Newbuild Advice

Here's a build to get started with.     You didn't mention the monitor resolution which determines the video card.   I put in the 1080 ti which is great for high end 1440p and 4k gaming.     The gtx 1080 is all you need for most 1440p but the config doesn't allow water cooling that card. If you use a 1920x1080 then a gtx 1070 will do it.

4x Storage is 4 individual drives in 4 slots.

I took a guess on your Raid drives. You can select any 3 or more identical drives.

The Raid controller isn't needed.   It does have some advantages like load off the CPU but also costs more, takes a PCI slot, etc.   The mobo controller can handle it.

I selected the Velox over the Aventum to stay on budget.

Whether the rig is water or air cooled doesn't matter for adequate airflow.   They both use fans to cool the rig, whether it's the CPU/ gpu directly or through a radiator. Make sure your enclosure can handle the cases size and keep the heat out. You don't need water cooling to keep the components cool but it does have advantages like better transfer of heat, possibly quieter, looks, etc

onfiguration Code: 1711945
Total Price with Instant Savings: $3,852.00

Direct Load URL: https://www.digitalstorm.com/configurator.asp?id=1711945

Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Digital Storm Velox
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2 GHz (Codename Kaby Lake) (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: MSI Z270 GAMING PRO CARBON (Intel Z270 Chipset) (Up to 3x PCI-E Devices) <br><strong></strong>
System Memory: 16GB DDR4 3000MHz Digital Storm Performance Series
Power Supply: 750W EVGA SuperNOVA (750 G3) (Fully Modular)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) (Internal)
Storage Set 1: 1x Storage (2TB Seagate / Toshiba) <br><strong></strong>
Storage Set 2: 2x Storage (2TB Seagate / Toshiba) <br><strong></strong>
Storage Set 3: - No Thanks
RAID Config: RAID 5: Performance + Drive Failure Protection (Recommended) (Requires 3 Identical HDDs) <br><strong></strong>
RAID Card: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Graphics Card(s): 1x GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB (Performance Edition) (VR Ready) <br><strong></strong>
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: H20: HydroLux PRO: Exotic Custom Cooling System (1x Graphics Card + CPU) <br><strong></strong>
HydroLux Tubing Style: Flexible Tubing (Requires HydroLux Liquid Cooling System) <br><strong></strong>
HydroLux Fluid Color: Red Fluid (Requires HydroLux Liquid Cooling System) <br><strong></strong>
Cable Management: Premium Cable Management (Strategically Routed & Organized for Airflow)
Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: Remote Controlled LED Lighting System (Multiple color options and lighting effects) <br><strong></strong>
Airflow Control: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stock Factory Turbo Boost Advanced Automatic Overclocking
Boost Graphics Card(s): - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows 10 Installation CD Only (Clean Install with No Drivers) <br><strong></strong>
Virus Protection: FREE: McAfee AntiVirus Plus (1 Year Service Activation Card) (Not Pre-installed) ($35 Value)
Office: - No Thanks
Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
Branded Gear: - No Thanks
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)


Hope this helps.


Edited by bprat22 - 19 Jul 2017 at 7:51am

Aventum in a cabinet? I'm wondering if you realize just how HUGE this case is?

Dimension: 30"(L) x 10"(W) x 26"(H)

Visualize a box 3 feet by 2 feet by a foot. Most cabinets don't have that kind of room.   

Also, the Aventum starter is $4200+.

Not trying to dissuade you in the slightest, but that model is the flagship of the DS line and it is large and in charge.   

It would fit perfectly in the cabinet. I'm not well versed in Frames Per Second apparently, I think I have a 120hz refresh rate. What does that mean in regards to Frames per second? I thought the Titan GPU is for 4k resolution, and the 1080ti was for 1080p. What does two 1080ti's bring to the table?

Make sure you build a cardboard facsimile of the Aventm 3 and fit in your cabinet. It is larger in real life than the numbers suggest and you also need space around it for air flow. Just saying.

what's storage set 2, and 3? How many disc slots are available? If I pic 4x 6TB drives for Storage slot 2, how many open slots are available for storage slot 3 as the same 4x 6TB shows up again.

Ok, so one bay is taken by the Optical Drive, and another is taken by the Operating system boot SSD drive. So I have 6 bays left correct? I'll use 4 for the raid setup.

Originally posted by tome10 It will be in the AV closet, so I'll be using my 4k TV for the monitor. Would this require the Titan GPU? Thinking about dabbling into oculus rift at some point. At 3800 with the starter build, I'm knocking on the door of the beautiful red Aventum. I sit so close to the AV cabinet, and the current camera server thing is extremely loud, so this is where I need this machine which will take over camera duties to be quiet. I assume the liquid cooling's radiator fans do not need to be ran at high rpm to keep things cooled off. What do you know about raid levels? I'm under the impression that raid 5, or raid 6 would be the way to go, but I didn't see that option. I'm curious as to why that is.

I would read up as much as possible on RAIDs, especially if you're not familiar with them.

RAID 5 array can have 1 drive fail and still function without a loss of data. Disk failure degrades array from 5--->0(first disk failure)--->screwed(2nd disk failure).

RAID 6 array can have 2 drives fail and still function without a loss of data, but there is a penalty for write operations due to parity calculations. This means you're sacrificing write-performance for redundancy of the array. Disk failures degrade array from 6--->5(1st disk failure)--->0(2nd disk failure)--->screwed(3rd disk failure).

Do you need a RAID card to set up a RAID? No, but you will need to determine for yourself which solution is better for your intended use: software or a hardware RAID controller. Each have their pros and cons.
With the cpu's available today, software RAID isn't as big of an issue for the cpu to handle in regards to simpler RAID arrays, however like I said before, hardware & software RAID each have pros and cons and comes down to the individual user's needs and preferences.

Looking at the big picture, you want to use a single system for both gaming and for hosting a multiple-camera security system that uses a RAID array. I don't know how crucial your data is(only you could answer that), but the caveat with this is if you're doing something else on your system that causes it to crash, it could be a problem and you may find yourself rebuilding a RAID more frequently than you like.

On top of all of this, you should have a battery backup UPS for a system running RAID arrays in conjunction with backing up the data stored on your RAID array.

This is just my opinion, but my concern with putting an enclosed case within another enclosed case would be the impedance to airflow and the resulting buildup of heat, given you'll have 4 mechanical HDs running constantly. You not only need to worry about bringing in cooler outside air into the external case, but also pulling out the warmer air that will be building up inside of it. Whatever the "case", I would keep an eye on the temps because I don't think these desktop towers were intended to be placed inside such a small enclosure.