Building My First High End PC

[Mondrayish]

Hi all,

Just wanted to say hi to all the ROG members here as I'm new here.

The first time I assembled a PC on my own was back in the Pentium 3 days. Ever since then, I just bought pre-assembled PCs from NCIX and whatnot.

Now that I work, I can afford some of the higher quality stuff in the market and decided to take up the costly hobby of DIY PCs. So I did some reading these past couple of weeks to catch up with today's technology. And these are the parts I decided to aim for.

Motherboard: Rampage IV Extreme
Chipset: 3930K
GPU: ROG Matrix II GTX580 (plan to get a 2nd one to SLI in the future if performance start declining on new games)
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws Z 2133 MHz DDR3 CL9 16GB kit
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100
PSU: CoolerMaster Silent Pro Gold 1200W
SSD: OCZ 240GB Agility 3 SSD SATA III
HDD:
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion
Chassis: Cosmos II / HAF-X RC-942 / NZXT Switch 810 / Thermaltake lvl10GT / Corsair Obsidian 800D (All the forums and reviews say they are all good with regards to air flow and space management, can't decide)

The goals for this rig are as follows (in order of importance):
1. Gaming Performance: 80 - 90 FPS on Crysis 2 @ Extreme/Ultra setting (w/o overclocking)
2. Aesthetics (Internal/External): Aesthetics is pretty important to me but not the deal breaker
3. Practicality vs. Price: Looking for a balance between price and practicality. (Preferably below US$2,800 just to prove to a friend that the Razer Blade is a waste of money)
4. Overclocking: Because I'm still noob at this, overclocking is quite low on my list... for now... But I chose to go with ROG components as they seem pretty overclocking friendly for the new overclocker.

Just wanted to hear your critique/advice/tips/suggestions on what works, what wouldn't work and what I can do and what I shouldn't do, what's effective and what's not and how to get the most out of the hardware and software. Basically I just want to learn whatever I can from the rest of you more experienced ROG folks.

Without the chassis and HDD right now, pricing is slightly under US$2,800. Since it's a purely gaming machine, I decided an SSSD alone would be enough. I'm willing to go over if the performance justifies the cost.

Your thoughts? All feedback is appreciated

Mondrayish

[trailer park boy]

welcome to the ROG,i tried but cant find anything wrong with your choice of parts, the cosmos II is cool looking case, and you must show off your build after

[ugapug]

I don't see too much wrong with your build.
Only a couple of changes I would make.

I personally would suggest this power supply instead:
Seasonic X-1250 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151109)
These guys are who make most of the high end power supplies, it's ridiculously future-proof, and is fully modular.

Although I like the ROG 580s, honestly I prefer the EVGA GTX 580 Classified Ultra 3gb. The ROG is a great choice too, though. I'm just a huge fan of the 580 Classy due to its insane build quality and extreme overclockability.

I've seen the Cosmos II up close and in person, and I can say three negative things about it:

1. A LOT of plastic, and the aluminum side doors are a veneer over plastic parts.
2. It's H E A V Y. I mean, the damned thing is 48 pounds empty.
3. If you're using an H100, you will run into major issues if you try to push/pull it due to low clearance between the top of the motherboard and the roof of the case.

I've had a Cooler Master ATCS 840 for a couple of years through 2 builds now, and I love it. Alas, it's discontinued. If I were building a machine from scratch today, I'd probably go with a Lian Li PC-P80NB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112324&Tpk=pc-p80nb). It's all aluminum, can also hold XL-ATX motherboards, and is pretty aesthetically pleasing. Also, it uses toolless PCI slot holdowns that aren't fail and has a video card bracing system (which might be pretty desirable considering your choice of video card(s) ). Either that or another Lian Li, the V2120x (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112312). It's about 100 bucks more than either the Cosmos II or the PC-P80NB, though.

