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[Knufire]

More case fans doesn't really help with cooling, especially in a well designed case like the Phantom. Really no case needs more than 1-2 intakes and 1-2 exhausts.

The Hyper212 isn't exactly a giant heatsink...it's very midrange. Haswell runs really hot and you'd want a more powerful cooler if you want to OC to 4.3GHz+. I'm talking a $80-90 cooling solution.

 

[Mod-R]

This is a solid build Knufire found out for you! You could always opt for a GTX 770 instead of the Radeon, and buy any of the 2x4GB kits around 50$-60$ on newegg.

Like this : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127741 399.99$
And this, same RAM you were getting for free : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820313345 52.99$

Would run you about 1100$ instead of 1054$. Just saying because you started with Nvidia GPU in mind. Think the HD 7970 and the GTX 770 are pretty much on par as it is. Others would like the 3GB/384 Bits of the 7970 if they would like to run dual screen sometime in the future... Personnally, I listened to Knufire when the time came to upgrade my GPU...

 

[Mod-R]

Coolers fitting for OCing Haswell a little higher, to give you an idea... both of them must be 3x the size of the Cooler Master... :

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835709004

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018

Or any water loop with 240+ rad, but more expensive.

 

[Knufire]

You can get the same combo with the ASUS 770 with the DCII cooler. Both are good options, 7970 is a bit less powerful and like ~$40 cheaper after rebate, but has an extra GB of vRAM.

H80i is also like $73 on the Egg right now, pretty good deal. About the same performance-wise as the two heatsinks Mod-R posted. The WC loops are a bit less reliable than air heatsinks though.

 

[Mod-R]

Even nicer... Like the DCII...

 

[Outy08]

First off thanks for the constructive responses!

Mod-R, forgive me but I'm not seeing how the ram will be picked up for free. I'm always down for a better GPU, however the GTX 770 and the HD 7970 are both like $150 more than the GTX 760 I had linked. I feel like that would put me over the $1150 range.

Knufire, I'll definitely swap out for one of those bigger heatsinks! Water cooling had crossed my mind, however, I'm not a fan of water coolers as I have had 2 break on me in the past. Their pumps are poor quality and the heatsink fan will last much longer. I don't believe the water cooler systems you linked had the LGA 1150 socket either.

 

[Knufire]

LGA 1150/1155/1156 are all the same in terms of heatsink mounting. I would agree that the AIO loops are not the most reliable and a high end air heatsink instead would not be a bad idea. I would go with the Phanteks model that Mod-R posted.

Maybe you missed the picture I posted...it had a build configured for $1050 with a 256GB SSD and a 7970 but no CPU cooler. If the budget is $1150, you can definitely fit the better GPU and an aftermarket cooler.

 

[Outy08]

Okay I'll Check it out, thanks for putting that together. The overall budget I'd like to be around is $1050.

 

[Knufire]

Gotcha. Between improved GPU, bigger SSD, or aftermarket cooling, you get 2 of the three. Dropping from a 7970 to a 760 or dropping the SSD to a 128GB model or dropping the cooler will all keep you in budget. Personally, I'd ditch the CPU cooler, the CPU is so fast already you probably won't notice the difference in the present moment between stock and overclocked.

 

[Mod-R]

First off thanks for the constructive responses!

Mod-R, forgive me but I'm not seeing how the ram will be picked up for free. I'm always down for a better GPU, however the GTX 770 and the HD 7970 are both like $150 more than the GTX 760 I had linked. I feel like that would put me over the $1150 range.

Knufire, I'll definitely swap out for one of those bigger heatsinks! Water cooling had crossed my mind, however, I'm not a fan of water coolers as I have had 2 break on me in the past. Their pumps are poor quality and the heatsink fan will last much longer. I don't believe the water cooler systems you linked had the LGA 1150 socket either.

Starting with the build Knufire suggested you, which was 1054$, substract the more or less 20$ you save on the GPU I posted (399.99 vs 418$), then add 52.99 for the RAM, and you're pretty much at 1100$, cooler missing. You could easily wait a couple of months for the cooler, new offerings will surely come along... Or Knufire found the 770 Asus DCII, this comes with a much better rad, and free RAM, but is about 40-50$ more than the MSI 770 I linked. So in this case, too, you'd be at around 1100$. I would cash the 50 more for that build anytime. But you could easily drop to a 128GB SSD, save about 70$-100$, then invest in a cooler too, and still come around 1100$. I got the Noctua NH-D14 at discount price 67.99$ on newegg.ca, usually newegg.com will even have a better price yet when at discount. If you manage to save 100$ on the SSD, then you can wait for a similar deal on a cooler, and go with either the MSI or Asus 760, and still be around 1120$. So we're talking 50-70$ more than your budget, and you can easily wait for the cooler which, in the end, is pretty much what gets you over your budget, and unnecessary to start having fun with your new computer.

Oh and BTW, this 50-70$ more for a GTX 770 against the 760, and a much better cooler than the CM, is DEFINATELY worth it! Even if it means you must take a smaller SSD, or wait for the cooler for when you'll get more funds. Sometimes it's best to start "incomplete" but with better stuff... usually in a couple of months max you'll have budget and the itch to make your build even better, and you'll have the necessary perspective to really know what you want and what you need.

