Building my first (personal) desktop

dropbear · November 22, 2014

Hey guys, I am looking at saving up for my first DIY desktop, I've built one for a friend before (waddup @Darth Hideous ) and it seemed pretty simple. The cost of the parts I would like to get goes up to just over AUD$1600 and I'd like to get you guys thoughts. See the attached pic for all the parts. I've gone for 16GB of RAM because I do a lot of work using VM's and I went for 3x2TB HDD's that I will be putting into a software RAID 5, I also put in a 760 for when I do a bit of gaming, if you've got any other questions on my choice of parts, just ask, and please fell free to tell me what parts I should replace with what. my maximum budget would probably be about AUD$1800. Keep in mind, the quieter the build, the better.

Cheers in advance for your help,

DropBear

OriginalPromise · November 22, 2014

Can we use PCPartPicker instead?

Also, why get a 760?

Get something like a R9 290.

prolemur · November 22, 2014

Getting a 4960k would be better if he plans on overclocking it. Maybe get a Be Quiet cooler to match the build.

Aniallation · November 22, 2014

Hey guys, I am looking at saving up for my first DIY desktop

A non-K i5 with a Z97 board and Noctua cooler is pointless. Either get an H81/B85 board with a locked i5, or get a 4690K.

Also, an R9 280 will deliver better performance then a 760, and is usually cheaper.

dropbear · November 22, 2014

If PCPartPicker has an option for AUD that's be fine

not really looking at overclocking, and that processor is really expensive, though a beQuiet cooler would be possible.

xnoobftw · November 22, 2014

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($285.00 @ CPL Online)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($36.00 @ CPL Online)

Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($215.00 @ CPL Online)

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 12GB (3 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($159.00 @ PCCaseGear)

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($135.00 @ Centre Com)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($94.00 @ IJK)

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Tri-X Video Card ($419.00 @ Mwave Australia)

Case: NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($158.00 @ CPL Online)

Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($145.00 @ CPL Online)

Total: $1834.00

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-22 17:26 EST+1100

Didnt read your post properly! Here's a better one

(i went 30$ over tho D:)

Edited November 22, 2014 by xnoobftw

Aniallation · November 22, 2014

If PCPartPicker has an option for AUD that's be fine

not really looking at overclocking, and that processor is really expensive, though a beQuiet cooler would be possible.

Use the quote button to reply to people

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.00 @ CPL Online)

Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($59.00 @ CPL Online)

Memory: Kingston Fury Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($178.00 @ CPL Online)

Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP900 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($83.00 @ CPL Online)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($123.00 @ IJK)

Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($249.00 @ CPL Online)

Case: NZXT S340 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.00 @ PLE Computers)

Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($79.00 @ PCCaseGear)

Total: $1197.00

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-22 17:16 EST+1100

dropbear · November 22, 2014

I've changed to the i5-4690k and an R9 280, that brings it up to $1615. I would like built in WiFi as I'd rather not make another Gigabit cable.

Aniallation · November 22, 2014

I've changed to the i5-4690k and an R9 280, that brings it up to $1615. I would like built in WiFi as I'd rather not make another Gigabit cable.

Again, use quote button to reply to people as not everyone subscribes to the thread.

A 4690K would be a waste of money if you're not overclocking. So would that motherboard be if you're just in it for the WiFi.

Added WiFi to my suggested build and switched out mobo for a place to put it. Only $1270.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.00 @ CPL Online)

Motherboard: ASRock H81 Pro BTC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($64.00 @ IJK)

Memory: Kingston Fury Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($178.00 @ CPL Online)

Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP900 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($83.00 @ CPL Online)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($123.00 @ IJK)

Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($249.00 @ CPL Online)

Case: NZXT S340 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.00 @ PLE Computers)

Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($79.00 @ PCCaseGear)

Wireless Network Adapter: Intel 7260HMWDTX1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($65.00 @ CPL Online)

Total: $1267.00

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-22 17:22 EST+1100

dropbear · November 22, 2014

Again, use quote button to reply to people as not everyone subscribes to the thread.

Sorry about the quote thing, keep forgetting.

I don't really need an SSD in my build as of yet, and I would have 3 drives in RAID 5 which would boost the speeds a little. How quiet would that build be? because that is pretty good

Aniallation · November 22, 2014

I don't really need an SSD in my build as of yet, and I would have 3 drives in RAID 5 which would boost the speeds a little. How quiet would that build be? because that is pretty good

SSD helps a lot with just normal everyday things, trust me it's a lot nicer going from an HDD to an SSD in everyday use.

Also, the two standard drives on their own would be faster then the three green drives in RAID 5. Unless you have another reason for doing RAID 5.

