Criticize my build

[JustAUser1]

Hello,

 

I am planning my first water cooled pc. Please criticize this as much as possible. I would like to know if something is too much, too little, useless, incompatible, etc. If you have a recommendation for a better part/or you prefer something else, even if its because of personal preference, please let me know as well and why you prefer that over what I have. Any help would be appreciated.

 

CPU: Intel i7-7700k (with ek waterblock for watercooling)

GPU: 1080 ti (with ek waterblock for watercooling)

Mobo: ASUS ROG Maximus IX Formula (I chose this because it has built in watercooling)

RAM: G.SKILL TridentZ RGB 4x8GB (I chose this because it is compatible with ASUS Aura Sync)

SSD: Samsung 960 PRO M.2 512 GB

HDD: ....? Haven't chosen yet but not that important.

Case: Corsair Obsidian 450D

PSU: Corsair AX1200i (Not an expert...at all...with power. It would be greatly appreciated if someone can shine some light on how much wattage I need and/or if this PSU will work)

Fans: 2x120mm fans in front and 1x120mm fan in back (currently using the stock fans...would like it if someone could suggest a good fan to use)

Water cooling: Custom hard tubing loop from EKWB. 3x120mm radiator/fans on top (exhaust). 2x120mm fans on bottom (intake).

 

Thanks for the criticism. Please don't go easy on me and sugarcoat it. If you think I chose something stupid, please say so.

 

EDIT: This build is primarily for gaming (and looks).... lots and lots of gaming... but i also do a lot of programming and occasional video editing, among a few cpu/gpu intensive tasks. With that in mind, would you recommend a different cpu/mobo? sli? more ram (because 32GB isnt nearly enough lol)? less ram? also, i am open to suggestions for 4k monitors/tvs to utilize my one 1080ti to its full potential. And if the parts list wasnt already an indicator, there is no budget. just whatever i get the most bang for my buck for.

Also, the only thing i wont budge on is having anything larger than a mid tower and having a 1080ti. I just feel like full towers are way too big and well...its a 1080ti. everything else, i dont mind swapping out for something better.

[killer5247]

get the asus posieden 1080ti

[MrDrWho13]

You probably don't need more than 750W PSU. You can check this list for the recommended ones: 

(Anything tier 1-3) 

[Taswell]

PSU overkill as fuck 750/850watt should be fine and thats still pretty generous 

[JustAUser1]

Just now, killer5247 said:

get the asus posieden 1080ti

That was my original choice but I decided to go with a stock 1080ti with custom ek waterblock instead because it won't take up as much space and it will also (in theory) be faster. Unless you can provide some tests that prove otherwise??

[MVPernula]

1 minute ago, MrDrWho13 said:

You probably don't need more than 750W PSU. You can check this list for the recommended ones: 

(Anything tier 1-3) 

For watercooling and considering the price of everything in his build I'd recommend nothing but Tier one.

I agree that 750w probably will be enough, but I'd go with at least 850w for headroom and.. Well rather be safe than sorry.

[Septimus]

In addition to what @MrDrWho13 mentioned, the sweet sport for power supply efficiency is around 40-50% of its total possible delivery. If you want to get the most efficiency out of your PSU and you have (for example) a 300 watt system, you should aim for a 600-650 watt power supply. 

This strategy is effected by diminishing returns though, so if you have a system that consumes 800 watts, paying for something like a 1600 watt power supply isn't really going to give you the same kind of return on your investment as if you bought a 600 or 650 watt power supply instead of a 400 watt. 

[MrDrWho13]

9 minutes ago, JustAUser1 said:

Fans: 2x120mm fans in front and 1x120mm fan in back (currently using the stock fans...would like it if someone could suggest a good fan to use)

Water cooling: Custom loop from EKWB. 3x120mm radiator/fans on top (exhaust). 2x120mm fans on bottom (intake).

Mate you don't need 8 fans in a system; 2-4 will be fine. The fans on the radiators will likely be enough too cool the entire system quite well.

Also I'm going to be a LTT fanboy and suggest Noctua NF-F12

[JustAUser1]

1 minute ago, MrDrWho13 said:

You probably don't need more than 750W PSU. You can check this list for the recommended ones: 

(Anything tier 1-3) 

Now choosing the PSU was one of the most tedious things I had to do. I literally spent 3 days researching what psu to get and how much W I need but I ended up going better safe than sorry lol. I also plan on overclocking the cpu/gpu and adding a couple more peripherals so I wasn't sure how much more power that would take. (btw, still have no idea how to calculate the required watts lol)

[Himommies]

2 minutes ago, JustAUser1 said:

That was my original choice but I decided to go with a stock 1080ti with custom ek waterblock instead because it won't take up as much space and it will also (in theory) be faster. Unless you can provide some tests that prove otherwise??

The EK one should theoretically be a little bit faster but VRM's are a thing you have to consider so just get the cheaper one.The EK one will look better IMO

[Septimus]

Just now, JustAUser1 said:

(btw, still have no idea how to calculate the required watts lol)

I'm sure you've heard of PC Partpicker by now, head over there and put all of your parts in, it'll add up the wattage for you. 

[JustAUser1]

1 minute ago, MrDrWho13 said:

Mate you don't need 8 fans in a system 2-4 will be fine. The fans on the radiators will likely be enough too cool the entire system quite well.

Also I'm going to be a LTT fanboy and suggest Noctua NF-F12

well I figured I might as well leave the stock fans on there since theyre stock fans... lol. But I just wanted to make sure the liquid was as cool as possible seeing as how i plan to oc. Plus, I can go for a quieter rig since I can spread out the load between the two radiators. Unless you think im just being paranoid and stupid.

