First PC Build

[Minithril]

Recently I've started saving money to build my first and very own PC. I've done some research on a *few* things and I want you guys and gals to review what I'm about to list. But, as the the forum rules state, here are a few details!

I'll be using this PC to mostly game, maybe I'll make a video or two who knows, web browse, and to watch YouTube. Nothing special.

I'll be buying all of the parts off of Amazon, as I have a Prime account.

Just as a personal preference, please try to say something actually constructive, I've been on other forums and I'm tired of seeing people glance at whatever build is being described and say something along the lines of "You could build something a lot better with that price". This just rubs me the wrong way for whatever reason.

Without further delay, here it is:

CPU: Intel i5 4690k

Motherboard: MSI Gaming 5

RAM: Kingston HyperX Red DDR3 CL9 2x4GB set

GPU: EVGA GTX GeForce 750Ti 2GB DDR5

Storage I: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB SSD

Storage II: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB HDD

Wireless Card: TP-Link TL-WDN4800

Power Supply: EVGA 80+ Bronze 430W

Case: Corsair Obsidian 450D

Optical Drive Asus Optical Drive

EDIT: Windows 7!

I think I have everything the goes into the case there. More on that later!

Peripherals!

Mouse: Razer Abyssus

Mouse Pad: Steel Series Qwk

Keyboard: Logitech G710+

This is what I've put together, but I have questions.

Is there a case for around the same price, that doesn't look atrocious (like the NZXT phantom), and has the same features as the 450D.

Any suggestions on a good aftermarket CPU cooler?

Any suggestions on RAM?

Is the Wireless card a good one?

Any critiques, or question, and I'd be happy to respond or answer accordingly!

I think I've put together a decent computer that a can definitely upgrade in the future when I need to!

[DenzelFenzel]

why not get a board with WiFI built on Like the MSI Gaming 9 AC. as for a cooler maybe get a Corsair H80i or a Kraken X41 or something they should allow you to overclock the cpu. but if you want a good air cooler which can preform or even out preform a liquid cooler then bequiet Dark Rock 3 Pro, or Noctua NH-D15 Air Coolers are really good and far more quieter than the Closed Loop Liquid Cooler. 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($229.99 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97-Gaming 9 AC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($299.99 @ Amazon) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($86.94 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($79.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($53.99 @ Amazon) 

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card  ($159.99 @ Amazon) 

Case: Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case  ($119.99 @ Amazon) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($69.99 @ Amazon) 

Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer  ($20.39 @ Amazon) 

Total: $1121.26

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-20 01:06 EDT-0400

 

Accidentally Had the prices at other stores.

Edited October 20, 2014 by DenzelFenzel

[Hatsune Miku 「 」]

 

why not get a board with WiFI built on Like the MSI Gaming 9 AC. as for a cooler maybe get a Corsair H80i or a Kraken X41 or something they should allow you to overclock the cpu. but if you want a good air cooler bequiet Dark Rock 3 Pro, or Noctua Air Coolers are good.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($219.98 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97-Gaming 9 AC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($259.98 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($74.70 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($79.98 @ OutletPC) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($53.98 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card  ($147.98 @ Newegg) 

Case: Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case  ($109.99 @ Newegg) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($49.99 @ Newegg) 

Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer  ($16.99 @ Newegg) 

Total: $1013.57

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-20 00:46 EDT-0400

 

Wifi on boards are generally not well incorporated though I could be wrong. I'd go with gigabit ethernet.

[DenzelFenzel]

Wifi on boards are generally not well incorporated though I could be wrong. I'd go with gigabit ethernet.

I'm using an Asus Maximus VI Impact and the WiFi is actually pretty good. Afterall its WiFi AC, and its removes the need of an add in card for WiFi, some of which look fairly bad

[Captain_WD]

Recently I've started saving money to build my first and very own PC. I've done some research on a *few* things and I want you guys and gals to review what I'm about to list. But, as the the forum rules state, here are a few details!

I'll be using this PC to mostly game, maybe I'll make a video or two who knows, web browse, and to watch YouTube. Nothing special.

I'll be buying all of the parts off of Amazon, as I have a Prime account.

Just as a personal preference, please try to say something actually constructive, I've been on other forums and I'm tired of seeing people glance at whatever build is being described and say something along the lines of "You could build something a lot better with that price". This just rubs me the wrong way for whatever reason.