The build would be pretty darn quiet, since there's not really anything particularly loud in it.

xnoobftw · November 22, 2014

Sorry about the quote thing, keep forgetting.

I don't really need an SSD in my build as of yet, and I would have 3 drives in RAID 5 which would boost the speeds a little. How quiet would that build be? because that is pretty good

Grrrr look at my post on top D: ^^

dropbear · November 22, 2014

SSD helps a lot with just normal everyday things, trust me it's a lot nicer going from an HDD to an SSD in everyday use.

Also, the two standard drives on their own would be faster then the three green drives in RAID 5. Unless you have another reason for doing RAID 5.

The build would be pretty darn quiet, since there's not really anything particularly loud in it.

I was only going for RAID 5 for redundancy and a slight speed boost. But I could just put those two drive into RAID 1.

Might change the case to an R4 and the CPU to a non K i5-4690 for the slightly better performance when running VM's

dropbear · November 22, 2014

Would there be any point in getting an aftermarket cooler with a i5-4690 since I won't be overclocking it?

Aniallation · November 22, 2014

Grrrr look at my post on top D: ^^

OP doesn't need an unlocked CPU + Z97 + aftermarket cooler because he is not overclocking. Also it is quite a lot over budget.

Aniallation · November 22, 2014

I was only going for RAID 5 for redundancy and a slight speed boost. But I could just put those two drive into RAID 1.

Might change the case to an R4 and the CPU to a non K i5-4690 for the slightly better performance when running VM's

If you want RAID you'll need to shell out a bit more for an H97 motherboard, so you could save 35 bucks if you just run the drives standalone, but the choice is up to you.

Also, if you're going to get a better locked CPU just for better VM performance, might as well step up to the Xeon E3-1230 V3. Which is basically an non-K i7.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($279.00 @ CPL Online)

Motherboard: ASRock H97M Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($99.00 @ Scorptec)

Memory: Kingston Fury Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($178.00 @ CPL Online)

Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP900 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($83.00 @ CPL Online)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($123.00 @ IJK)

Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($249.00 @ CPL Online)

Case: NZXT S340 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.00 @ PLE Computers)

Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($79.00 @ PCCaseGear)

Wireless Network Adapter: Intel 7260HMWDTX1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($65.00 @ CPL Online)

Total: $1362.00

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-22 17:44 EST+1100

Would there be any point in getting an aftermarket cooler with a i5-4690 since I won't be overclocking it?

No.

dropbear · November 22, 2014

OP doesn't need an unlocked CPU + Z97 + aftermarket cooler because he is not overclocking. Also it is quite a lot over budget.

How do post up the PCPartPicker list like you have? bit of a noob

Aniallation · November 22, 2014

How do post up the PCPartPicker list like you have? bit of a noob

On the right side of the screen, directly across from the permalink, is a button that says Export/Markup

Click it, and then under format, select bbcode.

dropbear · November 22, 2014

Alright, with the help I have gotten so far, this is what I have

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($279.00 @ CPL Online)

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler ($62.00 @ CPL Online)

Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($119.00 @ CPL Online)

Memory: Kingston Fury Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($178.00 @ CPL Online)

Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP900 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($83.00 @ CPL Online)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($123.00 @ IJK)

Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($249.00 @ CPL Online)

Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($135.00 @ CPL Online)

Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($79.00 @ PCCaseGear)

Wireless Network Adapter: Intel 7260HMWDTX1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($65.00 @ CPL Online)

Total: $1495.00

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-22 17:49 EST+1100

dropbear · November 22, 2014

On the right side of the screen, directly across from the permalink, is a button that says Export/Markup

Click it, and then under format, select bbcode.

I've pretty much taken the build you suggested and changed a couple of things

Aniallation · November 22, 2014

I've pretty much taken the build you suggested and changed a couple of things

Don't waste $62 on that Noctua cooler. It won't benefit you anything with that Xeon. Intel stock coolers are not loud, they just aren't suitable for overclocking on high end chips which is why they're stereotyped to be bad.

With the motherboard... I mean, that Z97 board won't really benefit you for anything. Save the ten bucks and get the H97 in by build and buy yourself lunch. It's the non-windowed R4, so nobody will notice the aesthetic difference.

dropbear · November 22, 2014

Don't waste $62 on that Noctua cooler. It won't benefit you anything with that Xeon. Intel stock coolers are not loud, they just aren't suitable for overclocking on high end chips which is why they're stereotyped to be bad.

With the motherboard... I mean, that Z97 board won't really benefit you for anything. Save the ten bucks and get the H97 in by build and buy yourself lunch. It's the non-windowed R4, so nobody will notice the aesthetic difference.

There isn't a price difference between the cheapest ATX Z97 and H97 motherboards.

Removed the Noctua. Wasn't sure if Xeons came with a stock cooler or not