New build. Need some help

[Vybz]

I need some help i really was just trying to go buy a pc from one of the big companies but either they don't have what i want or they trying to rip me off. I mean seriously is the new mob called dell Lenovo and HP? So i have to build it myself.

I used to build my pc's but the last time i have build one is about 6 years ago. So i kinda feel like i don't know what i am doing. I read the parts guide sticky-ed here and it helped but i still feel like i don't know was new or whats coming. SO lend me your intellect.

1. What YOUR PC will be used for.

Gaming, graphic design, web design, office type stuff like spreadsheets and stuff, web and streaming and related stuff, so i guess everything.

2. What YOUR budget is.

$1100-$1500

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

USA and i prefer to buy my stuff from amazon.

4. IF you're buying parts OUTSIDE the US, please post a link to the vendor you'll be buying from.

N/A

5. IF YOU have a brand preference.

None

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

nothing really. maybe pop in my old hdd, but really.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

I probably might overclock it but its not that important.

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?

Wow dont know. but i do plan to run a dual monitor setup

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

ASAP but there is no rush

X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?

Windows. Plan on running 8.1

Ok so here is what i am looking for. I need a computer that i can work from home on and play on. I am starting over so this will be the first pc in my little line up. I am taking a serious look at everything tech in my house and this is the first step. I have stopped doing so much because my old rig was letting me down. so here is to getting back to the things i love doing.

my plan is to water cool this rig and i have been looking for a nice case to set this up on and i don't see any that does that. I want the water cooling components to be in a separate little compartment also but i don't want to case too big. Now the water cooling components have their own budget $400-$500. Also dont include the monitors in the budget either they also have their own budget.

So rig, water cool components and monitors and i need help with all of them

The rig

Case: Corsair Obsidian 550D $147
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme3 $147
CPU: i5 4670K $235
CPU Fan: Thermalright True Spirit 140 $50
GPU: Gigabyte GTX 780 $557
Memory: Team DDR3 1600 16GB $152
SSD : Crucal M500 240GB $125
HHD : WD Blue 1TB $60
PSU: Seasonic SS-660XP2 $150
DVD Burner: Lite-ON DVD Burner $20

Total: $1643

The Monitors

well?:

Water cooling

CPU Waterblock:
GPU Waterblock:
Memory Waterblock: maybe?
Radiator:
Water Pump:

lets get building!

 

[mfenn]

I'd rather have a $1500 air-cooled PC than a $1000 PC with $500 of custom water cooling gear. You can build a nice migrange system with $900 ($1000 minus the cost of Windows), see my weekly guide. However, that amount is not going to buy something worth kitting out with a custom loop. In fact, trying to get a case that is capable of handling a custom loop will actually make your PC worse becasue it takes money away from the other components.

So I guess my question is, are you dead set on doing a custom loop at the expense of features and performance?

Also, what's your monitor budget?

 

[Vybz]

you are right. see told u guys i was out of the loop. then lets raise the rig budget to $1500. Now the reason i want to water cool this build is because i live in a very hot climate and water cooled systems seem to handle this better.

my budget for the monitors is about $500. was looking at the ASUS VG248QE but i may choose something cheaper.

 

[lakedude]

mfenn's builds hit a nice sweet spot in price/performance. I tend to use them as a starting point and adjust up or down depending on the OP's budget.

So we need to burn some more money? No problem, usually it goes the other way...

Start with mfenn's weekly build and add an i7 over the i5, get the GeForce GTX 780 or Radeon R9 290 over the MSI GTX 770, and get a 256GB or 512GB SSD.

Maybe a different case? Maybe double the RAM?

Maybe add a second storage drive for backup or mirroring, or maybe even several for some fancy RAID level storage with both stripes for speed and redundancy...

Done!

If that is under budget, sorry I don't see a need to spend more than that without just being silly.

 

[Essence_of_War]

i live in a very hot climate

How hot are we talking? American Southwest desert hot?

Water Cooling is neat and can be a great hobby/money-sync/performance-enhancer (or all three! ) on a gaming rig, but it does bring a lot of other potential issues to the table and requires more maintenance than simply taking a can of compressed air to the interior and this is in addition to any other possible problems that custom building your own workstation could cause. (Compare RMA'ing a motherboard on your own with a guaranteed next-day service call to dell/lenovo/hp...)

If this is going to be a serious work-rig as well as a gaming platform, you should start by asking yourself what your tolerance for risk and technical troubleshooting is in your professional work. If it is low, stick with air cooling. If it is high, you can consider a custom WC loop.

 

[Charlie98]

How hot are we talking? American Southwest desert hot?

A moderate OC on a performance chip (i5, et al) in a reasonable case cooled by air is not a problem with modern components. Do not be afraid...! The key is finding a good case that will fit a reasonable cooler; that does NOT necessarily mean a giant case full of holes...

