Nearly finished! Need a few parts to finish off my build

[davidbenpark]

I've decided on some core parts for my build, and narrowed some other parts down based on my requirements. Please help me fill out the remaining parts by choosing from my shortlists (or adding your own if you think there is a better option).

PC uses are very heavy Illustrator/Photoshop, gaming (but I'm not an FPS freak), lots of apps open at once on two 1920 monitors.

I'm aiming for around £1,100, but a tiny bit over would be ok.

Decided:
CPU: Intel Core i7 4790
GPU: MSI GTX 970 GAMING Twin Frozr 5
SSD: Samsung 840 Series Pro

Which CPU cooler should I get? So far I've been looking at Hyper 212 EVO (120mm), Hyper 412s Tower Cooler or maybe a Seidon 120. I won't be overclocking here so maybe these cheaper options are justified?

Which Mobo should I get? I think the Z97 chipset is the best option, so I was looking at the msi gaming 5. My big priority here is accommodating fast RAM and as much USB 3.0 action as possible - I attach a lot of devices that require it. I'd like to save here if I can, so anything around £80/$120 would be perfect.

Which RAM should I get? I'm getting 16GB but it's between Vengeance or Ripjaws. I'm leaning toward Vengeance because the Ripjaws has a higher than recommended voltage for my CPU (1.5V max recommended). Also, I've been specifically looking at 1866mhz CAS 9-10-9-27 Vengeance. Good choice?

Which PSU should I get? I think 700-750W would be best. I want to save money here if I can, so anything under £80/$120 would be ideal. I've been tempted to go for Corsair cx750m, but this is a Tier 3 PSU so might be a false economy.

Which HDD should I get? I'll most likely go for a 1TB WD Black Caviar, but suggestions for something a bit faster would be appreciated

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[tiny voices]

You do not need a cooler unless you have the K version of the CPU. The stock cooler is fine for you. AT MOST I would get a 212 EVO. NOTHING more.

Get an H97 board as you are not overclocking. You will get more features on a nice H97 board than a stripper/cheap Z97 board.

All RAM is really the same quality. Get whatever is cheapest. RAM speed really won;t affect anything in your build. That 1866 RAM is fine.

DO NOT buy the CX750. It is not good. Get an XFX650. MUCH better and higher quality unit.

I would get a Blue not a Black HDD. The difference in speed is nonexistent. Seriously even a 5400rpm drive will feel identical.

 

[ImDaBaron]

212 Evo will just fine

Just get a H97 if your not overclocking

I would go with Ripjaws

Do not go with the CX series. Get a Seasonic,EVGA(B2 750W) or XFX power supply

I would go with Seagate. Had some really bad experiences with Western Digital.

 

[NightAntilli]

Hyper 212 EVO is the best bang for buck air cooler. I have it too.

Asus Z97-A for motherboard. Don't save too much on your motherboard. Better to invest a bit more now than having to buy another one in 18 months. An H97-PLUS is also an option.

Difference between RAM speeds in negligible. Go for the cheapest you can get, at 1600mhz. Watch this.

PSU I'd suggest the EVGA SuperNOVA G2 750W. Doesn't get much better than that.

If you want a bit more speed without investing in an SSD, go for a hybrid drive, also known as SSHDs. The seagate 1TB hybrid can be found for around ~$80.

 

[tiny voices]

I personally do not like SSHDs. In my experience they are NO faster than a normal HDD at all.

 

[davidbenpark]

You do not need a cooler unless you have the K version of the CPU. The stock cooler is fine for you. AT MOST I would get a 212 EVO. NOTHING more.

Get an H97 board as you are not overclocking. You will get more features on a nice H97 board than a stripper/cheap Z97 board.

All RAM is really the same quality. Get whatever is cheapest. RAM speed really won;t affect anything in your build. That 1866 RAM is fine.

DO NOT buy the CX750. It is not good. Get an XFX650. MUCH better and higher quality unit.

