Help me build a Youtube / Streaming Machine

The only advantages a Titan has over the 980 or 970 is the amount of video memory (6GB vs 4GB) and double precision floating point operations. Neither of those are needed for your application. 2GB of VRAM is good enough for your application, so 4GB on the 980 and 3.5GB + 0.5GB on the 970 is more than adequate.

If you want a quiet build, I'd recommend going for a semi-passive configuration. Here is what I changed in your build:

Configuration URL:     https://www.digitalstormonline.com/configurator.asp?id=1143261
Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Corsair Obsidian 550D
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 5820K 3.3GHz (Six-Core) (Unlocked CPU)
Motherboard: ASUS X99-DELUXE (Intel X99 Chipset)
System Memory: 16GB DDR4 2800MHz Corsair Dominator Platinum DHX (Extreme-Performance)
Power Supply: 1500W Corsair AX1500i (Digitally Controlled Power)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (1TB Samsung 840 EVO)
Storage Set 2: - No Thanks
Storage Set 3: - No Thanks
RAID Config: - No Thanks
RAID Card: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Graphics Card(s): 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 4GB (ASUS Strix Edition)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Noctua NH-D14 SE2011 Extreme Performance
H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Airflow Control: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: Noise Suppression Package Stage 1 (Optimized Airflow & Fan Speeds Only)
LaserMark: Digital Storm LaserMark Service - Graphic (Non-Window Metal Side Panel)
Boost Processor: Standard Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 Automatic Overclocking
Boost Graphics Card(s): - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD)
Virus Protection: FREE: McAfee AntiVirus Plus (1 Year Service Activation Card) (Not Pre-installed) ($35 Value)
Office: - No Thanks
Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
Portable Gaming: - No Thanks
Branded Gear: - No Thanks
Priority Build: Please Prioritize: Ship Within Four Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)

I switched the power supply to the Corsair AX1500i...it is overly powerful and costs a bit more but is semi-passive and the fan doesn't turn on a lower power loads. Same thing with the GPU...I switched you over to the ASUS GTX 980 STRIX, which doesn't run the fans until the chip reaches higher temperatures. The fans are optimized for cool operation, too.

ASUS has excellent fan control and optimization on their motherboard which can completely stop the fans when the system is at low temperatures, so you're good to go there. The CPU I changed to the better air cooler...you can take advantage of the motherboard being able to spin down the fans and the large area of the heat sink can still convect away heat when the fans aren't on (it also doesn't have the pump noise that is always on). The upgraded fans are mostly there for aesthetics and they are in a closed case, so I saved a little money there. The Obsidian 550D case already has noise dampening material in it, so you only need stage one, where they optimize the fan speeds (hopefully they enable the fans to be stopped completely, but that is an easy thing to do yourself, if needed). I also removed the spinning drive (noise & heat) and changed your config to a single 1TB SSD for greater reliability (it still has ample performance).

Overclocking will work against your need for extremely quiet operation. It will generate a good deal more heat and require that much more effort from the cooling system to remove it. An un-overclocked system has the best performance-to-efficiency ratio.

Originally posted by michaeljhuman I am no expert on recording, but I thought you wanted to put your recording drive on it's own controller to reduce conflicts. A RAID 0 setup with two SSDs might make for a fast writing volume. This is a guess. People have recorded for years without the need for such a setup ( but resolution have increased.) I believe you could also look into setting core affinity for the software used to record. Such that it is, by default assigned to some specific core. I am not sure how well that works, but it might be worth looking into.

I usually use the SSD's for the OS and the Game I'm playing then either write to a external usb 3.0 5 TB hd or an extra 1tb drive in the system itself.

I dont write to SSD's for the recording, mainly use it for faster loading times in games and faster performance there.

No, liquid has a higher heat capacity than air so it can move heat away from a source more rapidly (although heat pipes can be more efficient, but to an extent, and that gets into the weeds). Basically, if you do not have a large overclock on a processor, either an air cooler or a liquid cooler will work. The air cooler has the advantage, as I stated above, of having a larger serface area to convect away heat when a fan is not blowing on it.

I agree with michaelj  about it being a personal choice.   They both get the job done and while I actually like the looks of those behemoth coolers   I can see where others don't.  I've been pushing the air coolers like Noctua, my A70, etc for years on the forum because of tops in reliability but the closed loops have come a long way from the earlier years.  

I might actually go with a closed loop in my next rig, for something new to play with.  

There is no bad pick. 


Edited by bprat22 - 05 Feb 2015 at 9:58am

Noctua rocks, have one in my rig. A good choice.