[Advise Needed] First Custom £3k - £4k ($4.7k - $6.3k) Build. Z97 vs X99 vs Water Cooling.

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Sep 30, 2014
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Hi,

In september last year I have created a thread here asking for an advise for my first build but some things went wrong and I decided to stay with my current StoneAge PC (Dual core Q6600 and GTX650) which is not even good enough for internet surfing nowadays. I'm actually glad I havent bought anything back in september as I can get much better parts at about the same price tag now.

What am I looking for?
A PC for an entertainment that will handle anything I throw at it including latest AAA games.

My target:
To build a future proof PC at a reasonable price (I know there is no future proofing when it comes to PCs but I believe some builds might last a bit longer than others. I want to keep it upgrade free for at least 3-4 years).

I've saved some build examples on pcpartpicker to start discussion with:

Z97 Build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (£259.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H110i GTX 104.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£109.99)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste (£4.99)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£167.96 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory (£79.99 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£286.62 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£74.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Classified ACX 2.0+ Video Card (£619.18)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case (£136.50 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: Corsair 1000W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£170.52 @ Scan.co.uk)
Optical Drive: LG BH10LS30 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer (Purchased For £135.00)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro OEM (64-bit) (Purchased For £110.00)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan (£14.57 @ Scan.co.uk)
Monitor: Acer XB270HU bprz 144Hz 27.0" Monitor (£701.12 @ Scan.co.uk)
Keyboard: Corsair K70 RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard (£119.99)
Mouse: Mad Catz R.A.T. 5 Wired Laser Mouse (Purchased For £45.00)
Other: Logitech Z4 2.1 Speakers (Purchased For £75.00)
Other: Asus Strix 7.1 Headset (£153.47)
Other: NZXT HUE RGB Color Changing LED Controller (£19.99)
Other: [2x] EK 4-Fan PWM Splitter (£10.90)
Other: [3x] Corsair PWM SP120 Fan Dual Pack (£73.62)
Other: Corsair PWM SP120 Fan (£13.34)
Other: Sony Bravia 32" KDL-32EX523 LED LCD 1080p 60hz (Purchased For £450.00)
Total: £3832.27
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-23 01:37 BST+0100

X99 Build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5930K 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor (£455.00 @ Scan.co.uk)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H110i GTX 104.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£109.99)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste (£4.99)
Motherboard: Asus RAMPAGE V EXTREME EATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard (£340.79 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£126.13 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£286.62 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£74.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Classified ACX 2.0+ Video Card (£619.18)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case (£136.50 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: Corsair 1000W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£170.52 @ Scan.co.uk)
Optical Drive: LG BH10LS30 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer (Purchased For £135.00)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro OEM (64-bit) (Purchased For £110.00)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan (£14.57 @ Scan.co.uk)
Monitor: Acer XB270HU bprz 144Hz 27.0" Monitor (£701.12 @ Scan.co.uk)
Keyboard: Corsair K70 RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard (£119.99)
Mouse: Mad Catz R.A.T. 5 Wired Laser Mouse (Purchased For £45.00)
Other: Logitech Z4 2.1 Speakers (Purchased For £75.00)
Other: Asus Strix 7.1 Headset (£153.47)
Other: NZXT HUE RGB Color Changing LED Controller (£19.99)
Other: [2x] EK 4-Fan PWM Splitter (£10.90)
Other: [3x] Corsair PWM SP120 Fan Dual Pack (£73.62)
Other: Corsair PWM SP120 Fan (£13.34)
Other: Sony Bravi?a 32" KDL-?32EX523 LE?D LCD 1080?p 60hz (Purchased For £450.00)
Total: £4246.48
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-23 01:41 BST+0100

