First Gaming/Development Build since 2008 - Anything I'm not thinking about?

[arrpeegeer]

Hi all,

I was last on here in 2008 working through my first serious build ever. Everyone gave great advice and it was such a success, I'm still on that machine. Because it was such a beast and so incredibly dependable, I've still not switched away from it. Well, it's time. Note: I think my 7-8 year old build is in my signature and the ONLY thing I updated this entire time was the GPU.

Last time I spent 3-4 weeks reading countless forums, articles, etc. This time, I put this together over a single weekend. This is a gaming and development rig with enough memory to spin off a virtual for SQL Server, TFS, etc. when I need it.

My goal was to get relative best-of-breed for each component outside of processor and memory (i.e. I don't need the very highest speeds) AND marry them together in what I've read are the most compatible parts. Third was that Amazon had them via Prime

I have a few questions below the components!

PROCESSOR - Intel Core i7-4790K Processor (4.0 Ghz)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KPRWAX8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

PROCESSOR COOLING - Noctua NH-U12 S for Intel LGA 2011,1156,1155,1150 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/3+,FM1/2 Sockets, U Type, 5 Heatpipe,120mm CPU Cooler Cooling
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C9EYVGY/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A23NVCSO4PYH3S

MOTHERBOARD - Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K2MASE4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

VIDEO - MSI GTX 970 GAMING 4G Graphics Card
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NN0GEXQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

MEMORY - Corsair Vengeance Pro Series 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1866 MHZ (PC3 15000) Desktop Memory CMY16GX3M2A1866C9
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D2LGRO2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

SSD - Samsung 850 Pro 256GB 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-7KE256BW)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LMXBOP4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

HDD - WD Velociraptor WD1000DHTZ 1TB 3.5" SATA Hard Drive
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007VPGJIY/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

POWER SUPPLY - EVGA SuperNOVA 850G2 80PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V/EPS12V 850W Power Supply 220-G2-0850-XR
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IKDETOC/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

OPTICAL - Asus 24x DVD-RW Serial-ATA Internal OEM Optical Drive DRW-24B1ST (Black)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0033Z2BAQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1B16S9HEII11V

SOUND - Sound Blaster Z PCIe Gaming Sound Card
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009ISU33E/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

CASE - LIAN LI PC-A61B Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112420&cm_re=lian_li_case-_-11-112-420-_-Product

CASE FANS - Noctua NF-F12 PWM Cooling Fan
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00650P2ZC/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

MONITOR - Samsung 28-Inch Ultra High Definition LED Monitor (U28D590D)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IEZGWI2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

MISC
Gelid Solutions GC-Extreme Thermal Compound TC-GC-03-A
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002P5W4RU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Arctic Silver Arcticlean Thermal Cooling Material Remover and Surface Purifier (ACN-60ML)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0087X738E/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
StarTech FAN4EXT12 12" 4 Pin Fan Power Extension Cable - M/F M-F
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812200961&cm_re=4_pin_fan_extension-_-12-200-961-_-Product

Questions:

1) I used to have a full-tower Lian Li case and now I'll be using a mid-tower case. Is there any reason to not think the MOBO, PSU, etc. will fit into this case? It's 3 inches shorter in height and depth but I feel it should be fine?

2) I plan on using the bios fan controller of the ASUS Z97 Maximus Hero VII vs. a separate unit to do so. I've read good and some bad, so does anyone care to share why I should NOT depend on this to control my fans and instead get a separate controller?

3) I almost went with no optical drive, but feel I need to go with at least a DVD player (though not sure why other than mental comfort). Or should I got with a Blu Ray player to really ensure I have all I need? Seems a cheap DVD burner should suffice?

4) I don't feel comfortable with water cooling and had no problem with my current Noctua air cooler as I don't OC at all. The one I'm choosing this time is only one fan and smaller than the most popular model, but it should suffice for a non-OC'ed system right?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Unregistered1]

1) I used to have a full-tower Lian Li case and now I'll be using a mid-tower case. Is there any reason to not think the MOBO, PSU, etc. will fit into this case? It's 3 inches shorter in height and depth but I feel it should be fine? It will be fine, just will look smaller.

2) I plan on using the bios fan controller of the ASUS Z97 Maximus Hero VII vs. a separate unit to do so. I've read good and some bad, so does anyone care to share why I should NOT depend on this to control my fans and instead get a separate controller? No need for a separate controller

3) I almost went with no optical drive, but feel I need to go with at least a DVD player (though not sure why other than mental comfort). Or should I got with a Blu Ray player to really ensure I have all I need? Seems a cheap DVD burner should suffice? a $15/£10 basic dvd drive should work fine, no real need for a bluray player, although they can cost about $55/£40

4) I don't feel comfortable with water cooling and had no problem with my current Noctua air cooler as I don't OC at all. The one I'm choosing this time is only one fan and smaller than the most popular model, but it should suffice for a non-OC'ed system right? up to you really although a hyper 212 evo is probably best for Overclocking and not overclocking

 

[STFLightning]

It's a pretty good build. I'd recommend shooting for a BD-RW drive if you can spare the money, if you want to watch movies or if Blu-Ray discs are the gaming medium of the future, it would be a good idea. It's mostly personal opinion, but I've read that Sapphire AMD processors may be the way to go if you're doing development or video editing. Same goes for Radeon Graphics Cards, better for video editing and the like.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

1. The components will fit just fine in that case.

2. There's no need for a separate fan controller.

3. A cheap DVD burner will work fine unless you plan on watching BluRay movies on the system.

4. The Noctua HSF is more than sufficient for a non-overclocked system. In fact, the stock Intel HSF will even work just fine for a non-overclocked system. That's what it is designed to do, after all.