Lastly, I would suggest dropping the cash on a platter HDD (I'd suggest a WD Caviar Black 1TB or 1.5TB). Reason being, it's always nice to have a data drive for storage of pictures, music and for your page file so you don't gimp the SSD. Also, if you back up the SSD using Acronis or another backup program, it would make it easier to restore your system in the event of a primary SSD failure.

Just my .02, and other than that I like your equipment choices and welcome to the high end ;)

[MarshallR@ASUS]

My 2p:

I wouldn't bank on getting any additional GTX 580 beyond a month or two (they are already scarce), so if you're going SLI - go now. That's any vendor.

Check out the Rampage forum to see the BIOS guides and look how 2133MHz is possible on quad-channel.

Agree that the Seasonic X series is the best PSUs I've ever owned. I have a 650 and 750W.

The Cosmos II is a beautiful case, as is the Storm Trooper and the Corsair Carbides. I'm not a a fan of the 800D though personally.

[Mondrayish]

Although I like the ROG 580s, honestly I prefer the EVGA GTX 580 Classified Ultra 3gb. The ROG is a great choice too, though. I'm just a huge fan of the 580 Classy due to its insane build quality and extreme overclockability.


I need to actually go buy the parts before you can welcome me into the high-end :p

But now that you brought my attention to the GPU, thought I'd just bring up the SLI discussion. The ROG 580 Matrix takes up 3 PCIe slots while the EVGA 580 Classified takes up 2 slots. Now, I haven't physically played around with the Asus RIVE mobo yet so I'm not too familiar with its dimensions and spacing.

Theoretically, the mobo can support 4-way SLI. But in practice, how many Asus 580 Matrix or EVGA 580 can actually fit into SLI given that there will be an additional Creative Titanium X-FI sound card taking up 1 x PCIe slot?



My 2p:

I wouldn't bank on getting any additional GTX 580 beyond a month or two (they are already scarce), so if you're going SLI - go now. That's any vendor.


nVidia's stopping product of GTX 580s in two months? So what's next?

The reason I want to do 1 video card now and 1 video card later is because from what I've read that GTX570 and upwards can pretty much handle any games today with flying colors. So it isn't worth blowing the money on two pieces on the high end GPU right now. However, in the future, when my computer starts to struggle, I want to have that option of adding an additional card in.

[Sir_Lord_Derpington]

I agree with everything you have listed and that will make a high end PC. However The Choice of the CM cosmos 2 isn't very good because you do not need alot of room. The cosmos 2 is an "ultra" tower. I would recommend A full tower case because you wouldn't need an 11kg case for your parts. If you really want extra cooling, then all you need to buy is a few case fans. Otherwise your rig is very good.

[UltraNEO*]

I need to actually go buy the parts before you can welcome me into the high-end :p

But now that you brought my attention to the GPU, thought I'd just bring up the SLI discussion. The ROG 580 Matrix takes up 3 PCIe slots while the EVGA 580 Classified takes up 2 slots. Now, I haven't physically played around with the Asus RIVE mobo yet so I'm not too familiar with its dimensions and spacing.

Theoretically, the mobo can support 4-way SLI. But in practice, how many Asus 580 Matrix or EVGA 580 can actually fit into SLI given that there will be an additional Creative Titanium X-FI sound card taking up 1 x PCIe slot?

Well.... You do have options, take for instance the EVGA 580 ftw hydro copper 2 3gb, this is a single slot card but you'll need a water cooling system to cool the thing. It's possible to converter some other cards into a single slot liquid cooled gpu too.




nVidia's stopping product of GTX 580s in two months? So what's next?

The reason I want to do 1 video card now and 1 video card later is because from what I've read that GTX570 and upwards can pretty much handle any games today with flying colors. So it isn't worth blowing the money on two pieces on the high end GPU right now. However, in the future, when my computer starts to struggle, I want to have that option of adding an additional card in.

Dude... Every so often products are refreshed, this is the same for nVidia... Their next GPU is called Kelper, it's 680 is supposed to make mince meat outta the current 7970 though it's rumoured to arrive towards the end of the year. Now I don't know how needy you are for a new machine. I fyou can't wait.. then get what you need now and upgrade later.. or wait it out - it's up to you!!

