Looking for advice on a multi-purpose/gaming build (Novice)

[TheWolfKiD_]

Hello gurus of Tom's Hardware, I'm Wolfkid. I recently became interested in building my own PC for a number of reasons and in my research I came across this site and decided to join and ask this community for assistance. My budget is open-ended as I will purchase the parts periodically but I also don't want to spend more than is needed for my requirements.

I want to build a PC capable of running games like GTA V, Call of Duty, Street Fighter IV (and the newly announced SF:V) to name a few at max or close to max settings (overclocking if necessary). I also produce music and use programs like FL Studios, Pro Tools and countless plug-ins for both programs mentioned. I also use programs like Photoshop & Illustrator.

I've never built a PC from scratch. I dabbled into it briefly in school. Nothing extensive but I have some basic knowledge you could say. I mean, how hard can it be? lol. I made a list to what parts I would like. Not sure if its all compatible or not but I feel I came to the right place for a revision of my build plan.

**NOTE**- Parts that I have no idea whats good or not will be marked "???". I'm hoping for suggestions to be made to fill in those gaps

CPU- Intel Core i5 3570K 3.4GHz Socket LGA 1155 Boxed Processor

Motherboard (MOBO)- Gigabyte Intel Z77 LGA 1155 AMD CrossFireX/NVIDIA SLI W/ HDMI,DVI,DispayPort Dual UEFI BIOS ATX Motherboard GA-Z77X-UD3H

RAM (Memory)- Corsair Vengeance 8GB (1x8GB) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800)

Heatsink Fan (HSF)- CORSAIR Hydro Series H50 120mm Quiet Edition Liquid CPU Cooler

Hard Drive (HDD)- WD Blue 1 TB Desktop Hard Drive: 3.5 Inch, 7200 RPM

Power Supply (PSU)- Corsair CX Series 750 Watt ATX/EPS Modular 80 PLUS Bronze ATX12V/EPS12V 744 Power Supply CX750M

GPU- ???

Disk Drive- Plextor PX-891SAW

Case- Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Arctic White Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Water Cooler- ??? (Or just add extra fans?)


My heart isn't set on the parts (except the case maybe, its bada$$!!) so feel free so make suggestions as so you may desire. I'm excited to start the process and build it on paper before I start ordering parts. I thank you all in advance for taking the time to help the noob.

 

[mas7873]

What's your budget?

 

[mdocod]

Problems with the build as listed:

1. Not built on current generation CPU technology. Use Haswell Refresh CPUs on H97 or Z97.

2. Pumped liquid cooling solutions at this caliber are pointless novelties with no benefits over liquid heatpipe based cooler. Lots of downsides to these coolers. (more expensive than similar performing heatpipe coolers, more failure modes, no passive cooling, leak potential, noisier for equal cooling performance, etc)

3. Corsair CX series PSU's are overpriced for their mediocre quality.

4. Lack of SSD for boot/application drive.

5. Vengeance should be swapped for something no taller than 30mm for compatibility with the broad range of nice quality heatpipe coolers out there.

Otherwise the C70 looks fantastic and contrary to what someone will undoubtedly try to tell you, there is nothing wrong with using 1x8GB of RAM to start the build off with.

 

[TheWolfKiD_]

What's your budget?

No budget as stated above, I'm looking to buy the parts as time goes by and money becomes available. BUT I would like you to keep in mind that I'm in no way looking to get anything that's overkill or spend unnecessary money.

Problems with the build as listed:

1. Not built on current generation CPU technology. Use Haswell Refresh CPUs on H97 or Z97.

2. Pumped liquid cooling solutions at this caliber are pointless novelties with no benefits over liquid heatpipe based cooler. Lots of downsides to these coolers. (more expensive than similar performing heatpipe coolers, more failure modes, no passive cooling, leak potential, noisier for equal cooling performance, etc)

3. Corsair CX series PSU's are overpriced for their mediocre quality.

4. Lack of SSD for boot/application drive.

5. Vengeance should be swapped for something no taller than 30mm for compatibility with the broad range of nice quality heatpipe coolers out there.

Otherwise the C70 looks fantastic and contrary to what someone will undoubtedly try to tell you, there is nothing wrong with using 1x8GB of RAM to start the build off with.