Without further delay, here it is:

CPU: Intel i5 4690k

Motherboard: MSI Gaming 5

RAM: Kingston HyperX Red DDR3 CL9 2x4GB set

GPU: EVGA GTX GeForce 750Ti 2GB DDR5

Storage I: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB SSD

Storage II: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB HDD

Wireless Card: TP-Link TL-WDN4800

Power Supply: EVGA 80+ Bronze 430W

Case: Corsair Obsidian 450D

Optical Drive Asus Optical Drive

I think I have everything the goes into the case there. More on that later!

Peripherals!

Mouse: Razer Abyssus

Mouse Pad: Steel Series Qwk

Keyboard: Logitech G710+

This is what I've put together, but I have questions.

Is there a case for around the same price, that doesn't look atrocious (like the NZXT phantom), and has the same features as the 450D.

Any suggestions on a good aftermarket CPU cooler?

Any suggestions on RAM?

Is the Wireless card a good one?

Any critiques, or question, and I'd be happy to respond or answer accordingly!

I think I've put together a decent computer that a can definitely upgrade in the future when I need to!

 

 

Hey there Minithril and welcome to Linus Tech Tips

 

A budget would be good as well as if you plan on upgrading the build on a later stage.

What games, fps and settings are you aiming at? Are you trying to make that future-proof or just a regular gaming build for current games?

 

Your build looks ready so far and it looks good. I would just take a custom CPU Cooler (one of the ones that @DenzelFenzel mentioned) and check out other PSUs that are higher-rated (maybe gold?) and would think of how much wattage would you need for the future upgrades). I'd say a good 500W Gold-Certified would give you lots of room for overclocking, upgrading and could last you through more future builds. Moreover, your parts would be thanksful to you for a semi or full modular PSU.

 

If you decide you want to upgrade little by little, I would say you could drop the SSD for now as well as the WiFi card (you can add them later on as gaming relies on storage only for loading times and does not affect fps or graphics in any way and WD Blue is more than enough to support all your games, OS and other programs until you get that SSD), get a board with a built-in WiFi and with the saved money go for GTX 970 or some other of the class. The GPU should be the priority when it comes to gaming and with adequate cooling, none of your other parts would bottle-neck it. Another option that you have is to go with a single 8GB stick for RAM and later on add another one for the dual-channel support, although I doubt you'd need more than 8GB for gaming so it is your call.

 

Hope this helps

 

Captain_WD.

[Mistersprinkles]

 

why not get a board with WiFI built on Like the MSI Gaming 9 AC. as for a cooler maybe get a Corsair H80i or a Kraken X41 or something they should allow you to overclock the cpu. but if you want a good air cooler which can preform or even out preform a liquid cooler then bequiet Dark Rock 3 Pro, or Noctua NH-D15 Air Coolers are really good and far more quieter than the Closed Loop Liquid Cooler. 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($229.99 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97-Gaming 9 AC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($299.99 @ Amazon) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($86.94 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($79.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($53.99 @ Amazon) 

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card  ($159.99 @ Amazon) 

Case: Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case  ($119.99 @ Amazon) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($69.99 @ Amazon) 

Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer  ($20.39 @ Amazon) 

Total: $1121.26

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-20 01:06 EDT-0400

 

Accidentally Had the prices at other stores.

 

Worst advice EVER. You want a guy to spend $300 on a board in a $1000 budget? You can fit a GTX 970 and a 4690 (non K) into a $1000 budget and you want this guy to spend $300 on a mobo? Just so he can get built in Wifi? When good Intel Centrino addin cards start at $30? Are you high on crack?

[DenzelFenzel]

Worst advice EVER. You want a guy to spend $300 on a board in a $1000 budget? You can fit a GTX 970 and a 4690 (non K) into a $1000 budget and you want this guy to spend $300 on a mobo? Just so he can get built in Wifi? When good Intel Centrino addin cards start at $30? Are you high on crack?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($229.99 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($134.99 @ Amazon) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($86.94 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($79.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($53.99 @ Amazon) 

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card  ($159.99 @ Amazon) 

Case: Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case  ($119.99 @ Amazon) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($69.99 @ Amazon) 

Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer  ($20.59 @ Amazon) 

Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter  ($32.22 @ Amazon) 

Total: $988.68

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-20 02:58 EDT-0400

 

You Happy Now...

