I have no idea what I'm doing

TL;DR - I want to water cool my system after I upgrade but I have no idea how.



Hi guys, I'm starting to get more interested in computer hardware and thus I've started upgrading my computer, but the more I look around for components, the more I realize that I don't know what anything means.

I just got an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 and I'd like to upgrade the rest of my computer to match.  Right now my build consists of:


Motherboard: Rampage II Gene

Processor: Intel Core i7 920 @ 2.67GHz

I'm not 100% sure what my memory is, but this is what CPU-Z says:

Memory Type: DDR3

Memory Size: 9 GBytes

Channels: Triple

Memory Frequency: 583.6 MHz (2:8)

CAS# latency (CL): 8.0

RAS# to CAS# delay (tRCD): 8

RAS# Precharge (tRP): 8

Cycle Time (tRAS): 20

Row Refresh Cycle Time (tRFC): 59

Command Rate (CR): 2T

Uncore Frequency: 2480.3 MHz

 and then the GTX 780.

(Also, my case is an NZXT h440)

 

I'm thinking of replacing the parts with the following: 

Motherboard: ASUS MAXIMUS VI FORMULA LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX

Processor: Intel Core i7-4770 Haswell Quad-Core 3.4GHz LGA 1150

Memory: G.SKILL Trident X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 

Mostly I just want to water cool my system after I get the upgrades but I don't have the slightest clue on how to do that.  Also any recommendations on my build would be greatly appreciated, as would any resources on computer hardware.

I'll toss out a couple of quick points then get to some suggestions:

The ROG motherboard is overkill for most everyone.

Z97 chipset motherboards are more feature rich than the Z87.

Water cooling is really not needed in any situation for your cpu unless you are going to be overclocking. The 4770 you listed is not the "4770k" which means you can not overclock it. To overclock, you have to have a "K" or "X" part (on the intel chips anyway). And if you are going to overclock, you would want to look for the 4790k. It's the refresh of Haswell. They improved the thermals a lot.

Also, if this is just a gaming rig, I would suggest the i5 4690k part. That will save you some coin.

As far as water cooling goes. Get yourself a closed loop system such as an H100i. Closed loop systems are a great way to get into water cooling without all the custom work and expense.

Here are a few suggestions:

i5 4690k: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117372

ASUS Z97-A: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132118

H100i: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181032

One last note. The Trident X ram is great stuff. But again, it's way overkill for a gaming rig. You could probably find some better price to performance stuff out there.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117369

The advantage of watercooling is that it gives you more headroom to overclock so the above CPU is the one you'll wan't to go with.

If you are just starting with watercooling get an all in one. If you plan on building a custom loop get an expandable all in one like the Swiftech H220 or the CM Glacer 240L. Whatever you do, don't try rigid acrylic tubing on your first loop. You will fail.

Wow, thanks a ton! It's a good thing I asked, I could have made a lot of mistakes haha.

For water cooling I was thinking of going for something like this: http://www.xs-pc.com/watercooling-kits-750-pump/raystorm-750-ex240-watercooling-kit

The closed loop systems seem nice and easy, but I think I'd like to try an open loop system.  Does this seem like a good idea or not really?

Go for the custom loop. I have all XSPC blocks and radiators in my main rig. They look great and are of excellent build quality. I can't say anything about their pumps or reservoirs but that kit is certainly a good starting off point. Make sure to plan your loop properly before you start cutting tubing though. Also buy a silver kill coil or a silver fitting.

Alright, awesome! Thanks!

Umm... how did we go from TITLE="I Have No Idea What I'm Doing" to "build a custom loop!"??????

get a Noctua D14 and be done... you can overclock them close to watercooling and you don't have any maintentance on the pc... they don't look fantastic, and they're huge, but they're beast coolers... I'd also recommend phanteks and enermax as far as air cpu coolers go... if you want something prettier

I think he wants the look as well as the performance. It's not as though a basic loop is incredibly complex.

the i5 is a downgrade from an i7...

Oh, yeah! I kind of touched on this in the main post but what I meant by "I have no idea what I'm doing" I meant that I don't really know anything about computer hardware at all, like what all of the technical specifications mean.  I really would like to learn more about that stuff, and how to overclock effectively, but it's kind of intimidating and I don't know where to start.  If you have any suggestions they would be greatly appreciated!

 

And as far as cooling goes, Braysive was right, I want both the looks and the performance :)

and the i7 is a total waste of cash for gaming

also the i5 outperforms the older i7 in a core for core situation

unless you disable hyperthreading. Gaming wise i5 is all yopu need unless you play crappy ports like watchdogs. If all hes going to do with his system is watch youtube and play games then i5 is all he needs though if hes doing anything cpu intensive, rendering, number crunching the i7 is the way to go. Mind you the 920 is still a decent CPU. A bit over half the performance compared to the 4690.