Advice on building my first pc

[TheNetherlands]

Hello everybody!

I'm new to the world of building pc's. I believe to have read sufficient information about building a pc and I'm ready to do so 😀.
(I'm also new to posting a thread on a forum, so please correct me if I've done anything wrong)

The pc I want to build will be mainly for gaming, homework, watching movies and such, so pretty much light tasks. However, I'd like to be able to game on at least high settings for the next 3-6 years. So a bit future-proofing wouldn't hurt 😉.

This is my list of components so far:

-CPU: i5 4590 (I haven't chosen for the unlocked versions, because it will be unlikely that I will begin with overclocking anywhere in the near future and by the time hyperthreading will be a must-have, I will probably have upgraded my CPU already)

-The motherboard: Asrock Z97 Extreme6 or Asrock Z97 fatal1ty proffesional (depending on availability, prices and such)

-Tower: Phanteks enthoo pro (full tower)

-Ram memory: Corsair Vengeance 2x8GB ddr3

-GPU: (probably) MSI GeForce gtx970 (I'm not very sure on this one, because he's quite expensive in the Netherlands, about €370.- each. So suggestions for an alternative GPU are welcome!)

-Internal Hardrive:

-One Western Digital 3.5'' black HDD 1TB
-One Crucial MX100 SSD 128GB or 256GB (which one to choose, is 256GB not needed or just about the right size? Also, will it also accept 2.5'' ?)

-Optical drive: probably just a cheap one <€20.- made by samsung or LG

-Cooling: not really sure about this one, I've seen great liquid coolers and all, but they also come with great prices. So I'm not sure if I would need one of those liquid coolers, since I'm not going to overclock or put 2 or more GPU's to work. Suggestions are very appreciated!

-PSU/power supply: I'm not sure about this one either. The PSU is pretty important to keep the other components listed above working, so it's pretty important to get a nice one, but not more than necessary. I've tried different wattage calculators and got an average of 600-700W, but that's without any type of cooler. So suggestions on this part will also be very appreciated!

It's a pretty long thread, but 2 last things:

This pc I want to build 'must' last at least 3 years before anything needs any replacing, but I've also seen on some forums that some parts already need to be replaced after a measly 2 years of usage, the GPU for example. The GPU is a bit overpriced and I'd rather go with something cheaper like the radeon r9 280 if that's the case... So a few suggestions on the life of the components would be nice

I need to watch my budget a little (€1100-1300), so if there are any suggestions, please a budget friendly one , that way I can still spend some money on a nice new monitor and keyboard and mouse.

I will eagerly await your suggestions and experience, thanks!

 

[badboyrog2]

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/Nzc9yc
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/Nzc9yc/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£167.50 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£23.54 @ CCL Computers)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£128.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory (£71.99 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£39.19 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Tri-X Video Card (£227.00 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case (£54.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£108.84 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£72.35 @ Aria PC)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse (£24.70 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £919.09
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-21 23:14 GMT+0000

 

[CTurbo]

You wouldn't need to upgrade this for a long time

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/cCX4Jx
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/cCX4Jx/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (£185.94 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£61.58 @ More Computers)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory (£71.99 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£51.74 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£39.19 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX Video Card (£252.90 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case (£54.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Antec TruePower Classic 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply (£66.70 @ More Computers)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£72.35 @ Aria PC)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse (£24.70 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £882.08
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-21 23:25 GMT+0000

 

[sora]

A 650W XFX or 620W Seasonic power supply would be your best bet.

 

[CTurbo]

The Antec TPC 650w is made by Seasonic as are most XFXs

 

[TheNetherlands]

Thanks for the replies! Didn't expect it to be this fast .

Still have a few questions and own possible suggestions though:

-I'll probably just go with the i5 4690K, as it seems it's pricing is only a little bit more than the locked version and having the extra overclock possibility.

-Both set ups contain the 'Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler', which is a fan cooler, so I assume the setup won't need liquid cooling, however, I've looked up the cooler and it seems quite big, wouldn't a full tower be handier, more room and slightly cooler etc? Also, if I ever wanted to overclock the CPU, I assume I have to get a better cooler?

-I really like 'Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Tri-X Video Card' as alternative, but with a 50 euro difference, it's hard to choose between that or the 'MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V', which has performed better in benchmarks.

-Although the PCPartPicker wattage estimation was way lower than calculated elsewhere, I'm probably going to stick with the
'Corsair RM 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply', that way I won't be bottlenecked by the PSU when upgrading.

thanks again for the replies!

 

[CTurbo]

badboyrog2's setup is solid if you really want to overclock, but my setup has several advantages.

1. It has a ssd.
2. That Xeon is an i7 so it has hyperthreading so it has twice as many threads as the i5.
3. The video card is better.
4. You don't need to purchase an after market cooler at all.
5. It's cheaper.


