Luo

LTX 2018 is happening at the Richmond Olympic Oval on July 14th, 2018! Tickets are available for you guys to purchase RIGHT NOW. 
 
Get Your Tickets Here: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3335654
 
LTX 2018 Time & Location
10am - 6pm PST
Richmond Olympic Oval
6111 River Rd, Richmond, BC, Canada, V7C 0A2
 
Ticket Tiers:
Base Clock - $35 CAD + Tax & Fee
- 1x General Admission Ticket 
 
Overclocked - $75 CAD + Tax & Fee
- 1x General Admission Ticket 
- 1x LTX 2018 Pin
- 1x LTX 2018 T-Shirt
- 1x LTX 2018 Lanyard
- 6-month Floatplane Membership to Linus Media Group (Beginning Day of Event)
 
Delidded - $500 CAD + Tax & Fee (Limit 20)
- 1x General Admission Ticket 
- 1x LTX 2018 Pin
- 1x LTX 2018 Signed T-Shirt
- 1x LTX 2018 Lanyard
- 6-month Floatplane Membership to Linus Media Group (Beginning Day of Event)
- Dinner with Linus and Other Team Members (Night Before Event, Exact Time TBD)
- Chill at the Linus Tech Tips HQ (Night Before Event, Exact Time TBD)
 
Get LTX Updates Through:
Website & Newsletter: https://www.ltxexpo.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LTXexpo
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LTXexpo/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ltxexpo

Plus we'll be mentioning it on WAN Show and LTT periodically.  
 
Chat on the new LTX subforum at https://linustechtips.com/main/forum/94-ltx-2018/

Hi everyone. I originally wrote this guide over at the kbmod forums, but as it turns out that forum is as dead as Aeris in FF7. This forum is more lively and thus I figured it'd be good to copy over my guide for all to read. This is a real-world, layman's terms assessment of what SLI does and how it works. I have never used and therefore cannot say that all of these will hold true for CrossfireX. Original guide (no longer updated there) is over at http://kbmod.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=6212
 
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Basically, this is a guide meant to explain the upsides and downsides of SLI. It's mainly geared toward people who have midrange or last generation cards who wonder if they should get multiple cards or simply upgrade to a stronger one. This will list pretty much everything you will ever want to know about SLI in as great a detail as I can possibly create. It WILL BE A LONG READ. Also note that I have never attempted to Crossfire any cards, so this guide is MAINLY directed toward SLI, and while most of the ups/downs will be common to both SLI and CrossfireX, THIS IS NOT A CROSSFIRE GUIDE. There are large differences and I am not in a position to explain in-depth about CrossfireX.
 
 
First, I will clear up some fairly common misconceptions about SLI. 
 
 
What can I SLI? (970 SLI issue information and potential fix)
 
 
Now that that's done, let's get into the benefits of SLI. There's some benefits I'll list that most people don't actually know.
 
 
And now here come the downsides!
 
 
Resolved and/or no-longer applicable downsides to SLI (If you have SLI, read this section to see if any of these fixes apply to you).
 
 
My thoughts and suggestions section.
 
 
The bandwidth issue
 
 
 
I wish to add that as far as performance is concerned, two GPUs will far outstrip what one GPU can do, unless you're using two entry-level midranged cards and comparing a flagship enthusiast card (for example, two 960s versus a superclocked 980Ti). I DO like SLI, but SLI isn't for everyone and with the recent terrible state of SLI support that I see in a constant decline, as well as Maxwell and Pascal's anti-multi-GPU design, I can no longer recommend it to... well... anyone, really. If the current high end GPU isn't enough performance for you, SLI is the way to go, sure. But I would take a single stronger GPU over SLI-ing two weaker GPUs as long as that single GPU is 25% or more better than one of the weaker GPUs that would be SLI'd (I.E. I'd take Card A over Card B SLI if Card A is 25%+ faster than Card B no SLI). The amount of times with recent titles (that'll actually need GPU grunt, unlike many older titles with newer cards) where the single card will simply do a lot better than the SLI setup is going to be a very high number, and there is no guarantee that SLI will even properly work with nVidia Profile Inspector bits forcing (Dead by Daylight, for example, is a popular new title that will not get positive SLI scaling without flickering characters no matter what I do). This is, I believe, more the developers' faults than nVidia's, however nVidia's readiness to discard SLI is also apparent. They know it doesn't work well and are not showing intent on fixing it, as seen with GTX 1060s being incapable of SLI, despite being stronger than GTX 970s in raw performance.
 
Further to the above bashing of the state of multi-GPU, here is a nice article's summary page for performance in multi-GPU games in 2015 and later titles, to back up the statements I make in here, since I often get people telling me I'm deluded or some other kind of nonsense when I make such claims.
 
NB: I add to the benefits or detriments lists when I remember something, discover something or technology changes to keep the guide up to date. I wish I could speak more about Maxwell, but unless someone sends me a pair of maxwell GPUs and heatsinks for my Clevo, I'm not going to be able to test much, unfortunately.
 
If you want the vRAM information or mobile i7 CPU information guides, they're in my sig!
 
Moderator note: If you believe any information found in this guide is incorrect, please message me or D2ultima and we will investigate it, thank you. - Godlygamer23

So after browsing through all the helpful advice and suggestions, I've decide to go with the p400 
https://m.newegg.com/products/11-854-046?iscoz=true
 
Thank you everyone for your help

It’s okay, he may have been in a rush to lend a hand.
 
Thank you everyone for your help thus far. 

NZXT S340VR Elite comes in Matte Black and currently $89.99 on Amazon and $79.99 after MIR on Newegg.
 
