I'm looking at building a new gaming PC within the next ~1 week. After about a month of checking reviews and doing some research I think I've come up with a build.
My budget is ~$1,500. USA. No retailer preference. Will only be re-using my WD 1TB Black. No need for accessories(except for the Razer Orbweaver because I can). It will be used primarily for gaming and most specifically BF4 for awhile. Usually play 1080p and low settings to get best frame rate(will be looking at getting a BenQ XL2720t monitor in the near-ish future). No overclocking. No custom cooling, considering the H100i though. No OS.
AMD CPU only & NVIDIA GPU only.
I won't budge on those. ^^^
I went with brands that I have positive experience with. A few specific questions besides any general thoughts/suggestions on this build.
1) The Corsair 750D...Does it have good air flow even if I decide to go with a H100? I'm guessing I would want to pull air in from the front & top(where H100 would be?) and push it out the back(and bottom?)?
2) Is the H100 worth it? Everybody I talk to swears by the H100/H80. Or would I be better off just getting extra fans instead?
3) I already have a ASUS 990FX R1 with an 8150(other specs in profile)....Is upgrading to the ASUS Crosshair V Formula-Z with an 8350 worth it?(I do plan to possibly SLI in the future)
*I'm also having some minor issues with my current build(which is part of the reason I'm looking at just re-doing everything) doing a weird like spin-down(best I can describe it as is it spins down briefly like its turning off and then goes back to normal) and occasionally(only happens very rarely) while playing games the screen will go black, I'll lose all visual/audio and doesn't respond to anything(even power/restart button) and usually have to flip the power switch on the PSU. I've tried to see what it is/fix it myself and even taken it to a local shop with a guy that I know but because it is soo rare happening they can't help much.
With all that said...I'm still fairly set on going for a new build. I don't like having a AMD GPU. I like the extra space of full tower cases. I feel some of the pieces in my current build are borderline on being old.
The problems you describe could be due to heat or perhaps a faulty driver, but like you said: it happens sporadically so it's hard to pinpoint. My PC crashed during the BF4 beta because of crashing GPU drivers. Some 'override' settings in the Catalyst Control Panel also made the PC crash. After I installed the beta drivers and put everything back on factory settings, only BF4 would CTD.
The h100 and h80 are great watercooling units w/o the hassle of a complete watercooling solution, but this means you can't really compare it to custom watercooling. Some aircoolers are better, it comes down to personal preference / how much control over temperature you need.
When you install the h100 in the top of a case, you want to get cool air from the front (and/or) bottom and blow it out the back (and/or) side. If you place the radiator in the front, you want to get cool air from the bottom and the side, and blow it out the back and top. Warm air rises, remember :)
Your GPU is quite old, that's the only thing really holding you back in the framerates for BF4. I have a HD6870 and am considering a new GPU also. Your pick for the GTX760 is not the best. For the same money you could buy a tricked out Radeon R9 280x with significant better performance. Your motherboard supports CrossFire as well, so that should be no problem when you buy a second GPU. That setup will outrun a single GTX780 anyday and will leave you with more money in your pocket. If you truly desire a nVidia GPU, you should be looking at the GTX770 or better, but you will pay a bit more.
your current cpu/mobo are more than capable and it would be a waste of money to upgrade
if you don't plan on overclocking you don't need an h100i
if you don't plan on overclocking you don't need the most expensive board on the market
you don't need 16gb of ram, not saying it can't be put to use (i'd use it as a cache), but it's unneccesary 8 is plenty
you went with an absolute top of the line cpu setup and a fairly lackluster mid range gpu, this is the absolute worst thing you can do on a gaming computer
^everything, if you're going to upgrade go intel with your 1500 budget, not worth it to get that, if you're going to stick with amd/nvidia then stick with your 8150 and get a new GPU something like a 760 should be fine
though it would be much better to get a 280x
if you want a Intel/AMD build let me know I'll make one 10x faster than the one you posted