Is this OK for a Gaming PC build? All suggestions welcome.

[fly-w8]

Hi Everyone!

I’ve been wanting to build a gaming PC for a while now and finally have a long summer break to have a go. I started reading up on topics which I believe to be relevant a while ago, though I still feel a little hesitant to start ordering parts just in case there are any issues that may have been overlooked, or if there are any changes or improvements that can be made in terms of the components I have chosen.

I’m a newbie and this will be my first build, so I thought I’d ask the community to get a better idea of compatibility of the components or any improvements that can be made (in terms of quality of the parts, or value for money):

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V PRO ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage#1: Corsair Force Series GS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
Storage#2: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card
Wired Network Adapter: Intel PWLA8391GTBLK 10/100/1000 Mbps PCI Network Adapter
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus USB-N10 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter
Case: NZXT Phantom (Black) ATX Full Tower Case
Power Supply: OCZ ZX 1000W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-222BB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer

The full list of parts I plan to use can be found here: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/1f9bZ.

Please let me know what you guys think. All suggestions are welcome.

Thanks in advance!
---------------
Notes:
- First build
- Specs to be sufficient for at least 5 years of gaming
- Budget: £1500 or less

 

[tiny voices]

Change to an i5 and 8gb RAM. An i7 offers nothing over an i5 when gaming, and games use 3gb RAM max so 8gb is all that is ever needed for a gaming build.

That watercooler will not perform as well as a high end air cooler and will make ALOT more noise. I always recommend air coolers over those closed loop water cooler kits.

Get a 650w PSU From Antec, XFX, Corsair, Seasonic. OCZ isn't the best quality and 1000w Is stupid overkill for this build even if it had 2 770s in it.

 

[TheBigTroll]

^ what he said. just that i applied it to a parts list
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/1fcZy

 

[tiny voices]

^ what he said. just that i applied it to a parts list
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/1fcZy

Thanks for putting in the effort where I crapped out Boss! 😉

 

[fly-w8]

Change to an i5 and 8gb RAM. An i7 offers nothing over an i5 when gaming, and games use 3gb RAM max so 8gb is all that is ever needed for a gaming build.

That watercooler will not perform as well as a high end air cooler and will make ALOT more noise. I always recommend air coolers over those closed loop water cooler kits.

Get a 650w PSU From Antec, XFX, Corsair, Seasonic. OCZ isn't the best quality and 1000w Is stupid overkill for this build even if it had 2 770s in it.

Thanks for your prompt response, tiny voices.

I’ve been busy with the research again, and have considered your recommendations:

- Switched to i5-4670K (also suggested by TheBigTroll)
- Changed the water cooler to an air cooler
- Changed power supply from OCZ to XFX 850W (suggested by TheBigTroll)

I was a bit hesitant to reduce RAM all the way down to 8GB, so went for 12GB instead. Also, I was told that if I wanted to make the most of DDR3, the RAM has to be divisible by 3 (so either 6GB or 12GB, so I chose 12GB to play it safe).

The full details of the modifications can be found here: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/1fyUO

Please let me know what you think

PS: Just wondering about the HDD too – would changing to 2TB significantly compromise speed?

 

[fly-w8]

^ what he said. just that i applied it to a parts list
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/1fcZy

Thanks for your suggestions, TheBigTroll (and the parts list, which was very useful )

I’ve applied most of the changes you recommended, with the exception of the RAM (for the reasons above) and the PSU.

The full details of the modifications can be found here: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/1fyUO

Again, just wondering whether switching to 2TB for HDD would be wise with regards to speed.

Please let me know what you think

 

[tiny voices]

Get 8gb RAM. There is no point to get 12gb. Games use 4gb MAX. Whoever told you that you need 3 modules to take full advantage of DDR3 RAM is full of it. That is not the case.

 

[TheBigTroll]

^ what he said. just that i applied it to a parts list
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/1fcZy

Thanks for your suggestions, TheBigTroll (and the parts list, which was very useful )

I’ve applied most of the changes you recommended, with the exception of the RAM (for the reasons above) and the PSU.

The full details of the modifications can be found here: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/1fyUO

Again, just wondering whether switching to 2TB for HDD would be wise with regards to speed.

Please let me know what you think

you will want much better cooling than a hyper 212 evo for haswell chips

triple channel ram will cripple your performance

the onboard network adaptor is miles better