My first build

[hudsonm7]

Hey guys, this is my first build and I want to make sure I get the best parts for the money.  Here's what I have on my list currently:       http://pcpartpicker.com/p/FBtrCJ

 

I really like the monitor after seeing it in person, and I'm aware of the cost saving potential, but I like how I could have chrome and word up for school, or game without the bezel on a widescreen.  Anyways, what are the best ways to amend my build so that I can get years of gaming performance and processing power for cpu heavy programs in engineering for years to come.  My budget is going to hoover between 2.5-3k.  Also, what are the main differences between the nzxt h440 and s340 besides looks and price; as in, is one a lot quieter than the other?

 

 

Thanks!!!

[BOTBALL]

Hey guys, this is my first build and I want to make sure I get the best parts for the money.  Here's what I have on my list currently:       http://pcpartpicker.com/p/FBtrCJ

 

I really like the monitor after seeing it in person, and I'm aware of the cost saving potential, but I like how I could have chrome and word up for school, or game without the bezel on a widescreen.  Anyways, what are the best ways to amend my build so that I can get years of gaming performance and processing power for cpu heavy programs in engineering for years to come.  My budget is going to hoover between 2.5-3k.  Also, what are the main differences between the nzxt h440 and s340 besides looks and price; as in, is one a lot quieter than the other?

 

 

Thanks!!!

You're going to want to get a Z97 motherboard if you want to overclock that CPU. 

[CatsAndDogs]

Hey guys, this is my first build and I want to make sure I get the best parts for the money.  Here's what I have on my list currently:       http://pcpartpicker.com/p/FBtrCJ

 

I really like the monitor after seeing it in person, and I'm aware of the cost saving potential, but I like how I could have chrome and word up for school, or game without the bezel on a widescreen.  Anyways, what are the best ways to amend my build so that I can get years of gaming performance and processing power for cpu heavy programs in engineering for years to come.  My budget is going to hoover between 2.5-3k.  Also, what are the main differences between the nzxt h440 and s340 besides looks and price; as in, is one a lot quieter than the other?

 

 

Thanks!!!

Get a good Z97 board if you wish to overclcok, if you do not want to overclock get the 4790 not "k"  that is locked version at 4 GHz which means you would save money because getting the board you are now you are not able to overclock anyways.

[Mattrixx]

@hudsonm7 Follow your own topics or you won't get notified of replies! Also, quote people you reply to so they see your reply.

 

Going to want a Z97 board or the liquid cooler and the "K" part of the CPU will be wasted.

 

2 SSDs really aren't that necessary, especially expensive ones. I'd drop one. You'll definitely want a HDD if you plan on gaming, as 480 GB of space really isn't much.

 

The GPU seems underpowered for such an expensive system, but then again, the PC part of it really is put in it's place by the monitor cost.

 

One last thing: If you really don't need those hyperthreads, just get an i5-4690k... do that and cut an SSD and you'll be able to fit in a 980  . Better for gaming, but not so cool if you're going for "cpu heavy programs in engineering". If those programs won't benefit from more cores, get the i5.

[TheGeeker]

Much better for the money

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/FLnBHx

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/FLnBHx/by_merchant/

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($316.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($64.75 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($112.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($94.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($89.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($71.88 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card  ($532.98 @ Newegg) 

Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($47.99 @ Micro Center) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)  ($86.88 @ OutletPC) 

Monitor: LG 34UC97-S 60Hz 34.0" Monitor  ($1297.99 @ Adorama) 

Keyboard: Corsair Vengeance K90 Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($133.00 @ Mechanical Keyboards) 

Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse  ($57.99 @ NCIX US) 

Headphones: Corsair Vengeance 2100 7.1 Channel Headset  ($89.99 @ Best Buy) 

Other: Speaker ($59.99)

Total: $3137.39

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-14 22:16 EDT-0400

[grayblizzard]

Hey guys, this is my first build and I want to make sure I get the best parts for the money. Here's what I have on my list currently: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/FBtrCJ

I really like the monitor after seeing it in person, and I'm aware of the cost saving potential, but I like how I could have chrome and word up for school, or game without the bezel on a widescreen. Anyways, what are the best ways to amend my build so that I can get years of gaming performance and processing power for cpu heavy programs in engineering for years to come. My budget is going to hoover between 2.5-3k. Also, what are the main differences between the nzxt h440 and s340 besides looks and price; as in, is one a lot quieter than the other?

Thanks!!!

Go for this build over your current one but if you can pop a lot of cash then go for a 980 over a 970 and grab another 240gb ssd but this a better balanced build

[Todd_2003]

At first I was wondering why your total was so high...and then I saw your monitor.  Nice choice!  I have done one build in the NZXT H440 and it was a joy working in that case.  I haven't tried the S340 yet but I have got my hands on one and I can tell you it's smaller.  Either case is nice, but my preference would be the H440.  Also, the Intel 730 SSDs are awesome.  I've used them many times in builds before, but you may also want to check out the Samsung 850 Pro SSDs.  They have a 10 year warranty and do very well in Raid 0.  I am running them in my personal rig and I'm getting above 1GB read/write speeds. 

 

Also, I found the MSI Z97 Krait Edition motherboard looks sick in this case.  Check out mine just to get an idea:  http://baltimore.craigslist.org/syd/4952627443.html

Good luck with your builds. 

