new system

[keynes]

I am thinking about getting the spec below:

Case
CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 460X GAMING CASE + RGB FAN KIT!
Custom Liquid Cooling Kit
Liquid Series Mid Kit - EK
Graphics Card Cooling
EK FC Nickel & Backplate - For One Graphics Card!
Coolant Colour
Mayhems Pastel Blue Berry
LED Lighting
50cm Blue LED Strip
Overclocked CPU
Overclocked Intel® Core™i7-7700k Quad Core (4.20GHz @ up to 5.0GHz)
FREE Halo Wars 2 with select INTEL® CPUs!
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z270E GAMING: LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GB, Wi-Fi - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2133MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
11GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1080 Ti - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - GTX VR Ready!
FREE FOR HONOR or GHOST RECON: WILDLANDS with select GTX 10 Series GPUs!
1st Hard Disk
2TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG PM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2800MB/R, 1100MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Braided Power Supply Cables
Coloured Braided PSU Cable Kit - Black/Blue
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Liquid Series® Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Quantity
1

Price £2,546.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z270-liquid/HmP68kVVUa/

Last desktop was bought in 2012 and looking for an upgrade. The system above is around £500 more expensive than an air cooled system and there is also the issue of maintenance every couple of years. Not really sure about which monitor to get either, just looking for a 34 or 35 inches monitor. Budget is around £3500 including the monitor but obviously I will be happy to spend less.

 

[Oussebon]

For what purposes? If gaming is among then I'd strongly recommend the faster RAM.

You could consider an LED strip, since the case has RGB fans, there's RGB lighting on the mobo, and the GPU will have light-up LED text as well I think.

In addition to the maintenance issue, there's also the matter of a GPU upgrade being less straightforward than with an air-cooled one. I'm sure it's straightforward enough, and you'd be draining the system periodically anyway, but you'd need to get a new water block for your card, etc.

 

[keynes]

For what purposes? If gaming is among them I'd strongly recommend the faster RAM.

You could consider an LED strip, since the have RGB fans, RGB lighting on the mobo, and the GPU will have a light-up LED as well I think.

In addition to the maintenance issue, there's also the matter of a GPU upgrade being less straightforward than with an air-cooled one. I'm sure it's straightforward enough, and you'd be draining the system periodically anyway, but you'd need to get a new water block for your card, etc.

Gaming nothing else. Still wondering whether is worth it or not to get the liquid cooling kit. I doubt I will do it myself so it would have to be sent back to PCS. As you mentioned there is also the problem when upgrading the GPU.

 

[Oussebon]

Well, if you're just gaming the CPU's not going to be going at 100% load very often. The H100i V2 should be more than sufficient and not be overly noisy with the quiet fans. Though the liquid series OC aims for 200MHz higher

The main performance benefit of liquid cooling as far as I can see will be for the GPU, where (fan profile for the liquid system notwithstanding) the cooling system should be significantly quieter than an air-cooled GTX 1080 ti, especially the Founder's Edition (if that's what you get).

Plus the aesthetic considerations of the water cooling.

So I suppose the question is whether it's worth £500 (plus the maintenance costs if you're shipping it back to PCS / paying for them to do any GPU upgrade work, as well as the time it's away) for the aesthetics, the quieter GPU, and 200MHz on the CPU.

If you do go for an air-cooled system and you're wanting it to be reasonably quiet, you may want to consider getting a 1080 ti with third party cooler.
https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_1080_Ti_Gaming_X/29.html
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/msi_gtx_1080_ti_gaming_x_review,10.html
http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/103915-asus-rog-strix-geforce-gtx-1080-ti-oc/?page=12

I gather the 1080 ti FE cooler gets a little louder than with some of the other 1000 series FEs on the 1080 ti due to the extra power and so heat involved, especially if you up the fan curve to help maintain those boost clocks, and the card's target seems to be 84 degrees rather than 83 as I believe it is for the GTX 1080.

Perhaps PCS will offer one (FTW edition perhaps, they seem to like EVGA cards) or you could source and fit your own ofc.

In terms of quietness, if that's what you're going for, you could also consider a higher W PSU. I'm not sure how exactly the passive mode is run (I know it has thermal and load thresholds, though I gather the load threshold is based on a complicated series of measurements). But I believe that to some degree the lower the overall % load of the PSU, the more likely you are to have it operating passively. A 250W GPU, ~100W CPU or more with the OC, plus the other components would seem capable of taking you to 60% of the RM650x at the highest loads.

