In Search of less, but more power

SirCyber

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Ok guys, time to get the guru advice that you offer. Last time I did a system build I went monster big, not realizing or refusing to accept that what I was getting wasn't necessary. Now, that monster case and eATX board are going to be turned into a media server, getting more data headroom, and also be multi-bootable into a couple linux distros. but I digress. The goals I had for the new machine were small, quiet, and powerful. I just wanted to get some thoughts on it. Thanks in advance!
Fractal Design FD-CA-NODE-804-BL Black Aluminum / Steel MATX Cube Case Computer Case - Newegg.com
I started this build with mATX or uATX, but nothing uATX was appealing. That case seemed to offer everything I was looking for.
GIGABYTE GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Newegg.com
this motherboard looked an ideal champ. killer NIC coupled with M-2 support and black cap, solid state capacitors.
Intel Core i5-4440 Haswell Quad-Core 3.1GHz (3.3GHz Turbo) LGA 1150 84W Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4600 BX80646I54440 - Newegg.com
i realized that i dont need all the overhead of a high end CPU, so this should suffice
Crucial Ballistix Tactical 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model BLT2K8G3D1608ET3LX0 - Newegg.com
low pro, low voltage, and will look great in that window :) good latency too
Crucial M550 CT128M550SSD4 M.2 Type 2280 128GB SATA 6Gb/s MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - Newegg.com
Now this may get some contention. I know there are slightly faster drives out there, but I just want to try this out. I have a Macbook Air that has one of these and is really fast, so why not in a PC? also, size doesn't really matter. I will likely be using NAS for anything other than programs. Im hoping firmware upgrades will increase performance
CORSAIR AXi series AX760i 760W Digital ATX12V / EPS12V SLI CrossFire 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply New 4th Gen CPU Certified Haswell Ready - Newegg.com
This feels like a splurge. but a defendable one. Corsair Link, platinum rating, fully modular w/ flat ribbon cabling... great features.
Refurbished: EVGA 02G-P4-3063-RX GeForce GTX 660 2GB 192-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support Video Card w/ ACX Cooler - Newegg.com
Again, there is a reason for this. see follow on items.
NZXT Kraken G10 GPU Bracket w/ Fan - Red (RL-KRG10-R11) - FrozenCPU.com
That GPU is compatable with this very affordable cooler
NZXT Kraken X41 All-In-One 140mm Liquid Cooler (RL-KRX41-01) - FrozenCPU.com
and this for the GPU cooler. Just makes sense
OR
Thermaltake Water 3.0 Pro (CLW0223) Water/Liquid CPU Cooler 120MM - Newegg.com
The Thermaltake one is cheaper, and for a GPU probably similar experience.
Swiftech H220-X Expandable All-In-One Liquid Cooling Kit - FrozenCPU.com
for the CPU. Looks great, just have to wait for one to become available.

This is my intro to quiet power cooling. the CPU RAD will mount topside, while the GPU RAD will likely be from the front. No CD drive, with no intentions of having a permanent one. I have a USB DVD R/RW. I have considered replacing all fans with
Noiseblocker NB-eLoop B12-1 120mm x 25mm Ultra Silent Bionic Blade Fan - 800 RPM - below 8 dBA - FrozenCPU.com
with the exception of CPU and GPU, which will use Noiseblocker NB-Multiframe M12-P 120mmx25mm Ultra Silent PWM Fan - 1000-2000 RPM - 12-29 dBA - FrozenCPU.com.
Ok, so the details are out, lets hear some comments!
 
Normally I don't comment on such things, but some formatting would have helped my afternoon headache a bit. I have a vertical monitor for browsing and even that didn't really help the wall of text man. Anyways onto business.

I think you're splurging on a lot of things and it doesn't make much sense to me. For instance you're going balls to the wall on cooling but getting a cheaper locked i5 and a pretty low end GPU. If you're goal is not to game then I simply suggest getting a nice 750ti and keeping the aftermarket fan on low since it won't ever need to spin up.

If you do plan on gaming, why not go a bit lower on the overkill and grab yourself a much better GPU?

I'll be the first person to say, you can never go wrong with dumping a ton of money onto a very solidly built PSU. That PSU you chose is cream of the crop in its class next to the Seasonic and Super FLower platinum options. Is it really necessary though? With a single GPU you could easily get away with an RM550 or a Seasonic platinum or gold 550 and run any GPU on the market. Corsair link is cool, but the novelty wears off in about an hour. If money isn't a problem ignore this paragraph.