[Mistersprinkles]

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($229.99 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($134.99 @ Amazon) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($86.94 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($79.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($53.99 @ Amazon) 

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card  ($159.99 @ Amazon) 

Case: Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case  ($119.99 @ Amazon) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($69.99 @ Amazon) 

Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer  ($20.59 @ Amazon) 

Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter  ($32.22 @ Amazon) 

Total: $988.68

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-20 02:58 EDT-0400

 

You Happy Now...

 

 

No.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/mistersprinkles/saved/BmCCmG

 

Now I'm happy.

[brob]

What is the model number of the EVGA 430W 80+ Bronze psu?

 

Cases similar to the 450D include the Fractal Design Define R4 and Arc Midi R2. The Fractal Design Core 3500 is less expensive but quite nice. The Phanteks Enthoo Pro is a full tower with some nice features and in the same price range.

 

You need to define what you mean by "good" when asking about a cpu cooler. Noctua NH-D15 and NH-D14 are very good air tower style coolers. The Corsair H100i and Kraken X61 are good AIO coolers. An AIO would be better if you want to push the overclocking and/or are using a windowed case and want to show off the motherboard. An air tower cooler tends to be quieter while still offering good overclocking.

 

The GTX 750 Ti out of place in this "gaming" build. I expected something like a GTX 770 or even a GTX 970.

[Demons Wrath]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($199.99 @ Micro Center) 

CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS10X OPTIMA CPU Cooler  ($21.99 @ Newegg) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97-G55 SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($116.99 @ Amazon) 

Memory: Team Zeus Red 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($68.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: PNY Optima 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($79.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($53.98 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 290 4GB TWIN FROZR Video Card  ($250.75 @ Newegg) 

Case: Corsair SPEC-03 Red ATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.99 @ Newegg) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($44.99 @ NCIX US) 

Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer  ($13.99 @ Newegg) 

Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter  ($32.22 @ Amazon) 

Case Fan: LEPA Vortex 12 PWM 63.9 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($1.99 @ NCIX US) 

Case Fan: LEPA Vortex 12 PWM 63.9 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($1.99 @ NCIX US) 

Total: $927.85

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-20 04:56 EDT-0400

 

240gb SSD, R9 290 (don't hate, it's $250!). This is a solid build, and none too expensive either. 

[Minithril]

The GTX 750 Ti out of place in this "gaming" build. I expected something like a GTX 770 or even a GTX 970.

Hey, thanks for posting, and to everyone who did!

There are three reasons why I didn't get another card.

1. I told my grandmother I was going to build a computer and she then promptly bought a graphics card on sale... Ya.

2. I did my research and found that it's a very good card for the money, for the games I'm going to play ( The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Battlefield, Crysis on medium settings) it shouldn't have a problem having a decent framerate of around 30+ fps. It wasn't worth it to just do nothing with it. Which brings me to my third point.

3. I don't have infinite monies. Those are a $300 and $350 graphics cards.

Another point, what's with the quotation marks? Is there something wrong with the GTX 750Ti?

Worst advice EVER. You want a guy to spend $300 on a board in a $1000 budget? You can fit a GTX 970 and a 4690 (non K) into a $1000 budget and you want this guy to spend $300 on a mobo? Just so he can get built in Wifi? When good Intel Centrino addin cards start at $30? Are you high on crack?

Don't worry, I pondered getting a motherboard with integrating WiFi, but I just trust a dedicated WiFi card more, even if they can look unsightly.

What is the model number of the EVGA 430W 80+ Bronze psu?

Cases similar to the 450D include the Fractal Design Define R4 and Arc Midi R2. The Fractal Design Core 3500 is less expensive but quite nice. The Phanteks Enthoo Pro is a full tower with some nice features and in the same price range.

You need to define what you mean by "good" when asking about a cpu cooler. Noctua NH-D15 and NH-D14 are very good air tower style coolers. The Corsair H100i and Kraken X61 are good AIO coolers. An AIO would be better if you want to push the overclocking and/or are using a windowed case and want to show off the motherboard. An air tower cooler tends to be quieter while still offering good overclocking.

Should've thought out this response better, but to you're first point: I'd have to find out, I don't know off the top of my head.

The Enthoo Pro looks... Off, to me at least, the rounded edges are weird. I was looking at the Define R4, but not the Arc Midi R2, I'll give those a look!

As for the cooler, I don't know anything about them, which is why I asked, I should've expressed what I was looking for, which was my fault. But I'll look into the ones you've given!

Edit: Brown fans are not very pretty, can those be switched? And is the noise difference unsubstantial from a water cooler to an aircooler?

