Hi all:

Its been a long while since I've posted here.  I purchased my first DS in late 2011, and it is time to build an upgraded computer.  It was great for the time, but its time to move on.  Here is the original build:

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Black OPS Syndicate
Processor: Intel Core i7 3930K 3.2GHz (Unlocked CPU for Extreme Overclocking) (Six-Core)
Motherboard: ASUS Rampage IV Extreme X79 (Intel X79 Chipset) (Features USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s)
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 1200W Corsair Pro Gold Series (CMPSU-1200AX) (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible)
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (160GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: 320 Series)
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (Model: Black Edition)
Optical Drive 1: Blu-Ray Player/DVD Writer (Play Blu-Ray and Burn DVDs)
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card(s): 3x SLI Triple (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 2.5GB (Includes PhysX) (EVGA 025-P3-1579-BR)
Sound Card: Creative Labs X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 4: Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System: CPU Only
H20 Tube Color: Red Tubing with High-Performance Fluid (UV Lighting Reactive)
Chassis Airflow: Upgrade Chassis With LED Performance Fans (Blue) (Up to 6 Fans)
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Blue)
CPU Boost: Stage 2: Overclock CPU 4.5GHz to 4.8GHz (Requires Pro or Deluxe Series Motherboard)

I am really interested in the Aura build.  I like the idea of an all-in-one system and the curved screen is pretty sick.  I am a casual gamer and will also be using the computer for Microsoft Office related software for work (no video editing).  I want to make sure that I am getting a tremendous upgrade from my current system, considering that this new system will only have 1 video card as opposed to the 3 GTX 570's in my current system.  I would really appreciate your thoughts on this.  Here is my proposed Aura build:


Chassis
Chassis Model: Pre-built Digital Storm Aura (ETA Middle of October)

Core Components
Processor: Intel Core i7 6800K 3.4GHz (6-Core) (Unlocked CPU)
Motherboard: ASRock X99E-ITX/ac (Intel X99 Chipset) (Mini-ITX)
System Memory: 16GB DDR4 2666MHz Digital Storm Performance Series
Power Supply: 450W (80 Plus Gold Rated) (Supports up to GTX 1080)

Storage / Connectivity
Storage Set 1: M.2 SSD - 512GB Samsung 950 PRO (NVM Express)
Storage Set 2: Hard Disk - 1TB 7200RPM (SATA 3Gb/s)
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)

Graphics / Multimedia
Graphics Card(s): 1x GeForce GTX 1080 8GB (NVIDIA Founders Edition) (VR Ready)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio

Digital Storm Engineering
Extreme Cooling: Digital Storm Vortex Liquid CPU Cooler
HydroLux Tubing Style: - Not Applicable, I do not have a custom HydroLux liquid cooling system selected
HydroLux Fluid Color: - Not Applicable, I do not have a custom HydroLux liquid cooling system selected
Cable Management: Premium Cable Management (Strategically Routed & Organized for Airflow)
Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans

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 Professional (64-Bit Edition)

Thanks for the info. How is the Rez of the monitor that comes with the Aura? Is it a big problem for gaming that it is a TN monitor as opposed to an IPS? I currently use a Dell 30" Ultrasharp thats about 4 years old.

Also, whats the difference between the Gigabyte Z170 N and the Asus Z1ZOI Pro Gaming (which is $42 more)?

I understand your reservations about the all-in-one build, but assuming i was going to go in that direction, what are your thoughts on this build:

1500190

Edited by josh134 - 06 Oct 2016 at 5:26am

I like your build. You clearly think the Titan card is overkill. Im curious as to why the GTX 1080 (ASUS) v. GTX 1080 (Founders).

Thanks again!

what do you think about this

aventum 3 - asus rampage v10 hardline liquid cooled (cpu 2x gpu mobo and ram) ekwb watercooling parts gold and white color mix

custom white paint with jesus on it

ek water blocks the expensive ones. gold color fittings white liquid with gold wires.

drain for liquid system.

RPM liquid wheel to show liquid movement. 2 reservoirs and an extra radiator for even more cooling ( for mobo and ram liquid cooling)

samsung 512gb mv2 950 pro

512bg ssd samsung 850 PRO

western digital gold 8 TB

2x gtx titan X pascal

Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-2000 fans for the radiators and NF-P12  for case ventilation or those corsair ML fans

64 or 128 gb if available corsair dominator platinum 3200 or 3333

interior white paint if available.

