Project Deadly Nightshade

[Spewky]

Hey!

 

I've been planning and wanting to build my own custom PC since a friend of mine posted pictures and details of theirs on Facebook. This was in October and have been researching, watching LTT videos, some Newegg videos, tutorials guides, posting on these forums and getting advice and loads more!

 

So yeah, here it is!

 

 

Budget:

Was originally around $900-$1000 USD but I gained more money, leading to my final budget of $1200. 

 

Usage:

I will be using this setup daily to game (not 100% sure but will probably get into Bioshock games, Portal, HalfLife and possibly racing games). I will hopefully be using a 1080p 24" monitor. Maybe in the future I would expand into light streaming or maybe YouTube videos though I doubt I'll get to it.

 

Parts List:

PCPP:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9MwTqs

CPU:

Intel i5-4690K - To be bought at a local store (not yet bought)

CPU Cooler:

NZXT Kraken X61 - To be ordered from Amazon (not yet ordered)

Thermal Compound:

Noctua NT-H1 3.5g - To be bought at a local store (not yet bought)

Motherboard:

MSI Z97S SLI Plus - To be bought at a local store (not yet bought)

RAM:

Kingston Fury 8GB (2x4) DDR3-1866 - To be bought at a local store (not yet bought)

SSD:

Samsung 840 EVO 250GB - To be bought at a local store (not yet bought)

HDD:

Seagate Barracuda 2TB, 64MB cache, 7200RPM - To be bought at a local store (not yet bought)

GPU:

ASUS GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX - To be bought at a local store (not yet bought)

CASE:

NZXT H440 Blue & Black (Thus inspiring the whole colour scheme and name) - To be bought at a local store (not yet bought)

PSU:

Corsair CS650M Semi-Modular (I know, wish it was fully) - To be bought at a local store (not yet bought)

 

EXTRAS/CUSTOMS:

- Braided cables

- Cable combs by E22 (probably black) so my cables will look nice through my H440 window

 

 

FUTURE CHANGES:

- To get a second GTX 970

- Maybe spray a stencil onto the front or side of the case. Not sure what of.

- Possibly getting a 1440p monitor as I think that'll be fun, especially if I can get another 970. 

 

 

 

Please follow if you're interested in the updates that are soon to come! Thanks so much for taking the time for reading this if you have gotten this far! 

 

PHOTOS AND UPDATES WILL BE POSTED ASAP WHEN I GET THE PARTS! SEE YOU SOON!

 

 

 

SPECIAL THANKS TO...

- @1Scotty1, thanks for all the tips and help with my build. Doubt I could've done much without your help

- @Luke, giving me advice for months when replying to my first posts and helping me improve my build! Thanks a ton!

- @KemoKa, coming up with a variety of awesome names to choose from and leading me to the name I have come up with now!

- @Minibois for the awesome banner. Thanks

- Everyone else who has replied (helpfully and positively) to any of my posts for help! Thanks LTT

 

 

 

 

 

[KemoKa]

Excellent! I'm looking forward to this!

... Just one thing, if you're still deciding on the PSU, the RM series has cheap secondary capacitors made by CapXxon, which is BAAAAD, especially on a power supply. Power supply quality is your priority.

Just muh two cents there.

[Spewky]

Excellent! I'm looking forward to this!

... Just one thing, if you're still deciding on the PSU, the RM series has cheap secondary capacitors made by CapXxon, which is BAAAAD, especially on a power supply. Power supply quality is your priority.

Just muh two cents there.

So I should go for the EVGA psu listed in the OP? I also considered the G2 but it's so dang expensive and so are braided cables for it which I really want... 

[minibois]

Sweet, looking for ward to how it looks

Maybe Dark Ocean is a better fit for a watercooled build.

[Spewky]

Sweet, looking for ward to how it looks

Maybe Dark Ocean is a better fit for a watercooled build.

I considered something like that or something like Poseidon, idk. But I thought maybe if I upgrade to a custom watercooled loop in years to come I would name something like that

[Spewky]

UPDATE #1

 

I forgot to say in my original post that I was hoping to buy an acrylic backplate for my GTX 970 which @1Scotty1 (thanks again )told me about.

