Gaming PC £1.5k-2k Budget

[st2000]

Hi Guys,

I am looking to build my first machine, all the previous builds I had I purchased the parts and someone else built.

Firstly, the important aspect of the build is not only amazing performance but also Aesthetics. I would like to Watercool at least the CPU at the moment and possibly when I upgrade the GPU I will consider adding this into the loop later.

When I build a machine I build to only upgrade graphics for the lifespan of the machine.

So what do I have already...

PSU
980Ti x 1
Storage - 4 SSD and 2TB Mechanical HDD
I do have a case but being this is going to be an Aesthetic build would prefer something smaller so I can put it on the desk.

What do I need

Case (One with a nice Window and enough capacity for I dont know Two Radiators, I guess enough for 1-2 GFX (incase I want to SLI in the future) and CPU in a loop.

M2 Drive, High end Samsung 256GB

CPU/Mboard/Mem Combo, was considering possibly getting one of the Pre OC versions from 8pack range.

Something like this,

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/8pac...html?basketId=5245230#p=GpA1994GpD1998GpE19?Z

Obviously, aesthetics are paramount.

Cooling, obviously all this is new, so I'd like a Tubed Res, as to me they look the coolest. PETG Tubing etc again I have no idea what parts are good but any ideas would be much appreciated. Inc Radiators etc.

LED Lighting and maybe Hue controller etc?

Any help will be much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[st2000]

Anyone?

 

[keaneo]

that build you selected is nice you do know thats a micro ATX board so smaller than normal just making sure

i like the x99 boards https://www.overclockers.co.uk/defc...z-overclocked-haswell-e-bundle-bu-061-og.html - would more core benefit you in the long run ?

also what resolution will you be playing at ?

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/cors...iquid-cpu-cooler-cw-9060027-ww-hs-035-cs.html NICE cpu COOLER

 

[Roverno]

I think you haven't got many replies because dealing with a custom water loop and loads of accessories in a build is a really big effort.

In my opinion you need to work out for yourself what you are doing with the custom loop. Have a read of what you need, and the post here with your own suggested of what you want then maybe I, or somebody else, will help improve the loop and suggest the hardware along side. (Use the BBCode button at checkout and copy/paste)

If you can put the effort in with making a strong first step then i'm happy to help you get the rest of the way.

 

[st2000]

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x Asus Maximus VIII Gene Intel Z170 (Socket 1151) DDR4 Micro ATX Motherboard= £194.99
• 1 x Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz (Skylake) Socket LGA1151 Processor - Retail= £338.99
• 1 x Corsair Vengeance LED 32GB (4x8GB) DDR4 PC4-24000C15 3000MHz Quad Channel Kit - White LED= £199.99
• 1 x Samsung 950 Pro 512GB M.2 PCI-e 3.0 x 4 NVMe Solid State Drive= £329.99
• 1 x EVGA SuperNova P2 1000W '80 Plus Platinum' Modular Power Supply (220-P2-1000-X3)= £199.99
• 1 x EK Water Blocks EK-RES X3 150 Reservoir= £39.98
• 1 x EK Water Blocks EK-XTOP Revo D5 PWM - Plexi (incl. pump)= £89.99
• 1 x EK Water Blocks EK-CoolStream SE 240 (Slim Dual) Radiator= £43.99
• 1 x EK Water Blocks EK-Supremacy EVO - Nickel= £55.99
• 1 x EK Water Blocks EK-CoolStream SE 360 (Slim Triple) Radiator= £54.95
• 34 x EK Water Blocks EK-HDC Fitting 12mm G1/4 - Black= £4.49
• 11 x EK Water Blocks EK-AF Angled 90 Degrees G1 / 4 inch - Black= £5.99
• 3 x EK Water Blocks EK-HD PETG Clear Tube 1012mm 500mm (2pcs)= £4.99
• 5 x Corsair Fan, SP120 PWM Low Noise High Pressure Fan 4 pin, Single Pack (CO-9050011-WW)= £14.99
• 1 x Mayhems Ultra Pure H2O 5Ltr= £12.95
• 1 x Mayhems X1 - UV Green Concentrate 250ml= £9.95
• 1 x Mayhems X1 - UV Purple Concentrate 250ml= £9.95
• 1 x Mayhems X1 - UV Clear Blue Concentrate 250ml= £9.95
• 1 x NZXT Hue+ RGB Dual Channel LED Controller - Black= £58.99
• 1 x Bitspower Case Top Water Fill/ Through Hole Fitting Set - shiny black= £6.98
• 1 x EK Water Blocks EK-AF Ball Valve (10mm) G14 - Black= £14.99

