Firstly thank you for taking the time to look at my post, it's really long and at times I just ramble sorry! If you could please take the 10-15 minutes it takes to read through it and write a response I would greatly appreciate it. I'm really new to building rigs as I've just used laptops for about the last four years. I know what I want the question is just how I get there because I can't get there yet!
PSU: Silverstone Strider 750w
Mobo: Asrock Z77 Extreme 4 M
Ram: Corsair Vengeance 8Gb 1600Mhz
Cooler: Antec Kuhler H2O 920
GPU: Galaxy GTX 660 TI 3GB
CPU: i5-3570k
Fans: 7 bitfenix specter pros
Monitors:
32 inch samsung lcd (tv)
22 inch ViewSonic old LCD
I'll be replacing both these screens for hopefully three LG EN43T-B 22in Widescreen LED Monitor which will eat away at my funds for a combined $417. Now I don't need to buy all three at once and I can order them in two lots of one and two.I wouldn't mind buying some cheaper screens like those I've sourced here for $129 a pop as long as the size and resolution is there.
Graphics card
In order to support 3 way eyefinity at nice 1920 by 1080 I was looking at getting Sapphire Radeon HD7970 GHz Edition 6GB Vapor-X Edition which sets me back $599 and is the largest single hit to my budget. Reason for doing this is because the 6GB of memory can be split between all three monitors and provide each one with 2GB which is more than enough, if I go for it's smaller and cheaper brother which is only 3GB and retails at ~$120 cheaper I just don't think I'll have enough of a punch to run all three. Obviously I've considered getting a second 7970 which at the cheapest will cost nearly $800 for crossfire or on the other hand opting for two 7950's may be the best move for both price and performance.
I can get two 7950's for a max of $679 or on the low end $592 with many prices in between. Considering I have a mATX board I can source an Extrene 6 for only $120 which would get rid of space issues on the mobo when going crossfire. I do think that saving the $120 and getting the single card while keeping my Extreme 4m is the most cost effective route when looking at my already over budget upgrade plans.
I just don't know what to get, I feel like a girl sometimes not knowing what I want to wear! I don't mind spending extra money now as to save spending extra money down the line. So If I don't get a new case now that's fine I can put that money aside and move everything into my new case when I can afford. I haven't Overclocked my CPU as I wanted to wait until I got a 240mm rad or bigger and get it as high as possible. Spending money is fine, however wasting money isn't. Unfortunately being a full time student means I just can't throw away GPU's and Coolers willy nilly.
This is where it gets a little bit complicated. If I can't fit the Swifttech H220 then I'm going to opt out and move to something like the XSPC Raystorm 750 RX360 Water Cooling Kit I think they're great value for money, it provide great performance and is as Tom said at the "industry standard" in terms of thickness (58.5 mm) it's exactly what I want in my case to start things off.
So far we've established I need a bigger GPU, and new screens. If everything else is fine on it's own then I can wait for more money to get a new case and build a custom loop later many in a few months. It'll only set me back $1000 for now and It's something I'll be able to use for a long time. But as I said earlier it's not the money that's the issue it's wasting it.
I will eventually water cool my GPU so spending so much money on a gpu that has such a nice cooler on it and is why it's so expensive isn't exactly wise. I'm flexible with what I buy only that I just want it to work and that realistically I'm an AMD fanboy so I think the 7970 is the only gpu for me. Nothing agianst Nvidia but I guess I just like going for the underdog and I think the 7970 is a great gpu and is just squashed out by the mainstream consumers because people just think Green is better.
In terms of secondary cooling options on running on air, if I just keep my rig the way it is all would be well. I'll spend the $1000 it costs for a 6GB gpu and 3 screens and maybe throw in a new set of fans. I've heard great things about the Corsair AF 120's and of course the king of the block Noctuha NF-F12's. A set of six would set me back $117 or $174 for some sound and performance increase as well as reusing them when/if I eventually upgrade to the 2 x 360mm rads at the end of the year.
Pressing matter
My biggest dilemma right now is whether or not the Swifttech H220 or any decent 240 mm rad will fit in the KL04B I took some rough measurements yesterday and I just don't think it will fit! If it doesn't fit then I may have to consider getting another case something like the Corsair 350D but at $130 there are some great cases just marginally more expensive that I'll be able to expand into. And apart from the limitations of water cooling I'm just so happy with the KL04B but what else can you expect from a sub $100 case. As I'll mention below there are some great cases that would give me growing room down the track but still is within my immediate price range or I don't even need to get at all.Current system
Case: Silverstone KL04BPSU: Silverstone Strider 750w
Mobo: Asrock Z77 Extreme 4 M
Ram: Corsair Vengeance 8Gb 1600Mhz
Cooler: Antec Kuhler H2O 920
GPU: Galaxy GTX 660 TI 3GB
CPU: i5-3570k
Fans: 7 bitfenix specter pros
Monitors:
32 inch samsung lcd (tv)
22 inch ViewSonic old LCD
Eyefinity
I'll be replacing both these screens for hopefully three LG EN43T-B 22in Widescreen LED Monitor which will eat away at my funds for a combined $417. Now I don't need to buy all three at once and I can order them in two lots of one and two.I wouldn't mind buying some cheaper screens like those I've sourced here for $129 a pop as long as the size and resolution is there.
