First Gaming PC - Advice needed on system and Fans

[bfrerck]

So I've made the decision to move from console to PC and currently I am looking at getting one from Hardwired PC's as they are an Australian company my friend has suggested and living in Sydney I wouldn't need to worry about shipping or anything like that.

My budget is around about $2000 AUS dollars for the actual PC not including peripherals (of which i need a keyboard and mouse, and a monitor). I'd use this PC for 3d rendering and gaming meaning that I'd probably be using 95% of my CPU and GPU at times. The custom build I have been thinking about on HardWired PC is their Reaper Junior model and their are a couple questions I've got and I'd really if someone could answer them for me. I'll list the specs, then the questions.



Specs:

Case = Corsair 300r with window

Case Fans = Corsair Airflow Series - SP120 High Performance

CPU Fan = Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo

Fan Controller = BitFenix Recon Touchscreen fan controller

CPU = Intel Core i7 4790K 4.0GHz Quad Core LGA1150

Motherboard = Asus Z97-K Socket 1150

Memory = Corsair 16GB Vengeance 1866Mhz DDDR3

GPU = Nvidia Geforce GTX 970 4 GB GDDR5

Hard Drive = Western Digital 1TB Caviar Blue

Power Supply = Corsair RM750 750W Silent 80 Plus Gold Efficiency

Optical Drive = LG Blue Ray Combo Drive

Audio = Onboard Audio

Wireless Network Card = TP Link TL-WDN4800 Wireless PCIE Adaptor

Operating System = Windows 8.1 64bit

Monitor = Asus VE248H 24 Inch Widescreen Full HD 2ms LED



Total cost = $2429
I am aware that this is over my original budget however, i am happy with this build as it fulfils everything i want and considering that minus the monitor and possibly the fan controller its only about $200 over.

Questions:

1. The case used by HardWired PC (Corsair 300r) only has two fans - one intake and one rear exhaust. Due to this I have chosen to opt for the SP120 High Performance fans. For this reason I have chosen to get a Fan Controller just so that I can turn down the fan rpm and reduce noise during less demanding tasks. Are these ridiculously noisy and are the necessary, or are the stock fans sufficient for cooling my system?

2. Should I get the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo Cpu fan or is it unnecessary or insufficient?

3. Do I need to (or should I) spend more money on my motherboard or is it good enough as it stands> If so what motherboard should I get?

4. Is the Hard Drive I have chosen a good choice or should I opt for a different one?

5. Any comments on the Wireless network card. I haven't found too much information on it

6. Any thoughts on the monitor, Good or Bad?

So thats it, any help is appreciated as I'm completely new to this and for any other people living in Australia other recommendations for other PC companies in Australia are welcome as well. I Think I've covered everything.Feel free to ask me any more questions. Thanks for any help.

 

[plaintuts]

The Intel k, stands for cpu's that can be overclocked... Think about that first because there is a price difference.

And ofcourse you will need a good motherboard to make use of that Intel k.

The hyper evo is necessary for any config.. Stock cpu coolers kinda suck..

Opt for wd black if you want to be geared for gaming, or an ssd for faster load times

 

[bfrerck]

Thanks for the very quick response plaintuts.

These are the motherboards available for my build by HardWired:

Asus H97M-Plus Socket 1150

Asus H97-Plus Socket 1150

Asus Z97M-Plus Socket 1150

Asus H97-Pro Socket 1150

Asus Z97-K Socket 1150

Asus Z97-C Socket 1150

Asus Gryphon-Z97 Socket 1150

Asus Z97-A Socket 1150

Asus Maximus VII-Ranger Socket 1150

Asus Sabertooth-Z97-Mark 2 Socket 1150

Asus Maximus VII-Gene Socket 1150

Asus Maximus VII-Hero Socket 1150

Asus Z97-Pro Socket 1150

Asus Z97-Deluxe Socket 1150

Asus Maximus VII-Formula Socket 1150

Asus Z97-Deluce NFC/WLC Socket 1150

Any of these catch your eye. Keep in mind the further you go down the list the more expensive they get.

Also, do you reckon the cooling of the two stock or performance fans along with the cooler master cpu fan will be enough?

 

[bfrerck]

The Intel k, stands for cpu's that can be overclocked... Think about that first because there is a price difference.

And ofcourse you will need a good motherboard to make use of that Intel k.

The hyper evo is necessary for any config.. Stock cpu coolers kinda suck..

Opt for wd black if you want to be geared for gaming, or an ssd for faster load times

Thanks for the very quick response plaintuts.

