Please help decide cooling upgrade

[dusf]

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Some time ago now, when I started tests to overclock my Intel 4690K I had some issues with cooling in my HTPC Fractal Design Node 605, despite experimenting with different fan configurations, so I never got past the testing phase. I have now ordered a Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ATX Tempered Glass Edition, and I would like to upgrade my low profile NOCTUA NH-L12 as I only bought a low profile cooler so it would fit in the case. I would like a custom water loop for CPU and graphics card at some point, but it seems quite expensive, and I am wondering if it is something I should leave until my next major upgrade, and instead opt for something like the NOCTUA NH-D15 or even a closed loop watercooling kit?

I built my PC December 2014, and I have since invested in a QHD Acer XB270HU. It would seem the next upgrade for my GTX 970, whatever that card may be, it will be able to handle 4K well, in which case it would be logical to also upgrade to a large 4K gaming monitor - this substantially increases upgrade cost. I would probably also upgrade the board and CPU at the same time. It may be another year or even two before I make this major upgrade, am I right to put off custom water loop cooling until then?

Perhaps I am mistaken and there is or will be a card worth investing in, at a good bang for buck price, that would max out QHD and I need not put everything off to upgrade at once...

I could put some money aside over the next month, and spend a few hundred on custom water cooling, I would just like to know if it is worth it considering my PC is just 2 years old, the monitor 1 year old, or if it is something better left until the next major upgrade?

Current system:

Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5, Sockel 1150, mATX
Intel Core i5 i5-4690K CPU (Quad Core 3.5GHz Processor, 6MB Cache, Intel HD 4600 Graphics, Socket H3 LGA-1150
MSI NVIDIA GTX 970 Gaming Twin Frozr HDMI DVI-I DP Graphics Card (4GB, PCI Express, DDR5, 256 Bit)
1 x Ballistix Sport 8GB Single DDR3 1600 MT/s (PC3-12800) UDIMM 240-Pin Memory - BLS8G3D1609DS1S00CEU
EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2 750W ATX 2.3, 80+ Gold
NOCTUA NH-L12
Samsung SSD 840 EVO Basic 250GB SATA 6Gb/s
Multiple HDDs
4 x Fractal Design SILENT SERIES R2 120MM 12cm case fan

Running QHD with my 4690K and GTX 970 set to stock settings I have to substantially lower graphics settings in games like Assassin's Creed Unity and Rust to get ~ 50/60 FPS. I am hoping by over clocking both CPU and graphics I can increase these settings.

 

Maybe the best upgrade path would be GTX 1070 -> NOCTUA NH-D15  -> when I have some disposable income custom water cooling?

I would appreciate any input or guidance you can offer.

[Alesek]

7 hours ago, dusf said:

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Some time ago now, when I started tests to overclock my Intel 4690K I had some issues with cooling in my HTPC Fractal Design Node 605, despite experimenting with different fan configurations, so I never got past the testing phase. I have now ordered a Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ATX Tempered Glass Edition, and I would like to upgrade my low profile NOCTUA NH-L12 as I only bought a low profile cooler so it would fit in the case. I would like a custom water loop for CPU and graphics card at some point, but it seems quite expensive, and I am wondering if it is something I should leave until my next major upgrade, and instead opt for something like the NOCTUA NH-D15 or even a closed loop watercooling kit?

I built my PC December 2014, and I have since invested in a QHD Acer XB270HU. It would seem the next upgrade for my GTX 970, whatever that card may be, it will be able to handle 4K well, in which case it would be logical to also upgrade to a large 4K gaming monitor - this substantially increases upgrade cost. I would probably also upgrade the board and CPU at the same time. It may be another year or even two before I make this major upgrade, am I right to put off custom water loop cooling until then?

Perhaps I am mistaken and there is or will be a card worth investing in, at a good bang for buck price, that would max out QHD and I need not put everything off to upgrade at once...

I could put some money aside over the next month, and spend a few hundred on custom water cooling, I would just like to know if it is worth it considering my PC is just 2 years old, the monitor 1 year old, or if it is something better left until the next major upgrade?

Current system:

Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5, Sockel 1150, mATX
Intel Core i5 i5-4690K CPU (Quad Core 3.5GHz Processor, 6MB Cache, Intel HD 4600 Graphics, Socket H3 LGA-1150
MSI NVIDIA GTX 970 Gaming Twin Frozr HDMI DVI-I DP Graphics Card (4GB, PCI Express, DDR5, 256 Bit)
1 x Ballistix Sport 8GB Single DDR3 1600 MT/s (PC3-12800) UDIMM 240-Pin Memory - BLS8G3D1609DS1S00CEU
EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2 750W ATX 2.3, 80+ Gold
NOCTUA NH-L12
Samsung SSD 840 EVO Basic 250GB SATA 6Gb/s
Multiple HDDs
4 x Fractal Design SILENT SERIES R2 120MM 12cm case fan

Running QHD with my 4690K and GTX 970 set to stock settings I have to substantially lower graphics settings in games like Assassin's Creed Unity and Rust to get ~ 50/60 FPS. I am hoping by over clocking both CPU and graphics I can increase these settings.

 

Maybe the best upgrade path would be GTX 1070 -> NOCTUA NH-D15  -> when I have some disposable income custom water cooling?

I would appreciate any input or guidance you can offer.

I would personally just use the money you want to spend on a custom water loop on a gtx 1080 and you will still have some money left. Watercooling is a hobby

[dusf]

I am going to scrap the custom watercooling for now.

 

I was considering a Gigabyte G1 GTX 1070 and a Noctua D15 instead.

 

I have found it hard to find comparisons of the different 1070s available, but I read elsewhere on this forum Gigabyte are usually best for performance and overclocking, what do you think?

[Cyracus]

It's typically hard to find good reviews this early on especially when cards are in short supply. but if you put off buying a 4k monitor for a year or two the prices should continue to come down at least a little bit, and both quality and selection will only improve

[dusf]

9 minutes ago, Cyracus said:

It's typically hard to find good reviews this early on especially when cards are in short supply. but if you put off buying a 4k monitor for a year or two the prices should continue to come down at least a little bit, and both quality and selection will only improve

Indeed, I do not think I will be buying a 4 monitor for some time as my QHD Gsync Acer is only about a year old. The issue is the GTX 970 cannot handle QHD for a lot of games at 50/60 FPS unless the settings are lowered a lot. A GTX 1070 can handle the same without lowering, so I would like to order one and sell the GTX 970. The only issue is picking the 1070.