 

[keynes]

Thank you very much for the detailed feedback. Would you recommend a 750w PSU? To send back the system to PCS for maintenance is going to be £149. I also confirmed that it is possible to upgrade the warranty within the first 9 months after the purchase has taken place. I don't think aftermarket GPUs have been released yet so my plan of fast track for next week wouldn't work. Ordered a new desk for now and need to see whether to go ahead next week or wait.

 

[Oussebon]

I'd go for the 850W one, since it gives even more headroom (enough even for a future SLI setup with a decent bit of headroom I should think) and is only £4 more than the 750W one. If the objective is to keep load as proportionately low as possible without overinflating the cost of the build, one might as well for £4.

I have an RM850i, which is very similar to the RMx series, and I believe the only time the fan ever had to come on was when I pressed the button to test it to see if it actually worked. It's passively cooled itself while powering my system with no problems.

 

[keynes]

Well I was about to go ahead taking into account your suggestion and contacted PCS via live chat. I wish to make a payment using 2 cards. I did the same the first time I bought my desktop. I placed an order and ended up upgrading components and used a different debit/credit card. Can't understand why it is still not possible. Anyone tried it recently? This means going to the competition for what I wish to get which is a shame. Should I just try and see if it is possible? If not possible I would have to cancel the order and wait for the funds to return to me after at least a week.

 

[JamesHepple73]

Well I was about to go ahead taking into account your suggestion and contacted PCS via live chat. I wish to make a payment using 2 cards. I did the same the first time I bought my desktop. I placed an order and ended up upgrading components and used a different debit/credit card. Can't understand why it is still not possible. Anyone tried it recently? This means going to the competition for what I wish to get which is a shame. Should I just try and see if it is possible? If not possible I would have to cancel the order and wait for the funds to return to me after at least a week.

I ordered my desktop a couple of weeks ago (arrives on Monday). I paid for it with my fiancee's debit card, but have made a few amendments and paid for those using my own debit card without a hitch. If that's what you're asking?

 

[keynes]

I ordered my desktop a couple of weeks ago (arrives on Monday). I paid for it with my fiancee's debit card, but have made a few amendments and paid for those using my own debit card without a hitch. If that's what you're asking?

Yep, that's what I asked and got 2 different answers. Managed to place my order just now.

 

[keynes]

If gaming is among then I'd strongly recommend the faster RAM.

changed to 3000mhz

I'd go for the 850W one,

Changed.

PCS won't overclock the GPU, wondering if it would still void the warranty considering the improvement in cooling. Any suggestions on a decent monitor? Looking for something between 30" and 35".

 

[Oussebon]

PCS won't overclock the GPU, wondering if it would still void the warranty considering the improvement in cooling.

Technically the answer would presumably still be yes, since PCS haven't said anything to the contrary, I suppose. In my view it's a bizarre rule especially for Nvidia GPUs which are locked down sufficiently to make it pretty hard to bork one due to OCing afaik.

The other GPUs in the liquid series are EVGA cards, which would probably still be covered by the warranty from EVGA given the fairly expansive terms that they have (i.e. 3 years from the date they ship from EVGA even with no proof of purchase and, afaik, OCing not voiding the warranty). Although even then, if attempting the claim the warranty with the manufacturer you'd need to be able to return the GPU with the cooler it shipped with, which PCS would remove to fit the waterblock. Perhaps they'd include it in the bundle if you ask?

But I would assume the 1080 ti they're selling with the liquid series isn't specifically EVGA, it may just be FE from whatever vendor they could get it off cheapest. I'm not sure how many water blocks are available for custom models yet.

That said, it's a 1080 ti - you probably won't need to OC it. And since the Pascal cards are especially restricted if you did do a DIY OC you'd be fairly unlikely to damage it short of flashing a modded VBIOS or whatever.

 

[keynes]

Technically the answer would presumably still be yes, since PCS haven't said anything to the contrary, I suppose. In my view it's a bizarre rule especially for Nvidia GPUs which are locked down sufficiently to make it pretty hard to bork one due to OCing afaik.

The other GPUs in the liquid series are EVGA cards, which would probably still be covered by the warranty from EVGA given the fairly expansive terms that they have (i.e. 3 years from the date they ship from EVGA even with no proof of purchase and, afaik, OCing not voiding the warranty). Although even then, if attempting the claim the warranty with the manufacturer you'd need to be able to return the GPU with the cooler it shipped with, which PCS would remove to fit the waterblock. Perhaps they'd include it in the bundle if you ask?