Z97 WC Build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (£259.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste (£4.99)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£167.96 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory (£79.99 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£286.62 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£74.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Classified ACX 2.0+ Video Card (£619.18)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case (£136.50 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: Corsair 1000W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£170.52 @ Scan.co.uk)
Optical Drive: LG BH10LS30 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer (Purchased For £135.00)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro OEM (64-bit) (Purchased For £110.00)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan (£14.57 @ Scan.co.uk)
Monitor: Acer XB270HU bprz 144Hz 27.0" Monitor (£701.12 @ Scan.co.uk)
Keyboard: Corsair K70 RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard (£119.99)
Mouse: Mad Catz R.A.T. 5 Wired Laser Mouse (Purchased For £45.00)
Other: Logitech Z4 2.1 Speakers (Purchased For £75.00)
Other: Asus Strix 7.1 Headset (£153.47)
Other: NZXT HUE RGB Color Changing LED Controller (£19.99)
Other: [2x] EK 4-Fan PWM Splitter (£10.90)
Other: [3x] Corsair PWM SP120 Fan Dual Pack (£73.62)
Other: Corsair PWM SP120 Fan (£13.34)
Other: EK-CoolStream XE 360 Triple Water Cooling Radiator (£82.03)
Other: EK-CoolStream XE 240 Double Water Cooling Radiator (£61.63)
Other: EK-CoolStream PE 240 Dual Radiator (£50.57)
Other: EK-FC Titan X/980Ti Nickel Acetal Water Block (£87.56)
Other: EK-FC GTX TITAN X/980Ti Backplate - Black (£23.87)
Other: EK-Supremacy EVO - Acetal+Nickel CPU Water Block (£51.72)
Other: EK-XRES 140 D5 PWM with Pump (£105.47)
Other: EK-D5 Cover Kit (Black) Acetal (£14.92)
Other: [2L] Mayhems Pastel Orange Coolant (£29.98)
Other: Masterkleer Tubing PVC 12.7/9.5mm (3/8"ID) clear 3.3m (10ft) (£12.98)
Other: [6x] Phobya 13/10mm compression fitting 90° revolvable G1/4 - black nickel (£19.37)
Other: [8x] Phobya 13/10mm screw-on fitting outer thread 1/4 - black nickel (£18.72)
Other: [1x] Phobya 13/10mm compression fitting 45° revolvable G1/4 - black nickel (£3.90)
Other: [1x] Aquacomputer Temperature sensor internal/external thread G1/4 (£8.96)
Other: Scan Hose Cutter Plastic (£3.58)
Other: [1x] Monsoon Screw Plug G1/4 - Matte Black (£2.72)
Other: [1x] Alphacool Angled Adaptor 90° Revolvable G1/4 outer thread to G1/4 inner thread - Deep Black (£3.30)
Other: Sony Bravi?a 32" KDL-?32EX523 LE?D LCD 1080?p 60hz (Purchased For £450.00)
Total: £4303.56
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-23 01:46 BST+0100

X99 WC Build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5930K 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor (£455.00 @ Scan.co.uk)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste (£4.99)
Motherboard: Asus RAMPAGE V EXTREME EATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard (£340.79 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£126.13 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£286.62 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£74.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Classified ACX 2.0+ Video Card (£619.18)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case (£136.50 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: Corsair 1000W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£170.52 @ Scan.co.uk)
Optical Drive: LG BH10LS30 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer (Purchased For £135.00)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro OEM (64-bit) (Purchased For £110.00)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan (£14.57 @ Scan.co.uk)
Monitor: Acer XB270HU bprz 144Hz 27.0" Monitor (£701.12 @ Scan.co.uk)
Keyboard: Corsair K70 RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard (£119.99)
Mouse: Mad Catz R.A.T. 5 Wired Laser Mouse (Purchased For £45.00)
Other: Logitech Z4 2.1 Speakers (Purchased For £75.00)
Other: Asus Strix 7.1 Headset (£153.47)
Other: NZXT HUE RGB Color Changing LED Controller (£19.99)
Other: [2x] EK 4-Fan PWM Splitter (£10.90)
Other: [3x] Corsair PWM SP120 Fan Dual Pack (£73.62)
Other: Corsair PWM SP120 Fan (£13.34)
Other: EK-CoolStream XE 360 Triple Water Cooling Radiator (£82.03)
Other: EK-CoolStream XE 240 Double Water Cooling Radiator (£61.63)
Other: EK-CoolStream PE 240 Dual Radiator (£50.57)
Other: EK-FC Titan X/980Ti Nickel Acetal Water Block (£87.56)
Other: EK-FC GTX TITAN X/980Ti Backplate - Black (£23.87)
Other: EK-XRES 140 D5 PWM with Pump (£105.47)
Other: EK-D5 Cover Kit (Black) Acetal (£14.92)
Other: [2L] Mayhems Pastel Orange Coolant (£29.98)
Other: Masterkleer Tubing PVC 12.7/9.5mm (3/8"ID) clear 3.3m (10ft) (£12.98)
Other: [6x] Phobya 13/10mm compression fitting 90° revolvable G1/4 - black nickel (£19.37)
Other: [8x] Phobya 13/10mm screw-on fitting outer thread 1/4 - black nickel (£18.72)
Other: [1x] Phobya 13/10mm compression fitting 45° revolvable G1/4 - black nickel (£3.90)
Other: [1x] Aquacomputer Temperature sensor internal/external thread G1/4 (£8.96)
Other: Scan Hose Cutter Plastic (£3.58)
Other: [1x] Monsoon Screw Plug G1/4 - Matte Black (£2.72)
Other: [1x] Alphacool Angled Adaptor 90° Revolvable G1/4 outer thread to G1/4 inner thread - Deep Black (£3.30)
Other: EK-Supremacy EVO - Acetal+Nickel CPU Water Block (£51.72)
Other: Sony Bravi?a 32" KDL-?32EX523 LE?D LCD 1080?p 60hz (Purchased For £450.00)
Total: £4717.77
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-23 01:47 BST+0100


Hopefully with your help I can make right decisions.