[hudsonm7]

thanks for all of the tips and to answer some of your questions and to respond a little;

 

Is there a motherboard that can do that on has blue components? I'm trying to color match blue/black

 

I'm planning to run the ssd's in raid 1 so I have a solid backup in case one breaks, and the s340 has 2 nice 2.5" bays on display that I want to fill.  Also, what would be the best way to get a HDD in there to store large games and movies?

 

I like the nzxt cooler bc it color/brand matches with the case and I've read that they run quieter, looks still being the most importing thing to me since the window on that case is huge lol

[Todd_2003]

I can understand the importance of ascetics.  A raid 1 is a good idea.  Personally, I prefer the performance gain of the Raid 0 and to backup my system I use Acronis, which backs up to an encrypted cloud and locally to a 3TB HDD I have.  Essentially, I have the best of both worlds!

 

The ASROCK Z97 Extreme 6, Extreme 4, and Anniversary Edition boards are all black with blue heatsinks.  They range from $90 to $172.  Here's a link to one:  http://www.microcenter.com/product/448478/Z97_Extreme_6_USB_31_LGA_1150_ATX_Intel_Motherboard

[hudsonm7]

I can understand the importance of ascetics.  A raid 1 is a good idea.  Personally, I prefer the performance gain of the Raid 0 and to backup my system I use Acronis, which backs up to an encrypted cloud and locally to a 3TB HDD I have.  Essentially, I have the best of both worlds!

 

The ASROCK Z97 Extreme 6, Extreme 4, and Anniversary Edition boards are all black with blue heatsinks.  They range from $90 to $172.  Here's a link to one:  http://www.microcenter.com/product/448478/Z97_Extreme_6_USB_31_LGA_1150_ATX_Intel_Motherboard

Thanks and for the future,how can you tell the difference in motherboards that can and cannot overclock?

 

for example, would this motherboard work; https://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z97ssliplus

[WoodenMarker]

Also, what would be the best way to get a HDD in there to store large games and movies?

Not sure what you mean. The case has drive mounts in the basement.

Thanks and for the future,how can you tell the difference in motherboards that can and cannot overclock?

for example, would this motherboard work; https://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z97ssliplus

Z-xx boards support oc'ing. 

 

The difference between the H440 generally comes down to the S340 having better airflow and the H440 being able to fit more things. 

What kind of cpu heavy programs are you running?

[Todd_2003]

Thanks and for the future,how can you tell the difference in motherboards that can and cannot overclock?

 

for example, would this motherboard work; https://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z97ssliplus

 

To WoodenMarker's point, any Z87 or Z97 board will support overclocking; however, the not all boards are created equally.  Some boards are documented as being better for overclocking.  Some boards have "easy to use" configuration settings either at the BIOs level or Windows level, which make overclocking more simplistic.  That said, I would do a little research to consider which boards are better for overclocking, decide how much of an overclock you're trying to achieve, and then make a decision.

[hudsonm7]

Not sure what you mean. The case has drive mounts in the basement.

Z-xx boards support oc'ing. 

 

The difference between the H440 generally comes down to the S340 having better airflow and the H440 being able to fit more things. 

What kind of cpu heavy programs are you running?

I'm not sure yet because I'm about to graduate high school, so I haven't actually started college yet.  But I have friends that have told me that if I don't want to be making daily trips to the GT comp lab, then I'll need something pretty heavy hitting in my dorm room.  I'm assuming that it would be something of the molecular reaction simulation sort since I'm going into BME.

[hudsonm7]

Not sure what you mean. The case has drive mounts in the basement.

Z-xx boards support oc'ing. 

 

The difference between the H440 generally comes down to the S340 having better airflow and the H440 being able to fit more things. 

What kind of cpu heavy programs are you running?

Also, for the HDD, I meant in terms of should I run it in raid 1 with the SSDs, or is there a way to easily  manage save files within windows.

[WoodenMarker]

I'm not sure yet because I'm about to graduate high school, so I haven't actually started college yet.  But I have friends that have told me that if I don't want to be making daily trips to the GT comp lab, then I'll need something pretty heavy hitting in my dorm room.  I'm assuming that it would be something of the molecular reaction simulation sort since I'm going into BME.

Do your friends go to the college you're planning to attend? If so, they might be able to list some of the GT comps' system specs. 

Also, for the HDD, I meant in terms of should I run it in raid 1 with the SSDs, or is there a way to easily  manage save files within windows.

Running raid 1 with a hdd and ssd would limit the array to the speed of the hdd. 

What are you referring to with 'save files'?

[hudsonm7]

Do your friends go to the college you're planning to attend? If so, they might be able to list some of the GT comps' system specs. 

Running raid 1 with a hdd and ssd would limit the array to the speed of the hdd. 

What are you referring to with 'save files'?

I understand that, I wondering if there was an easy way to manage what saves where, for example; one would want to save games to his HDD but software and documents to the SDD.  Is there a way to run raid 1 with the SSD's with a HDD inside the case, but not as part of the raid.

[WoodenMarker]

I understand that, I wondering if there was an easy way to manage what saves where, for example; one would want to save games to his HDD but software and documents to the SDD.  Is there a way to run raid 1 with the SSD's with a HDD inside the case, but not as part of the raid.

There's almost always an option to choose where to install programs during installation and you can move the locations of libraries like 'My Documents' and 'Downloads' through their properties. 

I'm confused about what you mean. Which drives are you putting into raid?

[hudsonm7]

I figured it out, thanks!!!