Is my build ok? first build

[Nioni]

=> Pc will be used for vfx-simulations/gaming.
=> Budget around $3200 but i would like to stay around $3000.
=> Bulgaria
=> I will email www.altech.bg to search for my parts. (since i couldn't find any Bulgarian shop with what i need)
=> I am not a big fan on any brand, i go with reliability and performance.
=> I may overclock it in the future.
=> Monitor size: 1920 x 1080
=> Plan on building it next week.

==Build
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4930K 3.4GHz 6-Core Processor ($559.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($110.00)
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth X79 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($306.98 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($148.43 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.00)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.00)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($648.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master HAF X ATX Full Tower Case ($190.00)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($150.00)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Microcenter)
Monitor: Asus VS239H-P 23.0" Monitor ($170.00)
Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($124.44 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Razer Naga 2012 Wired Laser Mouse ($60.99 @ Amazon)
Speakers: Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 120W 2.1ch Speakers ($139.99 @ Best Buy)
Headphones: Razer Kraken 7.1 Channel Headset ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Other: CyberPower Intelligent LCD Series GreenPower UPS CP1500AVRLCD 1500VA 900W 8 Outlets UPS ($200.00)
Total: $3055.79
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-05 14:43 EDT-0400)

==Questions

1. Any hardware recommendations?
2. Did i choose a good case?(prefer less noise than looks), do you recommend adding more fans? and which ones should i get?
3. Should i change the fans of my h100i? (fans are problematic, making high pitch noise), and which ones should i get?
4. I chose for HDD the WD blue cause of this, bad choice?

First build and i don't want to mess things up, thank you for your time.

 

[lehtv]

Please post answers to all of http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=80121

And welcome.

 

[Nioni]

Done

 

[Blain]

A $3k build with no SSD?!?!?!?

"reliability and performance"
At least go with WD Blacks

 

[lehtv]

CPU Don't get the 3930K, go for 4930K which is higher performing and lower wattage Ivy Bridge.
Cooler "I may overclock in the future" -> overkill cooler. In Europe, Thermalright coolers are typically available... see if you can find a HR-02 Macho or a True Spirit 140.
Mobo "I may overclock in the future" -> overkill board. I'd probably get Asrock X79 Extreme6 which is $100 cheaper.
RAM No need to get RAM with tall heat sinks. Just buy the least expensive branded 8GB modules of 1600MHZ 1.5V.
SSD Absolutely get one, it'd be stupid not to. E.g. Samsung 840 EVO 250GB
HDD If you want 2TB just get a 2TB drive like Seagate ST2000DM001. (@Blain: WD Black is not more reliable nor is it higher performing than Blue. It has longer warranty, that's it. WD Blue is actually higher performing due to higher density platters).
Video card MSI Gaming is better (quieter and cooler).
Case A full tower seems overkill to me. Just get a decent mid tower like Fractal Desing Arc Midi R2.
PSU Sure, although you may find an equally good XFX Pro 850W for less cost in your country. Also check if you have Superflower's Golden Green units available.
Monitor Quite mediocre for this budget. Get a Dell U2412M 1920x1200 IPS
Keyboard Not really a fan of Razer products myself but hey, it's mechanical. I'd probably get a Cooler Master or a Logitech.
Mouse So you're an MMO player? I know literally zero about MMO mice, but again would avoid Razer products. Check out Logitech G600
Speakers Probably good
Headphones Again, would avoid Razer. Check out Asus Orion Pro, Audio-Technica ATH-AD500X, Sennheiser HD 439

 

[Nioni]

A $3k build with no SSD?!?!?!?

"reliability and performance"
At least go with WD Blacks

Hello mr Blain, thanks for the reply (y)

I was going for 2 1TB WD black, but as u can see in the link i provided, the blue ones have different design than the old black ones, WD still didn't release new black ones with the 1 platter design, so the blue ones are superior in speed/access times.

