Extreme Build

[Yuutsuna]

So, as the title says, an extreme build... i'm pretty much set about most of the parts but need a little bit of help with stuff i'm new to and stuff i've researched enough for my brain to melt and still not have a definite answer on what to choose.

 

Here are the parts i'm set on using:

 

Intel Core i7-5960X

Asus Rampage V Extreme

G.Skill Ripjaws 3000 MHz 8GB ( x4 )

GeForce GTX Titan X ( x2 )

Samsung 850 Pro 1TB

WD Black 4TB

Corsair AX1500i

 

Note that by saying i'm "set" on these parts i don't mean i don't want any advice on the system, you're more than welcome to suggest anything you have in mind.

 

I plan on water cooling both cards and the CPU. I want to overclock the CPU to about 4.5 - 4.75 GHz ( if i'm lucky... ) and also overclock the RAM to the maximum 3300 MHz the motherboard supports.

 

Should i add a motherboard water block in an attempt to improve overall temperatures and stability or is it not really worth it? ( like water cooling RAM or HDDs for example... )

 

It should also be noted that while i've had enough experience assembling computers, water cooling and overclocking is a first for me.

 

I am not yet set on any particular case, i think i've pretty much seen every other full tower case the market has to offer and i don't really like any of them. I'm just plain tired of searching and maybe i've missed some of the maybe older or not so popular stuff...

 

I absolutely hate flimsiness, flexing, cheap plastic ( and plastic in general ), poor color matching and non symmetrical designs, that's why i'd aim for a full aluminum / steel case with plenty of space inside while having an elegant and "simple" look with a huge side window that hopefully doesn't scratch from just brushing your nail against it...

 

All that said, Enthoo Luxe came pretty close to what i have in mind but as weird as it sounds, it feels a bit cramped inside, the front panel is sadly plastic, i absolutely hate the front bays look coupled with the bottom part and top part of the air intake area having different corners... i'm also worried about the restricted airflow the front provides as it's covered by a plastic piece and removing it just makes it all look even worse, bottom and front dust filters are kinda... flimsy and just overall meh, the small window on the side panel bugs me and i'd much rather prefer not having it at all and have the window span the whole panel ( it also scratches easily as i've heard... ), the rubber feet, again, have an overall flimsy and "meh" feeling to them. I really like the top mesh part and i wish i could have something similar in the front... 

 

I absolutely love the outer frame ( besides the rear removable part ) and the side panels of InWin 904... sadly that's all there is to love about it... add a top and front Enthoo Luxe style top metal mesh with a proper "standard" interior design and a few other tweaks and i'd be the happiest clam in the world...

 

I can go on and on but i guess you get the idea....

 

TL;DR - I'm looking for something that's as much metal as you can get, with a top and front similar to Enthoo Luxe's TOP part / Thermaltake Core V51 / V71 FRONT part ( big sturdy mesh block ), with a side window that shows everything inside, with a one piece bottom and front dust filter that's as less plastic and flimsy feeling as a dust filter can be and in general, a sturdy, elegant, simple and functional construction.

 

Now, the budget being at most about 6k $, i have about 700$ left for water cooling parts, and here comes even more head ache, at least for me. As written above, i'm set on water cooling the CPU and both GPUs and maybe the motherboard...

 

After lots of reading i'm thinking about a 420 radiator at the top, maybe a 140 for the rear exhaust ( main con being that it looks bulky and weird in most cases.... ) and i've been thinking about a front 280 but... people have been saying front rads are detrimental because you're just blowing hot air into your system... i'm not so sure about this, so do share your thoughts on the subject.

 

I've read lots of good reviews about XSPC and Alphacool rads and a lot of bad stuff about the EK ones, i'd also aim for higher density and slimmer rads ( just because i don't like the bulky look of the thick ones, so i guess i'll compensate with higher fin density and higher RPM fans )

 

Fans... i'm not sure, obviously i'd want high static pressure fans for the rad/s, but i don't know which ones to choose really, seemingly noctuas are the best but maybe gentle typhoons, maybe vardars?

 

For the CPU water block i like the look of the EK-Supremacy Nickel ( Original CSQ ), same for the GPU, i like the full cover Nickel ( Original CSQ ) blocks with a nickel back-plate. Also EK has a dedicated R5E motherboard kit, again, Nickel ( Original CSQ ) ...that is if it's really worth it.