[brob]

Hey, thanks for posting, and to everyone who did!

There are three reasons why I didn't get another card.

1. I told my grandmother I was going to build a computer and she then promptly bought a graphics card on sale... Ya.

2. I did my research and found that it's a very good card for the money, for the games I'm going to play ( The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Battlefield, Crysis on medium settings) it shouldn't have a problem having a decent framerate of around 30+ fps. It wasn't worth it to just do nothing with it. Which brings me to my third point.

3. I don't have infinite monies. Those are a $300 and $350 graphics cards.

Another point, what's with the quotation marks? Is there something wrong with the GTX 750Ti?

...

 Should've thought out this response better, but to you're first point: I'd have to find out, I don't know off the top of my head.

...

 

The 750 Ti is a very good card. It simply is not that powerful. I would describe it as an entry level gaming card. I am sure you will get good use out of the card.

 

The reason I was asking about the model number of the psu is that the only 430W EVGA psu I know of is an older model 80+ psu.

[MasterRaceFanBoy]

wait lol why is every1 keep the 750 ti in the build?! is he planning on mining? seriously?

[Minithril]

wait lol why is every1 keep the 750 ti in the build?! is he planning on mining? seriously?

Did you even read the posts?

Edit: I was going to ask "What's mining?", but then I remembered the bitcoin craze. No, I'm not mining, I'm gaming with it.

[Minithril]

The reason I was asking about the model number of the psu is that the only 430W EVGA psu I know of is an older model 80+ psu.

I believe that this is the model number:

100-W1-0430-KR

[watts300]

Is there a case for around the same price, that doesn't look atrocious (like the NZXT phantom), and has the same features as the 450D.

 

 

I'm exceedingly fond of the NZXT H440.      ...So much so that I bought one.  

 

It's quiet.  It has plenty of space for fans (and comes with a few already).  The hard drive trays are spread out.  It has a nifty platform for two 2.5" drives (typically SSD).   In-take fan filters.   And the feet seem to be taller than other cases (good for the power supply).   All of the outside-case screws are thumbscrews, and they all stay in the screw-holes when they're loosened so you don't lose them.  And there's no unsightly optical drive bay.  Optical discs are dead/dying technology; you don't need one.

[Minithril]

I'm exceedingly fond of the NZXT H440.      ...So much so that I bought one.  

 

It's quiet.  It has plenty of space for fans (and comes with a few already).  The hard drive trays are spread out.  It has a nifty platform for two 2.5" drives (typically SSD).   In-take fan filters.   And the feet seem to be taller than other cases (good for the power supply).   All of the outside-case screws are thumbscrews, and they all stay in the screw-holes when they're loosened so you don't lose them.  And there's no unsightly optical drive bay.  Optical discs are dead/dying technology; you don't need one.

Thank you for the suggestion!

I've taken a quick look at the H440 and it just isn't as esthetically pleasing to me as I'd like to to be, I guess it's something about rounded edges and PCs that don't mix with me.

As for optical disks/drives...

How am I supposed to download Windows (something I forgot to mention in this build I might add!) onto the machine? I plan to download that and a few games into my PC from it, then promptly remove it to revitalize the clean edges.

[brob]

I believe that this is the model number:

100-W1-0430-KR

 

That is an 80+ psu, not 80+ Bronze. I would suggest the Corsair CX-430M instead.

[watts300]

As for optical disks/drives...

How am I supposed to download Windows (something I forgot to mention in this build I might add!) onto the machine? I plan to download that and a few games into my PC from it, then promptly remove it to revitalize the clean edges.

USB flash. You can load the Windows installer to a flash drive, then just boot to it just as you would a DVD.

Or if you must, a USB optical drive. They also are cheap. Not as cheap as internal, but you wouldn't need to "settle" on a case that has drive bays if you really didn't want them. You could toss it into the closet when you're done.

[Minithril]

That is an 80+ psu, not 80+ Bronze. I would suggest the Corsair CX-430M instead.

Alright, I took a look at the power supply and decided against using it. But I wanted to get a power supply I could also use longer for future upgrades. Could you recommend a PSU around 650W?

[brob]

EVGA 220-G2-0750-XR

Alright, I took a look at the power supply and decided against using it. But I wanted to get a power supply I could also use longer for future upgrades. Could you recommend a PSU around 650W?

 

SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze

SeaSonic SSR-650RM

XFX P1-650B-BEFX

best value - EVGA 220-G2-0750-XR