 

[Nioni]

CPU Don't get the 3930K, go for 4930K which is higher performing and lower wattage Ivy Bridge.
Cooler "I may overclock in the future" -> overkill cooler. In Europe, Thermalright coolers are typically available... see if you can find a HR-02 Macho or a True Spirit 140.
Mobo "I may overclock in the future" -> overkill board. I'd probably get Asrock X79 Extreme6 which is $100 cheaper.
RAM No need to get RAM with tall heat sinks. Just buy the least expensive branded 8GB modules of 1600MHZ 1.5V.
SSD Absolutely get one, it'd be stupid not to. E.g. Samsung 840 EVO 250GB
HDD If you want 2TB just get a 2TB drive like Seagate ST2000DM001. (@Blain: WD Black is not more reliable nor is it higher performing than Blue. It has longer warranty, that's it. WD Blue is actually higher performing due to higher density platters).
Video card MSI Gaming is better (quieter and cooler).
Case A full tower seems overkill to me. Just get a decent mid tower like Fractal Desing Arc Midi R2.
PSU Sure, although you may find an equally good XFX Pro 850W for less cost in your country. Also check if you have Superflower's Golden Green units available.
Monitor Quite mediocre for this budget. Get a Dell U2412M 1920x1200 IPS
Keyboard Not really a fan of Razer products myself but hey, it's mechanical. I'd probably get a Cooler Master or a Logitech.
Mouse So you're an MMO player? I know literally zero about MMO mice, but again would avoid Razer products. Check out Logitech G600
Speakers Probably good
Headphones Again, would avoid Razer. Check out Asus Orion Pro, Audio-Technica ATH-AD500X, Sennheiser HD 439

Thank u mr lehtv for the reply , i will look forward and manage my build.
One thing is for the monitor u recommended, i searched it's specs and it seems that the only pros of the Dell U2412M is that is 24".
Dell U2412M has more response time, and doesn't support hdmi also the price is higher, so guess the Asus VS239H-P is better?
I will overclock it in the near future, i just want to take things slow cause its my first build.

I believe my current build will last for about 3-4 years?

 

[Blain]

Dell is higher resolution, the MSI video card has DVI & DisplayPort.
Why worry about HDMI?

 

[lehtv]

Dell U2412M has more response time, and doesn't support hdmi also the price is higher, so guess the Asus VS239H-P is better?

You will not notice a difference in response time between a U2412M and a VS239H-P. Dell's IPS panel is a bit better than Asus's, and the 1920x1200 resolution is nice. In addition, Dell is height adjustable while Asus is not.

If you're concerned about responsiveness, motion fluidity and all that, buy a high refresh rate gaming monitor (Asus VG248QE, BenQ XL2411T) - while there are differences between 60hz monitors, any 120hz monitor is far, far better in terms of responsiveness compared to any 60hz monitor.

I will overclock it in the near future, i just want to take things slow cause its my first build.

OK. The H100i still seems overkill (besides, the H110 would be a better AIO liquid cooler). Given that it's your first build, you're probably going to settle for a moderate overclock, and a Thermalright cooler can handle that.

FWIW the Arc Midi R2 can fit a H110

I believe my current build will last for about 3-4 years?

That sounds about right. If you want to keep on top of system requirements for gaming though, you'll probably need to upgrade the GTX 780 in 2 years or so.

 

[Nioni]

Dell is higher resolution, the MSI video card has DVI & DisplayPort.
Why worry about HDMI?

It has 1920 x 1200, and the asus has 1920 x 1080, why would i give $100+ more for those few pixels?

 

[Nioni]

You will not notice a difference in response time between a U2412M and a VS239H-P. Dell's IPS panel is a bit better than Asus's, and the 1920x1200 resolution is nice. In addition, Dell is height adjustable while Asus is not.

If you're concerned about responsiveness, motion fluidity and all that, buy a high refresh rate gaming monitor (Asus VG248QE, BenQ XL2411T) - while there are differences between 60hz monitors, any 120hz monitor is far, far better in terms of responsiveness compared to any 60hz monitor.



OK. The H100i still seems overkill (besides, the H110 would be a better AIO liquid cooler). Given that it's your first build, you're probably going to settle for a moderate overclock, and a Thermalright cooler can handle that.

FWIW the Arc Midi R2 can fit a H110



That sounds about right. If you want to keep on top of system requirements for gaming though, you'll probably need to upgrade the GTX 780 in 2 years or so.

Yes that was what i planned, thank you for your reply you were very helpful!