I would get a Blue not a Black HDD. The difference in speed is nonexistent. Seriously even a 5400rpm drive will feel identical.

Awesome feedback - that really helped a lot.

Regarding the PSU, is the XFX 650W XXX the right model (http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-Edition-Bronze-Semi-Modular-Supply/dp/B008O50WKG/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1412281414&sr=1-1&keywords=XFX650)?

The MOBO is the only thing I'm a bit stuck on. What are the key differences to look out for?

 

[ImDaBaron]

^^ The H series you cant overclock and is usually a little bit cheaper. I'm a pretty big fan of Asus. They make plenty of quality motherboards.

 

[NightAntilli]

My SSHD works great I notice a difference, especially during booting up. Also when opening my browser with a lot of tabs open.

 

[tiny voices]

That PSU is VERY good.

Honestly with the motherboard there are not really many things to worry about. I would go for an ATX, not mATX H97 board from MSI, ASUS, Gigabyte, ASRock for your build. Any one you select will have all the features you want/need.

 

[ImDaBaron]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-P1-650G-TS3X-Series-Supply-Cables/dp/B00I64OYM2/ref=sr_1_8?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1412281725&sr=1-8&keywords=XFX650

I think this is the newer version of the XFX power supply. They are both very good but just giving you some options.

 

[davidbenpark]

Awesome feedback. This site is amazing.

So I've got a good shortlist to work with for the outstanding parts:

MOBO:
ASUS H97-PLUS - £80
Asus Z97-A - £107

PSU:
EVGA SuperNOVA G2 750W - £90
EVGA Supernova 750w B2 - £66
XFX 650W - £63
XFX P1-650G-TS3X - £73

HDD: I'll look into the HDD vs SSHD thing a bit more but it's a straight shootout between two similarly priced products now so that's a big help.

I'll probably go for H97-Plus for mobo, and the SuperNOVA G2 750W (Tier 1!) for PSU.

Any last thoughts before I hit buy

 

[tiny voices]

Grab the H97 board.

For the PSU get the cheaper CFC or the EVGA B2. Any are good options though.

If you have an SSd for the OS, An SSHD is pointless. Get a normal HDD.

 

[ImDaBaron]

Agree with all of Tiny's points. The SSHD is 100 percent pointless when you already have a SSD. The B2 is very high on the PSU list. Was just reading about how well made it was today. Very well put together for the price.

 

[tiny voices]

It is a VERY good PSU for the money and is actually underrated from the factory.

 

[ImDaBaron]

Right if I remember correctly it should have been rated higher than Bronze

 

[davidbenpark]

212 Evo will just fine

Just get a H97 if your not overclocking

I would go with Ripjaws

Do not go with the CX series. Get a Seasonic,EVGA(B2 750W) or XFX power supply

I would go with Seagate. Had some really bad experiences with Western Digital.

Agree with all of Tiny's points. The SSHD is 100 percent pointless when you already have a SSD. The B2 is very high on the PSU list. Was just reading about how well made it was today. Very well put together for the price.

Yeah that sounds good - the B2 might be a better option and save me some money.

On the HDD front, I'm actually thinking about just adding a second SSD (I already have one from a previous build for the OS). I store my movies and work archive on a separate HTPC so I don't need as much space. A 128GB SSD for OS and 512GB SDD for files might do the trick. Is it madness to spend an extra £100 on a second SSD with half the space?

My current slow HDD is the bane of my life because I do a huge amount of work in Adobe software on my PC. Does that make a difference?

 

[ImDaBaron]

I mean it's not really necessary to be honest with you. I would just get the bigger HDD drive. You already have the SSD for fast boot time ect.

 

[davidbenpark]

Awesome - thanks for the feedback. I gave the solution to tiny voices because he got in there first. You both saved me hours of headaches!

 

[tiny voices]

For games it would be 100% stupid to use an SSD.

Adobe is MUCH faster on an SSd. I recommend putting it on the SSd with the OS and then keeping the games and file son a normal HHD