First of all I need to decide whether X99 will be more future proof and worth a £400 ($600) premium as well as silent and higher performing operation of water cooling loop worth £600 ($900) added to the cost of any of above builds. Once decision is made about it I can move forward and seek for an advise on parts I've chosen.


BTW, I'm not a rich guy and only earning about £20k ($30k) annually ($24k on hand) therefore I can hardly afford any of above builds. So, price matters!

I wish to be an American at this point since prices for PC hardware are insane in EU. All of the parts are nearly 2 times cheaper in America... :)


Thank you.
 


I guess it won't last for a very long therefore I can't consider it as a good investment...

Also, the prices in EU are not the same compared to prices in America as I mentioned earlier. :)

I would appreciate if you suggest me some good builds. This is why I've created this thread, so other people can suggest me something better than I came up with as I have lack of experience.
 
BTW, most likely I won't be getting a new monitor right now and wait for ROG Swift IPS 144hz with G-Sync to be released first.

Also, I will probably wait for a STRIX 7.1 headset to go down in price or pick something else.
 
I would do something like this. $2800 before all the peripherals. You go ahead and add the peripherals of your choice. No need to water cool unless you're into that. I've always preferred air cooling anyways.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor (£299.94 @ Scan.co.uk)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler (£61.39 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Asus X99-A ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard (£188.27 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (£107.99 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£131.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£158.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 Fury X 4GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) (£509.98 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 Fury X 4GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) (£509.98 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Luxe ATX Full Tower Case (£112.99 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1300 G2 1300W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£146.98 @ Dabs)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) (£75.09 @ Amazon UK)
Case Fan: Phanteks PH-F140SP_BK 82.1 CFM 140mm Fan (£15.23 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Case Fan: Phanteks PH-F140SP_BK 82.1 CFM 140mm Fan (£15.23 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Monitor: Asus MG279Q 144Hz 27.0" Monitor (£456.98 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £2791.03
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-23 03:08 BST+0100
 

TBH, I was never a fan of Radeon and never looked at these cards. I don't even know what they have to offer... shame on me...

However, looking at the price is about the same as my X99 build without peripherals and going down to 5820k, so what are the benefits of this build and what's wrong with water cooling? All I'm trying to figure out at this stage is whether x99 and water cooling worth a premium in a long run.
 
Here's a good, red, and cheap build. No need for extravagance, the i7-5820K and GTX 980 Ti does very well with 4K monitors. Nothing else needed to ask for.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor (£299.94 @ Scan.co.uk)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£99.98 @ Novatech)
Motherboard: MSI X99S Gaming 7 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard (£189.99 @ Dabs)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2800 Memory (£117.47 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£73.55 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£39.00 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card (£559.99 @ Amazon UK)
Case: NZXT Noctis 450 ATX Mid Tower Case (£102.82 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£99.99 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) (£75.09 @ Amazon UK)
Monitor: Samsung U28D590D 60Hz 28.0" Monitor (£337.52 @ More Computers)
Keyboard: Corsair K70 RGB UK Wired Gaming Keyboard (£131.94 @ Scan.co.uk)
Mouse: Logitech G402 Wired Optical Mouse (£39.99 @ Amazon UK)
Headphones: Kingston HyperX Cloud II 7.1 Channel Headset (£68.05 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £2235.32
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-23 05:19 BST+0100
 
thanks okcnaline,

have you created a new list based on what I was looking for or you had it saved somewhere? :)

Also, I would prefer to play at 2k with higher FPS then 4k under 60 FPS...
 
Is there any advantage in getting 5820k over 4790k? I've heard its not a very good overclocker... I see more sense in getting 5930k but its way more expensive.

Isn't RAM that I had in my build originally a way better? same price but its 3000 mhz 15-15-15-36?

Is it going to be enough 850w for the PSU if case of upgrades?

I already have a mouse that I will keep or you think G402 is a way better and worth upgrading/downgrading? :)))

Headphones: isnt it better to wait for Asus Strix true 7.1 headphones to go down in price and then get them? They have quite a few great features for gaming...

Is 16 pci 3.0 lanes enough?

I think bigger SSD is a must for system, games and apps... am I wrong?

P.S. do you think it's worth going with x99 for a longer run? also, watercooling isn't worth investment?
 
Most of it is saved. I never save any builds with accessories due to the fact that it varies a lot towards a lot of budget, and the person I'm helping.

And yes, the build is based on what you're looking for. You have a limited amount of money per month that you get. This does what you need.
 
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