 

[Mod-R]

Something like this seems nice. Just couldn't find the free RAM/combo with the 770 DCII Knufire was talking about. If it's still there and he can link it, it may save you some money on this. The cooler needs a 140mm mounting point, but if that's a problem you can get the same combo with the H60 (like 30$ less) or with the H100 (like 30$ more)...

 

[Theocnoob]

Something like this seems nice. Just couldn't find the free RAM/combo with the 770 DCII Knufire was talking about. If it's still there and he can link it, it may save you some money on this. The cooler needs a 140mm mounting point, but if that's a problem you can get the same combo with the H60 (like 30$ less) or with the H100 (like 30$ more)...

Somebody didn't read the thread. He said he doesn't like AIO water coolers because the pumps are cheap.

 

[Knufire]

I think you misread my post, I meant you can get the same combo ($15 off with the same set of RAM) with the Asus GTX770 DCII.

 

[Mod-R]

Somebody didn't read the thread. He said he doesn't like AIO water coolers because the pumps are cheap.

Yep, read that, the main goal was to show the same system Knufire had done, but rebuilded with the 770 and a cooler, with 120GB SSD, for 1100$ to illustrate the possibility. There were no option with an air cooler - not one up to the task like the H90 would be. A good deal on a Noctua or Phanteks WERE my first suggestions, and to wait for it like Knufire suggested. You're right though, I should have mentionned that... I just switched from the H100i to the Noctua for that reason.

 

[Outy08]

Mod, will that fan that comes with the processor be sufficient without overclocking until I can scoop a new one?

 

[Conumdrum]

It's not a fan. It's an AIO (All In One) Intel watercooling unit, better than the stock heatsink (it comes with a fan). Not great, but at that price combo deal get it.

It will work.

Please use Google to learn about the item in the parts list if you don't know what it is.

It's your stuff, learn, become informed.

 

[Mod-R]

He meant the stock cooler, Conumdrum.

Yes the stock cooler will be sufficient, Knufire had told you that much, that's why he didn't include one aftermarket in his build. Even if you do a light OC it will do ok. If you want to keep on the safe side, just don't go up enough so that it needs more voltage, and you'll be fine. That probably means around 4, 4.1GHz. At least it will help you get in touch with your BIOS, and get the general feel of your system.

I may have found a deal similar to what I had on the Noctua... It's supposed to be a better cooler even than the Noctua or the Phanteks, perhaps one of the best air cooler. Probably Knufire will enlighten us on this. But here it is, the Be Quiet Dark Rock Pro 2 is at 69.99$ on NCIX.com, it's supposed to be worth about 89.99-99.99$ usually.

http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=80361&vpn=BK017&manufacture=be quiet!&promoid=1213

 

[Outy08]

Alright awesome I'll pick it up while its cheap! I look forward to hearing more.

Conumdrum I'm not sure what's up dude but there's no need to troll. I'm here trying to make the best build I can with the help of people more knowledgeable than myself. I've learned a lot from mod and knufire thus far as they have had productive things to say. If I knew everything about anything computers I wouldn't be here asking these questions my friend.

 

[Mod-R]

This happens with Conumdrum, really he's a helpful guy, he's just not very patient with helpless people, and sometimes he misreads (we all make that mistake), as it was prolly the case here, and mistakes honest new builders for helpless noobs.

I hope Knufire will have some input about that cooler... meanwhile, you can always take a look at this :
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6830/...ers-from-noctua-silverstone-and-cooler-master.

Roundup of 6 coolers, but the final breakdown has graphs with cooling performance from pretty much all the best coolers out there, air or AIO. Some are missing, like the Phanteks, which is probably able to beat the Dark Pro as of cooling, perhaps not much so as of noise. Points of interest for you are mainly pages five (Silent Cooling Performance...) and seven (Conclusions Part 2).

This review also features the CM 212 Evo. There you'll see that it also performs quite fine for the price, and you may even ask yourself why we suggested to invest the double for a better alternative. Well you have to remember this is a performance community, when someone says "I want a mild overclock", people here understand "In two months I will be dead trying to push it to 5GHz"... And they're probably right. Hence, if you are SURE that you do not want to go any higher that 4.2-4.5GHz, not EVER, then the CM Evo is a great cooler for a bargain price. But as it is, be advised that you may even have a hard time reaching 4.3GHz with it. CPUs are a lottery, and IVB and Haswell are hard on temps, and the Evo struggles to dissipate heat past a certain level...

Edit : To compare with the Phanteks, check out :
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cooling/2012/08/28/phanteks-ph-tc14pe-review/2

This last bit is interesting, as it shows that the Dark Pro is on par with the Phanteks on LGA 1155, but loose some of its edge on socket 2011, bettered there by the Phanteks by 2 degrees. This shows that at higher current and voltages, the Dark Pro had a harder time to dissipate heat, even though it still performed well. Therefore, at 100$ it's perhaps not much of a good buy compared to 20$ less alternatives like the Phanteks or Noctua that will do a slightly better job when the CPU is really heating up. But at 69.99$, it's a great buy, no mistake about that. Still, unless you find another deal on NCIX for one of your component that put the total price over 100$ (Free Shipping), it will probably come to the same price to buy the Noctua or the Phanteks on Newegg at the regular price, and have it bundled with the rest. You'll probably have to pay about 10$ shipping on NCIX, is why. Adding the Phanteks/Noctua to the rest of your stuff on Newegg may up the shipping fee 1$ top.