New rig, first time builder (mATX)

[Anoyster]

Hello all!

 

I'm planning on starting to place orders on PC parts next month and this will be the first rig I'm going to be putting together myself. I'm only doing the tower, no peripherals or monitor needed but I'll need to buy the OS (Windows 7, gonna skip 8 if at all possible and if the word on W9 is positive I'll upgrade to it down the line). I'm working with around 2500€ budget (I'm from Finland) but it has some wiggle room. I have a fairly complete idea of what I'm getting already but I'm not 100% on if everything is perfectly compatible so any pointers on that front are highly welcome as are other suggestions.

 

I'm going with an mATX sized machine and I want it to be quiet and cool so single GPU and I'll be undervolting the fans. Because I'm aiming at a semi-silent tower I won't be overclocking, it also gets really hot in my place during the summer so I'll rather go the extra mile keeping my PC from burning up rather than squeeze every bit of performance out of it even if it could handle running at 90C at all times. I'll be using the PC for video editing, photoshopping, gaming, multimedia usage of everykind. Anyway, this is what I've been planning on:

 

Case: Fractal Design Arc Mini R2

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5

CPU: i7-4790K

GPU: GTX980

Storage: Samsung 850 PRO 1Tb SSD

RAM: HyperX Savage 2x8Gb 2400mhz DDR3

 

I won't be getting a hard drive, I'm going 100% SSD and for my media storage I have external solutions for so no need to worry about that.

 

On top of those I'll need the OS, an optical bluray drive, CPU cooler (air, no water) and I'll be replacing the fans in the case with something better but probably not Noctua because I really dislike the way their fans look. For the CPU cooler I've been thinking of BeQuiet Dark Rock 3 because I really like the aesthetics of it, originally I wanted the Pro version more but looking into it even though it should fit it's such a tight fit from what I've gathered that I'm not comfortable with it as a first time builder.

 

The biggest question mark now is the PSU. I want it to be fully modular and if possible I remember there being some that didn't start the fan until you reached a certain barrier of power usage. With that in mind I'm wondering should I go for something with a little too much juice so it wouldn't start the fan as easy, a 750w or an 800 even?

 

Oh and as a final post-it note, nothing from Corsair. They are in the doghouse for me since I had a bad experience with a product of theirs. I know it's a quality company and I just got a bad egg but I had a bad experience and I don't want to give them my money.

 

Thanks for any and all help and suggestions!

[Archangel1994]

Not overclocking then getting a k-series CPU is wasted money. Get a Xeon E3 1231v3 instead.

[79wjd]

Not overclocking then getting a k-series CPU is wasted money. Get a Xeon E3 1231v3 instead.

The 4790k also has a higher clock speed even without overclocking -- plus having the option available is still smart. 

[simtransporter]

Not overclocking then getting a k-series CPU is wasted money. Get a Xeon E3 1231v3 instead.

Even if you don't overclock the 4970K is a much faster chip at stock compared to the xeon you've mentioned, and just because someone doesn't want to overclock now it doesn't mean they won't consider it in the future.

[Archangel1994]

Even if you don't overclock the 4970K is a much faster chip at stock compared to the xeon you've mentioned, and just because someone doesn't want to overclock now it doesn't mean they won't consider it in the future.

The xeon has a bigger L3 cache which comes in handy when photoshopping and a xeon tends to be better binned and longer lasting

[simtransporter]

The biggest question mark now is the PSU. I want it to be fully modular and if possible I remember there being some that didn't start the fan until you reached a certain barrier of power usage. With that in mind I'm wondering should I go for something with a little too much juice so it wouldn't start the fan as easy, a 750w or an 800 even?

 

Oh and as a final post-it note, nothing from Corsair. They are in the doghouse for me since I had a bad experience with a product of theirs. I know it's a quality company and I just got a bad egg but I had a bad experience and I don't want to give them my money.

I know that XFX make PSUs with this feature they call 'hybrid fan mode', where the fan doesn't start spinning until the PSU reaches a curtain power usage.  I believe linus is or was using one in his personal rig.

Also I believe corsair PSUs are actually re-branded seasonic ones, so it should be quality stuff.

[Anoyster]

The store I'm planning on buying most of this stuff doesn't carry the Xeon Archangel mentioned. The non-K 4790 is a bit cheaper but it too has a lower clockspeed so since I'm going spending crazy with this anyway I'm not too conserned over saving 20€. Besides, even though I do photoshopping and video editing I'd probably place gaming over them if I had to prioritise.

 

I'll have to look into XFX then, thanks wired!

[Zauski]

Is your heart set on that case? Because there are some nice cases in the same price range (M-ATX of course) that will offer you more space for an air cooler!

[Anoyster]

The case was a tough one Zauski. Believe me I did some extended looking at multiple cases but I'm a sucker for the Fractal plain look and I also like that I can remove the HDD cages since I have no need for them, it has bays for optical drives which I'll need and even as small of a thing as it is, I love that it has easy to clean dust filters, I freaking love that. Only thing I don't like is what you mentioned, 165mm height for the CPU cooler, it's a bummer but I guess it's something I'll have to live with.

