Question I need help to choose the parts for my new PC.

[SuperCreeper990]

Hi so I'm going to build my first PC ever once Black Friday hits (so I can take advantage of the Black Friday sale) but I need assistance to choose what fans I would need for my PC. The PC case I'm going to use is the Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO XL. For the other parts I'm using I have them listed here: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/fZwqRK. I preferably would only like to use 140mm fans since I heard 2 140mm fans perform better than 3 120mm fans so I would go for that. But I would also need the fans to have ARGB. And is it better to fill all 6 spots that 140mm fans can be placed in? And are there specific RGB fans that are better for one spot than another spot for intake and exhaust? What about fan controllers for the ARGB fans? I'm a newbie to all this which is why I need some suggestions on what fans I should choose, how many I would need, and what fan controller I would need or any other accessories/items that I would need for my PC. Also if you have any suggestions about the current parts I have chosen such as the GPU, Motherboard, PSU, Case or any other component then feel free to tell me as I'm open to changing what parts I would buy if there is a better option out there for me. I would also like to prioritize performance over looks but I need RGB/ARGB fans so I would be able to at least get some lightning in my PC and also because it just looks really good.

 

[Lutfij]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

You could trim down the PSU to something that's 850W. Outside of that the build looks good.

 

[SuperCreeper990]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

You could trim down the PSU to something that's 850W. Outside of that the build looks good.

Thanks for the suggestion! I will swap it out with a Corsair RM1000e (2023) which is about $120 cheaper.

 

[Lucky_SLS]

few comments and questions:

the O11 XL is meant for water cooled builds with lots of space for radiators. it would look empty with an air cooler setup. You could go for better looking compact cases.

the price to performance of 4070ti is not so great. it got 12gb vram, so not much longevity with 2k gaming. especially if you play games with mods. go for 4080 with the saving i make below if you want ray tracing.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/PL6p99/zotac-gaming-amp-extreme-airo-geforce-rtx-4080-16-gb-video-card-zt-d40810b-10p

why 64gb ram? unless you are doing video editing or other productivity related work, you dont need 64gb ram. the ram sticks will be covered by the large air cooler. so no point in going for rgb rams. further more, rgb ram tend to be a bit atll, conflicting with cooler, crosscheck that before you buy.

you also dont really need 990 pro. there are cheaper alternatives.

the current gaming king is 7800X3D. if you are set on intel, get everything apart from the cpu. the i7 14700k launches soon.

with that said, this is what i would suggest for a top gaming pc:

AM5 for future cpu upgrades

B650E for pcie 5.0 m.2 ssd support

big fancy air cooler with temp readout

ARGB case with front panel type c

psu with 16 pin connector for nvidia gpu support.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor ($349.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK620 DIGITAL 68.99 CFM CPU Cooler ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B650E PG RIPTIDE WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: OLOy Blade 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6400 CL32 Memory ($93.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial P5 Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($97.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Crucial P5 Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($97.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: XFX Speedster MERC 310 Black Edition Radeon RX 7900 XT 20 GB Video Card ($729.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox 520 Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case ($91.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 - TT Premium Edition 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Thermalright TL-C12B-S V3 66.17 CFM 120 mm Fan ($8.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1879.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-10-12 14:07 EDT-0400

 

[Lafong]

And is it better to fill all 6 spots that 140mm fans can be placed in? And are there specific RGB fans that are better for one spot than another spot for intake and exhaust?

O11 DYNAMIC EVO XL - LIAN LI is a Leading Provider of PC Cases | Computer Cases

Introducing the all-new O11D EVO XL, an enlarged case that accommodates numerous components while enhancing modularity to meet the needs of most PC enthusiasts. https://youtu.be/ElDZj5oV4v4 REVERSIBLE CHASSIS SUPPORTS 3 × 420MM RADIATORS ENHANCED MODULARITY REMOVABLE FRONT PILAR SIMPLE GPU...

lian-li.com

Manual says this about fan support:

Top: 3 x 120mm / 3 x 140mm
Side: 3 x 120mm / 3 x 140mm
Bottom: 3 x 120mm / 3 x 140mm
Rear: Up to 2x 120mm

I take that to mean the rear exhaust needs to be 120 mm?

