New PC Build for Christmas 2013 (need help)

EduardoMSerrano

EduardoMSerrano

EduardoMSerrano

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12 Oct 2013
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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
_______________________________________________

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)
_______________________________________________

I'm definitely a noobie and I welcome all input. My main doubts are: :confused:

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!
 
If you're watercooling the GPU just go for a reference version. No point paying extra for a non-reference cooler.

As for what's coming out between now and Christmas - AMD's new 290 and 290X should be within your price range. Hopefully we'll get some reviews and pricing info next week.
 
1: It's possible the Superclocked or Classified are binned so you'd get a better overclock out of one versus a standard 780. A significant portion of the premium would be towards the cooler though, which you'd be discarding since you're watercooling.

2: Dominator kits are expensive for what they are, but they do look awesome. You could get the same performance for much less, but you're paying for the looks.

3: The PSU should be adequate, although if you have lots of hard drives and are planning to add another 780 later on it might be worth stepping up a little higher. I would have thought you could run the system as-above plus an extra 780 with no problems on a quality 850w, but I don't own two 780s so I can't say for sure.

4: 900D is a nice case for sure, but yeah, it's pricey. Alternatives you could look in to would be the Enthoo Primo or the 750D. Remember a decent case will last you longer than the components inside it.

5: I have one of these monitors at work and it's okay for what I use it for, but the anti-glare coating is quite aggressive leading to an almost 'frosted' look. Since I'm reading a lot of text it can be annoying at times. Colour reproduction is good. Given the chance, I probably wouldn't choose it again to be honest. Definitely 'try before you buy' if you can.

6: I don't know that much on watercooling so somebody else can probably give you better advice than I. I noticed that you don't have any fittings specced (these screw in to your components to provide a fitting for the tubing) so you'll need two of those per item in the loop. QDC are usually placed in-line with a piece of tube, rather than directly connected to the components because they're so large. ID/OD refers to the inner/outer diameter of the tube you'll be using to connect the loop.

7: I have no idea about this. Generally you'd need a male and female connector per disconnect area.

8: It's up to you, lots of people prefer the look of larger diameter tubing, but it is more prone to kinks (bad!) if you have to make tight bends with it. Whatever tubing you choose, make sure the fittings you choose are compatible with it. If you're using barb fittings instead of compression fittings, most people recommend using barbs slightly larger than the tube inner diameter so that you get a tighter fit.

9: Loop order doesn't really matter, since the coolant flows quickly and the loop temperature should reach an equilibrium. You must always have the reservoir before the pump though.

10: R9-290X comes out soon, signs are pointing to the price being quite high though. I don't think it's that far away so it's probably worth having a look at least.
 
@snips86x, Fulax

Thank you for the graphics card input!

@kaku
5) Considering you've had experience with the monitor I mentioned, which one would you recommend as an alternative?

6) 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? For the life of me I feel really dumb asking this stuff cause I've read a lot about it but I just don't get it... Also, I believe the QDC can be connected directly to the components, taken from the Koolance website: "G 1/4 BSPP threaded female fitting for screwing directly into a water block or other component. It will only fit a Koolance QD3 male quick disconnect.";
And finally, I didn't list fittings because I'm planning on using these Koolance QDCs all around. Maybe someone can shine some light here?

Thank you kaku!
 
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