New High Spec build help

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12 Dec 2015
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5
Hi Guys and Gals,

In my younger days I would just jump in and buy new PC stuff but I've not built a PC for 5 or 6 years now and although I've still got an ok understanding of PC stuff, I'm not brave enough to do it without some of you expects just having a look over what I'm thinking and getting your thoughts if you wouldn't mind... I don't want to make any silly mistakes :)

Here's what I am looking at:

CPU : Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor : £330
CPU Cooler : Corsair H110i GTX 104.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler : £109
Motherboard : Asus Z170-DELUXE ATX LGA1151 Motherboard : £225
Memory : Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory £75
Storage :
Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive : £156
Samsung 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive : £300
Video Card :
Asus GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB OC STRIX Video Card £600 or
Asus GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB STRIX Video Card (not factor overclocked) £530
Case : Corsair Air 540 ATX Mid Tower Case £115
Power Supply : Corsair HX750i 80+ Platinum Fully-Modular ATX PSU : £120
Keyboard : Corsair K95 RGB UK Wired Gaming Keyboard

As I say, I've not really kept right on top of things PC knowledge wise and so I've been giving myself a crash course reminder over the last few weeks while looking for parts but I would like help and advice especially as to compatibility and suitability of the items in light of my aims below.

My aims and objectives (I'll number them to make it easier to respond to a specific item:

1) I don't tend to overclock so prefer to get stuff that doesn't really need it now but in 3 to 5 years’ time still gives me the ability to overclock then if I want or need to.

2) I use the PC as a gaming and work PC - hence the reason for the 2 SSDs as I dual boot: one HD for games and one HD for work. I disable the work HD in the device manager while on gaming HD to protect from any corruption/virus/accidental access etc. As both drives are M.2 that is the reason I went for the Asus Z170 deluxe to get the included PCIe card for the additional M.2 use. I have considered the Samsung 951 512MB instead of the pro version being £30 cheaper - any thoughts on that as well?

3) A quiet PC (though not necessarily totally quiet). That is why I have gone for the H110i GTX cooler - not for being able to overclock but for gaining the maximum cooling at the lowest possible fan speed for quietness. In quiet mode these fans seem to only run at 800 rpm and keep the CPU cool even under moderate load. (Is the liquid in these things non conductive? And do they leak ever?)

4) I will use on board sound for now - another reason for the Asus deluxe to get that little extra sound quality.

5) Chosen stock Skylake speed of 2133Mhz for the memory for maximum stability - again preferring not to overclock memory as I don't believe you gain much anyway.

6) Chosen Carbide 540 case for mainly where it’s going to fit best and because of lots of cooling ability as low fan speeds.

7) GFX - Asus 980 TI OC Strix. Probably way overkill right now but I am looking at getting a 34" g-sync IPS monitor (Acer or Asus - next year). G-sync for gaming obviously plus you can never have too much desktop space for spreadsheets ;)

8) i7 6700K - Have considered the i5 but if I am spending so much on a GFX card I assume the i7 will get the best out of it. Also annoyed this is so expensive right now at £330 as only 3 or 4 week ago it could be had for £280!

10) PSU - Corsair HX750i – as the setup seems to max out at about 480w, 750w PSU should be on the best part of the efficiency curve to keep running costs very slightly lower. Is this PSU compatible with the motherboard and GFX and satisfactory?

Final thoughts: I have looked at the non overclocked version of the graphics card:

None overclocked version:

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/asus...ss-graphics-card-gtx980ti-6gd5-gx-388-as.html

Overclocked version:

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/asus...ss-graphics-card-gtx980ti-6gd5-gx-372-as.html

This is £530 as opposed to £600 for the factory overclocked version. Is the only difference between the two cards that one has a preset overclock profile? Is the hardware exactly the same? Can the non overclocked version be overclocked to run the same as the factory overclocked one fairly easily? If so does it affect the warranty? And if it can be overclocked easily to same specs why buy an OC model? £70 more is a lot to pay extra if I don’t need to.

Well thanks for any help you can give me. I'm about £200 over what I wanted to spend ideally but I may just suck it up rather than compromise given that I'm spending so much already. Advice on savings is of course welcome but not the main priority :)

Decisions, decisions!

Many thanks

PaulyP.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the tip, it sure looks a good quiet solution. Is it possible to mount something like this so that the fans blow upward? There is limited space behind my PC where its going to go - a little enclosed which is why I originally thought of the corsair unit to vent it through the top where it is unrestricted... I'd certainly prefer to use good air cooling rather than water.
 
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