 

This is it:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Backplate-Kit-for-EVGA-GTX-970-Superclocked-ACX-2-0-Blue-Black/301525579892

 

I understand it says 1 day left, but I'll be messaging the owner if it suddenly goes off ebay... I think this'll look amazing through the H440 window on the 970.

 

 

Scratch all this. Changed the GPU.

[KemoKa]

So I should go for the EVGA psu listed in the OP? I also considered the G2 but it's so dang expensive and so are braided cables for it which I really want... 

I personally think that the EVGA is a better bet if you're going for reliability.

I mean, don't worry, the RM 750 isn't going to blow up or anything, the rest of the PSU is very high-quality stuff, so there are probably tons of failsafes built in to stop that from happening. However, if anything did happen to those capacitors, the PSU would die, likely very quickly. PSU failsafes are full-out hardcore kill switches. If something bad happens, it kills itself.

AX series would be a better bet, but I would personally go with EVGA as their PSUs are legendary too.

[Spewky]

I personally think that the EVGA is a better bet if you're going for reliability.

I mean, don't worry, the RM 750 isn't going to blow up or anything, the rest of the PSU is very high-quality stuff, so there are probably tons of failsafes built in to stop that from happening. However, if anything did happen to those capacitors, the PSU would die, likely very quickly. PSU failsafes are full-out hardcore kill switches. If something bad happens, it kills itself.

AX series would be a better bet, but I would personally go with EVGA as their PSUs are legendary too.

So the AX series are okay? I think I'll check if local stores have them.

[KemoKa]

So the AX series are okay? I think I'll check if local stores have them.

AX series is Corsair's top-of-the-line PSU range. They're totally fine.

Others like the HX, TX and CX series don't suffer the same reliability problem as the RM series, but they don't have all the bells and whistles like the AXs do.

Antec and Cooler Master have good power supplies as well, does your store not have any of those?

[1Scotty1]

You are most welcome, happy to help anytime Subbed!

[Spewky]

AX series is Corsair's top-of-the-line PSU range. They're totally fine.

Others like the HX, TX and CX series don't suffer the same reliability problem as the RM series, but they don't have all the bells and whistles like the AXs do.

Antec and Cooler Master have good power supplies as well, does your store not have any of those?

I think two of my local stores have Cooler Master PSUs. Which ones are good to look for?

[Spewky]

@KemoKa, there are Cooler Master Extreme 2, Silentro, Thunder and Master in local stores. 

 

There is also the Cooler Master V850 which I believe is fully-modular. Would that be good?

[KemoKa]

@KemoKa, there are Cooler Master Extreme 2, Silentro, Thunder and Master in local stores. 

 

There is also the Cooler Master V850 which I believe is fully-modular. Would that be good?

the 850 is a bit overkill, but if it fits in your budget, the V series is a solid line of power supplies. I mean, all of LMG's computers run them.

[Spewky]

the 850 is a bit overkill, but if it fits in your budget, the V series is a solid line of power supplies. I mean, all of LMG's computers run them.

Just realised the price... I think I'll end up going with the EVGA PSU from the original post (EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W). It's 60 USD and is 650W. 

[TheDEFYANTonE]

The SuperNOVA NEX isn't a great PSU either. The G2 750W at aaround $100 8's your best bet. That way you can add a second 970 later and not worry about the PSU or overclocking!

[Blackie Sheen]

@xSpaceSheepy1 I think you should consider changing this cpu cooler. it is completely unncessary for a 4690k. This thing stays so cool even when overclocked. What I would do if I were you a higher capacity psu for upgrading to sli or something of the sort or something like that or buy some cool things to make your build look awesome

[KemoKa]

@xSpaceSheepy1 I think you should consider changing this cpu cooler. it is completely unncessary for a 4690k. This thing stays so cool even when overclocked. What I would do if I were you a higher capacity psu for upgrading to sli or something of the sort or something like that or buy some cool things to make your build look awesome

Not completely unnecessary, if he's going for the full 4.7GHz, he's gonna need that or a Noctua cooler. or a gigantic Be Quiet Dark Rock cooler. And you need to push the volts to get that speed, so that means heat.

also, 750W is easily enough for a second 970 if he so desired one. You can run two 680s and nine hard drives on a 600W PSU. 750W is more than enough.