You need to be willing to experiment.

I'd probably plan on a 3 fan minimum. Two on the front side as intakes. One in the rear as exhaust.

If unhappy with that after testing, buy more fans.

Some people buy fans for cooling purposes. Others buy them because they like lots of spinning lights. If you are the latter type, you can fill it up with fans for that reason alone, even though the extra fans don't drive temps lower. There's not a high degree of correlation between fan count and temperatures.

Fan noise may become a factor. You may be indifferent to that in the name of RGB or quite sensitive. We don't know. You'll need to get familiar with the fan speed controls in the BIOS. Above 1500 rpm, you'll start to hear them.

That's a rather large case...a foot wide and over 20 inches in the other 2 dimensions.

 

[Zerk2012]

On top of everything else how can you pick parts when you have no clue what will be on sale.

 

[SuperCreeper990]

On top of everything else how can you pick parts when you have no clue what will be on sale.

I dont. The parts I chose are only about $100 over my budget so I'm assuming with black friday i would be able to save enough or maybe even more. And if I don't I will just downgrade/swap a part or 2.

 

[SuperCreeper990]

O11 DYNAMIC EVO XL - LIAN LI is a Leading Provider of PC Cases | Computer Cases

Introducing the all-new O11D EVO XL, an enlarged case that accommodates numerous components while enhancing modularity to meet the needs of most PC enthusiasts. https://youtu.be/ElDZj5oV4v4 REVERSIBLE CHASSIS SUPPORTS 3 × 420MM RADIATORS ENHANCED MODULARITY REMOVABLE FRONT PILAR SIMPLE GPU...

lian-li.com

Manual says this about fan support:

Top: 3 x 120mm / 3 x 140mm
Side: 3 x 120mm / 3 x 140mm
Bottom: 3 x 120mm / 3 x 140mm
Rear: Up to 2x 120mm

I take that to mean the rear exhaust needs to be 120 mm?

You need to be willing to experiment.

I'd probably plan on a 3 fan minimum. Two on the front side as intakes. One in the rear as exhaust.

If unhappy with that after testing, buy more fans.

Some people buy fans for cooling purposes. Others buy them because they like lots of spinning lights. If you are the latter type, you can fill it up with fans for that reason alone, even though the extra fans don't drive temps lower. There's not a high degree of correlation between fan count and temperatures.

Fan noise may become a factor. You may be indifferent to that in the name of RGB or quite sensitive. We don't know. You'll need to get familiar with the fan speed controls in the BIOS. Above 1500 rpm, you'll start to hear them.

That's a rather large case...a foot wide and over 20 inches in the other 2 dimensions.

Thanks for the info, I must have either forgot or got incorrect information about how many fans the pc can fit from a website. The reason I chose that case was because the Noctua CPU cooler I wanted to use didn't fit the case I was originally going for (NZXT H9 FLOW) and when I stumbled across this case I just thought it looked really cool and it fit the CPU cooler I wanted.

 

[Lafong]

Thanks for the info, I must have either forgot or got incorrect information about how many fans the pc can fit from a website. The reason I chose that case was because the Noctua CPU cooler I wanted to use didn't fit the case I was originally going for (NZXT H9 FLOW) and when I stumbled across this case I just thought it looked really cool and it fit the CPU cooler I wanted.

That case can accept coolers up to 167 mm tall.

That Noctua is 165 mm tall.. It will fit.

But there are many other cases that are also wide enough to accept the Noctua.

It's up to you to decide if that particular Lian Li is more suitable for your purposes than any other available case within your budget.

Offhand....it is unnecessarily large, but you may have some as yet unmentioned reasons to buy it. Maybe "looked really cool" is the primary requirement.

 

[SuperCreeper990]

That case can accept coolers up to 167 mm tall.

That Noctua is 165 mm tall.. It will fit.

But there are many other cases that are also wide enough to accept the Noctua.