Total: £2,003.58
(includes shipping: £22.50)
​

​

Here's whats in my basket at the moment. Thanks for the heads up. Ideally I'd like a Fill port and Drain. The case will likely be a Parvum 2.5 Extended for the triple RAD. May consider going for the silver look on the fittings, unsure yet. If you can let me know if you can consider improvements?

Thanks

 

[st2000]

Hi Guys,

If you can let me know if you can think of any improvements to this setup;
I will be looking at a Parvum M1.0 ATX case

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x Asus Maximus VIII Formula Intel Z170 (Socket 1151) DDR4 ATX Motherboard= £309.95
• 1 x Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz (Skylake) Socket LGA1151 Processor - Retail= £338.99
• 1 x Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound (3.5g)= £5.99
• 2 x Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMD16GX4M2B3200C= £129.95
• 1 x EK Water Blocks EK-Supremacy EVO - Nickel= £55.99
• 1 x EK Water Blocks EK-RES X3 250 Reservoir= £51.98
• 1 x EK Water Blocks EK-XTOP Revo D5 PWM - Plexi (incl. pump)= £89.99
• 1 x XSPC RX360 Triple Fan Radiator V3= £79.99
• 1 x Mayhems Ultra Pure H2O 5Ltr= £12.95
• 1 x Mayhems Biocide Extreme= £4.99
• 1 x EVGA SuperNova P2 1000W '80 Plus Platinum' Modular Power Supply (220-P2-1000-X3)= £199.99
• 1 x NZXT Hue+ RGB Dual Channel LED Controller - Black= £58.99
• 1 x XSPC RX240 Dual Fan Radiator V3= £59.99
• 3 x Mayhems Hardened Glass Watercooling Tubing Straight 12mm (OD) x 500mm= £6.95
• 1 x EK Water Blocks EK-ATX Bridging Plug (24 pin)= £1.99
• 2 x EK Water Blocks EK-Cable Y-Splitter 3-Fan PWM (10cm)= £2.99
• 2 x EK Water Blocks EK-Cable PWM Extension Cables Sleeved (30cm)= £2.99
• 8 x EK Water Blocks EK-AF Angled 90° G1/4 Nickel= £5.99
• 3 x EK Water Blocks EK-HD PETG Clear Tube 1012mm 500mm (2pcs)= £4.99
• 34 x EK Water Blocks EK-HDC Fitting 12mm G1/4 - Nickel= £3.95
• 1 x Mayhems X1 - UV Green Concentrate 250ml= £9.95
• 1 x Mayhems X1 - UV Clear Blue Concentrate 250ml= £9.95
• 1 x Mayhems X1 - UV Purple Concentrate 250ml= £9.95
• 1 x EK Water Blocks EK-AF Ball Valve (10mm) G14 - Nickel= £13.99
• 1 x EK Water Blocks EK-AF T-Splitter 3F G14 - Nickel= £7.49
• 4 x EK Water Blocks EK-CSQ Plug G1/4 (for EK-Badge) - Nickel= £2.99
• 4 x EK Water Blocks EK-AF Angled 2×45° G1/4 Nickel= £9.95
• 1 x Samsung 960 PRO Polaris 512GB M.2 2280 PCI-e 3.0 x4 NVMe Solid State Drive= £329.99
• 5 x Noctua NF-F12 IndustrialPPC 2000RPM IP67 PWM 120mm High Performance Fan= £25.99
• 1 x Mayhems Aurora 2 Blue 1ltr= £8.99
• 1 x Mayhems Non Stain Blue Dye 15ml= £5.99

Total: £2,362.19
(includes shipping: £22.50)
​

​

Thanks

 

[Roverno]

I would choose different RAM, maybe 2666MHz. Motherboard is very expensive for what it is, if thats what you want then go for it but there are much cheaper options that would achieve very similar result.