In the order you listed:

1. Took into consideration, will find adequate replacement. (I'm open to suggestions as well for the MOBO)

2. What brands should I be looking for?

3. Who makes a "bang for your buck" PSU? One I can keep throughout many builds.

4. I knew I was forgetting something! Thanks for the reminder. How big should I go?

5. I'm not too sure what you're talking about here, RAM maybe? Is the Corsair Vengeance RAM not good?

The C70 was love at first sight for me! and thanks for the help so far

 

[mdocod]

1. i5-4690K. MSI, Gigabyte, and ASrock all have great value "gaming" series motherboards with Z97 chipsets and SLI support in the ~$120-180 range that are very nice. I know this is going to sound shallow, but you could almost shop this category based on color preferences and come out just fine, they are all pretty nice boards. So, do you have a color preference?

2. Noctua, Silverstone, Phanteks, Thermalright, just to name a few.

3. Seasonic and SuperFlower are arguably the leading OEMs in high value high quality PSU's at this time. You can find these sold under many brands (including their own names). An EVGA G2 series, Rosewill Capstone, XFX TS, or Antec TPC series would all be good choices. If you can spring for a little nicer the Antec HCP-750 made by Delta is supurb.

4. 240GB+

5. Corsair RAM is good quality stuff, but the vengeance DIMM"s have those insanely tall heatinks on them (which are completely unnecessary), they will conflict (attempt to occupy the same physical space) with a heatpipe heatink for your CPU. Consider Crucial Ballistix Tactical if you like Yellow

 

[TheWolfKiD_]

1. i5-4690K. MSI, Gigabyte, and ASrock all have great value "gaming" series motherboards with Z97 chipsets and SLI support in the ~$120-180 range that are very nice. I know this is going to sound shallow, but you could almost shop this category based on color preferences and come out just fine, they are all pretty nice boards. So, do you have a color preference?

2. Noctua, Silverstone, Phanteks, Thermalright, just to name a few.

3. Seasonic and SuperFlower are arguably the leading OEMs in high value high quality PSU's at this time. You can find these sold under many brands (including their own names). An EVGA G2 series, Rosewill Capstone, XFX TS, or Antec TPC series would all be good choices. If you can spring for a little nicer the Antec HCP-750 made by Delta is supurb.

4. 240GB+

5. Corsair RAM is good quality stuff, but the vengeance DIMM"s have those insanely tall heatinks on them (which are completely unnecessary), they will conflict (attempt to occupy the same physical space) with a heatpipe heatink for your CPU. Consider Crucial Ballistix Tactical if you like Yellow

I took your advice and updated my build plans. I also added prices so you guys can look at that and hopefully lead me to a lower price. I still need a good GPU. I would like to have 2 of them or is that overkill? I want to run games like NBA 2K15, Battlefield 4 & Need for Speed, etc..

CPU- Intel Core i5-4690K Devil's Canyon Quad-Core 3.5GHz LGA 1150 Desktop Processor BX80646I54690K ($235 - Newegg)

Motherboard (MOBO)- MSI Z97 MPOWER Max AC LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard ($250 - Newegg)

RAM (Memory)- Crucial 8GB DDR3 1600(PC3-12800)Ballistix Tactical ($70 - Newegg)

Heatsink Fan (HSF)- Phanteks PH-TC12LS CPU Cooler ($42 - Newegg)

Hard Drive (HDD)- WD Blue 1 TB Desktop Hard Drive: 3.5 Inch, 7200 RPM ($170 - Newegg)

Solid State Drive (SSD)- Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5-Inch SSD ($133 - Amazon)

Power Supply (PSU)- Antec HCP-750 Platinum 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified Power Supply ($130 - Newegg)

GPU- ???

Disk Drive- Plextor PX-891SAW ($30 - Amazon)

Case- Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Arctic White Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ($120 - Newegg)

 

[mas7873]

1. i5-4690K. MSI, Gigabyte, and ASrock all have great value "gaming" series motherboards with Z97 chipsets and SLI support in the ~$120-180 range that are very nice. I know this is going to sound shallow, but you could almost shop this category based on color preferences and come out just fine, they are all pretty nice boards. So, do you have a color preference?

2. Noctua, Silverstone, Phanteks, Thermalright, just to name a few.

3. Seasonic and SuperFlower are arguably the leading OEMs in high value high quality PSU's at this time. You can find these sold under many brands (including their own names). An EVGA G2 series, Rosewill Capstone, XFX TS, or Antec TPC series would all be good choices. If you can spring for a little nicer the Antec HCP-750 made by Delta is supurb.

