Aventum III configuration Help

My last purchase from Digital Storm was in 2011, and I've decided to upgrade due to the constant BSOD while gaming, listening to music, unzipping files (often >6GB) and running JDownloader all simultaneously.
However, I have several questions which I hope both the community and DS can help in terms of picking the right parts based on my daily usage. I have listed the questions numerically below along with my config:

1. Choosing between Asus Rampage V Extreme Edition 10 vs lower boards.
- What is the advantage of the Asus Rampage V Extreme flagship vs say the ASUS X99-DELUXE II? Higher stable OC potential or is it just a huge gimmick? I picked the Asus Rampage based on the fact that there is 10 SATAII slots which I hope to utilize with my 10x 8tb He HGST NAS drives. However, if I do decide to go with the lesser x99 boards then I still have my JBOD to house the remaining hard drives albeit the poor ventilation.

2. Which parts are most important for simultaneous application usage? My current desktop suffers from BSOD if I decide to run Chrome (often 10+tabs with youtube in background), iTunes, Starcraft II and JDownloader with background WINRAR unzipping at the same time. I'm sure there's software issues as i know my Windows is in need of a full clean reinstallation, but I am unsure whether the CPU or the RAM may also contribute to bottlenecking for multitasking. For instance, in my new system should I go with 4 core vs 6 core CPU or higher capacity RAM for the best multitasking experience without hanging or BSOD.

3. Hydrolux Pro vs Hydrolux Lite vs Noctua for CPU cooling? I couldn't find benchmarks looking at temperatures specifically for the Hydrolux Pro vs Lite, but I do know Digital Storm uses the Swifttech H220 which has the following reviews (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/swiftech-h220-x-liquid-cpu-cooler,4156.html). Is liquid cooling with Hydrolux really that much more superior than the air CPU cooler Noctua? If I do decide to get the Hydrolux then should I go with the Pro or Lite? What are the temperature ranges of the Hydrolux pro vs lite generally? Additionally, how often do I have to change the coolant if I do decide to get the Hydrolux?

4. Hydrolux for graphics cards? Is it worth it? I plan to get two GTX 1080s as I plan to get the PG27AQ 4K 60Hz monitor (plan to upgrade to Asus 144hz 4k once the Computex prototype is announced). Additionally, I know the EVGA 1080s cannot utilize the Hydrolux so is the Founder's edition a better choice or the Asus counterpart?    

Budget:
Sub $5500 would be ideal but sub 6k is goal

Expectations:
- Full 4k gaming (Crysis 3, DOOM, MGSV, Starcraft II, Fallout 4, Rise of Tomb Raider).
- Ability to keep at least 20 Chrome tabs open, iTunes, run JDownloader while unzipping large (>6gig) files all simultaneously without getting BSOD.


Usage:
See above. Desktop utility trumps gaming for my needs.

Special Needs:
namely multitasking without BSOD. I keep tabs open a lot while running multiple apps.

Saved Ticket #:
Code:     1450599
URL:     https://www.digitalstorm.com/configurator.asp?id=1450599

Specifications:
Chassis
Chassis Model: Aventum 3 (BACKORDERED ETA Early August)
Exterior Finish: Black Metallic Matte Finish

Core Components
Processor: Intel Core i7 6800K 3.4GHz (6-Core) (Unlocked CPU)
Motherboard: ASUS X99 RAMPAGE V EDITION 10 (Intel X99 Chipset) (Up to 4x PCI-E Devices) (RGB Lighting)
System Memory: 32GB DDR4 2666MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series
Power Supply: 1000W Corsair HX1000i (Digitally Controlled Power)

Storage / Connectivity
Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 8x / CD-Writer 8x) (Internal)
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD M.2 (512GB Samsung 950 PRO) (NVM Express) (Extreme Performance)
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)

Graphics / Multimedia
Graphics Card(s): 2x SLI Dual (GeForce GTX 1080 8GB (NVIDIA Founders Edition) (VR Ready)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio

Digital Storm Engineering
Extreme Cooling: H20: HydroLux PRO: Exotic Custom Cooling System (2x Graphics Cards + CPU)
HydroLux Tubing Style: Flexible Tubing (Requires HydroLux Liquid Cooling System)
HydroLux Fluid Color: Red Fluid (Requires HydroLux Liquid Cooling System)
Cable Management: Premium Cable Management (Strategically Routed & Organized for Airflow)
Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: Digital Storm RGB LED Lighting System (Requires Thermal Management Control Board & Software)
Airflow Control: Digital Storm Thermal Management Control Board & Software

Digital Storm TwisterBoost Technology
Boost Processor: Stage 2: Overclock CPU - Up to 4.8GHz (Depends on Cooling and Motherboard)
Boost Graphics Card(s): Yes, Overclock the video card(s) as much as possible with complete stability

Software
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD)
Virus Protection: FREE: McAfee AntiVirus Plus (1 Year Service Activation Card) (Not Pre-installed) ($35 Value)

Accessories / Goodies

Customer Care
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 15-20 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)            

Edited by heeshboy - 10 Jul 2016 at 1:58pm

1. Better capacitors and some other differences, nothing wrong with the delux but you do know that the socket is for the old architecture right?

2. I'm gonna say if you have 6gb of ram then you need more ram. otherwise there is something else wrong.

for applications that use it, more core = more power, not in gaming tho.

3. First thing first, forget tom's hardware full bs info there.

hydrolux lite is the H220 Prestige I think. noctua is a great air cooler to get better then that you need a good wb and rad which the h220 has a good wb and an ok rad. the pro is all custom parts, which of course will give better results due to better parts.

the temp difference is very different for each person, your ambient temp sets the base, then you go from there, the cpu is different in each case and etc.

4. if you want to lc the gpus then go with asus I guess,

My first advise to you is to get ride of the worlds crappies browser chrome, and use a better browser, your pc does not have to deal with 10 apps being open just because your browser has 10 tabs open.

Second your build is the old architect and in q2 of 2017 will be replaced with the real beast.

Also for gaming and things you have mentioned you don't need anything more then a 4 core cpu.

Your thoughts

Here you go Ticket# 1450649 --- $5,833.00 (To see this build click here)

Copy of Specifications:
Chassis
Chassis Model: Aventum 3 (BACKORDERED ETA Early August)
Exterior Finish: Black Metallic Matte Finish

Core Components
Processor: Intel Core i7 6700K 4.0GHz (Codename Skylake) (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING (Intel Z170 Chipset) (Up to 5x PCI-E Devices)

System Memory: 16GB DDR4 2800MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series

Power Supply: 1000W Corsair HX1000i (Digitally Controlled Power)


Storage / Connectivity
Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 8x / CD-Writer 8x) (Internal)
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD M.2 (512GB Samsung 950 PRO) (NVM Express) (Extreme Performance)
Storage Set 2: 1x SSD (1TB Samsung 850 EVO)

Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)

Graphics / Multimedia
Graphics Card(s): 2x SLI Dual (GeForce GTX 1080 8GB (ASUS Turbo) (VR Ready)

Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio

Digital Storm Engineering
Extreme Cooling: H20: HydroLux PRO: Exotic Custom Cooling System (2x Graphics Cards + CPU)

HydroLux Tubing Style: Flexible Tubing (Requires HydroLux Liquid Cooling System)
HydroLux Fluid Color: Red Fluid (Requires HydroLux Liquid Cooling System)
Cable Management: Exotic Cable Management - Red - (Cable Combs with Custom Color Sleeved Extension Cables)

Chassis Fans: Corsair Airflow Performance Edition (Up to 6 Fans)

Internal Lighting: Digital Storm RGB LED Lighting System (Requires Thermal Management Control Board & Software)
Airflow Control: Digital Storm Thermal Management Control Board & Software

Digital Storm TwisterBoost Technology
Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock CPU - Up to 4.4GHz (Depends on Cooling and Motherboard)


Software
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD)
Virus Protection: FREE: McAfee AntiVirus Plus (1 Year Service Activation Card) (Not Pre-installed) ($35 Value)

Accessories / Goodies

Customer Care
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 15-20 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)

something like that now if you have other needs not met by this mobo we can change mobo

We can tweak those but that is just a rough idea.

here is the official EK water block vendor support list for GTX 1080: https://www.ekwb.com/news/official-list-of-ek-water-blocks-for-gtx-1080-series/

as you can see EVGA cards will be getting blocks in late July.