[Mondrayish]

Lastly, I would suggest dropping the cash on a platter HDD (I'd suggest a WD Caviar Black 1TB or 1.5TB). Reason being, it's always nice to have a data drive for storage of pictures, music and for your page file so you don't gimp the SSD. Also, if you back up the SSD using Acronis or another backup program, it would make it easier to restore your system in the event of a primary SSD failure.

I intend to make this system purely for gaming. So there will not be any music or pictures or any unrelated programs on it. It will just be Windows 7, Steam, maybe vent and games. I have my current computer for pictures, music and movies. By page files, you mean temporary files from web browsing?

Although I would like to hear from you guys the pros and cons are for doing this sort of thing.

[redsuns03]

I have a CM HAF X 942 and having the h100 is a little tricky but no problem at all with clearance. There is a potential to equip 2 200mm fan on the top case and have it instead of the 2 120mm. I can't say for sure yet since I'm still figuring that out myself but there is adequate space for sure.

[Area 66]

My 2p:

I wouldn't bank on getting any additional GTX 580 beyond a month or two (they are already scarce), so if you're going SLI - go now. That's any vendor.

Scarce like in Kepler is probably comming soon ? I know NDA ..........

[Mondrayish]

Well.... You do have options, take for instance the EVGA 580 ftw hydro copper 2 3gb, this is a single slot card but you'll need a water cooling system to cool the thing. It's possible to converter some other cards into a single slot liquid cooled gpu too.




Dude... Every so often products are refreshed, this is the same for nVidia... Their next GPU is called Kelper, it's 680 is supposed to make mince meat outta the current 7970 though it's rumoured to arrive towards the end of the year. Now I don't know how needy you are for a new machine. I fyou can't wait.. then get what you need now and upgrade later.. or wait it out - it's up to you!!

You've just opened my eyes to the world of water cooled GPUs. :D

But Isn't the EVGA 580 ftw hydro copper 2 3gb even older than the Asus 580 matrix?

Are there other single slot water cooled 580s like the EVGA ftw hydro copper out there that you can recommend? I doubt I'm ready for any kind of tinkering with the hardware so converting cards to something that it wasn't designed for is out of the question. I will have to work with stock for now until I have more knowledge and a better understanding of how things work.

[Area 66]

Are there other single slot water cooled 580s like the EVGA ftw hydro copper out there that you can recommend? .

This is the best option if you don't want install a water block yourself

[UltraNEO*]

You've just opened my eyes to the world of water cooled GPUs. :D

But Isn't the EVGA 580 ftw hydro copper 2 3gb even older than the Asus 580 matrix?

Are there other single slot water cooled 580s like the EVGA ftw hydro copper out there that you can recommend? I doubt I'm ready for any kind of tinkering with the hardware so converting cards to something that it wasn't designed for is out of the question. I will have to work with stock for now until I have more knowledge and a better understanding of how things work.

Aye, it might be but those evga gpu's apparently come with an awesome warranty, unmatched by any other competitors. From my understanding they overclock pretty well. Also, I believe the company even allows part-exchanges when the time comes for upgrading - but you'll have to buy a evga card I think.

[Mondrayish]

Aye, it might be but those evga gpu's apparently come with an awesome warranty, unmatched by any other competitors. From my understanding they overclock pretty well. Also, I believe the company even allows part-exchanges when the time comes for upgrading - but you'll have to buy a evga card I think.

The EVGA FTWs sound like fun. Since you put me in this dilemma, and because I know jack diddily squat about water cooling, you are now responsible for teaching me the ways of the hydro PC. :D

Do you have a favorite water cooling brand?

If I were to invest in a water cooling system, doesn't that make the Corsair H100 pointless as water cooling systems encompasses all components?

