Building My First PC - compatibility & suggestions ...

[Dannyves]

I'll start by giving specs of the parts I have purchased so far (keeping in mind I'm on a budget and have purchased a majority of these used or refurbished):


Computer Case: RAIDMAX Ninja II ATX-A06WBO Black/Orange Steel / Plastic ATX Tower
MoBo: Gigabyte Ga-Z97-HD3 (ATX all black)
CPU: i5-4690k (not sure if cooling fan was included)
RAM: Fury Hyperx Ocean-Blue color 16gb (2x 8gb)
DVD/CD Burner, Blu-Ray ROM Internal Drive SATA
800W Blue LED Fan ATX Power Supply SATA
Western Digital 1TB 3.5 64mb Cache Internal HDD
2 Fans 120mm

I feel like I am missing a lot of things including but not limited to a cooling fan (or two) of some sorts, a graphics/video card (not exactly sure what would be compatible with everything)... I sometimes feel like I needed to buy a better CPU, and the case (as beautiful as it is) is rather cheapy compared to other cases. And I am hoping I don't blow up this computer when I put it together because I have never done this before... What do you guys think of this build, what improvisations do you think it needs?

 

[Geekwad]

The power supply should definitely not be used. At all.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

For a gaming computer tier 1 or 2 are best, as they are made for the sustained punishing power draws, with good protection and stability circuits.

When you choose a GPU, you can use this as a rough guide for the quantity of power needed:

http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

And then use the Tom's list for the quality you need (tier 1 or 2 is best, 3 on a budget with lower power GPUs). This is also a good site for independent third party PSU reviews:

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Review_Cat&recatnum=13

As the PSU can easily make or break your whole gaming rig, definitely make sure it is up to the task.

Aside from that I would consider a SSD for your OS (even a 120gb drive will do), and a good tower air cooler for your CPU:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/hmtCmG/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2

When you do pick your GPU, keep adaptive sync in mind for your monitor:

http://www.amd.com/en-us/innovations/software-technologies/technologies-gaming/freesync

http://www.geforce.com/hardware/technology/g-sync

If that is part of this purchase or a future upgrade. Either make an enormous difference in latency and smoothness.

 

[Dannyves]

The power supply should definitely not be used. At all.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

For a gaming computer tier 1 or 2 are best, as they are made for the sustained punishing power draws, with good protection and stability circuits.

When you choose a GPU, you can use this as a rough guide for the quantity of power needed:

http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

And then use the Tom's list for the quality you need (tier 1 or 2 is best, 3 on a budget with lower power GPUs). This is also a good site for independent third party PSU reviews:

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Review_Cat&recatnum=13

As the PSU can easily make or break your whole gaming rig, definitely make sure it is up to the task.

Aside from that I would consider a SSD for your OS (even a 120gb drive will do), and a good tower air cooler for your CPU:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/hmtCmG/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2

When you do pick your GPU, keep adaptive sync in mind for your monitor:

http://www.amd.com/en-us/innovations/software-technologies/technologies-gaming/freesync

http://www.geforce.com/hardware/technology/g-sync

If that is part of this purchase or a future upgrade. Either make an enormous difference in latency and smoothness.

Omg you just scared me :-O !!!!!!!!! .. See this is exactly why I have to double check on these forums ... Are you basically telling me that I need to get a higher wattage??

As far as the graphics card, I was told the best bang for a buck would be to possibly look at the GTX 970/960 or the R9 290/290x, so with that I am assuming I would need to get 1000w PSU or higher?!

 

[Geekwad]

Omg you just scared me :-O .. see this is why I have to double check... Are you basically telling me that I need to get a higher wattage?? I was told for a decent price, to possibly look at the GTX 970/960 or R9 290/290x.

No, higher quality.....not wattage. If you picked up a no-name PSU for cheap, it is definitely the weakest link in your system.......the one item you don't want to be weak. Low quality power supplies tend to wear out quickly, and offer poor power stability and protection that can easily lead to poor performance in gaming scenarios.

All of the GPUs you listed would be great choices.....just depends on your budget and the deal you find.

 

[Dannyves]

No, higher quality.....not wattage. If you picked up a no-name PSU for cheap, it is definitely the weakest link in your system.......the one item you don't want to be weak. Low quality power supplies tend to wear out quickly, and offer poor power stability and protection that can easily lead to poor performance in gaming scenarios.

All of the GPUs you listed would be great choices.....just depends on your budget and the deal you find.

Thanks for the info.. I didn't realize this until you mentioned it ... For now I am stuck with the PSU as I had already bought it online, I think it would be a hassle returning it :-/ ..

Also I was thinking about buying a new Saphhire Nitro R9 380 on sale ($200), as it fits my budget .. The more I think about it, it's like I feel I need to search for a better PSU somewhere on top of everything, damn it grrrrrrrrrr :-/ - the final piece I need to buy is a graphics card ... any suggestions after reading this new info??

P.S.
The computer will be used for more video-editing, movie watching, graphic related CAD programs, ect I might play games here and there but it's not why I wanted to build this, I just needed to follow identical specs as a gaming computer.

 

[Geekwad]

You may consider the RX470 that launches today, and the 4gb model has an MSRP of $149 (expect stock to be low in the coming days, so would have to act fast).

http://www.hardwareunboxed.com/amd-radeon-rx-470-benchmarks-new-cost-per-frame-king/

Newer tech and lower power draw means you can look for a lower wattage PSU (which is less expensive), and still be safe. For a single card a 500w PSU would be adequate:

http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

But may want to consider a 620-650w unit if you think you may CrossFire two 470's someday (future option).

 

[Dannyves]

You may consider the RX470 that launches today, and the 4gb model has an MSRP of $149 (expect stock to be low in the coming days, so would have to act fast).

http://www.hardwareunboxed.com/amd-radeon-rx-470-benchmarks-new-cost-per-frame-king/

Newer tech and lower power draw means you can look for a lower wattage PSU (which is less expensive), and still be safe. For a single card a 500w PSU would be adequate:

http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

But may want to consider a 620-650w unit if you think you may CrossFire two 470's someday (future option).

I wanted to thank you sooo much for your help!!! I ended up returning the cheaper PSU unit & buying a better quality one, an XFX TS-750w and bought an XFX RX-470 (I'm still waiting on the graphics card in the mail though), they should compliment one another very well ... after a half a days of building the computer, everything works so awesomely, I'm so happy with it and I truly wanted to thank you for helping me not to blow up all these components with a cheap PSU, because I don't think I would have noticed anything until the day came where something may have gone wrong :-/ .