First Build (First Revision)

Pachx · June 7, 2015

I recently posted a thread concerning a PC build that I am planning for the next month. I will be using it for mid-high tier gaming, as well as photo and video rendering in Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and After Effects. It will have to be capable of multitasking well also (i.e. video streaming, background programs running, projects on idle, music streaming, and gaming/using a large project program all spread over 1-3 monitors) with very little stuttering. I was originally going to use an AMD FX 8350 processor, but revised that setup under an i7-4790k with a Z97 chipset mobo, due to potential bottlenecks with my already purchased GTX 970 GPU.

Here is my current list:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rLZVP6

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rLZVP6/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($341.98 @ Newegg)

Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 7 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($188.69 @ Amazon)

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($94.99 @ Amazon)

Storage: Intel 730 Series 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($124.99 @ Amazon)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($76.99 @ Newegg)

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (Purchased For $348.66)

Case: NZXT Phantom 820 (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($234.99 @ Amazon)

Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)

Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($39.99 @ Newegg)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)

Monitor: Asus VS228H-P 21.5" Monitor ($126.99 @ Amazon)

Total: $1768.25

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-07 00:46 EDT-0400

I tried to limit shipping to three vendors (Amazon, Newegg, and NCIX) for shipping cost and efficiency, even despite some slightly higher prices here and there.

I know that the NZXT Phantom 820 is a beast of a case, but that is precisely why I like it. It provides ample room for upgrades in hardware and cooling later down the road. I especially like the synced interior and exterior LED lighting with the shared control device, the 10-fan controller with independent settings for rear, front, and central fans, and the extra 5.25" drive bay with the magnetic door covering them all when not in use. The shape and color scheme fits perfectly with the room it will be housed in as well. I originally wanted to keep the total cost under $1,500, but the case and hardware threw that out of the window. I would now like to go no more than $1,900-2,000 USD, but still maintain a fair level of overkill for future proofing/bragging rights. Are there any alternatives that would give the machine better performance for a lower/more efficient cost?

Will this setup be sufficient for what I am wanting it for, with a nice overkill buffer just in case something big develops in the near future for consumer electronics (i.e. Oculus Rift consumer kits, HoloLens kits, etc.)? I think I know the answer to this, but will Windows 8.1 and 10 run perfectly fine on this system? Does anyone have any suggestions for general enhancements on it?

Thanks!

Aytex · June 7, 2015

windows runs fine on everything except apple

aLemonNation · June 7, 2015

Are you going with a black and red theme? If you are, you should look into the h440 case from NXZT since it saves you a lot of money and it's red/black. Even includes power supply shroud. Anyways, are you planning to water cool your CPU?

Pachx · June 7, 2015

Are you going with a black and red theme? If you are, you should look into the h440 case from NXZT since it saves you a lot of money and it's red/black. Even includes power supply shroud. Anyways, are you planning to water cool your CPU?

I am actually going for an orange/black scheme, I know there is a model of the Phantom 410 with that scheme, but it is just too small. Honestly, I have kind of odd tastes in cases and the H440 doesn't speak to me in the way the 820 does (even with the $100+ difference, I am stubborn about this kind of stuff ). I don't plan to water cool it immediately, but I most likely will down the line.

Pachx · June 7, 2015

windows runs fine on everything except apple

That's what I thought , and with this much disk space and RAM, it would be hard for it not to. I just wanted to be certain so I don't invest $1,700+ in a machine and have the OS not function because of some rookie error.

aLemonNation · June 7, 2015

Well, if you do plan to water cool, you should consider the h100i since you can change the color LED on it.

aLemonNation · June 7, 2015

Besides that, everything looks fine .

Pachx · June 7, 2015

Well, if you do plan to water cool, you should consider the h100i since you can change the color LED on it.

I actually had the H100i in the build at first, but took it out temporarily for budget reasons. I almost certainly plan on getting one eventually, once I get to overclocking the CPU a few months after. The stock CPU cooler should suffice for the time being without OC, right?

I also want to get some extra LED fans to fill up the empty spaces in the 820 case. Where I live it gets up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer and I want to be prepared for everything. I had a very bad experience with heating in my first laptop and do NOT want a repeat of that. I was using it outside for a long period of time, and after a week the CPU literally burnt a hole through the mobo. Granted, it was a Compaq with a crappy cooling unit, but it still makes me very wary of heat.

aLemonNation · June 7, 2015

I actually had the H100i in the build at first, but took it out temporarily for budget reasons. I almost certainly plan on getting one eventually, once I get to overclocking the CPU a few months after. The stock CPU cooler should suffice for the time being without OC, right?

I also want to get some extra LED fans to fill up the empty spaces in the 820 case. Where I live it gets up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer and I want to be prepared for everything. I had a very bad experience with heating in my first laptop and do NOT want a repeat of that. I was using it outside for a long period of time, and after a week the CPU literally burnt a hole through the mobo. Granted, it was a Compaq with a crappy cooling unit, but it still makes me very wary of heat.

Your cpu shouldn't be a problem at all, just don't try overclocking with an Intel stock cooler. If you want LED fans, you can get some at corsair. If you just want a led feel to your build, buy a led strip or the NXZT hue. Both are below 50 dollars. http://www.corsair.com/en-us/cooling/fans

Pachx · June 7, 2015

Your cpu shouldn't be a problem at all, just don't try overclocking with an Intel stock cooler. If you want LED fans, you can get some at corsair. If you just want a led feel to your build, buy a led strip or the NXZT hue. Both are below 50 dollars. http://www.corsair.com/en-us/cooling/fans

Thanks for all of the help! I am kind of doing a basics first, tricking out later kind of approach to this, but I will definitely keep these bookmarked for when the time comes. The standard 4.0 Ghz is more than enough to get me started before overclocking (my computer now has a 1.72~ish Ghz base clock with 2.4 Ghz turbo), but perty quiet LED fans and the H100i are my next stop when the time comes!

aLemonNation · June 7, 2015

Thanks for all of the help! I am kind of doing a basics first, tricking out later kind of approach to this, but I will definitely keep these bookmarked for when the time comes. The standard 4.0 Ghz is more than enough to get me started before overclocking (my computer now has a 1.72~ish Ghz base clock with 2.4 Ghz turbo), but perty quiet LED fans and the H100i are my next stop when the time comes!

No problem, and good luck with your build!