Crucial MX550 is a good SSD, I recommend Samsung EVO over it, your call.

I could argue on the motherboard choice simply because of the Killer NIC, but again your call if you're interested.

Next thing I'll critique on is the overall cooling choices. AIO is good, but it kinda doesn't make much sense to grab an expandable AIO then not expand its capabilities over to the GPU. What I'm saying is, you can easily expand that H220X with a GPU block and water cool both with superior cooling rather than tinkering around with a bunch of clunky AIOs in the same case. Then you're spending less on extra fans too. Speaking of that, I don't have personal experience with NBs but I prefer RPM limited Noctua or Scythe GTs over anything else for maximum airflow with the least DB level. Again, your call.
 
you have some good points. Allow me to explain. This is meant to be a gaming computer, very simply. Cooling has always been a focus so the GPU was chosen due to compatibility with the Kraken. I didn't want to get fully immersed in liquid cooling quite yet, so budget cooling AIO's seemed the way to go. I do plan on OCing the card, so a good quality cooler was chosen. The CPU... alas you caught me there. I did not catch that it was a locked lower clocked CPU, I figured I'd just OC it to i7ish speeds and call it good. now, I will have to remap a little. The mobo supports that. As far as the cooling goes, the Swiftech cooler I thought looked cool, but it's not compatibly with the Kraken. Alot seems to point to that darn Kraken. seems a simple thing for low cost, but am I being overboard on my expectations from it? is there a better, easy, cheap way to cool a GPU? if I can get away from it for similar price, I will. I just haven't found anything yet. for PSU, I do recognize that I'm overkilling it, but I wanted the most efficient PSU I could find, and I wanted it to be fully modular. I expected some contention with RAM, but got none. Yay! In closing this post, you have left much for me to check out. More questions, more knowledge to be gained. Thanks for the input.
 
If it's for gaming you'll want a more powerful GPU even if it means sacrificing other areas. Gaming is 90% GPU 10% CPU.

Honestly, the i5 4440 is more than capable of any gaming today. I'm running my Sandy Bridge CPU stock with 0 issues. Overclocking one of those chips won't be required for a long while yet, and may never come to fruit due to APIs coming out (Mantle, DirectX 12) that reduce CPU overhead at a hardware level. IF you want a chip that is capable for OC in the future you'll need a K series chip.

Onto the Kraken for the GPU. That G10 is simply just a mount for various circle base AIO coolers. It's a solution meant for people who already have something laying around and want to toss on their GPU. In your case, I don't personally find it to be the best solution. It's compatible with almost any GPU, but you need heatsinks for the VRM and RAM sections of the board which add cost to what appears to the unknown to be a simple cooling solution.

Now when we get to your H220x choice, that is an "open" or "expandable" AIO loop. The pump and res setup is made so that you can add either another rad or a GPU block to the loop. This in turn makes more sense with your decisions. If you got something like a GTX 760 (or 770 when they get price cut) you can get a full cover block for the card and add it to your H220x loop easy peasy. It's not as easy as say simply strapping the G10 and another AIO to your GPU, but it makes more sense in your situation and all you need is the block and 2 barbs, an extra tube and you're set. Would also be cheaper than spending 100 or so bucks on a new AIO cooler, and then buying the G10 for 40 or so bucks. Not only that, but would look way cleaner than having these pre-filled setups going this way and that.

As to the RAM choice I didn't say anything simply because I feel it wise to get 16GB of RAM now if you're buying into DDR3. Next year when the new Intel mainstream platform is released with DDR4 the DDR3 prices will skyrocket like DDR2 did.
 
sweet. thanks for the additional info there, and also for the advice for the GPU blocks tieing in with the AIO that I chose. I do want to take a full on plunge for liquid cooling, I just need more time to warm up to it. your advice has been most helpful thus far, I will be making some adjustments and post tomorrow. as usual you have been quite helpful.
 
Going with the H220x is taking the full on plunge. The only difference being the tube has been cut and pre-applied for you and the loop filled. With the rad, res, and pump all being one device it's stupid easy to add a GPU block to that loop. I could even walk you through it. If you want to purchase a more advanced kit which isn't pre-setup, EK and Koolance both make box kits that have everything you need in them, besides maybe the GPU block and 2 barbs.
 
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