First PC in a LOOOONG time

So XCOM2 seems to be the death knell of my old girl. I have been getting cpu over temp alarms lately (even before XCOM2), running out of disk space, and want a clean computer for windows 10. She was a i7-920 with 12 MB RAM and GTX 760. That was a home built and lasted me 8 years with only a memory upgrade (6GB to 12GB) and a video card replacement (GTX 260 core 216 to GTX 760. Not up for the "fun" of a home build at this point in my life so ooooooooo......

Budget:
~$2500

Expectations:
LOTS of strategy gaming (XCOM 2, Civ:BE, etc) some World of Tanks or other action games, some work from home/remote accessing a DB through SSMS or RDC (will get office 2016 on my own), general computing/web browsing. Supplying a 1920 x 1200 monitor for now. Once pascal boards come out may get new gpu and monitor combo. So going 970 for the price performance point.

Usage:
Daily

Special Needs:
me maybe computer no.
Scavenging Blu-ray writer and 1 TB Caviar Black Drive from old computer (hence why I want my 2 data drives to match just in case I decide to go RAID at some point.


Saved Ticket #: https://www.digitalstorm.com/configurator.asp?id=1369193


Specifications:
Chassis
Chassis Model: Corsair Obsidian 550D

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 2666MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series *
Power Supply: 750W EVGA SuperNOVA

Storage / Connectivity
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD M.2 (512GB Samsung 950 PRO) (NVM Express) (Extreme Performance)
Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (1TB Western Digital - Black Edition)
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)

Graphics / Multimedia
Graphics Card(s): 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 4GB (VR Ready)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio

Digital Storm Engineering
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Digital Storm Vortex 120mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler **
Cable Management: Premium Cable Management (Strategically Routed & Organized for Airflow)
Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans

Digital Storm TwisterBoost Technology
Boost Processor: Standard Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 Automatic Overclocking

Software
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Professional (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 10-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)





QUESTIONS
* Is it worth upgrading to the Corsair 2666MHz memory. Looks like that is 4 x 4GB sticks so limits growth with out tossing parts, but might be better quality. Thoughts?

** Back in my day, liquid cooling was not a thing. I know nothing about it. Should I upgrade it? If so what is the price performance point I should go for?

*** Anything else you would change?

Did some reading on the cooling and am leaning toward Noctua NH-D15

ok thanks for your response. I think I like the look of the H100i better as it looks less crowded in the case, but am simply concerned about water leaks. Does that ever happen with the closed systems.

i think you have a well thought out build for your current needs.  you really don't need water cooling for that build.  in fact, that Corsair case can be loaded with fans running at 100% speed and still be "quiet" (a relative term) as long as you keep it sealed.  as for leaks, it's extremely rare as each unit is individually factory tested (and then tested at DS) for them.  being a "closed loop" AIO water cooler, they're probably less prone to leaks then a custom open water loop is due to fewer points of failure.  they aren't built to last (3-5 years on average) before pump failure. 

i highly suggest an air cooler in your situation.  you don't even need a high end one (like the Noctua) unless you plan to overclock a little higher than a CM Hyper 212 ($40) can handle.  even the best air cooler won't push the oc as high (assuming you have a well binned proc) as water cooling with a 280mm (or larger) rad can. 

concerning memory- i always want memory that has an "extreme memory profile" (XMP) and i'm not sure that the generic memory modules DS uses in budget builds qualifies.  most of the memory manufacturer's generic memory doesn't.  beyond that, it doesn't really matter all that much performance-wise whether it's 2400MHz or 3000MHz kit.  just make sure you get 16GB (8GB minimum) for today's games