When I look at evga blocks on ek site it shows them as available.

look here



Edited by DST4ME - 10 Jul 2016 at 4:16pm

1. Your temps is gonna be different than ours, because, each chip is different and will oc to a different level and have different temps, your oc will be different, the biggest factor is your ambient temps.

hydrolux like is swiftech h220 and the pro is custom parts.

2. Maximus is fine.

3. the evga is not genaric cooler, its the acx 3.0 cooler. the acx offered here is already oced with the acx 3.0.

if you want to push your gpu oc then go with liquid cooling.

Originally posted by heeshboy Thanks guys. I think i'm going to go with the Skylake. Just had some lingering questions which I hope you guys can answer: 1. I'm leaning towards liquid cooling my CPU over that of air cooling if I were to go with the Aventum case. With that in mind, what is the difference between the Pro vs Lite? Do any of you guys have the Hydrolux in your Aventum machines and is able to provide what your CPU temp ranges under what overclock loads? 2. Mobo wise I'll most likely go with the Maximus board given the in built wifi along with the number of SATA slots. The Aventum case provides 8 hard drive bays which I will fill up. You guys think the Maximus is overkill or should I go with a lower grade MOBO? 3. Do any of you have the hydrolux for the GPU? Is it worth it or should I just stick with generic air cooled EVGA 1080s. Thanks

regarding the mobo choice, i think you should go with the higher end, be that an Asus or Gigabyte (i have the Gigabyte z170 Gaming GT in my Aventum 3), considering your storage needs. 

as for the cooling, like i said i've had the Aventum 3 since October with the standard 3 rad config.  with that system i have 2xGTX 980ti's and an I7-6700k being cooled by EK water blocks; an EK gpu interconnect; and whichever fittings DS uses; alone with their flex tubing (Tygon brand) and quick disconnects.  this was before they started with the "pro" and "lite" nomenclature, but it's analogous to the "Pro" option.  

my I7-6700k is overclocked to [email protected].  my 980ti's are oc'd: +215MHz on the boost clock; +17mV voltage adj.; +500MHz on the memory; 110% power target.

my temps under gaming loads are usually: low 50's C on cpu and the gpu's don't exceed 42C.   so, yeah it's worth it to me

ps  Northern Cali boy here so ambient doesn't exceed temps in the 70's.  if it does i kick the ac on.


Edited by db188 - 10 Jul 2016 at 7:40pm

Just keep in mind that the noctua can get you to 4.4GHz which is more than what you need for gaming. Now some will say you have to win the chip lottery but that is not what I have seen, and I can only go by what I have seen. Don't get me wrong lc will give you better temps and higher oc, but here on this chip with noctua you can get to or close to 4.4GHz.

For gaming 4.4GHz is more then enough but for other tasks the higher speed the better tho IMHO over .3GHz or so is when the real difference is felt.

If you really want stage 2 oc then go hydrolux pro, just keep in mind you could endup with a 4.5GHz oc on stage 2 vs 4.4 or 4.3GHz on noctua in stage 1, Or you could endup with a 4.6GHz oc on the pro.

Remember that my temps will have nothing to do with yours.

Your oc/temp is first depended on the cpu itself first, every chip is different, one could oc to 4.8 with great temps and vcore and the next could oc to only 4.4 with not so great temps and vcore.

Second is your room temp you can't drop your cpu temp below room temp. If your room reaches 78 to 80 degrees then you can't go below that, hot air blowing thru rads is not gonna help cool anything down, and the same goes for air cooled.

Then you got the airflow in the case and etc and your lc parts, all blocks and rads are not the same performance differs.

So keep in mind what one person got in oc and temps has nothing to do with what the next person is gonna have in oc and temps.

LC IMHO is for people that want to push their oc. or have better temps than air.

So If you plan on pushing your oc or going stage 2 oc then yes LC is the way to go, otherwise its a matter preference.

Lc systems will have maintenance, you should change the fluid once a year, I like every 6 months.

lc system can have leaks or parts can go bad so keep all of that in mind and be prepared to work on the lc system. Tho made easy with things like quick disconnect, lc will have more work than air.

Edited by DST4ME - 11 Jul 2016 at 12:58am