 

As you can tell i really like the look of see-through water blocks but i'm kinda concerned about them being a bit fragile...

 

For tubing i'm looking at PrimoFlex Advanced LRT 3/8 ID 5/8 OD, crystal clear, as i plan to use just distilled water with some dye like Mayhems.

 

Fittings i'd go with compression nickel / black nickel ones, most likely nickel...

 

Now, i can either get an EK-XTOP D5 and an EK-RES X3 250 ( 440ml ) reservoir... or get the all in one EK-XRES 140 D5 and replace the reservoir with a bigger one... is there any real difference between one option or another, besides having to use a couple of m/m extender fittings for the first option to attach the reservoir to the pump top?

 

First option:

 

http://www.ekwb.com/shop/pumps-and-accessories/pumps/ek-d5-series-pump/ek-xtop-d5-vario-plexi-incl-pump.html

http://www.ekwb.com/shop/reservoirs-and-acc/reservoirs/ek-res-x3-series/ek-res-x3-250.html

 

Second option:

 

http://www.ekwb.com/shop/reservoirs-and-acc/res-pump-combo/ek-d5/ek-xres-140-d5-pwm-incl-pump.html + the reservoir mentioned above, which would be kind of a waste to just throw out the other one...

 

For the overall color scheme i'm thinking about black / yellow vs white / red and maybe black / orange? I absolutely hate green and blue though.

 

Now, with all that said, the main issue i see is finding a pc case to fit my twisted sense of aesthetics or beauty or whatever else you may call it as i am quite picky and i wouldn't really want to "settle for less" just because i'm tired and maybe a bit lazy... 

 

 

Hopefully i didn't miss anything, too many words, i've re-read this a couple of times and my brain is melting, thank you in advance for any help provided and the time taken to go through this extensive post.

 

 

Uh, yeah, last second remark, i'm planning to get all the parts in about a month or two from Canada ( using ca pc part picker ) and shipped to Europe, so if anyone has experience with shipping from Usa / Canada to Europe, please do share your experience as i'm quite concerned about the overall handling and the inability to check the parts before they are shipped...

 

[Tedster]

Welcome to the Forum.

 

If you want a 5960x that'll definitely overclock to how you want it you should take a look here:

http://siliconlottery.com/collections/frontpage/products/5960x45g

Also, you might want to go a bit lighter on the RAM for now so you can buy better watercooling gear - can you live with only 16GB?

[Yuutsuna]

Also, you might want to go a bit lighter on the RAM for now so you can buy better watercooling gear - can you live with only 16GB?

 

32GB is indeed a bit overkill but i do tend to use my current 8GB at 80 - 90% most of the time and feel quite limited by it. By better water cooling gear what do you have in mind? The parts should amount to about 5.3k US$ and the water cooling stuff to about 700 - 800 which is quite within the approximate budget. One or two rads with a couple of fans which i haven't accounted for shouldn't be much of an issue... though i have no idea about the case yet.

[Awkward Turtle]

I'd recommend doing a black/orange build. I'm doing a black/orange build log atm and the colours just really go well together and there's not many of those colour builds around.

For cases I'd have to highly recommend Phanteks cases top build quality and built for watercoolers!

[SkywardKkalox]

The define r5 or define S is a great option, but you may want to take a look at caselabs cases as well.

[Yuutsuna]

 

The define r5 or define S is a great option, but you may want to take a look at caselabs cases as well.

 

Both the Define R5 and S are too small and really not quite what i'm looking for... and while the CaseLabs cases are indeed quite functional and spacious, for me, the overall design is at best unpleasant...

 

I'd recommend doing a black/orange build. I'm doing a black/orange build log atm and the colours just really go well together   and there's not many of those colour builds around.
For cases I'd have to highly recommend Phanteks cases top build quality and built for watercoolers!

 

 

I really like the brushed aluminum finish on the Enthoo Luxe and lots of the other features it offers but sadly, without some heavy modding i don't really feel like it's something i could settle for. For the color scheme i'm mostly set on a black and yellow combination but still looking at other options like maybe some unusual yellow / red or red / yellow... i should also try thinking about a triple color configuration... again, depends on the case...

