First time full build, help!

[Tom898]

Hi there,

I have finally decided to bite the bullet and build my first gaming PC, and would like the forum to help me decide on some components.

I have around 600-700 pounds to spend on my computer, please tell me what you think about some of the items I am thinking about purchasing and whether they are all compatible with each other.

CPU: Possibly Intel 4770K

Motherboard: Not really sure on the best choice, ideally would like it to have some processor OC settings built in as I would like to OC but am not really sure where to start.

RAM: I noticed there is a deal on RAM today (GeIL EVO?) that seems good at first glance, I am able to purchase items today so is this a good deal?

HD: Would like a small amount of SSD to be able to store my OS and a few of my most used games, then a simple 1TB drive will be more than enough.

Graphics Card: I have an MSI 7950 card left from my previous build, this has be able to work with all other parts in my system as this is what I will be using.

PSU: I also have a Corsair CX600 lying around, Will this be sufficient and also compatible with this system?

Case: BitFenix Shinobi "Core" seems like the case I like the aesthetics of, will this fit all of my parts?

CPU cooler: I have an Akasa Voodoo Venom CPU cooler, I believe this is compatible with the CPU I mentioned above and would need to be compatible if the CPU is changed.

Case Fans: I also have a couple Akasa fans leftover, will 2 be enough to enable good airflow or will I need more?

I would also like a cheap DVD Drive just incase, can be the cheapest one possible.

Thanks in advance for your help

 

[Tom898]

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - OEM £245.99
1 x MSI Z87 Mpower SP Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £143.99
1 x Avexir MPower Yellow Series 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C10 2400MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (AVD3U24001004G-2CM) £89.99
1 x Corsair Carbide 300R Mid Tower Windowed Case - Black £78.95
1 x Toshiba SSD HDTS212EZSTA 9.5mm 128GB Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £69.95
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) HDD £47.99
1 x OcUK 20x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £12.95
Total : £703.90 (includes shipping : £11.75).

I see that you have chosen a Toshiba SSD, from my time looking around I seem to have noticed people saying that the Samsung is the fastest of the lot, so have you chosen the Toshiba because of the price?

Also just another little question I have, are motherboards more of a personal preference/colour scheme thing more than anything else? As I know absolutely nothing about motherboards.

 

[Tom898]

I guess a pertinent question at this point would be..

Do you intend to overclock? If you know that realistically it's something you'll not bother with(i've built systems for guys who say they want to overclock but never do - funny, but i love building the systems, win win for me), the spec can be changed and savings made that can then be put into other areas of the build.

That is why I have asked for a MoBo that has preset OC settings built in - I do not want to have to be fiddling with voltages etc. to get a stable overclock, however if a MoBo has settings for a stableish OC of 4.2GHz + then yes I do want that sort of Mobo.

However I do not want to add another graphics card to my rig in the future, one 7950 will do for now and maybe if I need more processing in the future I will just buy one new card.

 

[Tom898]

I don't think I want to go the full hog and go with watercooling, I think my current air cooler will be able to handle things.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-062-BX
This is currently my favourite case - I have looked at the window on the Shinobi and as someone said previously I do not like the grilling on it. Also Reading the description of that case, it does not seem to have any 2.5" bays for an SSD, would I need to buy some sort of adapter so an SSD can fit in one of these bays?

I have also considered the Corsair 750D, but it's almost certainly complete overkill for the kind of system I want to run however it is probably the nicest case I've ever seen.

Also I would like to ask if on my budget people think it's worth buying the 4770K over the 4670K, the £65 price difference is big and I'm not sure what applications are able to take advantage of the extra 4 threads, advice please?

 

[Tom898]

The standard Shinobi and the soundproofed one only come with a single fan. The windowed Shinobi has two fans preinstalled and to be honest the standard Bitfenix Spectre fans aren't great.

Case is a personal preference as I said, just remember the soundproofing material will limit the height of the cooler you can use. For a quiet case I'd look at the Corsair 330R myself but to each their own

Thank you for pointing this case out to me, it looks great! Do you know if the fans that come with the case are any good?

Also I would like to ask if on my budget people think it's worth buying the 4770K over the 4670K, the £65 price difference is big and I'm not sure what applications are able to take advantage of the extra 4 threads, advice please?

Would still love for this question to be answered also

EDIT: Also looking on the OCUK website I see they have power supplies in a seperate 'Haswell compatible' category, so is my PSU definitely compatible if I were to buy a haswell board?