First Time Builder - Games + Music Recording

[northernwildling]

Greetings,

I've decided to take the plunge and try and build myself a system! I've done some reading and was hoping you could help me determine if the following is a suitable build for light gaming (i only play WoW) and music recording (Reaper). My budget is ~$1500 and I have peripherals and a DVD burner.

The pcpartpicker warned me that the size of the video card may interfere with the available bays in the case - just wondering if anyone had that experience?

Thanks for your thoughts and time.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($232.98 @ DirectCanada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($32.79 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($174.95 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($82.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($81.98 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($78.98 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($418.95 @ Vuugo)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($104.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($159.99 @ NCIX)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($107.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $1476.57
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-14 15:22 EST-0500

 

[Novuake]

Very solid build, all quality.

The bays will barely be used, usually just need 1 for an HDD, so it will not effect you and even if it does, you can make a small modification to allow more HDDs to be installed in other places like the 5.25'' bays.

Now just some things that you need to consider.

1. Will you be overclocking?
You have chosen a Z97 motherboard, which basically is just needed for overclocking or if you plan on adding a second GTX970 in time.
If you DO plan on overclocking then you need an I5 with a K-moniker at the end, like the I5 4690K.
If you DO NOT plan on overclocking then the CPU cooler and Z97 board is unnecessary, unless you plan to drop in another GTX970.

2. Power supply. You only need a decent 500W unit, nothing more, unless you plan on adding a second GTX970, then 750w makes sense.

3. Hard drive. Do not bother with the BLACK EDITION of the hard drive, they are HEAVILY overpriced and will not benefit you in performance, a standard BLUE drive is good enough and a lot cheaper.

4. There are cheaper chassis that are good, the R4 is kinda overpriced in my opinion, but this is a preference thing.

 

[SHATORR]

That seems to be a really good build. However, you should really get the i5-4690K, as it allows you to OC more easily. Even if you don't feel like OC'ing it right now, the small difference in price is worth it, if you ever change your mind.

As for the size of the GPU, I have no idea how to find it's dimensions, hahaha
I recommend the NZXT H440 tho, it's a pleasure to work with, looks good and has a bit more space for the graphics card.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhLADIM7euU

*Edit: I also noticed some negative reviews on the Fractal Design case, namely the silencing being a joke.

 

[northernwildling]

Very solid build, all quality.

The bays will barely be used, usually just need 1 for an HDD, so it will not effect you and even if it does, you can make a small modification to allow more HDDs to be installed in other places like the 5.25'' bays.

Now just some things that you need to consider.

1. Will you be overclocking?
You have chosen a Z97 motherboard, which basically is just needed for overclocking or if you plan on adding a second GTX970 in time.
If you DO plan on overclocking then you need an I5 with a K-moniker at the end, like the I5 4690K.
If you DO NOT plan on overclocking then the CPU cooler and Z97 board is unnecessary, unless you plan to drop in another GTX970.

2. Power supply. You only need a decent 500W unit, nothing more, unless you plan on adding a second GTX970, then 750w makes sense.

3. Hard drive. Do not bother with the BLACK EDITION of the hard drive, they are HEAVILY overpriced and will not benefit you in performance, a standard BLUE drive is good enough and a lot cheaper.

4. There are cheaper chassis that are good, the R4 is kinda overpriced in my opinion, but this is a preference thing.

Thanks for your comments, I really appreciate them. I do not plan to overclock the CPU, but I may drop another 970 in there down the road (although this may be overkill for my needs but I didn't want to close the door on the possibility), that's why I choose a bit better mobo and a bit more power.

Thanks in particular for the info about the harddrive - I will update accordingly.
newegg has a deal on the case with a coupon I have that makes it very affordable, but I'm open to suggestions if you know of cheaper/better cases?

Much obliged.

 

[northernwildling]

That seems to be a really good build. However, you should really get the i5-4690K, as it allows you to OC more easily. Even if you don't feel like OC'ing it right now, the small difference in price is worth it, if you ever change your mind.

As for the size of the GPU, I have no idea how to find it's dimensions, hahaha
I recommend the NZXT H440 tho, it's a pleasure to work with, looks good and has a bit more space for the graphics card.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhLADIM7euU

*Edit: I also noticed some negative reviews on the Fractal Design case, namely the silencing being a joke.

Thanks for the case tip - I will definitely investigate your choice. Appreciate the feedback.

 

[SHATORR]

Thanks for your comments, I really appreciate them. I do not plan to overclock the CPU, but I may drop another 970 in there down the road (although this may be overkill for my needs but I didn't want to close the door on the possibility), that's why I choose a bit better mobo and a bit more power.

Thanks in particular for the info about the harddrive - I will update accordingly.
newegg has a deal on the case with a coupon I have that makes it very affordable, but I'm open to suggestions if you know of cheaper/better cases?

Much obliged.

Novuake helped me with my rig as well, praise him like you'd praise GabeN!

 

[Novuake]

Thanks for your comments, I really appreciate them. I do not plan to overclock the CPU, but I may drop another 970 in there down the road (although this may be overkill for my needs but I didn't want to close the door on the possibility), that's why I choose a bit better mobo and a bit more power.

Thanks in particular for the info about the harddrive - I will update accordingly.
newegg has a deal on the case with a coupon I have that makes it very affordable, but I'm open to suggestions if you know of cheaper/better cases?

Much obliged.

Solid reasoning.
Can not argue with that.

Nothing wrong with the chassis, I just fine it expensive, with a promo code, go for it!

@ SHATORR.

Flattery will get you nowhere 😛

 

[northernwildling]

Thanks for your comments, I really appreciate them. I do not plan to overclock the CPU, but I may drop another 970 in there down the road (although this may be overkill for my needs but I didn't want to close the door on the possibility), that's why I choose a bit better mobo and a bit more power.

Thanks in particular for the info about the harddrive - I will update accordingly.
newegg has a deal on the case with a coupon I have that makes it very affordable, but I'm open to suggestions if you know of cheaper/better cases?

Much obliged.

Solid reasoning.
Can not argue with that.

Nothing wrong with the chassis, I just fine it expensive, with a promo code, go for it!

@ SHATORR.

Flattery will get you nowhere 😛

So based on your answer, am I correct in assuming that I don't need extra cooling with 1 970 and no over-clocking? Perhaps the fan can also wait until I pull the trigger on a second 970.

 

[Novuake]

Correct, even with substantial overclocking on the graphics card, your stock cooling will be fine.
That card already has decent aftermarket cooling.

You will only need better CPU cooling if you plan to overclock the CPU, which you cant unless its the K-edition. So either way, no cooling for CPU needed.

 

[SHATORR]

It might however be worth getting some new case fans, as stock fans are usually far from quiet. Still, it's not necessary if you're not overclocking; you could always get them once you've got the money for it.