Overclocking is not cheap or free and you'll find yourself paying a lot to be able to do it. Around £70 to be exact. I would rather have hyperthreading as it is way more useful in real world usage.

 

[capt_taco]

As for the power supply: No single card is going to need more than 650W; the GTX 970 can get by on 500. If you're overclocking later, I'd get 600W to be sure, but no more than that. The only reason you would need 850W would be for two video cards in Crossfire or SLI.

Corsair is a good brand (with the exception of CX series); since you're in Europe, another one you might look at is Super Flower ... their Leadex series is one of the best. Would at least see how the price compares.

You absolutely do not need a water cooler, even for overclocking. A decent air cooler will tie or beat the inexpensive closed-loop systems in temperature at a fraction of the price. The better air coolers will win hands-down. The only time water cooling is any better is if you spend hundreds of dollars/euros, typically as much or more as the cost of the CPU itself. It is not worth it to get a 10-20% performance boost out of it.

The Hyper 212 is about as tall as most heatsinks that use 120mm fans. They are invariably 158-160mm at least. It doesn't make much difference whether it's mid tower, full tower, or whatever - you just want to look for the CPU heatsink clearance in the specs of the case, and get one with space above 160mm.

You do not want to drop to CPU coolers with a 92mm fan; most are not very good, and the ones that are will be either very loud or very expensive. Also, in the 120mm range the Zalman CNPS9900 I believe is a little shorter, 152mm, but double check that.

 

[TheNetherlands]

badboyrog2's setup is solid if you really want to overclock, but my setup has several advantages.

1. It has a ssd.
2. That Xeon is an i7 so it has hyperthreading so it has twice as many threads as the i5.
3. The video card is better.
4. You don't need to purchase an after market cooler at all.
5. It's cheaper.


Overclocking is not cheap or free and you'll find yourself paying a lot to be able to do it. Around £70 to be exact. I would rather have hyperthreading as it is way more useful in real world usage.

I wasn't going with 1 specific setup, though, I've only took parts of the setups which could be alternatives to my 'first' setup, as suggestions.
1:As in my 'first' setup there was already ssd included, so I didn't bother to name the same thing twice, but you're right, I should've been clearer and made a new setup again.
2:hyperthreading is mostly handy for video editing (for now), as you can make use of more than 1 core. Games however, don't/won't use hyperthreading that much yet, so I'd rather go for a little extra CPU juice. Also, the difference between i5 4690 and 4690k is only about €10 euros. Plus, the Xeon CPU is more expensive than the i5 4690k
3:I've read some problems in reviews about that GPU like many noises or heat problems, if that's the case, I'd rather pay £20 more and get the MSI GeForce gtx 970.
4:An aftermarket cooler would be handy, because I believe GPU coolers are not very well known for their integrated coolers.
5well, yeah it is

But I think I'm going to stick with your suggestion of PSU, as someone hinted me that 850watt will be overkill in my setup

Thanks for the reply and giving your arguments behind your setup

 

[TheNetherlands]

As for the power supply: No single card is going to need more than 650W; the GTX 970 can get by on 500. If you're overclocking later, I'd get 600W to be sure, but no more than that. The only reason you would need 850W would be for two video cards in Crossfire or SLI.

Corsair is a good brand (with the exception of CX series); since you're in Europe, another one you might look at is Super Flower ... their Leadex series is one of the best. Would at least see how the price compares.

You absolutely do not need a water cooler, even for overclocking. A decent air cooler will tie or beat the inexpensive closed-loop systems in temperature at a fraction of the price. The better air coolers will win hands-down. The only time water cooling is any better is if you spend hundreds of dollars/euros, typically as much or more as the cost of the CPU itself. It is not worth it to get a 10-20% performance boost out of it.

The Hyper 212 is about as tall as most heatsinks that use 120mm fans. They are invariably 158-160mm at least. It doesn't make much difference whether it's mid tower, full tower, or whatever - you just want to look for the CPU heatsink clearance in the specs of the case, and get one with space above 160mm.

You do not want to drop to CPU coolers with a 92mm fan; most are not very good, and the ones that are will be either very loud or very expensive. Also, in the 120mm range the Zalman CNPS9900 I believe is a little shorter, 152mm, but double check that.

Thanks! This cleared a lot up about the power supplies and the coolers! The Super Flowers indeed look pretty good, I guess I'll browse around a little for more comparisons and reviews, thanks!

 

[CTurbo]

While the actual Xeon is slightly more expensive than the 4690k, you can pair it with a cheaper motherboard because you won't need a Z97 chipset so you would come out cheaper with the Xeon + H97 instead of the 4690k + Z97.

An after market cooler is really only needed for overclocking and has little to do with the gpu and it's cooling setup assuming you have proper case ventilation.

Obviously, the 4690k is a great cpu. I'm just explaining why I prefer the Xeon. The Xeon really would be faster most of the time even over an overclocked i5.