What is that bridge to connect the tubings between each GPUs water blocks called?
https://public.blu.livefilestore.com/y1pt1tCuUleeB86APZiXAM33PfrVmBnimZV2XVQ985hb5JGp7s E-HVTDH0YPeSq5tdC_ZcVqPrTKHF33oQm32UV5w/IMG_3341.JPG?psid=1

[UltraNEO*]

The EVGA FTWs sound like fun. Since you put me in this dilemma, and because I know jack diddily squat about water cooling, you are now responsible for teaching me the ways of the hydro PC. :D

Do you have a favorite water cooling brand?

If I were to invest in a water cooling system, doesn't that make the Corsair H100 pointless as water cooling systems encompasses all components?



Sorry to disappoint mate, I'm totally new to the whole "liquid cooling" way of life!!

Though I can tell you this much... Choosing parts to build a high performance liquid cooled machine is much like buying performance parts to build a games machine; there are literately 100's of choices. And like building a games machine, I think it's a win win situation to choose an array of performance blocks from a variety of manufacturers for each component without mixing metals.

Currently I spend alot of time reading the brilliant martins liquid lab (http://martinsliquidlab.org/)... There's just soo much information!!




What is that bridge to connect the tubings between each GPUs water blocks called?
https://public.blu.livefilestore.com/y1pt1tCuUleeB86APZiXAM33PfrVmBnimZV2XVQ985hb5JGp7s E-HVTDH0YPeSq5tdC_ZcVqPrTKHF33oQm32UV5w/IMG_3341.JPG?psid=1

Don't quote me but I think they're just called "SLI Connectors"... and you can only use them if ALL your GPU's use the same identical block!

[Mondrayish]

I think I may have strayed from my intended goal lol. I was going around looking at 3-way, 4-way setups. Then I remembered I just want today's top of the line system; A PC that can run all of today's most demanding games at around 60-90 FPS at the highest setting on 1920x1080.

I think both the EVGA 580 Classified or the Asus 580 Matrix are both fully capable of doing this. I will probably end up with the Matrix though just because that card, according to the reviews I've read, can be pushed further than the EVGA 580 classified despite being 1.5GB vram. To me, that translates to "you can squeeze the most performance out of this card thereby prolonging its life". And in the future, after I've saved enough, probably just slot in another Asus 580 Matrix.

My only doubt left concerning this build is that the thickness of these Matrix cards are no joke... I'm not sure whether I'll be able to slot 2 Matrix on the RIVE and still squeeze a Creative Titanium Fatal1ty sound card without it being a detriment to the rest of the components. Hoping an owner of the RIVE can help me out on this one.

[UltraNEO*]

Outta curiosity...

Have you looked at the new AMD Radeon HD 7970? From their benchmarks and various youtube reviews I believe just one those cards can match the performance of a GTX 580 in SLI... and at 1920 by 1080, you'll be looking more 125-175fps (realistically).

Well... If your gonna dive into them awesome GTX 580's, I'd go buy now!!! They're quickly vanishing.

[Mondrayish]

Actually, no I haven't. I tried radeon ATI once long long ago when it was still ATI, didn't like it and I can't remember why. Been an nVidia guy ever since. nVidia always struck me as "for gamers" and radeons for more multimedia graphics oriented people.

I have heard about the Radeon 7970 outperforming the 580GTX. But to what extent, I wouldn't know. I haven't stuck my nose into 7970s long enough to make a sound judgement.

Since it's been so long, it'll probably be quite easy to sway me lol. Maybe you can point me in the right direction or show me where to start? What 7970 card would you recommend? Why AMD instead of nVidia.

