$6k build, needs tweaking please

So I'm looking to spend entirely too much money on a gaming box.  But I want to make sure I am spending money on things that matter and saving money on things that don't matter.

This will be used exclusively for gaming and surfing the internet.  No video editing or any of that.  I expect to run games on max settings at 1920x1080.  I may want to go up to 2560x1440 at some point.  I don't have the monitor for it currently.

When I replace the box I will replace the whole box...not really planning to upgrade individual bits.  I've had my last system (also from DS) for about 2.5 years.

If I have to fix or upgrade something I can...I used to build my own boxes but I got tired of dealing with returns when X component didn't work right with Y component, I was sent a bad mobo/memory, etc.  Too much bother.

Here is the customized build I have so far starting with a lower end Aventum II:
Saved ID: 940477

Discussion points:
 - I went down to win7 because I hate win8 with a fiery passion.  OS boost is because I'm lazy and don't want to figure out all the things to shut off myself.

 - Quad core vs 6core...I really don't know about this one.  I keep reading that 6core really doesn't help in the vast majority of cases and it's a large price jump.  Am I getting enough value by getting the low end 6core?

 - If I do drop to quad core I could also drop to an X87 motherboard.  So more of a savings.  I don't plan to go more than 2xSLI so I am not sure the X79 is giving me much other than 6core support.

 - The 780 Ti's really worth the $400 diff over the plain 780?

 - Liquid cooling on the chipset/gfx...so I picked it because it's cool.  That alone should probably tell me that I picked it for the wrong reason.  Should I save $500 and drop this down to CPU+chipset?  Or even down to level 1 and just CPU (save $750)?  I've never actually had liquid cooling.  It sorta scares and fascinates me at the same time.

 - The "Airflow Control" DS board...it's backordered until April and I have no idea if it's even needed/useful for $100.

 - The SSD...the last time I bought a DS box I got advice from these forums about which ~250gb SSD was really the best as apparently the stats can be misleading.  Anyone have good info on which is really the most reliable/fastest one?

Specs for those that don't want to load the saved config:

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Black OPS Aventum II

Processor: Intel Core i7 4930K 3.4GHz (Unlocked CPU for Extreme Overclocking) (Six-Core)

Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth X79 (Intel X79 Chipset) (Features USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s)

System Memory: 16GB DDR3 2133MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)

Power Supply: 850W Corsair RM

Storage Set 1: 1x (240GB Solid State - Corsair Neutron GTX)

Storage Set 2: 1x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (Model: Black Edition)

Graphics Card(s): 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB (Includes PhysX)

Extreme Cooling: H20: HydroLux Level 3: Digital Storm Exotic Custom Cooling System (2x Video Cards + CPU + Chipset)

Internal Lighting: Digital Storm RGB LED Lighting System (Requires Thermal Management Control Board & Software)

Airflow Control: Digital Storm Thermal Management Control Board & Software (Backordered ETA Mid-April)

Boost Processor: Stage 2: Overclock CPU 4.5GHz to 4.8GHz (Requires High-End Motherboard Selection)

Boost Graphics Card(s): - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)

Boost OS: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial services on the operating system

Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition)

Exclusive T-Shirt: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Black (Extra Large)

 

Edited by DirkSJ - 25 Mar 2014 at 11:17pm

Originally posted by Alex Just wanted to say thank you for being a repeat customer.

This will be my 3rd :).  First was #5001...I don't even remember the date.  Second was #18824 a bit over 2 years ago.

Your customer service and solid machines keep me coming back and getting bigger machines each time!

Thank you!  This is exactly the sort of feedback I was looking for :).

The hailstorm is far better it seems, I don't want to spend $250 extra on the case and the slimline DVD :).

A few followup questions:
You suggested downgrading the RAM to 1600Mhz.  The upgrade to 2133 is only $44, is this really not worth it?

I think I can remove the $99 base plate, just cosmetic right?

If I am going full liquid cpu/chipset/gfx why would I upgrade the case fans?  I assume my heavy heat needs would be covered as the liquid radiator and power supply blow directly out of the case?

Should I overclock the gfx cards if I an doing liquid for them?  I have never OCed a gfx card...not sure if it causes issues or lowers life a lot.

Generally CPU clock speed is more important than number of cores for gaming.  You said the 4770 can't overclock much...doesn't that mean the 4930 be a heavy upgrade plus allow for future games that can use the extra cores? Seems win/win?

Originally posted by DirkSJ You said the 4770 can't overclock much...doesn't that mean the 4930 be a heavy upgrade plus allow for future games that can use the extra cores? Seems win/win?

Yes, the 4930 is going to overclock better, Intel nerfed the desktop processors with an inferior thermal interface material on the inside of the package(between the chip and the cover). But, the 2011 socket motherboards and CPUs are also significantly more expensive then comparable 1150 socket ones. So it is up to you if you feel it is worth the price difference.

Another thought, pushing a 4K monitor with current generation GPUs is can be an issue. Here is an article that looks at that issue: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7120/some-quick-gaming-numbers-at-4k-max-settings. G-Sync will hopefully lessen these concerns. Here is an article about that technology: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7582/nvidia-gsync-review.

Edited by danjw1 - 26 Mar 2014 at 11:37am

The Asus ROG Swift monitor is supposed to be out soonish, it is a 27" 1440P monitor that will support G-Sync out of the box. List price is supposed to be $799.

That's a really sweet setup man :).  If I was into racing games I could see myself doing the same.

Thank you (both of you) for all your comments and suggestions!  I should be ordering pretty soon!

Looks like a very solid build! Please post a review with some photos in the general forum once you get it.

Stage 4 already.  Had to upgrade to the Rampage due to concerns with chipset waterblocks and high speed RAM.  Went up to the Rampage IV Black edition.

I'm wondering what they will do with the IO cover as it's attached to the VRM heatsink that will have to be removed for the waterblock.  I sent a ticket in to ask but no reply yet. 

I'm hoping they cut the connecting heatpipe or otherwise detach it so that I can keep the IO cover as it's looks really nice.

Sooooo close to shipping.