Computer Build Help Please

[TrentAuuesome]

Hello, I have been a gamer for a while. Recently I began looking into PC gaming (I've been using a laptop). When it comes to tech stuff I'm not fresh out of the box, but I don't have a lot of experience.

I've looked up some recommendations and tutorial type stuff (on here and newegg). I put together a list of parts I think I'd like to use to build a PC (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PBhdgs). Feel free to just post a link to another discussion that answers one of the questions.

I realize it's a lot of information and a lot to read. I would very much appreciate any and all recommendations, tips, suggestions, etc. Thank you.

Purpose:
I'm going to be gaming (as mentioned above). As far as specific games, I don't know. I play some mmorpg (LOL), some solo games (Borderlands, Dishonored, Deus Ex). I do surf the web a lot. I do not do a heavy amount of photoshop/gimp or anything like that (including video editing). And I'm only going with a single monitor for now.

I'm not super rich, I'm not trying to get the best of the best or latest and greatest, but Christmas is coming up and I've saved some money. I was hoping to not go beyond $1,000. Yes I do realize the current build is about 20% beyond that. While I know I could cut back on some of the parts since I won't be going all out for gaming and usage, I would like a system that can handle what I throw at it, even some years from now when things get heavier.

Also, I don't know enough about overclocking to feel comfortable trying it, especially on my first go round with building a PC. The capability is there, though, in case I decide to try it later. I do know I'd need an aftermarket cooling fan to do so.

Parts List:
CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5 GHz Quad-Core Processor.
Cooler: Stock, whatever comes with the CPU.
Motherboard: ASUS Z97-AR ATX LGA1150
GPU: ASUS Tadeon R9 290 4GB DirectCU II
RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5 SSD (this I'll use to boot and run the OS)
Western Digital (WD) Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM IHD (this will be for everything else)
PSU: Corsair RM 750W 800+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply. Yes I know this is very high end, and I could probably get by with less. [see question 9]
Case: Enermax ECA3280 A-BL ATX Mid Tower
Optical Drive: ASUS DRW-24B1ST
OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)

[the Optical Drive and the OS are not huge concerns at all, they are both fairly basic and I simply included them for the sake completeness.]

Questions:
1.) Are all the parts compatible? I do know the website (pcpartpicker.com) does have the compatibility notes, so if anything is wrong, it'd show up there. I just want to make sure there isn't something that it might not catch.

2.) Is the note in the link a big deal? It's 1mm, so my guess would be "no". Again, I just want to be sure.

3.) The mother board and case both have ATX forms. I don't see any standoffs in the pictures I could find. Are they commonly included vs not? I assume it's not a big deal to have to get them. Though it is a big deal to have them, proper grounding and all that.

4.) I'm using the standard, in package, (not sure of the correct term) cooling fan. As opposed to an after-market one [see "purpose" for the reason]. Having only gamed on my laptop, I know it can get pretty hot. Will this be an issue? Should I get an after-market cooling fan?

5.) If so, what's recommended? I saw a tower cooler (I think it's called). As an engineer, that looks like it would incur a lot of torque on the cpu to hang off the side like that. Not a good thing for a cpu to be under torque.

6.) One of the tutorials I saw/read mentioned something about a spec. of SSD allowing it to be forward compatible. I don't know how to tell this about the selected SSD (or any for that matter).

7.) A plug, I think it was mobo or moba. I don't remember much about it, I think it might have had to do with the fan . Does anyone know what this is and if I should worry about it? I tried googling it, but didn't see anything I recognized. "mobo" comes up as "motherboard" and "moba" comes up as the type of gaming.

8.) Fan noise. How do I tell if this will be an issue? I guess this kinda ties back into questions 4 and 5.

9.) Is there a general easy way to find the wattage needed for the PSU? I looked under the specs for each part on pcpartpicker and there were only two parts that listed a wattage needed totaling about 325w. I would assume more is better than less.

10.) SATA and PCIe. Not really sure what these are other than a type of connection for data. Yes I can go read the literal definition, but I don't understand what it is, though that's not my concern mainly. It was recommended that I have some form of each of these. Though there's like 3 different kinds of each. So I'm not really sure what I need/want and if I have what I need/want.

11.) WD Green vs Black. My understanding for this is: green is simply slower than black, and somehow that affects storage (aside from writing speed). Since I'll be doing gaming, is this going to be an issue?

12.) Case size. The motherboard should fit (they're both ATX forms). The case is about 19" x 19.5" x 9.5". Is this going to be enough room for my case or will I need to go for a full tower?

13.) General upgrade/downgrade part(s). Is there anything you guys would suggest switching out for something else? Please give a reason, Thank you.

