Having A Hard Time Deciding PC Parts

[techtomato]

This is sort of an update of my last post (https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/1088539-any-suggestions-for-my-upgrade/)

 

This is the PCPartPicker Part List so far

 

These are the parts that I'm struggling to decide on:

 

CPU cooler: Air (NH-D15S) or Liquid (Kraken x62)

       This one is hard to decide because while they both perform comparably, each has major "problems" in my eyes

 

The Kraken is less reliable because of the pump and liquid, although I am not terrified of leaks and stuff since I already have a liquid cooler currently (Corsair H110i Extreme). It still poses a threat and liability issue that the Noctua does not. However, it is also much more aesthetically pleasing especially since I will be putting my PC on top of my desk.

 

The NH-D15S is a solid cooler from the reviews I've seen and seems to be a viable replacement for the Kraken x62. It is more reliable without liquid and I believe it will be more than enough as I only plan to overclock my 3700x a little bit, if at all (anywhere below 4.6 GHz). However, my thinking tells me that this cooler will require more airflow than what the NZXT H500 (my #1 case choice currently) can provide. This would mean I would have to look into higher airflow cases, and since there is no radiator/fan combo, I may have to spend more money on more case fans (to fill in the intakes/exhausts where a radiator would be). Another big 'but', is the horrendous colour scheme of the Noctua fans, if I do get the Noctua cooler, I will be going for their chromax heatsink covers and add on fans. This will all accumulate to be more expensive than the Kraken x62 even though air cooling is commonly cheaper than water.

 

For aesthetic air coolers, I have seen that the be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 performs similarly to the NH-D15S (even comes with a screwdriver neat!), but this cooler is much too huge for my liking. However, I don't know how much worse the slim version performs. If it's not too bad that may be the best option here.

 

 

Case: NZXT H500 or NZXT H710 or Meshify C/S2 or any other suggestions.

 

*Aiming for white cases. I'm trying to find a case that could fit either AIO or Air cooler as I plan on keeping this case for a long time (in case I decide to switch).

 

As mentioned above the H500 is my #1 pick because of the look, but the airflow problem makes me question getting it.

 

The new H710 that's coming out soon looks like it might have more airflow because it has more holes (although I have seen people here and there saying that the airflow still isn't that good). I choose the H710 over the H700 because of the clean look of the single screw in the back for the side panel. This case is also larger which is useful since I have the ROG Strix 1070 and it is a very long graphics card. Also there are more options for mounting the radiator I believe, unless there isn't room at the top for a radiator because of motherboard heat sinks.

 

The meshify cases are the first thing I see when looking for high airflow cases, but I don't really like how the front panel is black when the case is white. Not sure if the Meshify C will be able to hold both my 1070 ROG Strix and an AIO so I think the main option here is the S2 or I could air cool for the C. Overall, this case would not be my first choice, but I would still get it if there's nothing better

 

I also saw a new Corsair case the 220T RGB case and it looks perfect....the problem is it's way too small. (Shown in this video by Huarjie around 4:50) Would the clearance shown in that video work? I would definitely have to go air cooling for this case which is okay...but not great as I am looking for flexibility if I do plan on switching in the future.

 

I am also looking for more suggestions on cases because all the new 2019 cases seem to be very nice. Some features I like on a case are: RGB fans included, RGB included, reset button, USB-C I guess??, 1 or 2 screws for side window, white, can comfortably fit my 1070, cube-like (not like the angles on most Cooler Master cases), vertical GPU mount would be nice, and an audio+headphone combo jack.

 

Please also tell me of any other new 2019 cases!

 

 

 

Thank you for reading such a long post!    

[techtomato]

3 minutes ago, Genwyn said:

Im pretty sure the D15s and Dark Rock Pro 4 are the same size, they both use 140mm fans, just the dark rock pro 4 has the top cover.

you might be right...does the D15S use 1 fan or 2, most builds I have seen only 1, does taking a fan off the DRP4 drastically affect performance?

 

Also I'm worried about ram clearance with the DRP4. It looks like Noctua's notch cutout for ram is higher than the DRP4's. Currently my LPX ram should be low enough profile, but I plan on upgrading ram later.

[SenKa]

NH D15 has slightly better RAM clearance, but so long as your DIMMS are around the height of Trident Z RGB (you have a few MM of height to give, but any taller and you cannot remove your RAM without removing the cooler) then you will be fine with the DRP4. The DRP4 performs slightly better and is measurably quieter while doing so. I have owned and worked with both, DRP4 is superior IMO.

[Flying Sausages]

5 minutes ago, techtomato said:

you might be right...does the D15S use 1 fan or 2, most builds I have seen only 1, does taking a fan off the DRP4 drastically affect performance?

 

 Also I'm worried about ram clearance with the DRP4. It looks like Noctua's notch cutout for ram is higher than the DRP4's. Currently my LPX ram should be low enough profile, but I plan on upgrading ram later.

D15S comes with 1 fan and 4 fan clips for secondary fan. Make sure you check Noctua site for motherboard compatibility. 

