First time building a computer, Should I stress test. If so, what programs should I run?

[Philosophia]

As stated in the title this is my first time attempting to build a pc, I'm still learning so bear with me. My first question is should I stress test my computer once it is built? I doubt I will oc it right when it is built, but I most likely will a little later once I know I got everything working. Is stress testing dangerous to the parts or will it be safe? If I should stress test my computer I should wait after I have updated all the drivers and have downloaded a virus scanner correct? In terms of programs I did do some research. It seems like I should get cpuid hwmonitor or real temp gt to watch everything as I test it. CPU-z and Prime95 for the cpu. memtest86 to test the ram and furmark to test the gpu. If I do end up stress testing based on this feedback are these the programs I should use? How long should I run each test? Should I run memtest86 the full 24 hours like I have read? Are there any in depth guides that one would recommend to me for this? Thank you for your time.

 

[ihog]

Stress testing is pretty safe. You should install all necessary drivers, but you don't need to install virus protection yet if you don't want to (you can, doesn't matter).

Those tests are good, and yes, make sure you monitor temps while stress testing. You can run them for about an hour or two or more. Whatever you're comfortable with.

 

[jb6684]

One of the main reasons I stress test a new system is to assure things are not getting too HOT....

- SpeedFan : download and run this, will tell you system temperatures....
- Prime95 : download and run this 2nd, it will heat up the CPU, would be good to keep Intel CPU's under 80C and AMD CPU's under about 70C. If you used the stock CPU cooler, there going to get this hot. If they get hotter, you install the CPU cooler incorrectly (you did use thermal paste, right?) Or, you have VERY poor air flow in your case.

You don't mention IF its a gaming rig? Next test would be GPU stress testing....
- FurMark is the program or just run a game in Benchmark mode....

 

[Philosophia]

One of the main reasons I stress test a new system is to assure things are not getting too HOT....

- SpeedFan : download and run this, will tell you system temperatures....
- Prime95 : download and run this 2nd, it will heat up the CPU, would be good to keep Intel CPU's under 80C and AMD CPU's under about 70C. If you used the stock CPU cooler, there going to get this hot. If they get hotter, you install the CPU cooler incorrectly (you did use thermal paste, right?) Or, you have VERY poor air flow in your case.

You don't mention IF its a gaming rig? Next test would be GPU stress testing....
- FurMark is the program or just run a game in Benchmark mode....

Yeah sorry It is a gaming rig here is the parts list. I haven't built it yet. The last parts arrived from newegg, the rest I'm getting from microcenter. What about memtest86+? Should I run that for 24 hours like I have heard? how long should I run Furmark and Prime95. Could you recommend any comprehensive guides for stress testing?

- Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 FD-CA-ARC-R2-BL-W Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

- Motherboard: ASUS MAXIMUS VI HERO LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

- Video card: EVGA SuperClocked w/ ACX Cooling 02G-P4-2774-KR GeForce GTX 770 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support Video Card

- Power supply: CORSAIR RM Series RM750 750W ATX12V v2.31 and EPS 2.92 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply

- CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K Haswell 3.4GHz LGA 1150 84W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80646I54670K

- Memory: G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-14900CL9D-8GBSR

- Storage 😛 lextor M5P Series PX-128M5Pro 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

- Storage: Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive

- Display: ASUS VG248QE Black 24" 144Hz 1ms (GTG) HDMI Widescreen LED Backlight LCD 3D Monitor

- Optical drive: ASUS DVD-Writer Black SATA Model DRW-24F1ST - OEM

- Operating system: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM

- Cpu cooler: Noctua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler

 

[jb6684]

Running Prime95 will also exercise the RAM in your system very well.... (I only use memtest86 for debugging systems that aren't working reliably..)

- When you 1st put the system together, with SpeedFan running, startup Prime95. Watch your temperatures carefully, with that cooler (Very nice one by the way) you should not see temps over 65C or 70C max. If you do, the cooler isn't properly installed. Shut system down & fix install.
- Run one cycle of FurMark, just to assure the Factory installed the heat sink on your GPU correct (hey, they do make mistakes too). That card likely won't go above 70C, but, it's fine if it stays under 85C.

Once everything is running fine, I'd run Prime95 like 24 hours to assure RAM, CPU, and motherboard are working well...

I'd run a benchmark loop in a game for like 4 hours to assure GPU is working well....

The Fractal case has a good number of fans, should provide good air flow and cooling. Try out Low/Med/High fan settings to get the best balance of noise vs temperature. I'd guess Med for gaming and Low the rest of the time.

That's it, now you can play some games to do any additional testing.....

 

[Philosophia]

Running Prime95 will also exercise the RAM in your system very well.... (I only use memtest86 for debugging systems that aren't working reliably..)

- When you 1st put the system together, with SpeedFan running, startup Prime95. Watch your temperatures carefully, with that cooler (Very nice one by the way) you should not see temps over 65C or 70C max. If you do, the cooler isn't properly installed. Shut system down & fix install.
- Run one cycle of FurMark, just to assure the Factory installed the heat sink on your GPU correct (hey, they do make mistakes too). That card likely won't go above 70C, but, it's fine if it stays under 85C.

Once everything is running fine, I'd run Prime95 like 24 hours to assure RAM, CPU, and motherboard are working well...

I'd run a benchmark loop in a game for like 4 hours to assure GPU is working well....

The Fractal case has a good number of fans, should provide good air flow and cooling. Try out Low/Med/High fan settings to get the best balance of noise vs temperature. I'd guess Med for gaming and Low the rest of the time.

That's it, now you can play some games to do any additional testing.....

When I run a benchmark test in game on the gpu what exactly am I looking for to indicate something is wrong?

 

[jb6684]

When you run a benchmark test in a game:
- checking for temperature of graphics card...
- don't want any system crashes
- or, obviously badly rendered graphics