 

[mfenn]

Unless you live on Venus, the ambient temperature isn't a huge factor in keeping the system cool. Let's say you live somewhere where you let the indoor temps get to 95 F. First I would call you crazy , but after that I would point out that 95 F is only 35 C, which is icy cold for a CPU that can operate up to 80 C and a GPU that won't start sweating until 95 C. So, I don't think that "high ambients" is a sufficient justification for a custom water loop.

How important is gaming to you relative to graphic and design? I ask because the VG248QE is a good gaming monitor, but it is pretty lousy when it comes to color accuracy that is important to designers.

Here's a reasonably high-end air-cooled gaming build that also do the other tasks no sweat:

i5 4670K $240
ASRock Z87 Extreme3 $115
Team DDR3 1600 16GB $140
Gigabyte GTX 780 $490
Crucal M500 240GB $125
WD Blue 1TB $60
Lite-ON DVD Burner $20
Seasonic S12II 620W $65
NZXT Phantom 410 $100
Total: $1355

Leaving the monitor off for now until I hear back about the priorities.

 

[lakedude]

i5 4670K $240
ASRock Z87 Extreme3 $115
Team DDR3 1600 16GB $140
Gigabyte GTX 780 $490
Crucal M500 240GB $125
WD Blue 1TB $60
Lite-ON DVD Burner $20
Seasonic S12II 620W $65
NZXT Phantom 410 $100
Total: $1355

Perfect! If you need to blow more money consider an i7 with SMP and maybe a second HD for mirroring or backups.

EDIT: Whoops did we leave off a CPU cooler? The OP was specifically concerned about having good cooling...

 

[lakedude]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6830/...s-from-noctua-silverstone-and-cooler-master/4

 

[lakedude]

The 212 is hard to beat for the money...

 

[Vybz]

ok guys thanks so far. i am going to throw out water cooling for now and do it your way. I like the build so far. I am going to up that one.

I dont live in the us anymore although I travel there quite often. I live in the Caribbean now. here it is hot most of the time and during the summer it can get really steamy. The first thing that bothers me is the noise from the fans. the pc always seems to be blowing pretty hard. the next thing that happens is the dust. every month there just seems to be a huge amount of dust being blown into my pc. Maybe if i had a really good case it would make a difference. I hear the extra issues with water cooling my rig but my last water cooled rig (8 years ago) didnt give me any issues. But all in all i just wanted to water cool my rig for the coolness factor.

 

[Magic Carpet]

The 212 is hard to beat for the money...

But you also get what you pay for. Especially when you routinely change cpu's, it's probably the worst heatsink to have. The mounting system is really bad designed, to the point when the nuts on the other side of the board may fall off after re-mounting. Just had it happen with a 212 Evo build.

A bigger problem is the total heatsink area which is rather small, should the fan stop working, temps will rise fast. It's a great budget HSF system for set and forget systems, though. But I'd get something better, for myself. I don't understand people shelling out extra dough for K processors, and cheaping out on cooling. Quality power supply and cooling should be top priority for any system, imo.

 

[Vybz]

Just finished adding all the components and wowzers why i s amazon so much more expensive than new egg. may need to rethink that.

I don't understand people shelling out extra dough for K processors, and cheaping out on cooling. Quality power supply and cooling should be top priority for any system, imo.

I agree

 

[Charlie98]

The first thing that bothers me is the noise from the fans. the pc always seems to be blowing pretty hard. the next thing that happens is the dust. every month there just seems to be a huge amount of dust being blown into my pc. Maybe if i had a really good case it would make a difference.

Dust is a problem in my house, too. My solution was a case with built in filters... I suggest going that direction. Just remember, you don't need a huge case and/or an open case to get good cooling. As far as noise, look for a closed case with sound damping material like the Fractal Define series or the Corsair 550D.

 

[Cerb]

the next thing that happens is the dust. every month there just seems to be a huge amount of dust being blown into my pc. Maybe if i had a really good case it would make a difference.

Get a case with dust filters, and set it up for positive pressure, with all intakes filtered. Corsair, Silverstone, NZXT, and Fractal Design have quite a few filtered cases that would fit the bill. They're just nylon screens, that you can remove and rinse off every once in awhile.

If you're going with a powerful video card, like a GTX 780, you simply cannot avoid fan noise. Period. End of story. But, get MSI's TwinFrozr IV model, or if it's available, Palit's aftermarket cooler (not available in the US), to get as close as possible.

Big slow fans and positive pressure will do a lot of good, even if the temps end up rising a little, because the result will be far less dust buildup. Towards that end, seriously consider MicroATX cases, too. The reduced height makes front to back or side to top airflow much more direct.

 

[mfenn]

EDIT: Whoops did we leave off a CPU cooler? The OP was specifically concerned about having good cooling...

I left it off until I hear back from the OP. Given that he's willing to try air cooling, I'd look at the Thermalright TRUE Spirit 140mm for $50.

