New build for Ultrawide gaming

[username455]

Approximate Purchase Date: 1-2 Months

Budget Range: ~$2000

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming

Are you buying a monitor: Yes

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg, Amazon, Micro Center

Location: Columbus, OH

Parts Preferences: Intel, NVIDIA

Overclocking: Yes

SLI: I want the option available in the future

Your Monitor Resolution: 3440x1440 @ 100Hz


And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I am buying the ASUS pg348q as a gift to myself, but I will need a powerful computer to run that resolution so here I am! My current PC is almost 10 years old now so it was time for an upgrade.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($5.95 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2800 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: PNY CS1311 960GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($227.14 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB FTW DT GAMING Video Card ($649.99 @ B&H)
Case: Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case ($116.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.88 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.91 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1820.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-14 12:09 EDT-0400

I am open to any and all suggestions, I want a beastly gaming PC that can run high resolution ultrawide monitors at 100hz (and possibly 1440p @165hz in the future) for a long time coming. I am sticking with a single GPU for now, but want the option at add a second card later if I feel the need for more FPS.

1. I decided on skylake due to higher single core clock speeds, which I read was better for pure gaming. I do not stream, and very rarely render videos for youtube etc. Are there other reasons to go for a x99 platform?

2. I was having difficulty finding the difference between the asus maximus viii hero and the asus z170 pro gaming (besides aesthetics and price). any clear advantages with the hero board?

3. Is 750w PSU enough for SLI 1080 in the future? 650w would probably be pushing it?

4. I am really stuck on CPU cooling. I have never used a water cooling system before. I kinda picked the corsair h100i randomly, and because I see it everywhere. Are there better options in that price point? I am seriously considering sticking with air cooling though, because of familiarity and ease of use. The Noctua nh-u14s is nice and simple, but the nh-dh15s looked great and I believe it would fit. I do plan on overclocking, but I am not looking to break any records haha. What do you guys suggest, air vs water?

again any suggestions are welcome, I would love to learn more about making an awesome build that will last years to come. thanks!

 

[ajpaolello]

1. Not really. Skylake has better single core performance.

2. Not that I can find.

3. Yes it's enough

4. Closed loop coolers are often beaten by similarly priced air coolers. The D15 is one of the best air coolers around. Might have some clearance issues with your ram though.

 

[ajpaolello]

There are better cases than the 450D. Have you considered the Fractal Design Define R5?

 

[username455]

Thank you very much for the responses!

I think I have decided to stay with air cooling, as most of the time water cooling is recommended it is either because of better aesthetics, or because they see a $2000 budget. I have seen people achieve nice overclocks on simple cpu coolers which is reassuring. Now I agree the DH15 might have clearance issues, so how about the DH14, or a simple u14s? I also started looking at cryorig H5?

As for the case, yes I have seen the fractal cases, but what makes a case "better"? I don't care for sound dampening, and aesthetics are a secondary concern for me. I have another computer in a corsair 750d which I enjoyed, which is why I decided on the 450d, but I would like to know if there are any flaws in that case, or what the benefits of a different case would be.

Finally, do you feel this build is the most efficient use of my budget? I was browsing other builds and felt like I could get the same performance from a $1500 build. What can I change to get the most out of $2000? Maybe change up my SSDs or ram?

 

[ajpaolello]

DH14 might have less issues than the D15, but I would still do some research. The 750D is a great case. The 450D is more meh. It's not bad, but at it's price there are better ones for cheaper. Read and watch some reviews on the case before deciding. As for efficiency, I'd like around for some other $2k builds and see what they did and compare it to your build and make changes as you feel necessary.