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First Gaming Rig, would like some opinion on current chosen setup

Holystick
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Hey guys! So I have been planning to build my first gaming pc, and have so far decided on this build. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/tbbhHx  .

Now I would like some of your opinions and confirmation on if this build is solid enough to run games like skyrim in high settings. I'm also trying to make this future-proof so I can move on to other games. Yes I am planning to overclock the cpu.

 

Would love to receive some opinion of this, Thanks!

 

Edit: Here is my new build(not really much as changed): http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hcn6Hx

Edit(2): Changed it again, the water cooler changed to kraken x61, the af140 is for the top case fan as intake, the bled fan is my only exhaust, the rad fans are going to be in pull config as intake, so does this work? http://pcpartpicker.com/p/F2sKrH

Edit(3): I realised that I did not need an ssd with 250GB(a little too much) and the motherboard is now MSI PC Mate: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Qpr96h

 I am planning to order the parts in about a month or 2. At most probably it would be at January next year. Thank you guys so much for you help.

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Get a R9 280, 285, 380 or 280x instead of the 960. They all preform better than the 960 varying from cheaper to not much more.

 

Why that monitor?

 

Razer is hated by lots (I don't have an opinion though)

 

An Air cooler will work better than that water cooler. 

 

Motherboards do not effect performance much, I would get a board from around the $100 mark.

 

Get an SSD, that is essential

 

Why all the fans? 

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it's quite good but you may want to change from an asus 960 to an msi or evga version the asus strix cooling is horrible and also gigabyte are good, just pick up anything besides the asus strix edition.

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GTX 960 < r9 380

NEX powersupplies are comparable to the corsair CX series. If you can afford a higer end powersupply would get a evga g2.

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Get a R9 280, 285, 380 or 280x instead of the 960. They all preform better than the 960 varying from cheaper to not much more.

 

Why that monitor?

 

Razer is hated by lots (I don't have an opinion though)

 

An Air cooler will work better than that water cooler. 

 

Motherboards do not effect performance much, I would get a board from around the $100 mark.

 

Get an SSD, that is essential

 

Why all the fans? 

I'm planning to use those fans and replace the stock coolers, and change the h90 stock fan as on paper it seems to be quite noisy for me, but should I just not touch the h90 stock fan? . So I went on to research a little more and decided to change the GPU to R9 380. 

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CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($219.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($123.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($129.99 @ Amazon) 


Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($88.89 @ OutletPC) 


Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 380 4GB Nitro Video Card  ($213.98 @ Newegg) 

Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($68.99 @ SuperBiiz) 


Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit)  ($93.75 @ OutletPC) 



Case Fan: Corsair CO-9050015-BLED 52.2 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($10.89 @ OutletPC) 

Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor  ($145.77 @ Amazon) 


Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse  ($59.99 @ Amazon) 

Headphones: Logitech G430 7.1 Channel Headset  ($54.98 @ Amazon) 

Total: $1449.50

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-06 11:42 EDT-0400

 

You can easily fit a 240 rad at the front of the case, it will intake positive air pressure that will cool your cpu better. 

 

That GPU probably fit your build better in terms of aesthetic, ram as well. Sapphire makes really good amd cards, just saying.

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CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($219.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($123.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($129.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($88.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 380 4GB Nitro Video Card  ($213.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($68.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit)  ($93.75 @ OutletPC) 
Case Fan: Corsair CO-9050015-BLED 52.2 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($10.89 @ OutletPC) 
Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor  ($145.77 @ Amazon) 
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse  ($59.99 @ Amazon) 
Headphones: Logitech G430 7.1 Channel Headset  ($54.98 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1449.50
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-06 11:42 EDT-0400
 
You can easily fit a 240 rad at the front of the case, it will intake positive air pressure that will cool your cpu better. 
 
That GPU probably fit your build better in terms of aesthetic, ram as well. Sapphire makes really good amd cards, just saying.

 

If I'm going to replace my cooler with the kraken x61, should I use it as intake or exhaust. I'm trying to keep it dust free so positive air pressure is good, but that would require the cooler to be intake, which means hot air would come in. But if its exhaust, it will be a negative air pressure which means more dust will come in so.......... or is this on a different topic already?

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GTX 960 < r9 380

NEX powersupplies are comparable to the corsair CX series. If you can afford a higer end powersupply would get a evga g2.

Thanks! I replaced my gpu witht he 380 and upgraded the power supply to the evga  g2, hope this will make the build alot better!

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With the S340, you're looking at intake.  Something like this with the two fans in push and also pulling air in to the case.

 

UfBzLbF.jpg

 

Personally I might suggest using a H80i over the Kraken in case.  You can vent it out the back.  For that matter if you have the top and back fan as pictured in exhaust most, an air cooler is going to do an excellent job since air will be pulled off it from two directions.  The all in one water cooler will likely just run a bit quieter since the fans can throttle down in situations where the radiator alone can do most of the job (that is lower load situations).  

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@Holystick Are you planning on the AF140 fans for front intake? They might not do as well as SP120 fans. Something about the way Corsair designed the fan blades helps the SP fans work better when they're mounted up against something. I've never used AF fans, but I have an S340 with two SP120 for intake and they work well. The intake filter's position I think is a minor detriment.