[UltraNEO*]

I think besides the brands, the hardware in general are pretty much the same with a few exceptions... Some manufacturers choose to 'tweak' their cards for over-clocking performance, over-volting etc. Like yourself, I too prefer nVidia but only because their drivers are more stable... However, hardware wise, it's pretty difficult to ignore what AMD are doing. Anyway, here's a lengthy card review if you're curious.


http://youtu.be/oWZho_Jdx9M

[Chris Manico]

I was going to go with the Matrix, but when It came time to order Newegg was out of stock, then considered the EVga Classified Ultra, but with Keplar in the near future i decided to save a bit ( 100 bucks) and just get the vanilla Evga GTX 580, the Step UP program EVGA has lets you trade in your video card + the price difference if a newer more powerful card comes out within 90 days of Purchase, but only the vanilla cards are qualified, no SC SSC FTW Classy Ultra etc. And as much as I've loved Asus products, the Evga lifetime warrenty can't be beat( limited lifetime = 10 years, If they don't have your card they upgrade you to a card of equal performance, lol had i not sold my gtx 285 I considered OCing it to death )

[Mondrayish]

Ah yes.. Now I remember. I was upset with ATI cause of its driver support, stability and compatibility. Though that probably isn't the case with ATI anymore.

Okay, so I know what my choices are with graphics cards. Thanks everyone for helping me understand the video card market a little better.

Now that's out of the way, let's talk hard disks and chassis. Came across quite a few articles on these two subject with varying opinions.

SSD
1. Too expensive right now, better off getting 7200 rpm HD or 10800 rpm HD
2. Get a 60GB SSD to boot Windows 7
3. Get 240GB SSD for all your games, HDD for all your other miscellaneous stuff
4. Performance difference between a Kingston 60GB SSDNow and Samsung 830 256MB is marginal

For purely gaming, just having 1 SSD is okay, right? Pros and cons for this?

I'm thinking to drop down to OCZ Agility 3 120GB or OCZ Vertex 3 120GB. Anyone can explain to me in layman terms what the difference between the Agility and the Vertex series are? It's like a difference of $20. Why?

Chassis
1. Lian LiPC-P80NB Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower
2. CM HAF-X RC-942
3. CM Storm Trooper
4. CM Cosmos II
5. Thermaltake lvl10 GT
6. Nzxt Switch 810
7. Corsair 800D

I was originally just going to go with the CM HAF-X RC-942. Then all these people starting telling me this and that, so I checked out reviews for each of them. Then I just got lost. Seems like every review article gives a thumbs up for all these cases. :confused:

[Chris Manico]

I was seeing that in some benches the 7970 was only beating the 580 by like 10-15 % not saying much for a new line of cards... Haven't seen alot on Keplar yet, but nvidia hasnt let me down yet.

[UltraNEO*]

I think you might find most reviews will give thumbs up for just about everything... provided someone's making money, that is ;)

Whichever case you end up going with, don't forget to make sure the airflow of your GPU's are compatible. You don't want your GPU exhausting hot air outta both ends and your case blowing cool air against it, it'll make the GPU's cooling less effective.

[Area 66]

I'm thinking to drop down to OCZ Agility 3 120GB or OCZ Vertex 3 120GB. Anyone can explain to me in layman terms what the difference between the Agility and the Vertex series are? It's like a difference of $20. Why?

You better stay away from OCZ.... get an Intel 520 instead, at least you have a 5 years warantty and you sure the company will still in business in 5 years.

[UltraNEO*]

SSD
1. Too expensive right now, better off getting 7200 rpm HD or 10800 rpm HD
2. Get a 60GB SSD to boot Windows 7
3. Get 240GB SSD for all your games, HDD for all your other miscellaneous stuff
4. Performance difference between a Kingston 60GB SSDNow and Samsung 830 256MB is marginal

I would honestly recommend you buy a 120Gb SSD for Windows purely because once you start updating, patching the OS, you'll need space for it's temp files; don't forget your anti-malware, anti-virus and the optional security also lives on the boot drive.



I'm thinking to drop down to OCZ Agility 3 120GB or OCZ Vertex 3 120GB. Anyone can explain to me in layman terms what the difference between the Agility and the Vertex series are? It's like a difference of $20. Why? :confused:

OK.. Basically the Vertex series is meant to be their high-performance, all singing and all dancing drives; it's the one with all the latest technologies OCZ has to offfer... While their Agility series is the cut-price version with fewer bells and whists - it's controller chip is ever so slightly slower.

