[Build Help] Micro-ATX GTX 970 First Build Help/Suggestions

[Makthe2nd]

1. Budget & Location

~$1000

 

2. Aim

I plan on using this computer for school work, web browsing, video streaming, possibly some light video editing, and first and foremost for gaming. I play a variety of games, mainly on Steam. I also plan on purchasing more AAA and taxing games once I have the PC. Some games include Space Engineers, COH2, Star Citizen, GMOD, Rust, DayZ, War Thunder, Arma Games and many more. I would also like to do some VR possibly down the line.

 

3. Monitors
I plan on using 2 monitors, I recently bought the Acer H236HLbid (1080p 60hz IPS) and plan on getting either a 1440p or 144hz monitor later on.

4. Peripherals
I have monitor, keyboard, mouse, and a friend is getting me a Windows 7 key
 

I'm planning to build  my first PC in the next few months and I'm very excited, but also nervous I'm not making the right decisions. After over a month browsing online and asking questions, I have my first draft of my build list. I was hoping you guys could feedback and suggestions.
 

[PCPartPicker part list] (http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Makthe2nd/saved/hQ62FT)

 

 

**CPU** Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor

 

**Motherboard** | [Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard

 

**Memory** G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory

 

**Storage** Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive

 

**Storage** Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

 

**Video Card** MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card

 

**Case** Corsair 350D MicroATX Mid Tower Case

 

**Power Supply** EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply

 

**Monitor** Acer H236HLbid 60Hz 23.0" Monitor

 

 

A few notes on the build:

 

- I already purchased the monitor and it arrived today, I'm loving it so far. I plan to upgrade to either 1440p of 144hz later on and use this as secondary.

 

- I do plan to over clock , but not initially. I'll buy a water cooler when the time comes

 

- I tried to keep it in the ballpark of 1k

 

- SSD will be for OS and a few highly played games or programs

 

- Larger pus gives headroom for potential future SLI

 

- I'm still unsure between the Seagate Barracuda and WD Blue as they are similar price

 

- I tried to stick with a red/black theme

 

I'm sorry for the long post, please let me know if I made a mistake with formatting or this shouldn't be posted here.

Any and all suggestions are welcomed, thanks for all your help in advance.

[vern021]

Build's solid. Although, you can swap the PSU with this one. a bit cheaper but it's possibly better than yours. http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-power-supply-rs750amaag1

[TechSilver13]

You can get 8 GB of ram 2600mhz for like 20 bucks more. Just a thought. And there are 60 dollar psus 750w with 20$ rebate.

[SAV1OUR]

grab a 212 evo and your good to go

[TheRunningOtaku]

grab a 212 evo and your good to go

I think he plans to get a watercooler to OC later on

personally I'd get a WD Blue (they seem more reliable) and a 256GB MX100 - better performance and more writes, not that much more expensive, and it's a lot more space to work with - 128GB will fill up fast.

 

Other than that, great build

[brob]

EVGA 220-G2-0750-XR is the same price as the RM-750 and significantly better. It also has a longer (10 year) warranty. Other than that, it's a nice build.

[Makthe2nd]

Thanks for all the help and suggestions everyone!   I plan on responding to every post personally. 

[Makthe2nd]

EVGA 220-G2-0750-XR is the same price as the RM-750 and significantly better. It also has a longer (10 year) warranty. Other than that, it's a nice build.

 

 

Build's solid. Although, you can swap the PSU with this one. a bit cheaper but it's possibly better than yours. http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-power-supply-rs750amaag1

 

I accidentally posted the PSU from an earlier mock-up, The one I have on the correct pcpartpicker is the EVGA one mentioned. I edited my main post. Thanks, I didn't even notice. 

[Makthe2nd]

I think he plans to get a watercooler to OC later on

personally I'd get a WD Blue (they seem more reliable) and a 256GB MX100 - better performance and more writes, not that much more expensive, and it's a lot more space to work with - 128GB will fill up fast.

 

Other than that, great build

I was thinking of water cooling because that seems to be the preferred method by most, is air cooling viable or practical? I switched to a WD Blue, I'm waiting for a deal on a 256GB MX100 because most everyone has told me that 128 won't be enough. I plan on buying as soon as I see it at a lower price before the rest of the build, is there a risk of it being DOA or defective? 

 

Thanks for taking a look! 

[Makthe2nd]

grab a 212 evo and your good to go

Is the stock cooler not good enough for running the cpu stock? Will I be able to overclock with this?

[Makthe2nd]

You can get 8 GB of ram 2600mhz for like 20 bucks more. Just a thought. And there are 60 dollar psus 750w with 20$ rebate.

Would the increase in speed be worth the extra money in your opinion? I had incorrectly put in a psu from an outdated part list. I updated my main post.

 

Thanks for taking a look! 

[TheRunningOtaku]

Is the stock cooler not good enough for running the cpu stock? Will I be able to overclock with this?

The stock cooler is good for most loads at stock (I won't run Prime95 though) 

If you wanna OC, personally I'd go with something like an NH-D14 or Phanteks cooler or a Silver arrow or a 212 Evo (depends on how fast you want to run it and how cool you like your CPU)

To me, air coolers have less points of failure (only the fans, really) and won't have a chance to silently die and kill your computer (If the pump dies, you'll get close to 0 cooling, compared to some cooling from passive airflow over an air-cooled heatsink, and leaks are a problem)

That's a personal choice though, a lot of people have water coolers (though if you want performance better than an air cooler you'd want a 240mm+ cooler) and have no problems.

[Makthe2nd]

The stock cooler is good for most loads at stock (I won't run Prime95 though) 

If you wanna OC, personally I'd go with something like an NH-D14 or Phanteks cooler or a Silver arrow or a 212 Evo (depends on how fast you want to run it and how cool you like your CPU)

To me, air coolers have less points of failure (only the fans, really) and won't have a chance to silently die and kill your computer (If the pump dies, you'll get close to 0 cooling, compared to some cooling from passive airflow over an air-cooled heatsink, and leaks are a problem)

That's a personal choice though, a lot of people have water coolers (though if you want performance better than an air cooler you'd want a 240mm+ cooler) and have no problems.

Thanks for your input and I'll look back on this when I'm deciding how I want to overclock down the line.