OP, what about the monitor? What's more important to you, gaming or design?

 

[Vybz]

As far as noise, look for a closed case with sound damping material like the Fractal Define series or the Corsair 550D.

I quite like the Corsair series but are these cases really effective against noise?

Get a case with dust filters, and set it up for positive pressure, with all intakes filtered.

How do set it up for positive pressure also remember my climate is really toasty so is the rise in temp really worth it for the positive pressure?

How important is gaming to you relative to graphic and design? I ask because the VG248QE is a good gaming monitor, but it is pretty lousy when it comes to color accuracy that is important to designers.

Leaving the monitor off for now until I hear back about the priorities.

Ok on the monitor been thinking alot about it. Is it possible to with one gaming monitor and one graphic design one. I am also thinking of maybe building this one with the gaming as a priority and then going back and building a from factor that can handle the graphic design. i can use my water cooling budget to do that. i don't know?!? I mean graphic design is not a big deal but i want to be able to mess around with it.

 

[Cerb]

How do set it up for positive pressure also remember my climate is really toasty so is the rise in temp really worth it for the positive pressure?

More intake pushing air in than exhaust pulling air out. FI, if a case has 2 filtered intake positions, put a fan in each, then just have 1 exhaust fan, and let the PSU and video card do what they will to augment that. It's not going to be the difference between cooling it or not cooling it. Either you can get the Watts out of the case, then out of the room, efficiently enough, or you can't. If ~5C makes that difference, there would have been a lot more wrong than blowing air instead of sucking air.

If graphic design is a light hobby, any IPS gaming monitor would probably be a good enough compromise. E-IPS won't get the accuracy, but they aren't expensive, there are quite a few with low input lag, and they while they lack accuracy, they do tend to have decent range of color and brightness, which TN simply cannot match.

 

[Essence_of_War]

I quite like the Corsair series but are these cases really effective against noise?

The carbide 330R and the obsidian 550D are both pretty quiet, and designed to be so.

The Fractal Design R4 and Arc Midi are both great options as well.

 

[Charlie98]

I quite like the Corsair series but are these cases really effective against noise?

How do set it up for positive pressure also remember my climate is really toasty so is the rise in temp really worth it for the positive pressure?

My first PC case was a very open CoolerMaster HAF922... with 2x 200mm fans, 2x 120mm fans, the 200's running at 100%... and I had CPU heat problems. I switched to the very closed, sound insulated, much smaller Fractal Define Mini case, with only 2 120mm intake fans and a single 120mm exhaust fan... and my case temps dropped... not only idle temps but testing with LinX (what I use for temp testing because it's repeatable.) The idea is to get the air in... pass through... and out of the case... taking the heat with it. In my experience, the open cases are far less efficient at this because the flow of air through the case can be dissipated by all the other ports. Like Cerb said, positive case pressure.

And, yes, the sound damping material works...

 

[mfenn]

How do set it up for positive pressure also remember my climate is really toasty so is the rise in temp really worth it for the positive pressure?

Like I said before, the climate makes very little difference in cooling performance. The range of human-livable ambient temperatures is so low compared to normal PC operating temperatures that it doesn't matter. For example, I looked up the average summer mean temperature in the Bahamas, and it was 32C. Even if the inside of your house gets that hot (doubtful because houses either have A/C or are designed with natural cooling in mind), 32C is icy cold for a CPU. Your CPU could be running at 65C and not be the slightest bit worried.

Ok on the monitor been thinking alot about it. Is it possible to with one gaming monitor and one graphic design one. I am also thinking of maybe building this one with the gaming as a priority and then going back and building a from factor that can handle the graphic design. i can use my water cooling budget to do that. i don't know?!? I mean graphic design is not a big deal but i want to be able to mess around with it.

I agree with Cerb, pick up a good IPS monitor that straddles the gap between gaming and design. The normal reasons to go for a dedicated "gaming" (read: TN) monitor is if you're getting something really cheap (which you don't need) or if you want to run 120 Hz (which a single GTX 780 can't push). With that in mind, I'd check out the Dell U2412M for $286

 

[Vybz]

Ok that's excellent thanks. Looks like we have totally got it all sorted. Those dell monitors look great.

Oh one more thing. I am also concerned about conserving energy is there anything else i can do in the build to conserve. like PSU a gold or platinum?

 

[mfenn]

Are you wanting to save energy just for the sake of saving energy or are you trying to reduce costs? If it's the latter, then generally speaking the increased efficiency of a gold or platinum rated unit won't offset the increased initial cost. However, we can do the calculation if you let us know what your electric rate is.

 

[Vybz]

yes it is both cost and making sure we are better to our earth. here in the Caribbean electricity is costly.
they charge about 90 cent per unit

 

[mfenn]

90c per kWh? Wow! OK, yes a platinum will pay itself back there.