Have you considered how you are mounting the reservoir?
Have you checked case and rads are compatible at that thickness?

Powersupply is way OTT. you dont need anything more than about 500W for overclocked i7 and sli 1080s.

If you are only going to use a single colour rather than some sort of party mode then other RGB strips with remote are much cheaper.

make sure you get the appropriate safety kit for working with glass. You also have PETG tubing listed there as well, which one are you going to use?

Why so many concentrates? you only need one colour.

960 pro ssd is fast but there is not much in real world performance gain over something like an 850. You could save a lot by switching to that.

Aurora is only really for use if the PC is on show, it isn't a good liquid to use everyday.

Sorry its not very specific but i hope that helps a bit.

 

[st2000]

Thanks for the heads up, I assumed all radiators would be compartable. Yes being this machine would be water cooled it would be sitting on my desk on show.

I currently have a 980ti, which will also be watercooled. Aesthetics are paramount and I feel glass tubing would give off the best look overall. Got Petg to use as a guide for the glass. Could even go acrylic.

Yes the case is designed for water cooling so i don't think that would be a problem. I personally find boards with colour force you to go one particular colour thsts why I've gone down the route of this board for different colour options. Unsure what colour liquid to go hence the different options in basket.

I build to never have to upgrade (apart from graphics) hence ott PSU. As who knows if I ever SLI later. Went for Evga purely for the 10 year warranty.

I may even wait for 960pro to come to see if any good deals on the 950. Obviously this board hides the m2 so could get away with a slower drive but rather it be one of the best as I don't like upgrading later. My storage drives will be 2x 1tb Samsung SSD. The m2 I will use for boot and my most used games.

 

[Roverno]

There are not really any set standards for watercooling radiators so they can vary quite a bit. A good case review should let you know what the watercooling support is like. or email parvuum, they might help.

Glass will probably be the best look, but probably also the hardest to get right and also the highest temperatues needed. Personally i think PETG and glass will be very different, even if the routes are the same, i'd get extra glass rather than PETG 'templates'.

For colour options you could also fill it with clear to begin with, then decide on a colour and just order one. Up to you though.

PSU still OTT imo. As i said, even top end SLI will be fine on 500W. Power efficiency is getting better and better so power usage will only go down from here. I wouldn't be surprised if 250W was enough for a massive PC in a couple of years time.

To be honest it sounds like you know enough to make an educated decision on these things, i'm not sure anybody else is going to be able to help you much. I've personally never done hardline as i prefer quick disconnects and flexible tubing.

 

[st2000]

Yeah I've been doing a lot of research but this is my first actual build where I'll be building myself let alone my first water cooled build. Loads of tutorials online etc

The question I've been asking myself is do I want to Watercool that board, as id want the cleanest look possible. Won't know until I have the stuff here to see how I'd want to route the water

 

[Roverno]

This is very ambitious for a first build. That being said, if your technically inclined then a bit of know-how goes a long way.

Maybe it would be a good idea to get all the parts for the basic system, get that up and running. Then you can go ahead and order the watercooling components afterwards? It will also give you a chance to measure space.

 

[Roverno]

Also, to watercool the 980ti you have you will need a waterblock and probably a backplate.

 

[st2000]

Yeah unfortunately overclockers no longer stock so will have to get those elsewhere.

 

[st2000]

Yeah that could also be another option but would involve me buying an air cooler which isn't the be all and end all. Yes ambitious, but I'm sure I will learn a lot from it too. I agree with the clear look for the water too, but unfortunately I don't get free delivery with OCUK

 

[t-rex]

If you're after the cleanest possible look, take some inspiration from this:

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18664788

 

[st2000]

Got to say that does look amazing. I would prefer straight tubing tho.