These are the motherboards available for my build by HardWired:

Asus H97M-Plus Socket 1150

Asus H97-Plus Socket 1150

Asus Z97M-Plus Socket 1150

Asus H97-Pro Socket 1150

Asus Z97-K Socket 1150

Asus Z97-C Socket 1150

Asus Gryphon-Z97 Socket 1150

Asus Z97-A Socket 1150

Asus Maximus VII-Ranger Socket 1150

Asus Sabertooth-Z97-Mark 2 Socket 1150

Asus Maximus VII-Gene Socket 1150

Asus Maximus VII-Hero Socket 1150

Asus Z97-Pro Socket 1150

Asus Z97-Deluxe Socket 1150

Asus Maximus VII-Formula Socket 1150

Asus Z97-Deluce NFC/WLC Socket 1150

Any of these catch your eye. Keep in mind the further you go down the list the more expensive they get.

Also, do you reckon the cooling of the two stock or performance fans along with the cooler master cpu fan will be enough?

 

[bsod1]

Check this out

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($269.00 @ Centre Com)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($85.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-PRO(Wi-Fi ac) ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($267.00 @ Centre Com)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($99.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.00 @ Centre Com)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290X 4GB Tri-X Video Card ($609.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Case: NZXT Phantom 630 (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($185.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($248.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($20.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $2098.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-07 19:51 EST+1100

 

[chrisswart1489]

Your fans should be doing the job no need for extra fans but if you want to make sure one more can't hurt.
Any motherboard with a z or x is for the k version meaning that u can overclock your cpu. So the mobo you chose should be just fine to do the work. Because mobo's arent so important for gaming unless you want to overclock and want to sli im the future! That is multiple graphics cards for more perfomance. One thing u should know about gaming is the most important is your graphics card then processor and then your ram and you got an extreme machine there so i would say go for it.

 

[bfrerck]

Check this out

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($269.00 @ Centre Com)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($85.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-PRO(Wi-Fi ac) ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($267.00 @ Centre Com)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($99.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.00 @ Centre Com)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290X 4GB Tri-X Video Card ($609.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Case: NZXT Phantom 630 (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($185.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($248.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($20.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $2098.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-07 19:51 EST+1100

Thanks for the suggestion bsod1 . I forgot to mention that I require a Nvidia graphics card for my build as the rendering and cgi program i mostly use only uses CUDA cores. I also require 16GB of memory as I would otherwise struggle with some renders.

 

[chrisswart1489]

I am getting the asrock z97 extreme 4 because its price to value is the best because it can sli and overclock so that is what i recommend

 

[bfrerck]

Your fans should be doing the job no need for extra fans but if you want to make sure one more can't hurt.
Any motherboard with a z or x is for the k version meaning that u can overclock your cpu. So the mobo you chose should be just fine to do the work. Because mobo's arent so important for gaming unless you want to overclock and want to sli im the future! That is multiple graphics cards for more perfomance. One thing u should know about gaming is the most important is your graphics card then processor and then your ram and you got an extreme machine there so i would say go for it.

Thanks for your advice chrisswart1489. I'm not really interested in SLI but going of your advice I'll probably stick to my current mobo. Do you reckon I should stick with the stock fans, pick the performance fans, or choose the SP120 quiet edition fans by corsair. I'm just not sure if these are worse than the stock fans in terms of CFM.

 

[bsod1]

Check this out

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($269.00 @ Centre Com)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($85.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-PRO(Wi-Fi ac) ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($267.00 @ Centre Com)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($99.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.00 @ Centre Com)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290X 4GB Tri-X Video Card ($609.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Case: NZXT Phantom 630 (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($185.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($248.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($20.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $2098.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-07 19:51 EST+1100

Thanks for the suggestion bsod1 . I forgot to mention that I require a Nvidia graphics card for my build as the rendering and cgi program i mostly use only uses CUDA cores. I also require 16GB of memory as I would otherwise struggle with some renders.

Here you go

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($269.00 @ Centre Com)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($85.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-PRO(Wi-Fi ac) ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($267.00 @ Centre Com)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($99.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.00 @ Centre Com)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 780 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($549.00 @ CPL Online)
Case: NZXT Phantom 630 (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($185.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($248.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($20.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $2038.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-07 20:18 EST+1100

 

[bsod1]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($269.00 @ Centre Com)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($85.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-PRO(Wi-Fi ac) ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($267.00 @ Centre Com)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($195.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.00 @ Centre Com)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 780 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($549.00 @ CPL Online)
Case: NZXT Phantom 630 (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($185.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($248.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($20.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $1995.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-07 20:22 EST+1100

Removed the SSD and added 16 GB RAM to balance the price!

 

[chrisswart1489]

Your fans should be doing the job no need for extra fans but if you want to make sure one more can't hurt.
Any motherboard with a z or x is for the k version meaning that u can overclock your cpu. So the mobo you chose should be just fine to do the work. Because mobo's arent so important for gaming unless you want to overclock and want to sli im the future! That is multiple graphics cards for more perfomance. One thing u should know about gaming is the most important is your graphics card then processor and then your ram and you got an extreme machine there so i would say go for it.