Edited by valod - 09 Oct 2016 at 2:48am

Hi valod.... I would cut/paste your post and start your own. Makes it easier to follow and get help.

Your build is a good start but might need some work to get the best bang for your buck.

Edited by bprat22 - 09 Oct 2016 at 4:16am

Look in my sig, my pc was 10K+ and that is before all the upgrades.

But I didn't waste money on one thing.

Its fantastic to spend your money your are passionate about unless you are passionate about flushing your money down the toilet.

for a gaming pc, anything you have in there that I can come and remove without your knowledge and you would never notice the difference in performance is in infarct flushing money down the toilet.

If you are gaming in 4K ok so I can see your sli titan.

You want lc with custom parts for look and performance, then ok. But 2 reservoirs not needed, the system comes with 2 rads, the mobo and ram barely produce any heat to begin with so another rad for them would be pointless. Love the gold fittings/wires with white liquid.

they use the ekwaterblocks not sure which ones you are referring to as the all pretty much are around the same ball park the color or material of the block might be different.

you want over 16GB of ram for gaming? you are flushing money down the toilet, I can change your 64GB of ram to 16GB of ram and you will never notice it.

your 950 pro is a great choice, tho the 960 is right around the corner. the 850 evo should be 1TB for storage, and then I'm not sure what the 8TB is for, sound like waste to me for gaming.

you didn't mention which cpu.


let me put it this way:

If I spent 10K on a pc that can do the same things as a pc with 5K and look the same then I have nothing to brag about, the person with the 5K pc gets to brag about how his pc can match mine with half the price.

Best thing to do is spend the money where it counts and you will notice a difference, the pc will still be 10k+ it just won't have waste in it.

But at the end to each his own

Edited by DST4ME - 09 Oct 2016 at 4:39am

The only time you gonna need more then 16GB of ram is if you are a heavy duty media editor, poweruser or running VM. 16GB is to future proof, for gaming 8GB is more then enough, the other 8GB will cover anything the first 8GB didn't.

ek superamacy is a good block but there are others that do well also. we are talking couple of degrees difference which don't mean much. but its a good waterblock.

the x99 for gaming is pure waste since its the old platform and core for core the skylake is more powerfull and much better for games.

They oc the cpu here and the gpu on the same rad. You don't need a separate one.

TVs are very different than monitors, for gaming stick with monitors, go for the 4k ips 144Hz monitors coming out late this year or early next year. sli titan will be good for those and then a upgrade to 8k monitor.

My pc is old school, it has 4 gpus, 12GB of ram, ssd for main oc, ssd and hdds for storage (12 total), classified mobo with ek wb, classified gpus with ek wb, swiftech cpu water block (not the new one that is not as good), 2 360mm rads with push/pull fans on them, hailstorm case, and bunch of other mods, cpu loop is orange while the gpu loop is red.

Fyi I have use for everything I got including working those 4 gpus like a donkey





Keep in mind this pc with all those parts you are getting, be prepared to work on them cause you will endup doing so.

Edited by DST4ME - 09 Oct 2016 at 5:22am

Push pull is nice but to be honest not needed unless you are an extreme OCer.

Price does not matter, the x99 is more expensive because its the high end platform and has more cores, but in gaming it won't matter check out the 6950x most expensive x99 cpu with 10 cores vs 6700k skylake with 4 cores:












I'm showing you those in 1080p because the higher in res the less the cpu matters, at 4k all those cpus will be equal:












So you see you can't go by "most expensive must be the best".




Edited by DST4ME - 09 Oct 2016 at 5:36am

Between 4 cores and 16GB of ram you are covered with multi tasking.

I'm just sharing the facts, you get what you like, I just want to be clear about what is what tho, for example for gaming/regular use the z170 is much better than x99.