 

[lehtv]

It has 1920 x 1200, and the asus has 1920 x 1080, why would i give $100+ more for those few pixels?

To be fair, you're not paying just for the pixels (as per my previous reply).

Why don't you apply the same cost effective thinking to the whole build? E.g. why pay almost double for a hexacore when a quad core would probably be fast enough, and wouldn't require as expensive a motherboard? Why pay $650 for a GTX 680 when a half price 7970 performs 75% as well? Why pay $100+ for a mechanical keyboard when a non-mechanical keyboard has the same functionality for half the price? Why 30-40% more for a Gold rated power supply compared to an equally reliable Bronze rated unit? The higher efficiency isn't going to pay itself back in any reasonable amount of time.

I mean... your budget is a sickening $3000. Such a high budget inevitably means diminishing returns for your money.

 

[Nioni]

To be fair, you're not paying just for the pixels (as per my previous reply).

Why don't you apply the same cost effective thinking to the whole build? E.g. why pay almost double for a hexacore when a quad core would probably be fast enough, and wouldn't require as expensive a motherboard? Why pay $650 for a GTX 680 when a half price 7970 performs 75% as well? Why pay $100+ for a mechanical keyboard when a non-mechanical keyboard has the same functionality for half the price? Why 30-40% more for a Gold rated power supply compared to an equally reliable Bronze rated unit? The higher efficiency isn't going to pay itself back in any reasonable amount of time.

I mean... your budget is a sickening $3000. Such a high budget inevitably means diminishing returns for your money.

That's exactly why i made this thread, for you to tell me this, as i said this is my first build, i did my research but i have no experience, either way your latest post was very helpful, thank you

 

[lehtv]

Well, first build or not, it's entirely up to you how much you want to spend on the PC. For $3000 you can definitely build a kick ass PC, but it's certainly not necessary. Even a $1000 PC including monitor could perform the tasks that you need it to perform, it'd just be slower and lower quality and not overclockable. If you want to spend less, it's definitely possible

 

[Techhog]

To be fair, you're not paying just for the pixels (as per my previous reply).

Why don't you apply the same cost effective thinking to the whole build? E.g. why pay almost double for a hexacore when a quad core would probably be fast enough, and wouldn't require as expensive a motherboard? Why pay $650 for a GTX 680 when a half price 7970 performs 75% as well? Why pay $100+ for a mechanical keyboard when a non-mechanical keyboard has the same functionality for half the price? Why 30-40% more for a Gold rated power supply compared to an equally reliable Bronze rated unit? The higher efficiency isn't going to pay itself back in any reasonable amount of time.

I mean... your budget is a sickening $3000. Such a high budget inevitably means diminishing returns for your money.

Eh, I don't know. I think the extra cores could matter for simulation.

 

[lehtv]

Yes they could matter but are 50% more cores worth 75% more cost, given that performance per clock is the same and that lots of applications dont benefit from the extra cores?

 

[Nioni]

Yes they could matter but are 50% more cores worth 75% more cost, given that performance per clock is the same and that lots of applications dont benefit from the extra cores?

What quad-core cpus do u recommend? also which motherboard?

 

[lehtv]

CPU: i7-4770K - since it's Haswell it actually has slightly higher performance per clock than the Ivy Bridge-E 4930K, but it's probably somewhat less overclockable

Motherboard: Asrock Z87 Extreme4, MSI Z87 G45 Gaming, Asus Z87-A

As for the GPU, I would probably buy an MSI GTX 770 Gaming or Sapphire 7970. The 780 is definitely faster but just not worth the cost

 

[mfenn]

Eh, I don't know. I think the extra cores could matter for simulation.

"Simulation" is an incredibly vague workload, so you can't really make that statement. The simulation could be something that is incredibly time-domain dependent and thus hard to parallelize. Or it could be embarassingly parallel; we just don't know.

Nioni, can you elaborate on what you mean by "vfx-simulations"?

As for specific parts, I am in agreement with lehtv overall. The monitor is one of the most important, in fact probably the most important part of a computer, so it doesn't make sense to skimp there. At your budget, I would probably go one better than the U2412M and get the U2413HM 27" 2560x1440 display.