Gaming/Everyday, Future-Proof, Sexy

Hello everybody!

I wanted to post my upcoming build here as a bit of a sanity check. I would greatly appreciate any critique the community can provide. Thank you in advance!

About me:

I live in the US. I'm a long-time veteran of custom PC building (built my first custom PC in the mid-90s), but my last (personal) build was in 2006 (not counting a few upgrades along the way). I've done a bunch of research to try and get a handle on what has changed in the last 8 years, but I probably have some blind-spots. I don't want to waste any money, but if a few extra dollars will better meet my goals (especially future-proofing) I'd rather spend it now than regret it later.

About my goals:

As a gamer I have generally moved away from AAA titles and enjoy more indie games (Minecraft, Prison Architect, Fez, World of Goo), with exceptions for my favorite franchises (Starcraft, Diablo, Crysis/FarCry, GalCiv, Bioshock, Halflife/Portal, Deus Ex, Mass Effect, Skyrim, etc.). In other words, my daily gaming needs are pretty modest, but when a game on my wishlist comes out, I'd like it to run as well as possible.

My everyday needs are also fairly modest. I publish youtube videos via webcam and game-capture software (usually Minecraft and Bandicam), and I'm a tab fiend in my web-browser (I have 20 chrome tabs open now, probably double that earlier today). I occasionally run image editing software and do some web and game development as well.

I'd like this machine to be as future-proof as possible. My current machine has lasted me 8 years with a graphics-card upgrade and a RAM upgrade in years 6 and 7. If I could get a similar lifespan out of my new one, I'd be very happy.

Looks are not the most important thing, but I've never before built a flashy PC and I'd like to make this one a looker if it doesn't add a lot of expense. I'm definitely considering a whole-system water cooling option, but I'm undecided about cost vs. benefit. After everything is settled I might even throw a bit of sexy lighting in too.

My budget:

If I can get 8 years out of the machine, my budget would be around $1200 ($150/year which is about what I got from my last machine - including upgrades).

About my (proposed) build:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/KMJRHx

  • Case: NZXT H440 Black/Red
  • CPU: Intel Core i7 4790k
  • CPU Cooler: Corsair H110 Liquid Cooler
  • Motherboard: Asus Maximus VII Formula
  • Graphics Card: Asus GTX 760 DC2OC
  • RAM: G.Skill Trident X DDR3 2400 16GB Kit (2x8GB)
  • Power Supply: Corsair HX750i 80+ Platinum Full Modular

I already have a copy of 64-bit Windows 7 Pro, 2 SSDs, a 1TB HDD, Monitor, Webcam, Speakers, Mic, Etc. I could definitely use a new keyboard and mouse, however.

Questions:

  • Given my goals, have I wasted any money?
  • Would alternative components give me more future-proofness without breaking the bank?
  • Have I mismatched any components (i.e. created a needless bottleneck)?
  • Is it a waste to consider a whole-system water-cooling option?

Current system:

In case anybody is interested:

  • Case: Athenatech A416BS.400 (some cheapo $30 case, iirc)
  • CPU: Intel Core2 6400 2.13GHz
  • CPU Cooler: Stock Intel heatsink/fan
  • Motherboard: Intel DP965LT
  • Graphics Card: GeForce 7600 GT later upgraded to GeForce GTX 460
  • RAM: 6GB of who-knows what (3 DIMMs, all different)
  • Power Supply: Corsair HX750

So here's my critique:

I would recommend getting 1600MHz ram instead of 2400 because you won't really benefit from it

You don't need a Maximus VII Formula unless you plan on really trying to overclock to your CPU's limits, a Hero instead (if you want to stick with the ROG theme of course)

Use the money you will save on cheaper components to buy an R9 290

Reuse the power supply in your old machine, the only benefit you would get from the i version is Corsair Link (which is not a very good program and you would be better off without it)

Here is a revised version of your build:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CFtHrH

Ahh, good call on the RAM, Kiaxa! Looks like the 1600MHz has better latency anyway (CL 7) so the performance is nearly the same as the 2400MHz with higher latency (CL 10).

It also occurs to me that if I am considering adding full-system water cooling in the future, just sticking with the stock CPU cooler now will save me a lot of money that can be used for the water cooling later. Does anybody see any big downsides to stock coolers?

The stock coolers performance wise work reasonably well (i.e. keeping your temps below 90C) as long as you keep all frequencies at stock and other than the inability to overclock they can be a bit on the noisy side

I enjoyed the way you wrote this thread, +1 to you sir!

I'm trying to make up for the rest of the internet...  :)