first time pc build kindly help

Mar 14, 2020
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first time pc builder but want to surprise my gaming partner with a build thatd be good.
long story short im looking at a rtx 2070 super and their preference for cooling is to be water cooled so im looking for a water block that would suit that gpu, ideas?
still new to the pc building world so i may appear stupid.

pc specs so far

cpu; intel i7 9700k 3.6ghz 8 core
cpu cooler; NZXT Kraken X52 rev 2 73.11 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Mobo; Asus ROG Maximus XI Hero (wi-fi) ATX LGA1151
Memory; Gigabyte AORUS RGB 16gb (2x 8gb) ddr4-3600
Storage; Intel 660p 512gb M.2-2280 NVME ssd
gpu; EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 Super 8 gb XC ultra gaming video card
psu; Corsair RMx (2018) 850 W 80+ GOLD Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
OS; Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit
Case; undecided

I've found a water block that says its compatible with a 2070 super but im unsure and unaware of how to check myself other than buying it and a physical check.
link to water block; https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/WTREKW813812/EKWB-EK-FC-RTX-2080-Ti-Classic-RGB-Nickel--Plexi-R

Any and all help is appreciated and i also would like to know if anything ive picked would not be compatible with ,y parts list.

ps hes a rgb nut so rgb parts would be the go but am in no rush to start building said pc.
 
1) It doesn't make much sense for 99.999+% of people to water cool an RTX 2070.

There's a difference between what's technically true and what makes sense. It's technically true that if you water cool an RTX 2070 Super it will run a little faster because it runs cooler.

However, the enormous expense of buying a custom loop water cooling solution just for the GPU means that you might as well just buy an RTX 2080 Super which will be much faster than an RTX 2070 Super no matter how you cool it, and the 2080 Super will work out cheaper.

Because of course as well as your water block, you'll need the fittings, pump, reservoir...

Unless you have exceptionally niche needs - e.g. you are building a GPU rendering rig that for some reason you are going to install in a public library and need as close to silence as possible - this doesn't make sense.

For the needs you've described, forget custom loop water cooling.

2) If you really, really want a water cooled GPU then buy one that has an all-in-one water cooler preinstalled e.g.
But only as long as it doesn't cost too much more than any other RTX 2070 Super. Because the performance difference between the cheapest RTX 2070 Super you can find and the most expensive RTX 2070 Super money can buy is very small, so the very expensive ones are rarely 'worth it'.

3) The motherboard is also likely way more expensive than you need. i.e. a waste of money that could be better spent elsewhere e.g. larger/faster SSD, or pretty much anything else.

4) What monitor are you gaming on? What resolution and refresh rate?

5) What case options are you looking at?
 
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Zoid

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first time pc builder but want to surprise my gaming partner with a build thatd be good.
long story short im looking at a rtx 2070 super and their preference for cooling is to be water cooled so im looking for a water block that would suit that gpu, ideas?
still new to the pc building world so i may appear stupid.

pc specs so far

cpu; intel i7 9700k 3.6ghz 8 core
cpu cooler; NZXT Kraken X52 rev 2 73.11 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Mobo; Asus ROG Maximus XI Hero (wi-fi) ATX LGA1151
Memory; Gigabyte AORUS RGB 16gb (2x 8gb) ddr4-3600
Storage; Intel 660p 512gb M.2-2280 NVME ssd
gpu; EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 Super 8 gb XC ultra gaming video card
psu; Corsair RMx (2018) 850 W 80+ GOLD Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
OS; Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit
Case; undecided

I've found a water block that says its compatible with a 2070 super but im unsure and unaware of how to check myself other than buying it and a physical check.
link to water block; https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/WTREKW813812/EKWB-EK-FC-RTX-2080-Ti-Classic-RGB-Nickel--Plexi-R

Any and all help is appreciated and i also would like to know if anything ive picked would not be compatible with ,y parts list.

ps hes a rgb nut so rgb parts would be the go but am in no rush to start building said pc.
First of all - I think it's great that you want to surprise your partner with a new PC. Good on you!

I agree with the points made by @Oussebon. You say that your partner's preference is water cooling - is this an aesthetic preference or a functional preference? Keep in mind that money spent on a custom water cooling loop will be money not spent on performance. If your partner values the aesthetics of a custom loop highly then that's totally valid, just something to think about.

If the water cooling preference is just because you want to achieve good cooling performance, then I'd take another look at air cooling. Excepting niche cases, air cooling can perform just as well as water cooling and is both more reliable and cheaper.

As for the rest of the build, I think it looks good for the most part. I would personally suggest getting a 1TB SSD instead of 512GB. Installing just 5 or 6 big games will have 512GB mostly used up.

Will this be a gaming only build or will it also be used for streaming, editing, and other tasks?
 
Jan 13, 2020
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As the others have stated, I'd skip the watercooling and go with a high airflow case and a good air cooler. The system will be practically silent if you tweak the fan curves and keep your overclocks reasonable. I'm assuming noise is the biggest factor in your partner's preference for watercooling, though I suppose aesthetics are important to some.

Regarding your choice of platform, you'll probably get the highest possible framerates going with Intel today, but you're essentially investing in a dead socket with no path for upgrades. I recommend considering an AMD processor with a good x570 board that should support the 4000 series when it launches later this year.

Also, I'd shoot for a 1 TB NVME with your savings from going air cooling. Given how large modern games are, 500GB goes quick.
 
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Jan 13, 2020
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As for the rest of the build, I think it looks good for the most part. I would personally suggest getting a 1TB SSD instead of 512GB. Installing just 5 or 6 big games will have 512GB mostly used up.

I really should get better at reading all of the other posts before I respond. I said the same thing almost word for word.
 
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