It's up to you to decide if that particular Lian Li is more suitable for your purposes than any other available case within your budget.

Offhand....it is unnecessarily large, but you may have some as yet unmentioned reasons to buy it. Maybe "looked really cool" is the primary requirement.

Oh it does? When I checked the Noctua compatibility checker it showed that the NH-D15 chromax.black wasn't compatible with the NZXT H9 Flow case. If what you are saying is true then I will certainly swap my selection back to the NZXT H9 Flow. Thanks for the info!

 

[Lafong]

Oh it does? When I checked the NOCTUA compatibility checker it showed that the Noctua NH-D15 wasn't compatible with the NZXT H9 Flow case. If what you are saying is true then I will certainly swap my selection back to the NZXT H9 Flow. Thanks for the info!

What info?

To what does the pronoun "it" in "Oh it does?" refer?

I have NO IDEA whatsoever about the compatibility of the NZXT H9 Flow case. None.

 

[SuperCreeper990]

few comments and questions:

the O11 XL is meant for water cooled builds with lots of space for radiators. it would look empty with an air cooler setup. You could go for better looking compact cases.

the price to performance of 4070ti is not so great. it got 12gb vram, so not much longevity with 2k gaming. especially if you play games with mods. go for 4080 with the saving i make below if you want ray tracing.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/PL6p99/zotac-gaming-amp-extreme-airo-geforce-rtx-4080-16-gb-video-card-zt-d40810b-10p

why 64gb ram? unless you are doing video editing or other productivity related work, you dont need 64gb ram. the ram sticks will be covered by the large air cooler. so no point in going for rgb rams. further more, rgb ram tend to be a bit atll, conflicting with cooler, crosscheck that before you buy.

you also dont really need 990 pro. there are cheaper alternatives.

the current gaming king is 7800X3D. if you are set on intel, get everything apart from the cpu. the i7 14700k launches soon.

with that said, this is what i would suggest for a top gaming pc:

AM5 for future cpu upgrades

B650E for pcie 5.0 m.2 ssd support

big fancy air cooler with temp readout

ARGB case with front panel type c

psu with 16 pin connector for nvidia gpu support.

PCPartPicker Part List

Thanks for the info, the reason I went for 64 gigs and not 32 was because I will be doing ram intensive tasks in the background (can possibly take up 5-20 gigs of ram depending on how much I scale the task up) and I would also like to use my pc for other uses while I have the tasks running in the background which is why I decided on going for 64 gigs as I would be able to scale up the tasks from 5 to 20 tasks with a lot of ram to be left over for other uses although I may scale it down to 48 gigs which should be enough to handle my background tasks. Now for your other suggestions, I will most likely swap to a few or most of the parts you suggested although I would prefer to stay with NVIDA because of my monitor supporting G-Sync but other than that thanks for the help!

 

[SuperCreeper990]

What info?

To what does the pronoun "it" in "Oh it does?" refer?

I have NO IDEA whatsoever about the compatibility of the NZXT H9 Flow case. None.

Oh sorry I was being vauge, I was talking about this compatibility checker that Noctua provides https://ncc.noctua.at/coolers/NH-D15-chromax.black-cooler-3/cases/NZXT?q=h9

Forgot to note that the NZXT H9 Flow case says it supports up to 165mm but with the compatibility checker it shows otherwise.

 

[Lafong]

Oh sorry I was being vauge, I was talking about this compatibility checker that Noctua provides https://ncc.noctua.at/coolers/NH-D15-chromax.black-cooler-3/cases/NZXT?q=h9

Forgot to note that the NZXT H9 Flow case says it supports up to 165mm but with the compatibility checker it shows otherwise.

I would assume that checker is accurate.

Do you have any reason to believe it isn't?

I think the cooler is 165 tall.

I don't know if Noctua actually attempts to mount all of its coolers in all available cases.....or if they rely on the specifications provided by case manufacturers.

Personally, I'd be nervous about cutting it that close (165 cooler versus 165 case spec sheet), even if the Noctua list said that the NZXT was compatible with the D15.