Thanks for your advice chrisswart1489. I'm not really interested in SLI but going of your advice I'll probably stick to my current mobo. Do you reckon I should stick with the stock fans, pick the performance fans, or choose the SP120 quiet edition fans by corsair. I'm just not sure if these are worse than the stock fans in terms of CFM.

a few days ago i looked at the same corsair series fans and i wanted the perfomance one because they are alot stronger and a bit noisier but u can control the fans so if u dont need them they dont iritate you but yes your case fans will do the job after all you got two so its not neccasary to upgrade maybe if you sli but if not it isnt neccasary. But get a cpu cooler for your processor because it will need an aftermarket cpu cooler if you want to overclock in the future. do you want to overclock your cpu?

 

[bfrerck]

Your fans should be doing the job no need for extra fans but if you want to make sure one more can't hurt.
Any motherboard with a z or x is for the k version meaning that u can overclock your cpu. So the mobo you chose should be just fine to do the work. Because mobo's arent so important for gaming unless you want to overclock and want to sli im the future! That is multiple graphics cards for more perfomance. One thing u should know about gaming is the most important is your graphics card then processor and then your ram and you got an extreme machine there so i would say go for it.

Thanks for your advice chrisswart1489. I'm not really interested in SLI but going of your advice I'll probably stick to my current mobo. Do you reckon I should stick with the stock fans, pick the performance fans, or choose the SP120 quiet edition fans by corsair. I'm just not sure if these are worse than the stock fans in terms of CFM.

a few days ago i looked at the same corsair series fans and i wanted the perfomance one because they are alot stronger and a bit noisier but u can control the fans so if u dont need them they dont iritate you but yes your case fans will do the job after all you got two so its not neccasary to upgrade maybe if you sli but if not it isnt neccasary. But get a cpu cooler for your processor because it will need an aftermarket cpu cooler if you want to overclock in the future. do you want to overclock your cpu?

I woudn't be interested in overclocking in the near future but possibly later on. Thats why a friend suggested the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo

 

[bsod1]

Added the i7 😛 to keep within the budget, I thought overclocking wouldn't be the best.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($345.00 @ Centre Com)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($85.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: Asus H97-PRO GAMER ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($149.00 @ CPL Online)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($195.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.00 @ Centre Com)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 780 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($549.00 @ CPL Online)
Case: NZXT Phantom 630 (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($185.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($248.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($20.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $1953.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-07 20:30 EST+1100

 

[chrisswart1489]

i would also recommend to stay with the 970 as it is better than a 780 and have more vram in 4gb vs 3gb. the 970 uses alot less power and is alot cheaper so the money u save there will go to the i7 that boosts your fps in games. if you want to multitask i also stronly recommend the i7 above the i5

 

[chrisswart1489]

yess it is a great cpu cooler but if you want more power out of the i7 not now but later i suggest liquid cooling

 

[bfrerck]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($269.00 @ Centre Com)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($85.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-PRO(Wi-Fi ac) ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($267.00 @ Centre Com)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($195.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.00 @ Centre Com)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 780 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($549.00 @ CPL Online)
Case: NZXT Phantom 630 (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($185.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($248.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($20.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $1995.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-07 20:22 EST+1100

Removed the SSD and added 16 GB RAM to balance the price!

yess it is a great cpu cooler but if you want more power out of the i7 not now but later i suggest liquid cooling

yeah, I"ll definitely go with the 970 and the money I save their i'll probably put into my cpu to get a i7 4790K at 4Ghz rather than a 4790 at 3.6

 

[bsod1]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($269.00 @ Centre Com)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($85.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-PRO(Wi-Fi ac) ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($267.00 @ Centre Com)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($195.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.00 @ Centre Com)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 780 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($549.00 @ CPL Online)
Case: NZXT Phantom 630 (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($185.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($248.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($20.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $1995.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-07 20:22 EST+1100

Removed the SSD and added 16 GB RAM to balance the price!

yess it is a great cpu cooler but if you want more power out of the i7 not now but later i suggest liquid cooling

yeah, I"ll definitely go with the 970 and the money I save their i'll probably put into my cpu to get a i7 4790K at 4Ghz rather than a 4790 at 3.6

alright, keeping all your requirements in mind:


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($395.00 @ Centre Com)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($75.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-PRO(Wi-Fi ac) ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($267.00 @ Centre Com)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($195.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.00 @ Centre Com)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Video Card ($729.00 @ CPL Online)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($115.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($248.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($20.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ CPL Online)
Monitor: Asus VE248H 24.0" Monitor ($182.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $2403.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-07 21:16 EST+1100

the motherboard has in-built wi-fi

 

[chrisswart1489]

if u can get the 980 and i7 with 8gb ram that would be the best so i like that one'

 

[bsod1]

I suggest the
Logitech G400 mouse/Razer Deathadder 2013
Quickfire XT