What needs upgrading
Graphics card
In order to support 3 way eyefinity at nice 1920 by 1080 I was looking at getting Sapphire Radeon HD7970 GHz Edition 6GB Vapor-X Edition which sets me back $599 and is the largest single hit to my budget. Reason for doing this is because the 6GB of memory can be split between all three monitors and provide each one with 2GB which is more than enough, if I go for it's smaller and cheaper brother which is only 3GB and retails at ~$120 cheaper I just don't think I'll have enough of a punch to run all three. Obviously I've considered getting a second 7970 which at the cheapest will cost nearly $800 for crossfire or on the other hand opting for two 7950's may be the best move for both price and performance.
I can get two 7950's for a max of $679 or on the low end $592 with many prices in between. Considering I have a mATX board I can source an Extrene 6 for only $120 which would get rid of space issues on the mobo when going crossfire. I do think that saving the $120 and getting the single card while keeping my Extreme 4m is the most cost effective route when looking at my already over budget upgrade plans.
I just don't know what to get, I feel like a girl sometimes not knowing what I want to wear! I don't mind spending extra money now as to save spending extra money down the line. So If I don't get a new case now that's fine I can put that money aside and move everything into my new case when I can afford. I haven't Overclocked my CPU as I wanted to wait until I got a 240mm rad or bigger and get it as high as possible. Spending money is fine, however wasting money isn't. Unfortunately being a full time student means I just can't throw away GPU's and Coolers willy nilly.
Cooling
This is where it gets a little bit complicated. If I can't fit the Swifttech H220 then I'm going to opt out and move to something like the XSPC Raystorm 750 RX360 Water Cooling Kit I think they're great value for money, it provide great performance and is as Tom said at the "industry standard" in terms of thickness (58.5 mm) it's exactly what I want in my case to start things off.
So far we've established I need a bigger GPU, and new screens. If everything else is fine on it's own then I can wait for more money to get a new case and build a custom loop later many in a few months. It'll only set me back $1000 for now and It's something I'll be able to use for a long time. But as I said earlier it's not the money that's the issue it's wasting it.
I will eventually water cool my GPU so spending so much money on a gpu that has such a nice cooler on it and is why it's so expensive isn't exactly wise. I'm flexible with what I buy only that I just want it to work and that realistically I'm an AMD fanboy so I think the 7970 is the only gpu for me. Nothing agianst Nvidia but I guess I just like going for the underdog and I think the 7970 is a great gpu and is just squashed out by the mainstream consumers because people just think Green is better.
In terms of secondary cooling options on running on air, if I just keep my rig the way it is all would be well. I'll spend the $1000 it costs for a 6GB gpu and 3 screens and maybe throw in a new set of fans. I've heard great things about the Corsair AF 120's and of course the king of the block Noctuha NF-F12's. A set of six would set me back $117 or $174 for some sound and performance increase as well as reusing them when/if I eventually upgrade to the 2 x 360mm rads at the end of the year.
What I want in the end
Considering that I'm limited on funds right now it's better to plan ahead, the end goal is two 360 mm rads, cpu and maybe two gpu's but definitely one in a custom loop while gaming in high res, in eyefinity and with at least one GPU on water.
With that in mind I will need to buy:
A cooling kit + extra rad and fittings ~ $300
A second GPU ~ $500v (optional)
Two water blocks + fittings ~ $250
More fans ~ $120
Larger case ~ 180
ATX mobo ~ 120
A cooling kit + extra rad and fittings ~ $300
A second GPU ~ $500v (optional)
Two water blocks + fittings ~ $250
More fans ~ $120
Larger case ~ 180
ATX mobo ~ 120
For a total of:
$1520 ($600 with no second GPU + mobo) in future upgrade costs the more I can get out of the way now the better.
$1520 ($600 with no second GPU + mobo) in future upgrade costs the more I can get out of the way now the better.
My conclusion on the GPU
I understand why the vapor x is so expensive. It's large memory and cooler sets it apart. If I get a cheaper GPU I can use the $200 saved to buy the case that I'm going to use when I water cool my rig. But here comes the catch, a cheaper gpu can't power eyefinity, therefore I'd need a second GPU but a second 7970 is $400 which is more than what it costs for the difference between a 6GB vapor x the none Vapor X 3GB version. Alternatively I can buy two 7950's now which is more or less the same as the 6gb but will require a larger mobo which is $120 and I don't get a new case.