It might be worth your time (and money, they're expensive fans) to find some comparisons online to see if any one has done any tests between the two models.

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@Holystick Are you planning on the AF140 fans for front intake? They might not do as well as SP120 fans. Something about the way Corsair designed the fan blades helps the SP fans work better when they're mounted up against something. I've never used AF fans, but I have an S340 with two SP120 for intake and they work well. The intake filter's position I think is a minor detriment.

It might be worth your time (and money, they're expensive fans) to find some comparisons online to see if any one has done any tests between the two models.

Nah that was before i switched to the kraken, i would have use the af140 for intake in the front.

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@Egad Wouldn't the H80i be a little to bulky for this case? I mean the case is already very compact, so wouldn't having a very big radiator disrupt air-flow?

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@Holystick Are you planning on the AF140 fans for front intake? They might not do as well as SP120 fans. Something about the way Corsair designed the fan blades helps the SP fans work better when they're mounted up against something. I've never used AF fans, but I have an S340 with two SP120 for intake and they work well. The intake filter's position I think is a minor detriment.

It might be worth your time (and money, they're expensive fans) to find some comparisons online to see if any one has done any tests between the two models.

SP = Static Pressure

AF = Air Flow

The SP are made to be able to give alot of even pressure to be able to push air through places with poor airflow like radiators and harddrive cages.

The AF are made to sit where air can easily pass through. The AF has also more concentrated airflow meanwhile the SP spread the air out a lot once the air has past the blades.

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SP = Static Pressure

AF = Air Flow

The SP are made to be able to give alot of even pressure to be able to push air through places with poor airflow like radiators and harddrive cages.

The AF are made to sit where air can easily pass through. The AF has also more concentrated airflow meanwhile the SP spread the air out a lot once the air has past the blades.

Yeah I was originally planning for the AF to be front intake fans(not rad fans).

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SP = Static Pressure

AF = Air Flow

The SP are made to be able to give alot of even pressure to be able to push air through places with poor airflow like radiators and harddrive cages.

The AF are made to sit where air can easily pass through. The AF has also more concentrated airflow meanwhile the SP spread the air out a lot once the air has past the blades.

This was known.
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For the s340, you have to decide between having a cooler interior or a cooler cpu.

Put it this way, the inside of your case is naturally hotter than the outside(your ambient temperature) so let's say you want to keep your cpu cooler, would you want;

A) Front mount radiator. Cooler air from the outside of the case to blow through the radiators(don't worry there's filter in the front)

OR

B) Exhaust mounted radiator. This way you'll blow the already pretty hot air from inside your case through the radiator.

Personally I will go front radiator with top exhaust. If the cpu heat is your main concern

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If I'm going to replace my cooler with the kraken x61, should I use it as intake or exhaust. I'm trying to keep it dust free so positive air pressure is good, but that would require the cooler to be intake, which means hot air would come in. But if its exhaust, it will be a negative air pressure which means more dust will come in so.......... or is this on a different topic already?

Hot air will come into the case but you'll have a cooler cpu, with the s340 I would do intake front

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Hot air will come into the case but you'll have a cooler cpu, with the s340 I would do intake front

Ok thanks alot.

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Not bulky in a problematic way, only problem in this case is the saggy graphics card.

NZXT-S340-Installation.jpg

 

You're losing something off the top fan with the tubes in front of it, but nothing that significant.  Just have the H80i configured in push and it will exhaust out the back.  Intake fans in the front.  

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Hey guys! So I have been planning to build my first gaming pc, and have so far decided on this build. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/tbbhHx  .

Now I would like some of your opinions and confirmation on if this build is solid enough to run games like skyrim in high settings. I'm also trying to make this future-proof so I can move on to other games. Yes I am planning to overclock the cpu.

 

Would love to receive some opinion of this, Thanks!

 

Edit: Here is my new build(not really much as changed): http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hcn6Hx

Edit(2): Changed it again, the water cooler changed to kraken x61, the af140 is for the top case fan as intake, the bled fan is my only exhaust, the rad fans are going to be in pull config as intake, so does this work? http://pcpartpicker.com/p/F2sKrH

 

HolyStick,

 

Here's my recommended computer build.

 

There's no need for a liquid based CPU cooling system. An air based CPU cooling system is sufficient for this computer build.

 

I put in 16 GB of system RAM since more and more programs are becoming RAM dependent. It's better to have more RAM than not enough. This will reduce system lags as well.

 

 
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($65.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($125.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 380 4GB Nitro Video Card  ($213.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($74.99 @ Amazon) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit)  ($98.20 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Corsair CO-9050015-BLED 52.2 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($13.25 @ Amazon) 
Monitor: AOC I2421VWH 60Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($149.99 @ Amazon) 
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse  ($59.99 @ Amazon) 
Headphones: Logitech G430 7.1 Channel Headset  ($54.98 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1420.10
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-07 10:26 EDT-0400

Buzzsaw - I'm Buzzsaw and you're not.

