK fittings, the motherboard and cpu, and everything else. I pretty much just went with your recommendations.
would probably have bottled it without your guidance.

Total cost came to around 26000 AED which is about 7000USD, so only a little more expensive than the ASUS GX700, but considerably cheaper to upgrade and maintain in the long run.
so Bob, you were pretty accurate.
Haven't done the cablemod yet, but I doubt it will be too long before I do. Daleon, I get what you mean now about continuously adding to it, I am already starting to think about hard tubing)


Once again, thanks for all of your advice and input. will post some picture soon (once I have condensed them to an allowable size)

 

[Haturee]

You're in the emirates? That's exciting, I'm also vacationing here at the moment! Beautiful place for sure!
Just a little too hot for my comfort

On the PC, I'd love to see pictures of this I have a bunch of parts waiting for me at home to put together
and these guys have given me tons of advice, similar to yours. Over all it just came down to: No I probably
didn't need a majority of the parts I put in it, but I had the extra money, so why not, right? I hope you enjoy
this build and I really do look forward to seeing pics!

 

[Tír na nÓg]

My 2 cents: I'd get 2x1080's from EVGA and step up when the 1080ti's are out

 

[Mr.B @ DXB]

Finally got around to resizing the pictures (in no specific order) if anyone is interested in seeing the final result