3k Build Advice

Budget:
<3k - I Plan to buy in the next few days.

Expectations:
Gaming machine with longevity. I plan to add a second card later. I will be adding storage later (no raid). I will be connecting to a Monitor sometimes and a television sometimes.

Usage:
Gaming of all types.

Special Needs:
I want a plain case, No lights, no bling. I want something quiet as this will be sitting in my family room, but I expect it to be a bit noisier while I'm gaming and that is OK. I'm especially concerned with cooling. I'm not sure if the noctua c9oler is better than what I have chosen. I'm also not sure what to overclock and not overclock, so I would appreciate any advice there.

Saved Ticket #: 839679 ($2,747)

Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Corsair Obsidian 550D
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 4770K 3.50 GHz (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth Z87 (Intel Z87 Chipset) (Features Thermal Armor and Thermal Radar)
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 2133MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) <b></b>
Power Supply: 1050W Corsair Pro Silver 1050HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (240GB Solid State (By: Corsair) (Model: Neutron GTX Series) (SATA 6Gbps)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: Wireless USB 802.11n Up to 300Mbps (Supports 802.11n/g/b)
Video Card: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 2GB (Includes PhysX)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Recon3D Fatal1ty Professional 5.1
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Corsair H100i 240mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (Extreme-Performance Edition) <b></b>
H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: Noise Suppression Package Stage 2 (Optimized Airflow & Fan Speeds with Noise Dampening Material)
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz
Boost Video Card: Yes, Overclock the video card(s) as much as possible with complete stability
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Boost OS: FREE: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 8 Professional (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
External Storage: - No Thanks
Exclusive T-Shirt: - No Thanks
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 10-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty


Edited by phenolic72 - 14 Jun 2013 at 1:15pm

@bprat22 - Thanks very much for the reply. I'm not sold on this case, but I do like the fact that it is plain. Can you recommend a case (or cases) with better airflow? I was also looking at the following system earlier, but I don't know if it is any better for airflow.

Ticket Number: 839733
Total Price with Instant Savings: $2,569.00

Direct Load URL: http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=839733

Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Digital Storm VIRTUE
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 4770K 3.50 GHz (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS Gryphon Z87 (Intel Z87 Chipset) (Features Thermal Radar) (MATX)
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 1050W Corsair Pro Silver 1050HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (240GB Solid State (By: Corsair) (Model: Neutron GTX Series) (SATA 6Gbps) <b></b>
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: - No Thanks <b></b>
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: - No Thanks <b></b>
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 3GB (Includes PhysX)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Corsair H100i 240mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (Extreme-Performance Edition)
H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (UV) (Creates Glowing Effect for H20 Tubes) <b></b>
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz
Boost Video Card: Yes, Overclock the video card(s) as much as possible with complete stability <b></b>
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 8 (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks

phenolic72...... The Virtue is based on the new Corsair 350d if you want to google and check it out.    The case follows the trend of smaller cases and has very good reviews.    I would however ask DS in special optiins to add the second 140mm Corsair silent fan to the front for nice airflow.     It comes with one and has a mount for the second.   Probably $20-25 extra.

The best air flow case is the HafX for example with its side panel 200mm fan blowing air directly onto cards and mobo. Plus it can hold the larger Noctua cooler.    But, what you have will work fine.   Depends what works for your tastes.

The UV light tubes won't work with the sealed units like Vortex or h100i.   That UV interacts with stage 3 and above with true water cooling.

Not sure if the internal light strip option fits with smaller cases. If Alex sees this maybe he can chime in.

Your rig looks great.    Solid and reliable.   Good luck.

Edited by bprat22 - 15 Jun 2013 at 3:05am

Good to hear.   

Stick with what you have.    The Corsair has an established track record, tge Noctua probably won't fit and you don't need the fan or noise upgrade.     

Change your internal light strip to a color instead of UV. The UV is for a different cooling system.


Good luck.

Now you wait. 

Great looking system. 

Nice build!

Hi phenolic72.... Sorry to hear of the damage.    Chances are your other components are good to go.    Damage to boards, etc usually show right away.   

Thanks for the update on the case.   Good to know.

It was a pleasure helping and best of luck.    Enjoy.

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