re: PC Discussion - Gaming, Performance and Enthusiasts

I will definitely be going SLI and I know that once I get started I'll get the bug and go overboard and put everything under water

I was thinking about the swiftech MCP355 with an xspc res top but that'll probably change as I'm very indecisive and change my mind a million times when I have time to research things before I buy them.
Being married with kids, it'll probably become more of a hobby and by this time next year I'll probably have talked myself into x99 and haswell e.

I'd recommend the MCP35X personally. It's a little more powerful doing 1GPM at 6.52 PSI, and considering you'll have two decent size radiators and 3 blocks, that's a fair amount of restriction. Though you'll still only be looking at around 3-4 PSI restriction, the pump has a PWM connector which means you can run the thing at half speed even during a full load for silent operation, longer life, plus I just think the reservoir add-on looks better:



A little more elegant than this:


The MCP35X is pricier for sure, especially when you add in the reservoir and decoupling/heatsink kit (recommended).

I'm using it with my loop, but I purchased a separate reservoir that's larger (does a better job of filling in the space in this massive case).





I bought the decoupling kit, but ended up using only the heatsink (which I recommend just to add some longevity to the motor). The decoupling aspect of the kit is just four legs on rubber feet to absorb some vibrations/sounds wherever it may sit in your case. But because this pump is so small and light, a found that the absolute most effective decoupling is to just suspend the thing in mid-air. Mine is hanging by the tubing coming from the bottom of the reservoir.

Old dusty pic of it:


The pump is inaudible. May not seem like a big deal, but you'd be surprised how much vibration and resonance those motors can produce. I had a D5 with an XSPC Bay reservoir top a couple of years ago that made my whole case vibrate.

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I'm still undecided on what ram I'm gonna end up using. I had 4x2gb of ddr3 from another computer I put in there to get it going until after Christmas but I'm going to get a 2x8gb kit to replace it.

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Remember cas latency is just as important as frequency in terms of overall responsiveness. 2133 CL9 > 1866 CL8 > 2133 CL10 > 1866 CL9 > 1600 CL8 > 2133 CL11 > 1866 CL10 > 1600 CL9 > 1866 CL11

Don't stress out over brand. If you're going for a red and white theme, I'm sure there's a pair of high clocked/low latency Mushkin Redlines for a very reasonable price.

1440p monitor shipped

How well is my 290 going to run 1440p? Did a bit of research and it seems pretty well, but may buy a 2nd 290 for CrossFire but that would also require a new case don't think I can fit a 2nd one at all.

We'll see how it runs with just the one 290 once I get my monitor.

Good, that's what I was hoping for and seemed to be the consensus.

I've never benched 3DMark. I usually use the older version, 3dmark 11

Forgot to mention I picked up one of these the other day.

Photo taken with the Nexus 6

I like this mouse. The sensor is noticeably better than my G9x.