4. 240GB+

5. Corsair RAM is good quality stuff, but the vengeance DIMM"s have those insanely tall heatinks on them (which are completely unnecessary), they will conflict (attempt to occupy the same physical space) with a heatpipe heatink for your CPU. Consider Crucial Ballistix Tactical if you like Yellow

I took your advice and updated my build plans. I also added prices so you guys can look at that and hopefully lead me to a lower price. I still need a good GPU. I would like to have 2 of them or is that overkill? I want to run games like NBA 2K15, Battlefield 4 & Need for Speed, etc..

CPU- Intel Core i5-4690K Devil's Canyon Quad-Core 3.5GHz LGA 1150 Desktop Processor BX80646I54690K ($235 - Newegg)

Motherboard (MOBO)- MSI Z97 MPOWER Max AC LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard ($250 - Newegg)

RAM (Memory)- Crucial 8GB DDR3 1600(PC3-12800)Ballistix Tactical ($70 - Newegg)

Heatsink Fan (HSF)- Phanteks PH-TC12LS CPU Cooler ($42 - Newegg)

Hard Drive (HDD)- WD Blue 1 TB Desktop Hard Drive: 3.5 Inch, 7200 RPM ($170 - Newegg)

Solid State Drive (SSD)- Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5-Inch SSD ($133 - Amazon)

Power Supply (PSU)- Antec HCP-750 Platinum 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified Power Supply ($130 - Newegg)

GPU- ???

Disk Drive- Plextor PX-891SAW ($30 - Amazon)

Case- Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Arctic White Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ($120 - Newegg)

If you're playing on 1080p then SLI GPU's would be overkill and you'd be better off with a single 970 or 290X. If you're playing on triple monitors or 1440p/4k then SLI/Crossfire will benefit you. I'd go for a cheaper mobo like the Asus Z97-A, saves you $100, get a cheaper HDD such as the Seagate barracuda 1tb which is about $50, get a $15 optical drive doesn't matter what brand just cheap. If you're going for a single GPU build go for a cheaper PSU such as an XFX 550W.

 

[TheWolfKiD_]

If you're playing on 1080p then SLI GPU's would be overkill and you'd be better off with a single 970 or 290X. If you're playing on triple monitors or 1440p/4k then SLI/Crossfire will benefit you. I'd go for a cheaper mobo like the Asus Z97-A, saves you $100, get a cheaper HDD such as the Seagate barracuda 1tb which is about $50, get a $15 optical drive doesn't matter what brand just cheap. If you're going for a single GPU build go for a cheaper PSU such as an XFX 550W.

What if I'm planning to use one 4k monitor in the future, would I benefit from SLI GPU's? I'm looking for upgrade-ability. Maybe run SLI CPU's & SLI GPU's once games become even more resource hogs lol.

EDIT: I made a list on PCpartpickers and found some parts cheaper than I had originally listed. Also, I got kind of set with that MOBO because of the BIOS, wifi/bluetooth capabilities and the various knick-knacks they have to make the whole experience easy. I changed the PSU to the one you recommended. Will that PSU hold up in the future if I decide to upgrade to SLI CPU's and/or SLI GPU's?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC12LS_BK 53.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97 MPOWER MAX AC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($202.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($66.48 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair Vengeance C70 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX XTR 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($66.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B3ST/BLK/G/AS DVD/CD Writer ($22.29 @ OutletPC)
Total: $810.45

 

[mdocod]

If you want headroom for an SLI upgrade path stick with the 750W size PSU.

 

[qwerty987123]

This would be my recommendation as it provides the power to run all current games, upgradeability as you could add another gpu for sli without changing anything else as well as good value. Also you can't sli cpu's, sli is refering to using multiple nvidia gpu's in one setup and i believe the only computers with multiple cpu's are servers i might be wrong but either way there would be no value in using 2 cpu's in a pc. Finally if you want me to explain why i chose any of my parts over the ones you selected please ask.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7HGG6h
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7HGG6h/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($60.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($118.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($347.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair Vengeance C70 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1207.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-26 11:54 EST-0500

 

[TheWolfKiD_]

If you want headroom for an SLI upgrade path stick with the 750W size PSU.

Copy that. Thanks for all your help

This would be my recommendation as it provides the power to run all current games, upgradeability as you could add another gpu for sli without changing anything else as well as good value. Also you can't sli cpu's, sli is refering to using multiple nvidia gpu's in one setup and i believe the only computers with multiple cpu's are servers i might be wrong but either way there would be no value in using 2 cpu's in a pc. Finally if you want me to explain why i chose any of my parts over the ones you selected please ask.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7HGG6h
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7HGG6h/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($60.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($118.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($347.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair Vengeance C70 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1207.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-26 11:54 EST-0500

I went through your build and this is what I have to say

1. What are the benefits of using the Noctua rather than the Phanteks CPU cooler? I'm sort of picky when it comes to colors and how they blend in the case and the color of the Noctua doesn't appeal to me, But don't get me wrong, if the functionality trumps the looks, I'm all for it.