 

[Zerk2012]

I dont. The parts I chose are only about $100 over my budget so I'm assuming with black friday i would be able to save enough or maybe even more. And if I don't I will just downgrade/swap a part or 2.

Just 100 over then you could buy now and with a better video card.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/BKfmDZ

 

[SuperCreeper990]

I would assume that checker is accurate.

Do you have any reason to believe it isn't?

I don't have a reason to believe it isn't, I guess I was confused when I saw the NZXT H9 Flow case supported up to 165mm while the compatibility checker shows it isn't compatible with the case. Thanks for your help though and sorry I was being vague and skipped some information.

 

[emitfudd]

My opinion, the bigger the case the better. You don't have to worry about parts fitting, there is more room to get your hands in there while building it and more space means more room for fresh, cool air. I am using the Corsair 780T which is huge. Don't plan on ever using a smaller case for my gaming rig.

 

[sonofjesse]

I love the LIan LI air mini check it out!

 

[Why_Me]

@SuperCreeper990 seeing how you enjoy RGB here's a build that will give you a light show. This case was released about a year ago and was named 'case of the year' by multiple tech review sites. Easy to build with and has excellent airflow. Replace the 140mm rear exhaust fan that comes with that case with this one down below . The 3pk of 120mm fans goes inside the top of that case where a AIO would normally go. Low profile RAM so that it doesn't impede that dual tower cpu cooler.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *Intel Core i7-13700 2.1 GHz 16-Core Processor ($366.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: *Deepcool AG620 BK ARGB 67.88 CFM CPU Cooler ($47.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: *MSI Z790 GAMING PRO WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: *G.Skill Ripjaws S5 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($194.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: *Western Digital Black SN850X 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Western Digital)
Storage: *Western Digital Black SN850X 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Western Digital)
Video Card: Gigabyte GAMING OC GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12 GB Video Card ($799.99 @ Amazon)
Case: *Lian Li LANCOOL 216 ATX Mid Tower Case ($104.99 @ Adorama)
Power Supply: *Corsair RM850e (2023) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: *Lian Li UNI FAN SL V2 64.5 CFM 120 mm Fans 3-Pack ($79.99 @ B&H)
Case Fan: *Lian Li UNI FAN SL V2 77.6 CFM 140 mm Fan ($24.99 @ B&H)
Total: $2139.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-10-12 18:31 EDT-0400

A better look at those components.

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/Z790-GAMING-PRO-WIFI

https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...-30m-cache-up-to-5-20-ghz/specifications.html

https://www.deepcool.com/products/C...al-Tower-CPU-Cooler-1700-AM5/2022/16082.shtml

https://www.gskill.com/product/165/377/1649234605/F5-6000J3040G32GX2-RS5K-F5-6000J3040G32GA2-RS5K

https://www.westerndigital.com/products/internal-drives/wd-black-sn850x-nvme-ssd?sku=WDS200T2X0E

https://www.corsair.com/eu/en/p/psu...ular-low-noise-atx-power-supply-cp-9020263-eu

https://lian-li.com/product/uni-fan-sl-v2/

https://lian-li.com/product/lancool-216/

Add this to that build.
https://www.newegg.com/p/1BK-07N9-00002
Lian Li LANCOOL 216 ARGB Controller and USB Module (Black) $11.99

And this is the result.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmpaN61OISA

 

[SuperCreeper990]

@SuperCreeper990 seeing how you enjoy RGB here's a build that will give you a light show. This case was released about a year ago and was named 'case of the year' by multiple tech review sites. Easy to build with and has excellent airflow. Replace the 140mm rear exhaust fan that comes with that case with this one down below . The 3pk of 120mm fans goes inside the top of that case where a AIO would normally go. Low profile RAM so that it doesn't impede that dual tower cpu cooler.

PCPartPicker Part List

Thanks for the fan suggestion! I will make sure to implement the part recommendations that you, Zerk2012, and Lucky_SLS provided. Thanks to everyone here for improving my first PC build massively!