[techtomato]

Just now, SenKa said:

NH D15 has slightly better RAM clearance, but so long as your DIMMS are around the height of Trident Z RGB (you have a few MM of height to give, but any taller and you cannot remove your RAM without removing the cooler) then you will be fine with the DRP4. The DRP4 performs slightly better and is measurably quieter while doing so. I have owned and worked with both, DRP4 is superior IMO.

would I be able to remove RAM with the D15S? just wondering

[SenKa]

Just now, techtomato said:

would I be able to remove RAM with the D15S? just wondering

I have never used the D15S, but probably. I know I could with the regular D15, which is worse for clearance. 

[techtomato]

1 minute ago, SenKa said:

I have never used the D15S, but probably. I know I could with the regular D15, which is worse for clearance. 

Have you ever tested performance differences with 1 vs 2 fans?

[SenKa]

Just now, techtomato said:

Have you ever tested performance differences with 1 vs 2 fans?

No, but I can tell you that the second fan usually doesn't need to be removed.

[techtomato]

4 minutes ago, OlympicAssEater said:

D15S comes with 1 fan and 4 fan clips for secondary fan. Make sure you check Noctua site for motherboard compatibility. 

Yes I believe it is compatible. The website says compatible with AM4 though, not my specific motherboard

[techtomato]

Just now, SenKa said:

No, but I can tell you that the second fan usually doesn't need to be removed.

Does it completely cover the ram?

 

[SenKa]

1 minute ago, techtomato said:

Does it completely cover the ram?

 

In my case, kind of. The second fan is certainly obstructing the view, but you can still see both sticks.

[techtomato]

Just now, SenKa said:

In my case, kind of. The second fan is certainly obstructing the view, but you can still see both sticks.

May I ask what case you are using and if you have any pictures haha

[SenKa]

4 minutes ago, techtomato said:

May I ask what case you are using and if you have any pictures haha

Define R6, and here. Not the best picture, but the lighting in my office sucks for taking pictures.

[techtomato]

1 minute ago, SenKa said:

Define R6, and here. Not the best picture, but the lighting in my office sucks for taking pictures.

That second fan is kind of killing it for me...I'm going to try to find some reviews that tested 1 fan only

[VEXICUS]

I'll recommend something like this instead...

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($433.50 @ Vuugo) 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML360R RGB 66.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($189.99 @ Amazon Canada) 
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (WI-FI) ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($259.00 @ Canada Computers) 
Storage: Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($124.99 @ Canada Computers) 
Case: Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case  ($119.99 @ Newegg Canada) 
Custom: CableMod C-Series RMi & RMx ModFlex™ Cable Kit ($109.00)
Total: $1236.47
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-04 22:55 EDT-0400

[SenKa]

Ignore me, forgot to quote

[SenKa]

1 minute ago, techtomato said:

That second fan is kind of killing it for me...I'm going to try to find some reviews that tested 1 fan only

I can do some thermals testing, give me a minute. You can also mount the second fan to the other side of the heatsink and then not block your RAM at all. This would perform identically.

[techtomato]

42 minutes ago, VEXICUS said:

I'll recommend something like this instead...

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($433.50 @ Vuugo) 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML360R RGB 66.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($189.99 @ Amazon Canada) 
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (WI-FI) ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($259.00 @ Canada Computers) 
Storage: Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($124.99 @ Canada Computers) 
Case: Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case  ($119.99 @ Newegg Canada) 
Custom: CableMod C-Series RMi & RMx ModFlex™ Cable Kit ($109.00)
Total: $1236.47
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-04 22:55 EDT-0400

I don't thing Meshify C will fit my gpu and an aio

[techtomato]

26 minutes ago, Genwyn said:

drp4 in a rajintek metis

it has plenty of ram clearance for everything but the tallest of heatsinks, theres enough room for me to angle out the corsair lpx in there

although in this case i have to remove the PSU i change the ram but thats only semi related

that's compact! wow...

[techtomato]

43 minutes ago, SenKa said:

I can do some thermals testing, give me a minute. You can also mount the second fan to the other side of the heatsink and then not block your RAM at all. This would perform identically.

That's awesome thanks a lot!

[VEXICUS]

12 minutes ago, techtomato said:

I don't thing Meshify C will fit my gpu and an aio

Switch the case to carbide 275r. It has enough space to fit a 360mm AIO and that gpu.

[techtomato]

2 minutes ago, VEXICUS said:

Switch the case to carbide 275r. It has enough space to fit a 360mm AIO and that gpu.

Does the Carbide 275r have more airflow than H500? Doesn't look like it...

[VEXICUS]

Just now, techtomato said:

Does the Carbide 275r have more airflow than H500? Doesn't look like it...

H500 is slightly better when it comes to airflow.

[techtomato]

6 minutes ago, VEXICUS said:

H500 is slightly better when it comes to airflow.

Shouldn't I just stick with that then? I'm either going with H500 or a high airflow case that looks good

[VEXICUS]

1 minute ago, techtomato said:

Shouldn't I just stick with that then? I'm either going with H500 or a high airflow case that looks good

Go with the h500. It's better in air flow.