caselabs merlin sm8/max-v-extreme/3770k/gtx 680 build idea

[STiTRON]

Ultimate gaming build-opinions wanted!!!!!

I'm about to build a new rig over christmas, I want it to be a game slayer.
I don't really need extreme edition cpu's because I don't do video editing and crap like that. All I'm going to use it for is games, games, and more games. I want it to run on the quiet side, and have adequate cooling for good overclocks (vga and cpu). This is my second personal build, and I've also built 5 other pc's for friends.

I'm just going to start listing off parts, any input would be awesome!!!
Went ahead and made the questions I had red but any general input on the pros/cons of parts I chose are welcome.

Case:
Caselabs merlin sm8
-with xl window
-ventilated cable side door
-ventilated flex bay covers
-one 3.5in. to dual ssd 2.5 in. adapter
-front usb 3 headers
-4 cosair 120mm AF quiet edition fans pushing air into case (2 on bottom in front of power supply, 2 on front of case under WC reservoir
-1 cosair 140mm AF quiet edition fan pushing air into rear of case

Power:
-Corsair ax760 (mounted with fan facing into case)
-Corsair custom braided cables (red)

Liquid cooling:
-XSPC dual bay reservoir/ d5 vario pump combo mounted in one of the upper drive bay mounts
-XSPC RX480 Version 2 w/ corsair 120mm s/p quiet edition fans in push/pull mounted in top of case exhausting air out of case..
-XSPC Raystorm CPU Copper Waterblock
-EK FC680 GTX DCII GPU waterblock (I bought the ridiculous asus gtx 680 direct -CU II Top card and need a water block for it)...will eventually go to dual water cooled gtx 680's or 8970's if they are good..
-Bits power black fittings for everything (will used 1/2 inch barbed side)
-Bits power sli fittings for motherboard blocks (if purchased) to cpu block and Graphics card to graphics card if sli'ing (TTL style)
-3/8th inch inner diameter clear tubing (not sure which brand??)
-Mayhems Pastel red pre mix (I live in the states..is it a stupid idea to order??)
-possibly blocks too cool all the important bits on the mobo (worth it?? or just strictly for looks??)

????will the pump and single radiator be enough for all of those cooling needs??

Mobo/Cpu/Ram
-Asus maximus V extreme
-intel 3770k
corsair dominator platinum 2133 32gb kit 4 x 8gb (worth it to go higher in speed or no??)

Graphics
-Asus gtx 680 direct cu II top card (already have this card)
-possibly another one of those that my friend will sell me water cooled in sli...

Storage/optical
-2 samsung 840 pro 256gb in raid 0 for steam/origin/game drives (is raid 0 worth the increase in speed even though it can increase failure rate??))
-1 samsung Cosair force 180gb for OS and other main programs (or other drive??)
-1 western digital caviar black 1tb 64mb cache for music and movie storage..
***will mount all drives on cable management side of case
***no optical drive because it's ugly and unnecessary

Audio/speakers (already own this stuff)
-wireworld starlight 1m usb a to mini b cable
-musical fidelity vdac II (...it sounds brilliant..takes all of that audio converting outside of the computer)
-wireworld oasis 6 audio interconnects
-shunyata venom 3 power cable for amp
-rega brio-r amplifier
Kimber bi wire w/ banana plugs terminations on either end
-woofer wire is 8vs
-tweeter wire is 4vs
-wharfdale diamond 10.1 bookshelf speakers in rosewood

Keyboard/mouse
-ducky backlit keyboard of some sort (anybody have experience with ducky keyboards???))
-logitech g9x mouse (open to other recommendations...)


sorry for my poor 'Merica grammar....
Input on WC layout wanted bigtime...
any other input is great as well!!!!

Thanks in advance,
STiTRON

 

[STiTRON]

What overclocks do you think I can hit on the cpu with this setup as well?

Thanks,
STiTRON

 

[STiTRON]

drank to much redbull on this post..

 

[NoobNeb]

Pretty sure you can't get the premix shipped out of Europe you have to get the concentrate and then mix with de-ionised/distilled water
Mobo water blocks are mostly for looks yes but also very heavy overclocking, it's your call but you'll probably have to put a bit more thought into your loop if you do opt for them
A 480 rad should be plenty for a 3770k and single 680, single D5 will also be strong enough will be nosier having it in a bay res though have a think about tube res and a pump top, especially with the amount of room you have in the Merlin better looking too imo
Wrong person to ask about RAID sorry know sfa
Never had a ducky so cant help there either
Mice your call g9x looks small to me but depends how you like to hold it
WC layout - keep it simple - keep it short, order doesn't matter (dont need to go block rad block just go block block rad!!) Tom's got plenty videos on loop planning in general so have a look at them as well
Good luck

 

[tinytomlogan]

What overclocks do you think I can hit on the cpu with this setup as well?

Thanks,
STiTRON

Learn about the silicone lottery and youll know you cant answer this.

As for barking at people about not replying its a wall of text NOT a build log....

 

[GreatWhiteBuffalo]

Learn about the silicone lottery and youll know you cant answer this.

As for barking at people about not replying its a wall of text NOT a build log....

Pretty much this. Too much to read. Would've helped if you could have really narrowed it down more.

Also, still tagging off Tom, you can't know what OC you'll get. You can use this awesome resource: www.google.com to find what other people have gotten from theirs and work from there.

Cheers!

 

[Whaler_99]

Raid0 on SSD's won't get you any noticeble performance boost, esp if they are connected to Sata 3/6Gbps port. Just go with one.

That pump should be more then powerful enough. Typically mobo cooling is for looks only. If you add a second GPU you definately need another rad, esp. if overclocking some. Best bet on a new build, add it in to begin with.

 

[STiTRON]

Learn about the silicone lottery and youll know you cant answer this.

As for barking at people about not replying its a wall of text NOT a build log....

I know about the silicon lottery. I feel that a ton of the problem with the ivy bridge cpu isn't necessarily the chip, but the POS thermal paste job that intel does in between the IHS and the cpu die. I might razor blade it apart and change mine up to get more stable temps, especially when overclocking.

Sorry for barking Tom, I'm a way to excited for this build. Thanks for the response. I appreciate someone that reviews items thoroughly and finds all the pros/cons most enthousiast builders care about.

Pretty much this. Too much to read. Would've helped if you could have really narrowed it down more.

I wanted to be thorough about the build I had in mind. I've seen a few threads where the OP leaves out a lot of information and most of the advice given is asking more questions

Raid0 on SSD's won't get you any noticeble performance boost, esp if they are connected to Sata 3/6Gbps port. Just go with one.

That pump should be more then powerful enough. Typically mobo cooling is for looks only. If you add a second GPU you definately need another rad, esp. if overclocking some. Best bet on a new build, add it in to begin with.

One big 840 pro SSD it is!

I'll add another 360mm rad in the front if it will fit with the pump/reservoir setup or drop a 240mm in front of the PSU!!!