Observations: There are many better options out there for thermal paste than Arctic Silver 5 now. Arctic Cooling MX4 and Gelid Solutions GC-Extreme are a couple of my favorites. Even the paste that comes with the Noctua HSF is probably just as good as Arctic Silver 5.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/thermal-paste-performance-benchmark,3616.html

The Velociraptor drives haven't been a good deal since about the time you built your last system. Just pick up a modern 7200RPM 3.5" drive and enjoy the extra money in your pocket. The WD Blue Desktop Hard Drive 1TB, 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/sec is a very popular choice.

Do you plan on SLI in the future? The system won't need anywhere near 850W with a single GPU. A high quality 550 - 600W PSU would be more than enough and save even more money.

If it was me I would give the integrated sound a try before dropping $100 on a dedicated sound card.

 

[arrpeegeer]

1. The components will fit just fine in that case.

2. There's no need for a separate fan controller.

3. A cheap DVD burner will work fine unless you plan on watching BluRay movies on the system.

4. The Noctua HSF is more than sufficient for a non-overclocked system. In fact, the stock Intel HSF will even work just fine for a non-overclocked system. That's what it is designed to do, after all.

Observations: There are many better options out there for thermal paste than Arctic Silver 5 now. Arctic Cooling MX4 and Gelid Solutions GC-Extreme are a couple of my favorites. Even the paste that comes with the Noctua HSF is probably just as good as Arctic Silver 5.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/thermal-paste-performance-benchmark,3616.html

The Velociraptor drives haven't been a good deal since about the time you built your last system. Just pick up a modern 7200RPM 3.5" drive and enjoy the extra money in your pocket. The WD Blue Desktop Hard Drive 1TB, 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/sec is a very popular choice.

Do you plan on SLI in the future? The system won't need anywhere near 850W with a single GPU. A high quality 550 - 600W PSU would be more than enough and save even more money.

If it was me I would give the integrated sound a try before dropping $100 on a dedicated sound card.

Thank you much for your reply!

As for #1: That seems to be consensus, so I'll look to stick with the case selected.

As for #2: Thanks, that is what I wanted to hear. It seems unfortunately I can't just set fans to a certain RPM regardless of heat, but I'll manage.

As for #3: I'm sticking with just a $20 DVD burner as I never watch Blu Ray and everything now is digital

As for #4: That is what I figured, but I'm ok spending ~$65 on the Noctua cooler and $60 on their fans because it's so quiet and nice (have them in my current system and no issue after 7 years, plus this cooler is lighter than the regular Noctua)

Thanks for the FYI on the thermal paste. I assumed it was still the standard, but I instead switched out my Amazon order to Gelid Solutions GC-Extreme.

As for the Velociraptor, reviews seem really nice. Are you saying it's just not worth the price (i.e. 4x as expensive) or that the WD Blue would even outperform it?

Thanks again

EDIT: Sorry, forgot to answer - I'm not going for SLI immediately, but especially with a UHD monitor, I might add another in the future as prices drop. Also, the difference in price between a 500 and say a 750 or 850 isn't that great that I figured better for future-proofing what I might do.

EDIT 2: Left out the Noctua case fans. I know spending $60 to replace stock case fans might seem wasteful, but I love the Noctua fans from my original build.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

My recommendation of a standard 7200RPM drive is because drive technology has advanced since the Velociraptor drives were in their prime. Standard drives now have very dense platters and large buffers that close the performance gap significantly. Since you are using an SSD for your system drive you will notice very little to no difference between a 7200RPM blue drive and a Velociraptor as a storage drive. The Velociraptor drives just simply don't offer the noticeable performance difference they once did. Look at the dates on the Velociraptor reviews you are referencing and you'll likely see they haven't been in the limelight for a while.

 

[arrpeegeer]

My recommendation of a standard 7200RPM drive is because drive technology has advanced since the Velociraptor drives were in their prime. Standard drives now have very dense platters and large buffers that close the performance gap significantly. Since you are using an SSD for your system drive you will notice very little to no difference between a 7200RPM blue drive and a Velociraptor as a storage drive. The Velociraptor drives just simply don't offer the noticeable performance difference they once did. Look at the dates on the Velociraptor reviews you are referencing and you'll likely see they haven't been in the limelight for a while.

True, but I also have looked at various comparisons between Velociraptor 1TB and the Blue drive you posted (and against the slightly better Black version of the drive) and it still comes ahead. As you said, it might be 10% faster in some metrics, 30% in others...not 4x the price as much, but it doesn't mean it isn't a faster drive, right?

I know this isn't scientific, but:

http://hdd.userbenchmark.com/Compare/WD-VelociRaptor-1TB-vs-WD-Black-1TB-2013/1389vs1822

Thanks for feedback again.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

Yes, it's slightly to moderately faster. I just don't see the need with an SSD for a system drive. If your use case will benefit from it and you're okay paying the premium then go for it! It's going to be a nice system regardless of what storage drive you choose.