[Himommies]

1 minute ago, MrDrWho13 said:

Mate you don't need 8 fans in a system 2-4 will be fine. The fans on the radiators will likely be enough too cool the entire system quite well.

Also I'm going to be a LTT fanboy and suggest Noctua NF-F12

Of course you need 8 fans The More radiatiators the better.I have 2 280mm and 1 140mm on my mastercase.

[Septimus]

8 minutes ago, JustAUser1 said:

SSD: Samsung 960 PRO M.2 512 GB

Consider going with the 960 Evo M.2 instead, as its performance is only 15% less than that of the pro version, but is quite a bit cheaper, and at those speeds, it's unlikely you'll notice a difference. 

[Himommies]

Just now, Septimus said:

Consider going with the 960 Evo M.2 instead, as its performance is only 15% less than that of the pro version, but is quite a bit cheaper, and at those speeds, it's unlikely you'll notice a difference. 

I would say that's overkill too get a Sk Hynik 500gb and that's that

[JustAUser1]

1 minute ago, Himommies said:

Of course you need 8 fans The More radiatiators the better.I have 2 280mm and 1 140mm on my mastercase.

@MrDrWho13 @Himommies oooh conflicting views. Care to battle it out or is this just a case of personal preference?

[Septimus]

Summing up some of the things we've said so far...

- PSU is overkill, get something that is about twice the required wattage for your system (unless it breaks the bank)

- Consider getting fewer fans - the more you add the less effect each one has on the system, so try to find a sweet spot for your case (also take into account noise). 

[Septimus]

15 minutes ago, JustAUser1 said:

HDD: ....? Haven't chosen yet but not that important.

Consider getting a Seagate Barracuda 3TB (2016), offers great value and performance. 

[MrDrWho13]

Just now, JustAUser1 said:

@MrDrWho13 @Himommies oooh conflicting views. Care to battle it out or is this just a case of personal preference?

I would say it's personal preference. I think the system could be a lot quieter with less fans, even if they were going at very low speeds. Depending on the fan positioning, adding too many could create whirlpools(?) of air which would have a negative impact. I couldn't say for sure without trying though. Also it consumes more power thus costing you the tiniest bit more on your electricity bill.

[Himommies]

1 minute ago, JustAUser1 said:

@MrDrWho13 @Himommies oooh conflicting views. Care to battle it out or is this just a case of personal preference?

Honestly if you have the money and are not intrested in X299 then fucking do it.It'll literally be a work of art.This is a argument for performance vs aethestics.If you are at the point where you have a 1080ti.Rather than use SLI and have a GPU your never going to use.Why not invest in the longevity of your system.

 

1 minute ago, Septimus said:

Summing up some of the things we've said so far...

- PSU is overkill, get something that is about twice the required wattage for your system (unless it breaks the bank)

- Consider getting fewer fans - the more you add the less effect each one has on the system, so try to find a sweet spot for your case (also take into account noise). 

Of course the fans will be used on the radiator which means that he can run each fan at like 500-ish RPM so it would actullay be quieter 

[JustAUser1]

2 minutes ago, Himommies said:

Honestly if you have the money and are not intrested in X299 then fucking do it.It'll literally be a work of art.This is a argument for performance vs aethestics.If you are at the point where you have a 1080ti.Rather than use SLI and have a GPU your never going to use.Why not invest in the longevity of your system.

X299 was actually my first choice but theres that whole thing about the VRM issues with the mobos and I wasn't really willing to take the risk. Plus I figured the i7-7700k was just as good for a gaming pc.

 

3 minutes ago, Himommies said:

Of course the fans will be used on the radiator which means that he can run each fan at like 500-ish RPM so it would actullay be quieter 

This was what i was aiming for however.........

 

4 minutes ago, MrDrWho13 said:

Depending on the fan positioning, adding too many could create whirlpools(?) of air which would have a negative impact.

I have not been able to find any articles or videos on whirlpools?? Can you provide some resources for me to research this?

[MrDrWho13]

3 minutes ago, JustAUser1 said:

I have not been able to find any articles or videos on whirlpools?? Can you provide some resources for me to research this?

I can't cite my sources, I'm just passing on information I've heard. If you like the idea of having many fans (which could look good if they were LED ones) then go for it! You can always take them out if you don't like them.

[JustAUser1]

@Septimus @MrDrWho13 So I put my build into the PSU calc and its telling me to get a 750w PSU. However, this is without oc, peripherals, and some other components i plan on adding down the line. Would 1000w be enough or am i still going too high? I figured I would toss on another 100 on there for the oc and another 50-100 for any peripherals/monitors.

[MrDrWho13]

1 minute ago, JustAUser1 said:

@Septimus @MrDrWho13 So I put my build into the PSU calc and its telling me to get a 750w PSU. However, this is without oc, peripherals, and some other components i plan on adding down the line. Would 1000w be enough or am i still going too high? I figured I would toss on another 100 on there for the oc and another 50-100 for any peripherals/monitors.

If you get a 1000W tier 1 PSU, you'll be set for probably 10 or more years. I doubt your system would consume more than 800W with everything you've mentioned, but feel free to get the 1000W for peace of mind.

Out of curiosity, what other components are you planning to add later?

[Septimus]

2 minutes ago, JustAUser1 said:

@Septimus @MrDrWho13 So I put my build into the PSU calc and its telling me to get a 750w PSU. However, this is without oc, peripherals, and some other components i plan on adding down the line. Would 1000w be enough or am i still going too high? I figured I would toss on another 100 on there for the oc and another 50-100 for any peripherals/monitors.

Not seeing how that adds up. I just added a few similar components to a PC Part Picker list and the total is around 500 watts. Either way, 1000 watts sounds reasonable as long as it doesn't break the bank .