Tips and Advice for building 1st ever Gaming PC

[GeniusByDesign]

For starters, here are the parts that I ordered for my PC. It will take about a week for me to get all the parts, so I wanted to make sure I had all the knowledge I needed before the parts arrive.

Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor

Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler

Asus P8Z77-V PRO ATX LGA1155 Motherboard

Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory


Corsair Neutron Series GTX 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk

Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive


VisionTek Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card

Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case


Thermaltake Smart M 850W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V
Power Supply

Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer


Microsoft Windows 8 Professional (OEM) (64-bit)



I really need advice on an ideal setup for cooling with the 400r( e.g. do I need more fans or do I need to replace a stock fan on the case).

I will mainly be using this PC to play games on a single 1080p monitor. I want to be able to apply a fairly good overclock while keeping the PC cool. I'm not sure if I would need extra fans under these circumstances or not. What is a good setup where I would not have to be concerned with overheating?

 

[tiny voices]

I wish you would have asked for some advice before you ordered. There are a few things that should have been changed.

As for cooling, the stock fan arrangement in the 400r will be perfectly fine.

 

[GeniusByDesign]

I can cancel and order your recommendations if its worth it. What would you change?

 

[tiny voices]

The PSU is overkill and thermaltake isn't a good brand. 600w will be more than enough and it should be from Antec, XFX, Corsair, Seasonic.

That SSD should be replaced with a Crucial M4 or Samsung 840 RPO or OCZ Vertex 4.

That motherboard is overkill.

Also, I would recommend a sapphire or gigabyte 7950 because they will run cooler and quieter.

A good air cooler will be just as good as that closed loop cooler. It will also make less noise and not take up fan space with the radiator.

 

[GeniusByDesign]

Of all those, I probably will only be able to change the SSD. I am also ordering these parts through Bestbuy because I'm using their credit card so I'm kind of limited by their selections.

 

[tiny voices]

I see. The PSU should be alright because all your system needs really is 500w (max, ever). Even though it isn't a great PSU, it won't be stressed and should be alright.

The GPU is fine. It just will be a few degrees hotter and a bit louder than other brands. Not a bit deal though.

 

[GeniusByDesign]

Another thing, what can I add to make the the rig look pretty 🙂 Are fans with LED responsible for lighting. What can I buy that solely enhances the inside lighting.

 

[truprecht]

I have a very similar set up - the same CPU/MB combo with an MSI 7950 and an older Corsair H50 cooler. IMO, the best thing about the MB is that it has 5 4-pin fan headers, which allows for PWM-controlled case fans. You can use the Asus FanXPert software to set temp/power curves for each fan - i.e. when the CPU hits 40c, increase the fan speed, when it hits 55, increase some more, when it hits 65, set all fans to 100%, etc. That lets you strike your own balance between cool/quiet... which you'll want with the 100i. (I think the 100i has it's own fan controller SW as well - it might work better than the Asus)

My advice is to put it together, OC it, and see how hot and loud it is. The 100i will give you all the cooling you need - it's just a matter of how much fan noise you can stand. I don't like too much noise, so I have my 3570k running at 4.2Ghz, which increases the temps 10-15c over stock but isn't so hot the fans ever go past 75%.

 

[GeniusByDesign]

Ok then. The hardest part is waiting for the parts! I am pulling my hair out from the anticipation. Do you have the same case too?

 

[truprecht]

Ok then. The hardest part is waiting for the parts! I am pulling my hair out from the anticipation. Do you have the same case too?

No - I have a Lian Li PC-9F. No place for a H100 without removing the drive cage.

 

[truprecht]

"That SSD should be replaced with a Crucial M4 or Samsung 840 RPO or OCZ Vertex 4."

That's a strong assertion - what's your reasoning? The reviews I've read puts the Neutron GTX at about the same performance tier as the 840 and Vertex 4, and better than the M4. It also has very solid reviews on Newegg, and Corsair has significantly better support than OCZ or Samsung should there be a problem.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6428/corsair-neutron-neutron-gtx-all-capacities-tested/8

"That motherboard is overkill."

I have this MB, and I agree with you. I do like all the 4-pin fan headers, but I wouldn't spend so much on a MB again. For all practical purposes the P8Z77-V has the same features and costs $70 less. I think there was some feature I thought was worth the extra $ at the time, but it turned out not to be.

 

[coolguy12]

Another thing, what can I add to make the the rig look pretty 🙂 Are fans with LED responsible for lighting. What can I buy that solely enhances the inside lighting.[/quotemsg

You can always add some flowers to your rig to make them look pretty 😀 pluck some roses and orchids

 

[GeniusByDesign]

Another thing, what can I add to make the the rig look pretty 🙂 Are fans with LED responsible for lighting. What can I buy that solely enhances the inside lighting.[/quotemsg

You can always add some flowers to your rig to make them look pretty 😀 pluck some roses and orchids

On the outside or the inside? I would think flowers would block the circula....oh you meant that as sarcasm