Thoughts on my first build

[grammarJew]

Hey guys,

Will try and keep this pretty short/sweet. I'm a software guy, so I'm pretty much a noob when it comes to building a rig.

My goal is to follow golden builds as closely as I can while also getting the performance I'm looking for:

Mobo: ASUS MAXIMUS VIII HERO LGA1151
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0126R4F8W/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

CPU: i7 6700K 4.00GHz quad core skylake
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B012M8LXQW/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

Mem: G.SKILL TridentZ 32 GB (2x16) DDR4 3200
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ACOFVXE/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Hybrid (water cooled)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z0UX8TA/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

PSU: Seasonic X-850 850W
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004ETEFTK/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

SSD: Samsung SM951 M.2 256GB
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VELDBJ6/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

Case: Inwin 805 infinity mid tower
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016CJEO8G/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

Cooler: Corsair H115i
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019955RNQ/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

My biggest debates are the GPU and the case. I'm really attracted to the design of the Inwin case, but am concerned about the airflow, especially because I will have it on a carpeted floor, and it looks like the intake is only from the bottom.

I am interested in going for a 1070 or 1080, but are these readily supported/stable for macOS sierra at this stage in the game? I figure the 980 will be good for a while, and the water cooling aspect of it should help given the poor airflow of the case.

 

[PaladineUK]

Hey guys,

Will try and keep this pretty short/sweet. I'm a software guy, so I'm pretty much a noob when it comes to building a rig.

My goal is to follow golden builds as closely as I can while also getting the performance I'm looking for:

Mobo: ASUS MAXIMUS VIII HERO LGA1151
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0126R4F8W/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

CPU: i7 6700K 4.00GHz quad core skylake
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B012M8LXQW/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

Mem: G.SKILL TridentZ 32 GB (2x16) DDR4 3200
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ACOFVXE/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Hybrid (water cooled)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z0UX8TA/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

PSU: Seasonic X-850 850W
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004ETEFTK/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

SSD: Samsung SM951 M.2 256GB
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VELDBJ6/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

Case: Inwin 805 infinity mid tower
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016CJEO8G/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

Cooler: Corsair H115i
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019955RNQ/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

My biggest debates are the GPU and the case. I'm really attracted to the design of the Inwin case, but am concerned about the airflow, especially because I will have it on a carpeted floor, and it looks like the intake is only from the bottom.

I am interested in going for a 1070 or 1080, but are these readily supported/stable for macOS sierra at this stage in the game? I figure the 980 will be good for a while, and the water cooling aspect of it should help given the poor airflow of the case.

I wouldn't be concerned about the airflow but I would be concerned about the size of the case. I presume you will be mounting the 115i radiator in the front (since there is no space in the top) which means you will not fit that graphics card - max size for the graphics card is 320mm - the radiator and gpu take up around 440mm.

You could put the rad in the bottom but it is far from ideal and really you probably want to replace the Corsair fans on the radiator with 4 variable speed in push/pull (Noctuas for example) to give you a much quieter rig (the Corsair fans are like freaking turbines and noisy as hell).

In my opinion the case is just too small for the size of your GPU and 2x closed loop cooling systems. You can get something like the Fractal Design R5 for far less money than the InWin case and plenty of space for your cooling with your 115i in the top. Personally I think the R5 Design looks far better as well (I put my missus rig in one and it is literally silent even with the stock H60i Corsair fan - damn fine case).

 

[jrii]

I also have Fractal Design R5. It's versatile and has good possibilities to add water cooling/fans. And indeed it's silent.

And nVidia 1000 series is not supported yet in MacOS.

 

[grammarJew]

I wouldn't be concerned about the airflow but I would be concerned about the size of the case. I presume you will be mounting the 115i radiator in the front (since there is no space in the top) which means you will not fit that graphics card - max size for the graphics card is 320mm - the radiator and gpu take up around 440mm.

You could put the rad in the bottom but it is far from ideal and really you probably want to replace the Corsair fans on the radiator with 4 variable speed in push/pull (Noctuas for example) to give you a much quieter rig (the Corsair fans are like freaking turbines and noisy as hell).

In my opinion the case is just too small for the size of your GPU and 2x closed loop cooling systems. You can get something like the Fractal Design R5 for far less money than the InWin case and plenty of space for your cooling with your 115i in the top. Personally I think the R5 Design looks far better as well (I put my missus rig in one and it is literally silent even with the stock H60i Corsair fan - damn fine case).

Thanks for the comments! How did you know that the case is too small?

So would you recommend going with air-cooled parts instead? Or go with the liquid cooled but just replace the radiator fans?

 

[kiiroaka]

I'm really attracted to the design of the Inwin case, but am concerned about the airflow, especially because I will have it on a carpeted floor, and it looks like the intake is only from the bottom.

First, consider adding at least 2" of space underneath the case, either setting it higher or not sitting it on the floor - you WILL increase the amount of dirt and dust going into the case so you may need to blow it out once a month or once every two months, at least once every six months; or consider a different case altogether. If you are committed to using the AIO then start with a case that can install a radiator at the top.

 

[PaladineUK]

Thanks for the comments! How did you know that the case is too small?

So would you recommend going with air-cooled parts instead? Or go with the liquid cooled but just replace the radiator fans?

I looked at the dimensions listed on their website.

I would definitely recommend liquid cooling but I would recommend doing it in a different case because it won't fit in the current case with that graphics card unless you put the 115i in the base which is just a bad idea.

You can get cases designed to take a full 240mm radiator in the top (such as the Fractal Design R5) for almost half the price of the InWin. The InWin is not designed for large gpu cards + 240mm Radiator - at least not in any sensible configuration (it is never a good idea to have radiators in the bottom of the case because of airflow).