[Captain_Slow]

The store I'm planning on buying most of this stuff doesn't carry the Xeon Archangel mentioned. The non-K 4790 is a bit cheaper but it too has a lower clockspeed so since I'm going spending crazy with this anyway I'm not too conserned over saving 20€. Besides, even though I do photoshopping and video editing I'd probably place gaming over them if I had to prioritise.

 

I'll have to look into XFX then, thanks wired!

 

for silence the Corsair RM is preferred, but if you really dont want Corsair then go with a seasonic Platinum. Also you should consider if you want to SLI or not when choosing between 750 and 850.

 

As for the SSD the 850 Pros are good but the SanDisk Extreme Pros are very close with the same 10 yr warranty. You can usually find the sandisk for $200 cheaper for the 1tb version.

[Zauski]

The case was a tough one Zauski. Believe me I did some extended looking at multiple cases but I'm a sucker for the Fractal plain look and I also like that I can remove the HDD cages since I have no need for them, it has bays for optical drives which I'll need and even as small of a thing as it is, I love that it has easy to clean dust filters, I freaking love that. Only thing I don't like is what you mentioned, 165mm height for the CPU cooler, it's a bummer but I guess it's something I'll have to live with.

 

I completely understand your view mate - it's a lovely case, just hard to get around the cooler height, especially if you don't want a closed loop (basically no maintenence needed once it is in system, apart from cleaning fans and what not.)

[Anoyster]

I'll have to look into that SanDisk, Captain. Quick look and I found it to be 50€ cheaper here but it's tempting savings. The superficial side of me loves the look of the Samsung one though haha! It shouldn't matter much at the end of the day since the SSD mounts are behind the motherboard in that case.

[Anoyster]

XFX 750 Black Edition 80Gold

 

I think this might be one of those it-doesnt-start-the-fan-until-you-hit-a-percentage-of-power-use PSU's. 850w model has it stated in its description but the 750w doesn't but it's slim pickings in the ass crack of the world AKA Finland so I'm betting it's just the retailer being lazy with the description. Fully modular to boot as well. With that, the OS, the BeQuiet cooler and bluray drive I'm hitting around 2400€ and all I need anymore are the fans but I'll have time to pick those, as I said I won't be placing any orders until next month and some of this stuff will take at least 2 weeks to deliver.

[Captain_Slow]

I'll have to look into that SanDisk, Captain. Quick look and I found it to be 50€ cheaper here but it's tempting savings. The superficial side of me loves the look of the Samsung one though haha! It shouldn't matter much at the end of the day since the SSD mounts are behind the motherboard in that case.

In the US 960gb Extreme Pro is 449, 1TB 850 Pro is 679.

[Zauski]

Came up with this for you: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/vsXzpg

Totals to around €2300.

I'm not sure if you can get these parts in Finland though.

Choices:

Changed the motherboard to the MSI one simply because I think it looks better, it's completely your preference though, Gigabyte and MSI are awesome companies.

Put in the Dark Rock Pro because according to every dimension listing I can find, ever, there's 15mm clearance - which is fine.

Chose the MSI 980 because it's the only one I could find that isn't a blower cooler thing. And it goes with your colouring.

Windows 7 Ultimate is in there too.

LG Bluray Reader/Writer with good speeds also there.

Chose the EVGA PSU because their 80+ Gold PSU's are good, plenty of room for expansion (650W), and it has nice individually wrapped cables (black). Again - your personal preference of which you want to choose.

And you have money left! You could always add more RAM - never hurts when rendering etc.

[brob]

I have to disagree with @Captain_Slow on the Corsair RM series. Seasonic, Superflower, XFX (built by Seasonic), and BeQuiet! (mostly built by FSP and Seasonic) all have models that are better built and quieter than the RM series. All incorporate smart fan management in their newer models.

 

I would suggest the Seasonic X or Platinum series, Superflower Leadex Gold or Platinum series, XFX XTR series, or BeQuiet! Dark Power Pro P10 series.

 

The build as described will have max power requirements under 400W so I suspect a 650W psu would more than meet its needs. In fact a 550W psu would be quite acceptable although the fan would likely run a little sooner. If you decide on something larger then you might also want to consider the EVGA G2 series.

[Anoyster]

Funny how regional pricing is like I found with the SanDisk SSD and now with the MSI motherboard you picked Zauski, it's actually more expensive than the Gigabyte one over here, pricing can get weird when you cross those invisible lines people call borders. One thing I dig about the Gigabyte board anyway is that all the 4 USB 2.0 ports in the back have the added power out put deal going for them which I like. Looks like a great package though, I really like the look of the Dark Rock Pro and it should fit with the low profile Savage memory but I hear it's a beeeatch and a half to install and as a first time builder it intimidates me a bit but I might still go ahead and pick it up anyway.

 

Good PSU info brob, much appreciated. I'll need to dive into this and do some serious final double checking on what I'll actually buy when I do. As the all mighty Linus has said, in many ways the PSU is the most important part of the entire PC so I really want a good one. I think I'll retire for the day and continue planning this out further tomorrow after work, thanks for all the help guys.