New/first computer build

[Gtokie]

Anyone? Looks like I'll be
Finished my build this evening. If anyone has any last minute ideas or suggestions.

 

[mfenn]

So I'll probably be completing his build in the next 2 weeks. I've been wondering would the noctua nh-d14 cooler or the Cooler master 212 be a better one

The D14 is certainly "better" from a performance point of view. However, it also costs 2-3 times as much as the 212 so it falls down in terms of value (overclock per dollar).

 

[Gtokie]

I ended up buying everything on my updated list. Went with windows 8.1. Wasn't exactly sure which to get 64 bit of course. Had a few items go down in price today which newegg took care of some of it ester day but it went down again lol so hopefully I'll get the extra 20$ back. Now the anticipation of waiting for my goods

 

[mfenn]

Cool, let us know how the build goes! Feel free to update this thread if you have any questions.

 

[Gtokie]

I did have a quick question. Are there any
Tips that I should know. Seems like I saw somewhere that you should stagger your memory sticks. Can't think of anything else right now. I'm slightly paranoid about my mobo messing up because it wasn't a perfect fit
In my case I had to push on the mobo to get it to line up fairly hard and had to handle it
Multiple times.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

RAM slots are usually color coded and numbered. Your motherboard manual will tell you which slots are which, and should tell you which slots to use for best performance.

This motherboard is typical, in that the slots are color coded and arranged in pairs.

Usually, what would be done is install RAM in the two yellow slots first, for proper dual channel operation. If an additional stick or sticks is installed, it would go in the orange slots. Most of the motherboards I've used were blue/black, but it's otherwise the same thing.

 

[Gtokie]

Ok I did do do
Some reading last night and it showed. Also I looked on amds website and they recommended a 750+ psu for my graphics. Am I going to have to worry about it. PPP said my power use was 432 watts but I don't know how accurate that is.

 

[Gtokie]

ended up u/ging my power supply in case i want to crossfire in the future

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($224.73 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.66 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD5H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($172.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($75.77 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($111.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card ($298.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair Vengeance C70 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($90.00 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS30 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($35.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($90.26 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1244.35
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-21 10:16 EDT-0400

 

[mfenn]

Ok I did do do
Some reading last night and it showed. Also I looked on amds website and they recommended a 750+ psu for my graphics. Am I going to have to worry about it. PPP said my power use was 432 watts but I don't know how accurate that is.

AMD is just covering themselves in case people buy really cheap "750W" power supplies that can't output their rated wattage. Your actual draw with an R9 280X and a Haswell i5 will be much lower than 620W, more like 300W maxed out (if that). Here's a chart showing power consumption with an overclocked Ivy Bridge-E processor. As you can see, you'll be hard pressed to get a power draw over 620W, don't waste your money on an overly expensive power supply.

Also, I would not recommend planning to "upgrade to SLI/CFX". The GTX 970/980 is evidence of the performance gains that are possible with single GPUs even while lowering power consumption.

 

[Gtokie]

While waiting for all my parts to arrive ive be perusing the internets. saw a new gfx card came out for a pretty low price. Is the 970 worth more bang for my buck over the r9 280x i got for 300. Or should i just be happy with what i got and it still maintain value

 

[mfenn]

The GTX 970 is generally faster and a better value proposition than the R9 280X. Whether or not it's worth the time and expense to exchange the card is up to you.

 

[MongGrel]

The GTX 970 is generally faster and a better value proposition than the R9 280X. Whether or not it's worth the time and expense to exchange the card is up to you.

+1

I still have no problems at all with my R9 280X, but I haven't been gaming a lot lately.

It benchmarks very well with the OC'd X5650 in here.

I'm perfectly happy with it, but that is your call.

 

[Gtokie]

What are the reccomended tests I run on a newly built of for stress and performance test to make sure all the hardware is up to snuff.

 

[mfenn]

Run OCCT, LinX, and Furmark for general stress testers. You can also run ATTO to test the SSD.

 

[Gtokie]

Starting to get irritated with Amazon. They're the only vendor who hasn't shipped my item yet. Ordered last Friday and it's still preparing for shipment. All it is is my ram. Any reccomendations for ram from another vendor where I could still get the same or better bang for my buck. I've had pretty good service from newegg.

 

[mfenn]

You sure it's Amazon themselves and not a third party seller? Amazon Amazon products are usually lightning quick.

Anyway, RAM is probably the easiest thing to get from any seller since it's not really differentiated very much. This $70 Team kit will work totally fine.

 

[Gtokie]

I'm pretty positive it was Amazon. I ordered it last Friday. They shipped it yesterday. Fortunately it's coming from Texas and I'm in Oklahoma scheduled to be here today. Beat my cpu and psu here which is nothing to complain about. It's been hard waitinf this long

 

[Gtokie]

wanted to thank yall for your help. Finally got her built last night. Was paniced a little bit when it wouldn't boot. I just had to remove discrete gfx first and once I figured that out it was relatively smooth sailing. I'm thinking of getting another ssd like a 512gb. Would the mx100 be a good fit and is there anything special I need to do to run 2 ssds

 

[mfenn]

Why did you have to remove the discrete GPU? Were you able to put it back in?

There's nothing special needing to run 2 SSDs, just hook the second one up to another SATA port.