2. In regards to the MOBO, I'm looking for one with wifi/bluetooth capabilities. Did you choose yours over mine because of better value for the price or does it have better functionality?

3. Now on to the memory, I prefer low-profile. any other suggestions besides Ripjaws?

4. GPU seems legit, but like I said before, the color is sort of a factor. Any other suggestions that might have more neutral colors?

5. PSU, the one you selected is cheaper than the previous 750W that I selected (Antec HCP-750 Platinum 750W), now, any functional differences between the two?

6. Optical drive, I need something that can burn multiple CD's & DVD's back to back with very low chance of making coasters. Will that LG hold up to that?

Sorry for asking so many questions but I'm trying to make a legit list and solidify it before I start buying. Thanks for the help.

 

[qwerty987123]

1. if you are bothered about aesthetics then stick with the phanteks as they make good coolers

2. I picked this mobo because it is very good and over $60 cheaper despite not having wifi/bluetooth but these can be added with a dongle or card for considerably less than $30 each

3. Corsair vengeance lp which is available in black

4. https://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvn970wf3oc4gd or this one https://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-strixgtx970dc2oc4gd5

5. The only difference is the antec is platinum and $50 more rather than gold. They are bother tier 1 psu's, fully modular and 750w which are the important features

6. i believe any cheap optical drive will but optical drives is something i don't know much about so im not going to try and blag a proper answer

 

[qwerty987123]

here is a build with subtlety in mind

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/GmdmK8
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/GmdmK8/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC12LS_BK 53.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($137.94 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($118.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($329.00 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair Vengeance C70 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer ($11.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1181.50
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-27 09:51 EST-0500

 

[qwerty987123]

just noticed in the name the lg say dvd/cd writer so it should be able to burn them

 

[TheWolfKiD_]

here is a build with subtlety in mind

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/GmdmK8
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/GmdmK8/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC12LS_BK 53.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($137.94 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($118.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($329.00 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair Vengeance C70 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer ($11.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1181.50
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-27 09:51 EST-0500

I've taken your selections into consideration and have come up with this. I still have further questions though.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VgnLK8
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VgnLK8/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC12LS_BK 53.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97 MPOWER MAX AC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($203.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($118.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($66.48 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($329.00 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair Vengeance C70 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX XTR 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($66.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B3ST/BLK/G/AS DVD/CD Writer ($22.29 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1254.44

I still have the MSI MPOWER selected because I really fell in love with that MOBO. But I'm still taking the Asus MOBO into consideration for the fact that they are more inexpensive, reliable and functional, in case money starts getting tight. Thanks for pointing out the Corsair LP memory, you can't go wrong with black! I selected the the Asus GPU since its the one you selected over the Gigabyte choice. Now, I would like to know why you picked out a EVGA PSU over the previously recommended XFX XTR PSU. First thing I noticed was that the EVGA is more expensive. I've also stuck to the Asus optical drive based on reviews I've read over the LG.

Now, how necessary is it for me to buy additional fans for the case? If so, how many? What kind of thermal compound is the most efficient?

 

[qwerty987123]

I chose the evga as it means you would be able to upgrade to sli without having to change your psu. I don't believe you need more case fans as the case comes with 3 which I would use putting 2 intakes at the front and one rear exhaust. Finally I believe the phanteks cooler should come with thermal compound as most aftermarket coolers do which would be enough.

 

[TheWolfKiD_]

I chose the evga as it means you would be able to upgrade to sli without having to change your psu. I don't believe you need more case fans as the case comes with 3 which I would use putting 2 intakes at the front and one rear exhaust. Finally I believe the phanteks cooler should come with thermal compound as most aftermarket coolers do which would be enough.

Great, thanks for your input!

 

[TheWolfKiD_]

This is the final draft of my build. If you have an opinion, please feel free to express it. I'm very open-minded to change parts around as long as you tell me why you prefer your selection over the already existing selection. Also, I would like to get some sort of conformation that this is a quality build.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Y4RqXL
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Y4RqXL/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC12LS_BK 53.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($36.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97 MPOWER MAX AC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($223.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($119.95 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($66.48 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($328.99 @ Directron)
Case: Corsair Vengeance C70 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($105.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B3ST/BLK/G/AS DVD/CD Writer ($22.29 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1299.41