Plan to get my first Digital Storm PC, Questions

Hello, every one. After carefully research and read the reviews. I chose digital storm to build my PC, here's my build and I have couple set ups that I can't decide so I want to ask you guys, please help me out.


Budget:
[3000]

Expectations:
[gaming]

Usage:
[At least 5 hours/day]

Special Needs:
[safe, durable and I don't want to fix anything after receive]

Saved Ticket #: [1050756]

Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Digital Storm Apollo
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 4790K 4.0 GHz (Codename Devils Canyon) (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS Z97-PRO (Intel Z97 Chipset) (Features 802.11ac Wi-Fi Connectivity)
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1866MHz Corsair Vengeance Pro (High-Performance)
Power Supply: 850W EVGA SuperNOVA
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (256GB Samsung 850 PRO)
Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (1TB Western Digital - Black Edition)
Storage Set 3: - No Thanks
RAID Config: - No Thanks
RAID Card: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Graphics Card(s): 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 4GB (EVGA Superclocked ACX Cooler Edition)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Noctua NH-D14 SE2011 Extreme Performance
H20 Tube Color: - Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Fans: Upgrade Chassis With LED Performance Fans (Blue) (Up to 6 Fans)
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Red)
Airflow Control: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
CPU Boost: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz
Graphics Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Memory Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
OS Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (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)
Office: - No Thanks
Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
NVIDIA SHIELD: - No Thanks
Branded Gear: - No Thanks
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)

Here's my question and concerns

1. Performance wise, is there any difference between asus maximus hero and Z97 pro? I wanted to go maximus with internal wifi card, but after I researched, the one that digital storm offers is asus n53 which is a crappy card compare with other brands, so I end up chose Z97 pro with build-in wifi, what do you guys think and how's the signal of the build in wifi?

2. The Cpu cooling, I've been struggling with Corsair h100i/Noctua d14 2011, I was going to try Corsair h100i or even 110, but the noise come from the stock fan is just unacceptable. Also, due to its liquid cooling build, I can't ignore the potential leaks in the future (It may not happen soon but it will happen after few years). The problem about Noctua d14 is its easy to get damaged during the shipping process, So which one should I chose? Even though I prefer Noctua, but I don't want to risk it.

3. The Graphic card, I was 100% sure I would go with evga gtx970 acx, but after I read an article about the problem of evga gtx970 which they reduced the build quality of acx products cause temperature increases. So, would the original Nvidia gtx970 performs better than evga gtx970?

final question, Does 850w power supply is a over kill for my build? or I should do 850 instead of 750 that 850w supply would bring me more space for future upgrades.

Any help would be really appreciated, and sorry about my english.

I agree with Arkansas with Noctua.  It's not a popular decision by most anymore, with the popularity of the smaller sealed liquid coolers, but they are tops in reliability.  No pump, liquid or firmware to worry about.  The sealed units are very reliable, though, with little chance of leakage.   They have a very good reputation.    The advantage of Noctua is its big block of metal cooling fins that leave little to go wrong.   There have been times where shipping bent one half of it a little, but that's few and far between..  A little bend back fixed it. 

The disadvantage of Noctua is the size.  To access the 2nd  closest ram stick to cpu, a fan needs removal, a simple task, or the closest ram stick to the cpu, if you populated all the slots,  the cooler itself needs removal.   Easy to do but just to be aware.   Noctua is quiet, cools great and lasts for years with nothing to worry about. 

The Z97 pro will game at the same level as the Maximus.  What the ROG board(Maximus) does have are things like Sonic Radar for in game help, a supposedly better LAN port for on line gaming, etc.  The maximus also allow easier and better overclocking if that's your thing.  For your build, not needed. 

I haven"t heard any issues with EVGA ACX card but I haven't really checked.   It is clocked higher than reference so performance is a few fps better, but I like reference myself.   The ACX cooler, being dual fan, will dump a lot of its heat into the case.  Just to be aware.

The 750Watt psu is fine for even the sli gtx 970.   I like a bit more, like the 850w, but 750w will be no problem. 

I think that config # is wrong....It brings up an $8000 Aventum build.

Hope we helped. 





Edited by bprat22 - 23 Oct 2014 at 5:49am

Originally posted by jy02752691 Thanks for your help, Sir. Just placed my order, can't be more excited!