[Spewky]

The SuperNOVA NEX isn't a great PSU either. The G2 750W at aaround $100 8's your best bet. That way you can add a second 970 later and not worry about the PSU or overclocking!

I know it isn't, but I'm trying to lower the costs... I may go for the G2, but I don't think I'll go for Corsair's PSUs...

 

@xSpaceSheepy1 I think you should consider changing this cpu cooler. it is completely unncessary for a 4690k. This thing stays so cool even when overclocked. What I would do if I were you a higher capacity psu for upgrading to sli or something of the sort or something like that or buy some cool things to make your build look awesome

1. I think it will be necessary as I will be overclocking. 

2. I think it'll already look cool.

3. I could lower the CPU cooler to something that's 80 dollars and still not be able to get another card.

[KemoKa]

I know it isn't, but I'm trying to lower the costs... I may go for the G2, but I don't think I'll go for Corsair's PSUs...

 

1. I think it will be necessary as I will be overclocking. 

2. I think it'll already look cool.

3. I could lower the CPU cooler to something that's 80 dollars and still not be able to get another card.

Stick with the water cooler, it leaves a lot more room for airflow to the rest of your system anyway.

[NIGHTSHADE0]

ME LIKEY.... Awaiting pics

[Spewky]

ME LIKEY.... Awaiting pics

Coincidence that your username is Nightshade? Haha.

 

I hope you like it when it's done. Im hoping to order my parts tomorrow night if my parents will let me. I'll post pictures when I get the items and will be sure to update

[Blackie Sheen]

Not completely unnecessary, if he's going for the full 4.7GHz, he's gonna need that or a Noctua cooler. or a gigantic Be Quiet Dark Rock cooler. And you need to push the volts to get that speed, so that means heat.

also, 750W is easily enough for a second 970 if he so desired one. You can run two 680s and nine hard drives on a 600W PSU. 750W is more than enough.

I know very well that 750 Watt would be enough but if his power supply goes to another build, the 100 watt more might be helpful. Under load, with 2 970s I dont think it would even use more than 450 Watt.

 

Did he mention he wanted to overclock balls to the walls?

[Blackie Sheen]

I know it isn't, but I'm trying to lower the costs... I may go for the G2, but I don't think I'll go for Corsair's PSUs...

 

1. I think it will be necessary as I will be overclocking. 

2. I think it'll already look cool.

3. I could lower the CPU cooler to something that's 80 dollars and still not be able to get another card.

I would not oppose to that cpu cooler if your budget was higher, but, in Canada, the x61 is 140$ so it would definitely not be worth it in Canada.

 

About the fact that you could not buy another graphics card. It does not mean that because you cannot buy another graphics card that you should use the entirety of your budget necessarily. This is truly the basic of my criticism.

 

If you plan on overclocking like crazy than ths cpu cooler might be necessary but the i5-4690k is not power hungry at all and does not produce too much heat. I am running mine at 4,4 gHz at 1,23 volt and the highest temp  have seen, when using a 50$ air cooler is 70 degrees when stress testing both my 4690k and my r9 280x, which liberates lots of heat. Just for information purposes, my cpu fan was running at 1200 rpm or so when I tested.

 

Take this with a grain of salt. I was on a tight budget myself so thats why I am suggesting you to save a bit of money on the cooler.

[Spewky]

Thanks @Minibois for the awesome banner to add to the log.

[Spewky]

UPDATE #2

 

I have managed to find all of my parts at local stores except the PSU (which I have no decided to get the EVGA G2 750W), thermal compound, CPU cooler and still haven't found my GPU locally though I'll continue to look, though I'm also hoping to be going out and getting these parts soon. 

 

Hopefully by my next update I'll have parts and pictures

 

I have found my GPU locally.