I built a PC with the NZXT S340 Red/Black Matte case, it's a sexy case though it's acrylic rather than tempered glass. Still see through it very well with little focus on the PSU shroud. They also come in glossy black but only glossy if you want solid black. If can wait, you could get the NZXT S340 for $50 after MIR on Newegg, not sure if it'll go for the glossy black though.
 
Mine is a Phanteks P400S and it's sexy, beautiful, sexy, and really sexy with RGB!!!!! The sound does get minimized a bit, though it's a little hard for me to tell since my build was already fairly quiet. Can snag that somewhere between $60-80 after MIR on Newegg. Got one for me and each of my siblings. 
Comes in [sexy] Satin Black.
 
Both models have their ups and downs. 
 
NZXT S340 has plenty of areas to use cable ties; however, when installing a 2.5" HDD/SSD, you have to put them in sight of the acrylic panel. Nice if you like to gawk at your SSD with gleaming eyes or feel the empty feeling in your heart knowing there are two empty slots in your face.
And you're limited on 2x 2.5" drives and 2x 3.5" drives though you get a spot great for their brand name fan controlling node.
 
Phanteks P400S has three Velcro strips! Though due to the RGB cords, 5 fans, and multiple HDDs, it gets to be a pain with the cable management and I think it was more frustrating than the NZXT S340. Some other positives, all hard drives are stashed in the back, the 2x HDDs have caddies (easier to take out, NZXT requires screws), and four expansion slots that would be on display in the front side. 
Those expansion would cost ~$8-10 a piece... or you could buy to be replicated via 3D printing if you have access to one. 
 
 
The Phanteks may cost a bit more but for me it's worth it. After all, it's sitting on my desktop for the next 3-5 years of my life in its sexy pose beside my [lamp] pole. You can probably tell it makes me happy.

Phanteks : P400s TG, Enthoo Pro M TG, Enthoo Evolv
 
NZXT : S340 Elite
 
Fractal Design : Meshify C, Define C, Define R6
 
Corsair : Crystal 460X, Crystal 570X
 
Cooler Master : MasterBox 5 Pro RGB
 
Rosewill : Cullinan
 
Silverstone : Primera PM-02
 
Do I win?
 
 

Phanteks makes the P400. It meets all your requirements. On a side note, the LED color in the newegg picture is actually RGB. I believe there are 10 color options and I'm sure off as well if you don't buy the adapter.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811854051
($85 US)
^This is actually the P400S... It costs about the same but is supposed to be more quiet and comes with caps for the top of the case if you don't want to install top mounted fans.
 
You can make the RGB in the case sync with your motherboard's aurasync if you buy this adapter:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812987031&cm_re=PH-CB_RGB4P-_-12-987-031-_-Product
($4 US)
 
Although you specified you wanted an all black case, the black/white option is almost entirely black on the outside (expect a single white accent at the top of the front intake) with a white PSU shroud on the interior to complement the white accents your motherboard has (unless the motherboard's accents are silver... it's hard to tell in the newegg picture in the link you provided).
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811854054 
^Also P400S
($81 US w/ promo code PPSALE18)
 
 
The P300 is a cheaper option than the P400 that also meets all your requirements *except possibly requirement #6*. The P400 comes with a 120mm intake fan and a 120mm exhaust fan, the P300 comes with only the exhaust fan. 
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811854068&ignorebbr=1&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker, LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=
($60 US)
Either way, here are some more differences between the P300 and P400. The P300 only allows GPUs up to 330mm where the P400 allows GPUs up to 395mm. You can only install up to 2x3.5" drives in the P300 but you can put up to 6x3.5" drives in P400. The P300 only comes with one 2.5" drive bracket even though the case supports 2x2.5" drives (officially at least... in reality you can just chuck SSDs in your case without a problem). The P300 only supports 1 top mounted case fan when the P400 supports 2 top mounted case fans. The P400 can support up to a 360mm radiator at the front, but the P300 can only support up to a 280mm radiator at the front.
*Your wording was a bit confusing in requirement #6 since you said IF the case comes with fans they can't be a solid LED color, but later you said there must be a minimum of two fans. That seems odd to me because it implies fans are not required, but if it comes with fans it must come with at least 2.
 
 
You could also check out the NZXT S340 Elite. I have one of these. I would have purchased the P400S, but found this case for $50 on craigslist. It's pretty good. Nothing bad to say about it. If you have VR this case is definitely your best option since it has a VR pass through to give you more room. I don't know of any other case with a VR pass through. This case does not have a reset button (odd it doesn't have one, but I've never found a need for it anyway).
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146238&ignorebbr=1&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker, LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=
($80 US)
 
 
Fractal Design also makes the Define C and the Meshify C. Both those cases are pretty similar, but the Meshify C has better cooling capability for simple cooling solutions since there is no significant obstruction at the front panel. These cases support up to 315mm GPUs.
Define:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352070&cm_re=Define_C-_-11-352-070-_-Product
($85 US)
Meshify:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352072&cm_re=Meshify_C-_-11-352-072-_-Product
($80 US)

NZXT S340 Elite seems like a good choice for you, although I forget if those come in solid black...

If I recall correctly, the Extreme lineup is better overall than the Pro lineup. Either one will serve you pretty well for no to minimal OC.
 
Welcome to the PC building community!

welcome to the Linus Tech Tips forums!
 
either will function/work with no real advantages to either other than the update value on the z75 (USB 3.0 and PCIe GEN3)
the voltage regulator modulation (VRM) is best suited for digital than analog (cost savings).
overclocking was a bit hinkie on analog.

I'd go for the Z75 board just for the fact that it's less old.

Looks like everything points to the Extreme. 
Thank you all for your inputs, speedy input, and open-arms!