CPU -- Intel Core i7 7740X @ 4.30GHz Kaby Lake 14nm Technology * RAM -- 16.0 GB Dual-Channel Unknown @ 1466MHz (15-16-16-35)
Motherboard -- ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. TUF X299 MARK 2 (LGA 2066 R4) * Graphics -- SAMSUNG (1920x1080@59Hz) -- 4096 MB ATI Radeon RX 560 Series 
Storage -- 223 GB SanDisk Ultra II 240GB (SSD) -- 256 GB Crucial_CT275MX300SSD1 (SSD) -- 931 GB Western Digital WDC WD10EZEX-00BN5A0 (SATA) -- 2794 GB BUFFALO External HDD USB Device
Optical Drives -- ASUS DRW-24B1ST * Audio -- Realtek High Definition Audio
 

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HolyStick,

 

Here's my recommended computer build.

 

There's no need for a liquid based CPU cooling system. An air based CPU cooling system is sufficient for this computer build.

 

I put in 16 GB of system RAM since more and more programs are becoming RAM dependent. It's better to have more RAM than not enough. This will reduce system lags as well.

 

 
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($65.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($125.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 380 4GB Nitro Video Card  ($213.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($74.99 @ Amazon) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit)  ($98.20 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Corsair CO-9050015-BLED 52.2 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($13.25 @ Amazon) 
Monitor: AOC I2421VWH 60Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($149.99 @ Amazon) 
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse  ($59.99 @ Amazon) 
Headphones: Logitech G430 7.1 Channel Headset  ($54.98 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1420.10
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-07 10:26 EDT-0400

 

But since i am trying to overclock he cpu, wouldn't higher end cooling be needed?

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HolyStick,

 

Here's my recommended computer build.

 

There's no need for a liquid based CPU cooling system. An air based CPU cooling system is sufficient for this computer build.

 

I put in 16 GB of system RAM since more and more programs are becoming RAM dependent. It's better to have more RAM than not enough. This will reduce system lags as well.

 

 
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($65.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($125.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 380 4GB Nitro Video Card  ($213.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($74.99 @ Amazon) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit)  ($98.20 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Corsair CO-9050015-BLED 52.2 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($13.25 @ Amazon) 
Monitor: AOC I2421VWH 60Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($149.99 @ Amazon) 
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse  ($59.99 @ Amazon) 
Headphones: Logitech G430 7.1 Channel Headset  ($54.98 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1420.10
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-07 10:26 EDT-0400

 

 

Yup, do a top and front intake. Back exhaust. 

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But since i am trying to overclock he cpu, wouldn't higher end cooling be needed?

 

No, that Noctua CPU air cooling is a very robust cooler and it will keep that processor within temperature parameters even at overclocking. 

Buzzsaw - I'm Buzzsaw and you're not.

CPU -- Intel Core i7 7740X @ 4.30GHz Kaby Lake 14nm Technology * RAM -- 16.0 GB Dual-Channel Unknown @ 1466MHz (15-16-16-35)
Motherboard -- ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. TUF X299 MARK 2 (LGA 2066 R4) * Graphics -- SAMSUNG (1920x1080@59Hz) -- 4096 MB ATI Radeon RX 560 Series 
Storage -- 223 GB SanDisk Ultra II 240GB (SSD) -- 256 GB Crucial_CT275MX300SSD1 (SSD) -- 931 GB Western Digital WDC WD10EZEX-00BN5A0 (SATA) -- 2794 GB BUFFALO External HDD USB Device
Optical Drives -- ASUS DRW-24B1ST * Audio -- Realtek High Definition Audio
 

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No, that Noctua CPU air cooling is a very robust cooler and it will keep that processor within temperature parameters even at overclocking.

what about future compatibility. Im not an expert in this stuff.
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what about future compatibility. Im not an expert in this stuff.

 

Holy,

 

Regarding future processor upgrades, you can upgrade all the way up to Intel Core i7-5775C, which is a super fast processor.

 

As for system RAM, you can upgrade up to 32 GB of system RAM. I seriously doubt that you will ever need 32 GB of system RAM, but that option is available.

 

This motherboard that I selected does accept either the Crossfire or the SLi dual graphics card setup. 

 

I hope this answers some of your questions.

Buzzsaw - I'm Buzzsaw and you're not.

CPU -- Intel Core i7 7740X @ 4.30GHz Kaby Lake 14nm Technology * RAM -- 16.0 GB Dual-Channel Unknown @ 1466MHz (15-16-16-35)
Motherboard -- ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. TUF X299 MARK 2 (LGA 2066 R4) * Graphics -- SAMSUNG (1920x1080@59Hz) -- 4096 MB ATI Radeon RX 560 Series 
Storage -- 223 GB SanDisk Ultra II 240GB (SSD) -- 256 GB Crucial_CT275MX300SSD1 (SSD) -- 931 GB Western Digital WDC WD10EZEX-00BN5A0 (SATA) -- 2794 GB BUFFALO External HDD USB Device
Optical Drives -- ASUS DRW-24B1ST * Audio -- Realtek High Definition Audio
 

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