[ugapug]

I went with a Corsair Force GT 120gb for the OS - Windows 7 really gets starved with a 60gb over time. The Crucial M4 is really nice, as is the latest Intel 520 series, but they're more expensive. Apparently the Intel SSDs have a lot more write cycle durability than other brands, so that may be of interest to you.

[Area 66]

Crutial are very popular, we usually ear Crutial and Intel as recommendations

[UltraNEO*]

Crutial are very popular, we usually ear Crutial and Intel as recommendations

I'm gonna forgive you cause I know you meant "crucial" ;) and yeah, they do have a few great models.

[InnervateD]

I think I may have strayed from my intended goal lol. I was going around looking at 3-way, 4-way setups. Then I remembered I just want today's top of the line system; A PC that can run all of today's most demanding games at around 60-90 FPS at the highest setting on 1920x1080.

I think both the EVGA 580 Classified or the Asus 580 Matrix are both fully capable of doing this. I will probably end up with the Matrix though just because that card, according to the reviews I've read, can be pushed further than the EVGA 580 classified despite being 1.5GB vram. To me, that translates to "you can squeeze the most performance out of this card thereby prolonging its life". And in the future, after I've saved enough, probably just slot in another Asus 580 Matrix.

My only doubt left concerning this build is that the thickness of these Matrix cards are no joke... I'm not sure whether I'll be able to slot 2 Matrix on the RIVE and still squeeze a Creative Titanium Fatal1ty sound card without it being a detriment to the rest of the components. Hoping an owner of the RIVE can help me out on this one.


I'll tell you this much. You're not likely going to find some ASUS ROG MATRIX GTX580s unless you are very lucky with a local computer store or score them off ebay or some online retailer. I think when I got my pair (back in November) it was just about the last time you get get them. I had to wait about 3 weeks for my local computer store to get stock of them and I dropped quite a bit of cash on the pair.

As for the sound card fitting in between the two ROG MATRIX GTX580s, it'll fit. I plan on waiting for the ASUS ROG Phoebus Soundcard and I plan on putting that in between my Matrixes. I"m using a Coolermaster HAF-X case.

Here's a few pics of my setup on the R4E with a pair of ROG MATRIX GTX580s:
http://batmanarkham.net/batmanbeyond/images/PBB_010.jpg
http://batmanarkham.net/batmanbeyond/images/PBB_30.JPG

[Mondrayish]

That looks like a very powerful machine.. kinda like what I had in mind. :D

Fortunately or (unfortunately depending how you look at it) for me, I'm residing in Asia and they still have stocks of the 580 Matrix. Over here, with regards to the high end category, it's a choice between the 580 Matrix, 580 Classified, 7970, or wait indefinitely for Kepler.

I was actually drawn to the whole EVGA ftw hydro copper 2 but it's not available on this side of the world. So I'm just going to work with whatever they have here.

As for the chassis, looks like Cosmos II will be the weapon of choice. The more space, the better. The only bad side I've heard so far about the Cosmos II is its weight. But that won't be an issue because I don't plan on hauling around town with the case on my back. Again also because of the limited choices they have over here. It was a choice between, CM StormTrooper, CM HAF-X, CM CosmosII, Corsair 800D, and Thermaltake lvl10 GT in the high end category for chassis

So much for not breaking US$2800... lol

Thanks a lot for the advice and tips everyone. I learned quite a fair bit lol. I will be trying to scrounge around for the lowest prices around. Probably won't be so soon for my system to be ready. But will be sure to post some pics when it's up :)

[Mondrayish]

Reviving this old thread. I'm still working on this high end PC. I've revised some of my hardware choice In light of new products and technology and I would like some of your feedback again with revised specs. I've already bought some of the components.