Edited by DST4ME - 09 Oct 2016 at 5:49am

im not even into gaming that much sometimes i play gta5 sometimes the sims 3 for about a hour at a time i'll probably play mafia 3. mainly what i do is when i click on something i want it to be lighting fast. also when i look at the computer i wanted to be like art piece  white with jesus on it and gold and white and black accents on the inside. if a good game comes out in the future i want to play on the highest settings and be able to extreme OC in the future when the pc gets old

right now i got a laptop i7 something gtx680m 16 gig ram 2 ssd drives one of them 512 gb 850 pro

what about future use of dual 16x now that its available i think it will be utilized.

that benchmark is a older x99 im talking about  6950x

also im looking to run 4k screens im gonna start with one but i want to have to option to upgrade to 4

i wonder of DT can do push pull on the rads in the aventum 3

By the time we need x16 your system is gonna be dead you are gonna be on a new one. so there is no future proofing here.

5960 and 6950 are not that different so the benchmark stands, the question here was x16 vs x8 which the benchmark shows no difference.

you can upgrade to 4k monitor with z170 I don't see how that is relevant.

z170 has maximus and oces higher then x99. You can't say x99 has better mobo for oc when the z170 oces higher with better vcore. remember vcore is a big deal in oc.

not sure how you got the same price for both but here is both same build with lc, sli titan and huge price difference:

Here you go x99 Ticket# 1501598 --- $9,243.00 (To see this build click here) You would be lucky if you got 4.2GHz oc on this, vcore is gonna be on the high side.

Here you go z170 Ticket# 1501599 --- $7,573.00 (To see this build click here) you should have 4.4Ghz easy on this with low vcore


On a side note please keep in mind if x16 or ram or etc was important I/we would be telling you to get it, the reason we don't is because they won't matter now or in the near future (3 to 5 years). otherwise that can come across like we don't know what we are talking about.

If you like to get the x99 and etc we can help you config it so you get your money's worth, but I/we have to go with the facts. You are not the first person to think x16 is the future, many have come and said that over the years and we have been telling everyone the same thing, right now and near future x8 is all you need, and we have been correct all these years and until we see something in the future that will need x16 we are sticking with the facts.


But like I said its your pc get what you want, but we have to make sure our guests/members have the correct info and facts, so if you like the x99 or that is what makes you feel right then lets get the x99 because that is what you want and not the x16 that won't matter.

So let us know which system you want, as you know our stance for gaming an regular use in order to get your money's worth is to go 6700k and z170, but its your pc so its upto you, let me know

Edited by DST4ME - 09 Oct 2016 at 7:36am

also trying to get a 4k 40 inch

4096 x 2160 screen but seems like these only come in 31.1 inch

i see what your saying

but im reading alot of places that x99 boards have more features also overclocked the 6050x is very similar to a overclocked 6000k

maybe for gaming skylake is a lil better because only one core is used. but im giving up more cores and more L3 cach for 2.5% more fps when im playing games. something that i dont do that often anyway and something that the 6050x should be able to handle without noticeable difference compared to skylake specially when overclocked

i7 6700k might be better for gaming only but for everything else the i7 6950x seems to be better. 

it should also be able to handle all games at full settings with no problems with 64 gb ram

http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-6950X-vs-Intel-Core-i7-6700K/3604vs3502


Edited by valod - 09 Oct 2016 at 8:14am

when i do something i like to do it all the way. it helps me sleep better at night.


also when i take the honies to the honeycomb hideout i would like to be able to tell em i got 64 bg of ram but i only use 16 bg the other 32 just chillin on a lc ek block

lol  maybe 64 is overkill but atleast 32.  i can tweak some audio players to load music into ram before playing to make it sound better or utilize better refresh rate something like that. i can also tweak firefox to use more ram to work better with lots of plugins that i got that slow it down

i probably don't need more then 4 cores now but i might need it in a year or two or three and i would like to have it same with the ram and everything else thats overkill

not 950 sli titan x sli

also  im taking everything you said into consideration i am seriously debating the skylake based on what you told me tonight 

The knowledge and information on these forums is outstanding. At the end of the day, people will buy what they like here, but you can never say that you did not know all the pros and cons on each component before deciding.

Draining is only one part of it, sometimes you need to re-seat stuff or change them out, and when you go to do that, you will be faced with a pain in the arse. soft tube is extremely easy to work with.

If you use the right type of tubes, which we all do these days, your tube will not crack, I have no issues with tubes ever and I have build many pcs.