But I would assume the 1080 ti they're selling with the liquid series isn't specifically EVGA, it may just be FE from whatever vendor they could get it off cheapest. I'm not sure how many water blocks are available for custom models yet.

That said, it's a 1080 ti - you probably won't need to OC it. And since the Pascal cards are especially restricted if you did do a DIY OC you'd be fairly unlikely to damage it short of flashing a modded VBIOS or whatever.

I am not in a rush to get the system, not sure if I should wait for the evga FTW GTX 1080 ti or just take whatever they have.
Monitor wise I am unsure in whether to get a 1440p or 4K monitor. Since the system is definitely going back to PCS in 2 years time then I would probably upgrade the gpu.

 

[Oussebon]

I take it you decide to go liquid cooled then?

If so, a FTW card would only be returnable to EVGA if PCS provided the original air cooler than it shipped with, and if you reassembled the card before sending it off to EVGA - to my knowledge anyway. It would obviously also be higher clocked out of the box.

On monitors I'm not best placed to comment. If you're looking at 30-35" the Asus PG348Q has had a lot of attention. UK Hardwareinfo also did a review of it vs the Acer X34 https://uk.hardware.info/reviews/6594/11/asus-pg348q-and-acer-x34-review-g-sync-giants-conclusion

 

[keynes]

I take it you decide to go liquid cooled then?

If so, a FTW card would only be returnable to EVGA if PCS provided the original air cooler than it shipped with, and if you reassembled the card before sending it off to EVGA - to my knowledge anyway. It would obviously also be higher clocked out of the box.

On monitors I'm not best placed to comment. If you're looking at 30-35" the Asus PG348Q has had a lot of attention. UK Hardwareinfo also did a review of it vs the Acer X34 https://uk.hardware.info/reviews/6594/11/asus-pg348q-and-acer-x34-review-g-sync-giants-conclusion

Not worry about the warranty as I would get the extended warranty with PCS. Yes, I went for the system posted initially + the changes suggested by you. The difference in price was something I could afford and it is something I always wanted to try and hopefully enjoy without any issues. Thanks for the link on monitors, I think the Acer predator x34a is the one I am going for.
The issue is still whether or not to wait or just go with the founders GTX 1080 ti, it is likely to be around 10% difference in performance gaming wise.

 

[Oussebon]

I think 10% is possibly a bit optimistic. At 4k it seems to be 6-8% and about 5% at 1440p, with the 3440x1440 resolution being much closer to 1440p than 4k, going by the Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte models reviewed so far: https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/?category=Graphics+Cards&manufacturer=&pp=25&order=date here (there's a performance summary page in each review with the %s). The numbers look right having a quick glance at reviews on other sites.

And that may be with the stock fan profiles for the cards. With a liquid cooled system you won't be losing the FE boost clocks due to temps.

That's not to advise against the FTW, this is clearly a machine you're happy to pay a premium for and you say you're not in a particular rush to get it. Just that if you're holding out on the promise of 10% better, you may well not be getting 10% better, maybe more like 5-6%.

That said, you're not going to have another 1080 ti to compare it to, so if you don't get 10% better you're not going to notice that you didn't get all of what you're hoping for

 

[keynes]

That's not to advise against the FTW, this is clearly a machine you're happy to pay a premium for and you say you're not in a particular rush to get it. Just that if you're holding out on the promise of 10% better, you may well not be getting 10% better, maybe more like 5-6%.

I was just looking at Tomb Raider and it was around 8%. Would 6% be worth the wait? I may end up regretting not waiting but that would be the case even with the ftw and other future aftermarket GPU releases.

 

[dearut]

I was looking at something very similar. However I found an Asus Strix 1080ti for sale (amazingly at Very.co.uk) and snapped it up. Very good card judging by reviews and a better than the Founders Edition that comes installed. If PCS had a water cooled desktop without a GPU I'd have bought one. As it is I'll either go elsewhere or save myself some money.

 

[Oussebon]

If PCS had a water cooled desktop without a GPU I'd have bought one.

They do, you can order only the CPU to be water cooled.

 

[keynes]

You could consider an LED strip

50cm Blue LED Strip chosen.
CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 460X GAMING CASE + RGB FAN KIT!
would the case lights match the rest of the system lights?
Not sure if I should go for braided power supply cables?

 

[keynes]

The Titan Xp is now available in the liquid cooling section. Upgrading to the titan Xp would be around £500 which is cheaper than adding a 2nd GTX 1080 ti. Can't find benchmarks online yet.