On hand I have:
RIVE + 3930K
OCZ Vertex 4 128gb
WD 3TB Caviar Green

Revised Specs:
Case: MM U2-UFO (Side: Large Window Side x2, Back: 10 PCI, Top: Triple Original, Front: Standard, Horizontal MB Brace)
RAM: G.Skill RipJaw-Z 1600 C10 (32GB=4x8GB)
HDD: 3TB Caviar Green x2 (RAID 5)
PSU: Seasonic x-1250 or Platinum-1000
GPU: Asus GTX670 Direct CU II Top x 3 or EVGA GTX680 Hydro Copper x2 or Mars III x2 (If I can get my hands on them)
Sound Card: Asus Xonar Phoebus

CPU Waterblock: Swiftech Apogee Drive II
Radiators: MCR-QP line Triple Rad x1, Dual Rad x1, Single Rad x1 (May only get the triple rad for CPU if no waterblocks for 670 or 690 launch)
Fans: Scythe GT1850 x 9 for push config
Reservoir: FrozenQ Liquid Fusion V Series

Budget is now about $6k. Inputs and advice? Should I swap anything in for another? And why? With this budget, I'm looking for an extreme performer.

[Menthol]

Have you looked at Case Labs cases, they are top notch and very customizable.

[Silver Wolf]

I have a couple comments on this, I would definitely recommend the Intel 520 Series SSD's they are currently the best out there for numerous reasons namely they have a deal with the manufacurers and have all their own parts and a controller they designed. Secondly I wouldn't go for the Caviar Green as a second drive although they have lots of store they are Eco drives so run slower and will giver you less performance even if it isn't your main drive.

As for cases 2 I can definitely recommend are the Coolermaster Storm Sniper especially the AMD Dragon Edition its a really large case with heaps of room. I used to have one but recently changed to an Aerocool X Predator which also looks amazing especially the scale like vents on the top definitely worth a look.

One thing I am wondering is why you are going for both fans and water cooling? Perhaps I have misread somewhere (As it is almost 11pm here and I have worked all day so thats quite possible) but the water cooling is just for the cpu? If so look at a coolermaster V6 or V8 instead in my opinion as they also add some cool looks to your case.

I usually lean more towards Corsair for RAM and I can sing the praises of the Corsair Dominator GT as I run 16gb of it on my ROG Crosshair.

And finally you don't seem to have mentioned Which CPU or Mobo you are getting? And final thought is SLI may not really be required for todays games. i run a single GTX 680 and have no issues at all, if you want to go for it then do so this is just my 2c on the matter :)

[pipe216]

If I read it correctly, the fans are to be attached to the radiator. I agree with Silver Wolf, instead of Caviar Green, I suggest going for the Caviar Black as it gives more performance, even though it's only for data.

Other than that, looks like it'll be an excellent build!

Good luck!

[Mondrayish]

Have you looked at Case Labs cases, they are top notch and very customizable.

Yea I did look at Caselab's Magnum line. I've looked at LD, Caselabs, and DD. I know a lot can be done in them. But I just couldn't see myself owning one of those industrial server looking type towers. That's why ended up with MM's U2-UFO. Wanted something unique but didn't want it to be a giant rectangular box. Also needed something that housed 10+PCI as I may be using up all my PCIe slots. I don't know I'm still a bit shaky on the case. I've been back and forth with several cases. I need some input that will make me pull the trigger on the U2-UFO.

I went with Vertex 4 just because it has the 5 year warranty and it was much cheaper than the Intel 520 series. For the Caviar Greens, since they're just mainly for storage of music and movies, I thought the green was fine.

CPU and motherboard, I have the Asus Rampage IV Extreme and 3930K. For the graphics, I agree that a single GTX680 is more than sufficient to play any of today's games. Was able to test drive the Palit GTX680 Jetstream and it works like a charm. Thing is, this PC build is my personal dream/extreme PC. My current PC can run today's games at decent settings. I wanted to upgrade from that and experience something topnotch.

[Menthol]

It looks like you know what you want as far as hardware, 2 or 3 670's or 680's or a couple 690's would give you the GPU horsepower to play any game you want. Cases are a personnel thing, i prefer the plain understated look.