A new case is inevitable down the line but if I don't get a new cooler now I don't need a new case, equally two GPU's now is attractive but they use more power, will cost more to WC, but is what I'm currently leaning to especially as I can fit two 7950’s on my extreme 4m so I may not spend the $120 to get the extreme 6.
In terms of 7950's I can Spend the extra $80 get two 7950 vapor x GPU's for $680 or the cheaper option for $638. Worth noting that there's a V2 and a V3 model of the Sapphire Radeon HD7950 3GB OC Edition for sale at the same price.
The case
Well there are just so many solid options, of course my favorite one the NZXT 820 is just too far out of my price range and in all honesty gets beaten by the 810 switch which is cheaper. CM storm trooper has some great features but lack of 360 rad support without modding I think is just too much for me right now.800 and 900 D are just too far out of my price range even more so than the 820 despite being the only case I’ll ever need.
What I’ve looked at:
Being a star wars fan the CM Storm Trooper is a bit too much of a given but despite the video by tom showing my dumb ass how to mod it I’m a bit iffy on the subject because well if I screw it up, I’m screwed. So something which gives me 360 rad support (preferably 2x360) but doesn't blow my budget out of the water is for me. There are several decent cases which do this or at the very least offer 360 + 240 such as the 810.
Being a star wars fan the CM Storm Trooper is a bit too much of a given but despite the video by tom showing my dumb ass how to mod it I’m a bit iffy on the subject because well if I screw it up, I’m screwed. So something which gives me 360 rad support (preferably 2x360) but doesn't blow my budget out of the water is for me. There are several decent cases which do this or at the very least offer 360 + 240 such as the 810.
CM storm trooper also does with some "easy" modding but as I said above it's just not the case that'll work for me. I have considered maybe just not getting a new case now and ordering one through a small business I know who do some very cheap builds and just get them to fit the radiators in, mod the roof and ship it to me. But then why wouldn't I just spend the extra money that it would take to pay them to do it and to ship it to me to just get a larger case? The cost of the tools alone to cut the case up would mean I might as well buy a larger case!
Bitfenix Shinobi XL at $169 it’s a great deal. The down side is I can’t fit the 60mm radiators in the top and front which is what I had planned on using toward the end of the year. However it still offers 2 360 radiator support! I need at least one HDD and optical drive so then again this case is just not for me sadly. Worth noting that I can stick a thick 240 mm radiator in the bottom of the case so against the CM storm trooper it’s superior in every way and has a cool name!
Xigmatek Elysium at $173 seems to have it all. It comes in a $185 windowed version. This is just so tempting. It costs $4 more than the Shinobi XL and it fits a 480 in the front of the case. So I can get my 360 in the top and 360 in the front without sacrificing the optical drive, hdd and bay/res combo. So I mean it’s just like why not? Fits a 200mm in the side for some extra cooling and it’ll have everything I need.
Alternative solutions
If I decide not to go the water cooling route and either have everything on air or a small closed loop cooler I can get something like the Aerocool Strike-X ST Black Super Full Tower or its smaller and cheaper brother the Aerocool X-Predator Case White Edition] at $219 and $169 a piece I could just go stupid and max them out with fans. Sure they’ll be loud as shit by why the hell not. I can get that AsRock Extreme 6 for $120 a second 7970 and just air cool the shit out of it. Maybe even a Noctua NH-D14 and just have it all 100% on air. Sure this is a bit silly and completely the opposite direction than I wanted but why not. Water cooling is expensive, but that’s just computers they’re not cheap. I want something that is really high in performance but isn't going to break my bank more than it has to.
But to be honest I probably won't consider the above option it's just not what I really want. It's out here and unique to a degree but 21 fans is a bit much and it's going to be loud! I guess it's just the sort of stress talking now!
With all that said that you so much for getting to the point, please respond with some feed back and let me know what you think.
update/
Monitors
Hey guys so I hunted down some nice monitors from another online store called umart, actually beats PCCG in some cases, so I may continue shopping around and find some more things. Don't be afriad to suggest something I'm an open book when it comes to these sort of things. If you think I'm being a bit silly about something just let me know!
So in the last thread I identified LG EN43T-B 22in Widescreen LED Monitor as the monitor of choice because it was from the most likely retailer that I was going to get my components from and it was their cheapest well, I found a store about 30 minutes away that has some cheaper products.
So I'm going to spend the next few days just going over more and more reviews to work out which case and which monitors I want. Because fans are pretty much a given, I'll probably go Corsair AF performance fans in all intakes/exhausts and then Noctua NF-F12's for radiators. So that's easy. GPU it's pretty much just a toss up between two 7950's or a 6GB 7970. Why I would lean toward the 7970 is because I never have to upgrade that specific GPU again. That being said down the track if I do go two 7950's for another ~$400 I could WC another 7950 (3 way crossfire X) vs ~$600 for a basic 7990, buy that's bordering on the silly.
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