Thank you again

 

[Lucias OKeefe]

1. You *may* have to remove one of your drive bays. I'm guessing that your case may have modular bays but double check if you can remove them.

2. Ditto.

3. The motherboard should go in fine if it's ATX and the case is as well.

4. Running a CPU at standard clock will not make the stock cooler too stressed. It may end up being loud at higher temps though.

5. Your CPU is a K series, which is designed to be easily overclocked. If you aren't going to overclock it save yourself some money with a standard 4690 which will run exactly the same. Should you overclock look into the 212 Evo aftermarket cooler. The 212 Evo is actually really lightweight and attatches to the motherboard using a backplate. Stress to the board is evenly distributed and they're tougher than they look.

6. You will need a SATA express connector to get the most out of your SSD, if that's what you were wondering.

7. I don't follow. Please respecify.

8. If your fans are too loud change them for something quieter. This is a really personal thing and you won't waste any money buying the cooler later if it annoys you.

9. I don't recommend less than a 500 watt PSU for this build. At the same time I don't recommend a cheap one either, but Corsair is a good brand. On the plus side if you have more power than you need you'll find your PSU runs quieter and will last longer.

10. PCI is simple, just plug your device into the smallest one it fits in. Some devices don't need as big of connectors, so they are provided for wifi and sound cards. Your graphics card will need the biggest. SATA is also fairly simple. If it plugs in you should be good to go, but you may need to arrange the drives in the right order to solve boot issues.

11. Green will turn off when not in use, while Black runs constantly. Blue is like a black, just cheaper and with less warranty time. You won't find the performance gains of a Black to be worth buying rather than a Western Digital Blue. I would only recommend a green for long term storage that you will only occasionally access because it isn't as durable as the other drives and will read slower because it has to spin up where Blue and Black drives are always spinning.

12. Mid tower will be fine.

13. How does a 250GB 240 Evo drive work for you in terms of an SSD? You'll find 120GB runs out much faster than you'd like and I've seen hundreds of great reviews for the 240 Evo so it's tried and tested.

 

[TrentAuuesome]

1. You *may* have to remove one of your drive bays. I'm guessing that your case may have modular bays but double check if you can remove them.
...
5. Your CPU is a K series, which is designed to be easily overclocked. If you aren't going to overclock it save yourself some money with a standard 4690 which will run exactly the same. Should you overclock look into the 212 Evo aftermarket cooler. The 212 Evo is actually really lightweight and attatches to the motherboard using a backplate. Stress to the board is evenly distributed and they're tougher than they look.
...
7. I don't follow. Please respecify.
...
9. I don't recommend less than a 500 watt PSU for this build. At the same time I don't recommend a cheap one either, but Corsair is a good brand. On the plus side if you have more power than you need you'll find your PSU runs quieter and will last longer.
...
11. Green will turn off when not in use, while Black runs constantly. Blue is like a black, just cheaper and with less warranty time. You won't find the performance gains of a Black to be worth buying rather than a Western Digital Blue. I would only recommend a green for long term storage that you will only occasionally access because it isn't as durable as the other drives and will read slower because it has to spin up where Blue and Black drives are always spinning.
...
13. How does a 250GB 240 Evo drive work for you in terms of an SSD? You'll find 120GB runs out much faster than you'd like and I've seen hundreds of great reviews for the 240 Evo so it's tried and tested.

Thank you for your suggestions.
I was conversing with friend of mine who is WAY more experienced and he suggested a few changes, too.
Pretty much everything lines up with what you said, too.

I'm switching to:
Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core - to save some monies and since I don't need to overclock. The 0.3GHz loss shouldn't be to bad
Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK ATX LGA1150 Motherboard - almost exact same specs. and the moneis
Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video - assuming I can find it XD if not I'll probably fall back to the 700 series (not sure which one specifically)
Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply - don't need that much wattage or efficiency (for now)
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM - 'cause I don't want green (not a server), and gaming preformance. the noise difference (from blue) shouldn't be a big deal
Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" SSD - Recommended from my friend, for cost efficiency and size (same reason you mentioned). I'm not sure what "240" evo drive there is, I didn't see any.

For the specific answers you gave:
5.) This type of aftermarket fan needs thermal paste, right?
7.) I don't know, I tried looking again, still didn't see anything. I must just have miss-heard/understood what they were talking about. I'm just going to ignore this. If it comes up again I'll add a comment to the discussion.

Thanks again for your help

 

[Lucias OKeefe]

The Evo comes with some high quality paste standard. Enough for a couple of applications, even. If you aren't overclocking and aren't worried about noise I wouldn't bother getting it. And if worried about noise only, I'd go for something designed around quiet.

I'll keep advising against the Black just because it's a little more expensive and the comparative performance isn't worth the price. Only buy if the longer warranty helps you sleep a little easier.