[SkywardKkalox]

 

 

 

Both the Define R5 and S are too small and really not quite what i'm looking for... and while the CaseLabs cases are indeed quite functional and spacious, for me, the overall design is at best unpleasant...

 

 

 

I really like the brushed aluminum finish on the Enthoo Luxe and lots of the other features it offers but sadly, without some heavy modding i don't really feel like it's something i could settle for. For the color scheme i'm mostly set on a black and yellow combination but still looking at other options like maybe some unusual yellow / red or red / yellow... i should also try thinking about a triple color configuration... again, depends on the case...

 

760t and 780t?

[TheHiddenCreeper]

16 gb  <_< go get 32 gigabytes of ram 

 

What are u using this for anyway  

[Yuutsuna]

760t and 780t?

 

I like the 780t, especially the yellow version... but, again, even with ignoring small details that can be fixed, there are still plenty of drawbacks... First thing that i noticed was the slight gap at the bottom of the side panels, second, the connection points of the rear - middle - front parts at the top and the bottom, third, both for 760t and 780t - the overall overuse of flimsy plastic parts and dubious overall quality.

 

 

16 gb   <_< go get 32 gigabytes of ram 

 

What are u using this for anyway  

 

 

I do still plan on having 32GB of RAM...

 

Well, i doubt i can push this system to it's limits but mainly 4k and above gaming, heavy video / audio work and and a bit of overcompensating and future proofing...

 

I'm still waiting for a proper 4k and above 144Hz monitor... who knows when'll they finally make it possible... i guess the Acer XB270HU comes as close as you can get to best right now but i've heard lots of bad stuff about their QC right now... so, still waiting...

[brob]

Expensive, but did you consider any of the Case Labs cases?

 

You didn't mention the Enthoo Primo which has an aluminum front and top.

[Guest Strangerbob]

Acer xr341cka - curved 34inch, IPS, 3440x1440, 75hz, gsync

 

id recomend this... ye its not 144hz, but at least it isnt that awful 60hz

[Yuutsuna]

Expensive, but did you consider any of the Case Labs cases?

 

You didn't mention the Enthoo Primo which has an aluminum front and top.

 

Sadly CaseLabs look quite horrid to me, same regarding Corsair's 750D and the whole series of them...

 

I did look at Enthoo Primo, and it's most likely as close as i can get to what i want without extensive modding, my only cringe ( besides really minor stuff ) being the seemingly plastic bottom part and the front door which seems to not quite align properly... 

 

I guess i'll settle for the Primo and try to mod it to my preferences as much as i can...

 

Acer xr341cka - curved 34inch, IPS, 3440x1440, 75hz, gsync

 

id recomend this... ye its not 144hz, but at least it isnt that awful 60hz

 

 

Not quite fond of the curved designs, and if i'd go for a 4k right now i'd most likely look for a real 4k, like the 31" LG MU97 (4096 x 2160)... that said, it's quite pricey, and well, that's the main reason i'm not so keen on buying a monitor right now, seeing as how they advance and drop in price quite quickly and are at more or less "breakthrough" stage right now... 

 

But really, i'm placing my hopes on what OLED has to offer in the, hopefully, near future...

[Guest Strangerbob]

Not quite fond of the curved designs, and if i'd go for a 4k right now i'd most likely look for a real 4k, like the 31" LG MU97 (4096 x 2160)... that said, it's quite pricey, and well, that's the main reason i'm not so keen on buying a monitor right now, seeing as how they advance and drop in price quite quickly and are at more or less "breakthrough" stage right now... 

 

But really, i'm placing my hopes on what OLED has to offer in the, hopefully, near future...

 

You wont see OLED monitors for 3 years AT LEAST. I can promise you that.

 

21:9 is where a subtle curve actually makes sense.

Furthermore its not a 4k 21:9. Its a 1440p one.

 

4k 21:9 would be 5120x2160 and those will start appearing in a about a year.

 

Id really consider 21;9 if i were you. 21:9 gaming > all. Its real heavenly and shit.... the immershun is real.

[g4m3cr34tor]

Just a quick thing, when doing OC on a CPU, it puts strain on the RAM controller and for stability you won't want to OC the RAM at all, probably even underclock it. Also if you want, these cases are pretty expensive but IMO, they are worth it if you have the cash: check out CaseLabs cases. I'd recommend for something like this the SMA8