Slider46

Here's my propsed future build.

Intel - SLI - Watercooled

Budget is going to have to be upwards of $2000 but I think i'll be happy with the final product.

Anyone that has any suggestions about hardware, other ideas, etc is welcome to comment/post but I dont want any 'fanboi' posts like "oh that rad sucks get this one" "oh I HATE koolance, only use swiftech".

I'm seriously considering trying to make the best system I can for overclocking/watercooling and still being stable enough for everyday use.

I'll list hardware and then placement.

PC Hardware:

Case: NZXT Tempest
PSU: ABS Tagan 700w Modular
MoBo: EVGA 775 nForce 790i Ultra SLI
CPU: Q6600 2.4Ghz
GPU: 2x EVGA GTX 260
RAM: G.Skill 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1600
HDD1: WD Raptor X 150GB (for OS and Games)
HDD2&3: WD 160BG 8MB Cache in RAID 1 (for music, photos, docs, etc)
Lite-On: Combo Drive
Assorted Cathodes, LEDs, Fans etc.

Cooling System

Koolance Res/Pump Combo 1kW series - black
Black Ice GT240 X-Flow (dual 120mm)
Alphacool Nexxxos Bold 775 high flow CPU block
EK-FC280 GTX SLI - Block for NVIDIA GeForce 280/260 GTX (x2)
Koolance SLI connector (3-slot spacing)
Koolance Drain Valve with Pressure Valve
Koolance 3/8" ID Compression Fittings
Primochill 3/8" ID x 1/2" OD clear tubing
Koolance 3/8" Spring Wrap - Black

Setup:

Mount radiator in top of case (using stock 140mm case fans - pull)
Pump/Res combo fits in single drive bay.
Route tubes so they dont look like crap

I was thinking of getting blocks for the NB/SB and probably splitting the tubing down to 1/4" for those two blocks. (after the CPU) Then back to the 3/8" before entering the rad.

Any suggestions? I'm still in the designing phase as I dont have funds to purchase this yet.

keyboard_commando

Go two loops. Put the biggest rads you can afford in both. The restriction/heat is too much to have in one loop.

Chozart

At this moment, I see no benefit of building a rig with DDR3. It offers little or no performance difference. Also, I am definitly not thrilled about that PSU.
Finally, recent batches of the Q6600 aren't very great overclockers, and either a Q6700 or (imo the best pick) a Q9400/Q9550 after the price drops is a better choice. I notice that your parts alone without watercooling already cost you $2000.

This is what I would suggest:

• NZXT TEMPEST Crafted Series CS-NT-TEM-B Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $109.99
• EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $249.99
• EVGA 01G-P3-1282-AR GeForce GTX 280 SuperClocked Edition 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail $919.98
• SILVERSTONE DECATHLON DA850 850W ATX 12V 2.2 & EPS 12V Power Supply - Retail $239.99
• Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 Yorkfield 2.66GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80569Q9450 - Retail $329.99
• G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK - Retail $104.99
• Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $89.99

Subtotal: $2,044.92

I dropped the Raptor X in favor of the faster 640GB AAKS drive, and a single one of those provides you plenty space. Also, I went for DDR2, a better PSU, and SLI-ed GTX 280's. If you wait a little bit (I think it should be this week), Intel will drop it's prices, and you can get an Q9550 for the same price as you can get an Q9450 now. Or get an Q9400 for cheaper.

If you indeed go for the Q9400/Q9450/Q9550, you might consider leaving the CPU out of the waterloop. Those chips don't run that hot, and are more voltage limited than temperature limited.

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Slider46

Thanks for the info. Whats wrong with the PSU i've chosen?

I'm not familiar with Intel but I was thinking of upgrading the CPU from the Q6600 'standard' lol.

I like the MoBo suggestion. Saves me some $$ I think.

I don't think i'd purchase any 'superclocked' edition of any card. I'd rather overclock it myself. I think i've read that even the "FTW Edition" doesn't leave much headroom for additional clocking. I'd save the extra $$ and OC it myself. And that brings up another point: Is it really worth the extra $$ for the 280 when I can OC a 260 up to or just under a 280's specs? Is this possible?

I really want RAID 1 for the 'protection' it gives. (if you can call it protection. The e-mail server at my job lost 2 drives in RAID 5 config. recently so it took 2 days to restore the server from tapes.

Proves RAID is not the cure-all for backups.)

I'm also too cheap to purchase 4 drives for raid 1+0 and figured i'd load the OS and games onto the raptor and just keep the two lower-end drives for media/files in RAID 1. (I dont use much HDD space, 640GB is too much IMO, I only use 90GB out of my 160GB at the moment)

Would the AAKS in RAID 1 be better than how I want to setup my drives?

Thanks in advance!

Chozart

I think the AAKS is indeed the better choice. They'll perform VERY well, esp. in RAID (and RAID1 does improve read performance also, compared to a single drive. There also is a 320GB version (single platter), that's very fast.

I choose the 'superclocked' since it's not much more than the 'regular' version, and they usually DO have better binned parts.

260 v. 280... it's your choice, but I'd go for the best card you can afford. Yeah, you can overclock the 260, but there are more differences than just clock speed:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130365

The number of shaders, the memory interface, the amount of memory are all in favor of the 280. Plus, you can overclock the 280 also, taking it to performance the 260 can't even dream of.

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Slider46

With the ability to go to 3-way SLI in the future, this seems like a good balance of power, performance and bang-for-buck.

So here's my updated list:

EVGA 132-YW-E178-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI FTW ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 Yorkfield 2.66GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80569Q9450 - Retail

ABS Tagan BZ Series BZ900 900W ATX12V / EPS12V Patent Piperock Modular Power Supply - Retail

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK - Retail

EVGA 896-P3-1266-AR GeForce GTX 260 FTW Edition 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail (x2)

NZXT TEMPEST Crafted Series CS-NT-TEM-B Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

As for the watercooling, i'll probably do as suggested and leave the CPU out of the loop for now.

Probably run the two GPUs with a 240mm rad (top mount) and maybe an extra 80mm or 90mm rad after the res just to add some extra cooling power.

As of right now, I'm looking at $2000 and some change for the PC hardware (+ fans, lights, mods, etc)

Probably close to $350-$500 for the watercooling parts. What do you guys think?

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