First Gaming PC....opinions?

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JLevi409

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Apr 7, 2013
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I am about to start buying computer parts to build a gaming PC. When I say a gaming PC I mean something I can throw absolutely anything at, on the highest settings, without a problem. Other than gaming I will use the PC for extreme web multitasking (30+ pages open at one time) for in depth research, and some video editing. I am aiming for something I wont have to replace for at least three years (hoping for five years). I know that's an eon in the tech world so I believe I'm aiming high on the components. I have the gist of the system listed below and I would really appreciate ANY advice and/or comments on the proposed build.

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3 AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
CPU: AMD FX 8-Core Black Edition FX-8350 (FD8350FRHKBOX)
Cooling System: Hydro Series H100i Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler
Video Card: Gigabyte AMD Radeon HD 7950 3GB GDDR5 DVI-I/HDMI/2x Mini-Displayport PCI-Express Graphic Card GV-R795WF3-3GD
RAM: Ballistix Sport 8GB DDR3-1600 (PC3-12800) CL9 Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit (Two 4GB Memory Modules)
Power Supply: 950 Watt Silencer MK II ATX Power Supply
Hard Drive: Momentus 250GB 5,400 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 2.5" Internal Hard Drive ST90250N1A1AS-RK
Tower: Gamer Series Citadel ATX Mid Tower Gaming Computer Case

That's what I got so far. Thanks in advance for the advice and info.
I guess the only real yes/no questions I'm looking for involve the case and the cooling system. For the case I'm worried if it will all fit in there; it's a cheap case no doubt about it, but if it'll fit, it'll do for now. I'm also wondering, is the this cooling system enough for the PC?. Can I do less? Should I do more? Also, Hard Drive space is a low priority for me.
 
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Thanatos Telos

Thanatos Telos

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Mar 8, 2013
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Budget?
Lower the PSU, it's overkill. (750w is ideal for X-Fire.)
You definitely don't need water cooling. A hyper 212 EVO should handle everything. And, I've heard horror stories about water cooling leaking that give me nightmares. The HDD is too small as well. Aim for ~1 TB. Finally, Intel is better for builds more than 800$ for the most part.
 
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GMPoisoN

GMPoisoN

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Mar 13, 2013
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You won't be able to throw anything at the 7950 on the highest settings with smooth fps. I'm soon getting the 7970 and from the benchmarks I have reviewed it can run, say, BF3 on max settings with smooth fps. I'm not an expert but I believe you would need the next step up for you to be able to throw anything at it.

As for the case, I'm sure it could get the job done, but if you're building a rig that you want to be able to throw anything at, it wouldn't be a bad idea to invest in a slightly better one, with maybe more space for air flow to keep everything running cooler, since you'll be doing video editing and other heat generating tasks.

Last but not least the cooling system should do you fine, but remember if you want a rig that you can throw anything at, and you will be doing lots of intensive tasks, it will get hotter. Do NOT be afraid of water cooling. If you do everything correctly and do not rush, absolutely nothing will go wrong.

Only suggestions I would make is a slightly larger case, the next step up in GPU, and maybe even custom water cooling if you want that beast rig that you sound like you do! One last thing, if you're going to be doing much with videos, you may want a larger hard drive!
 
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Rammy

Rammy

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Sep 3, 2012
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You are on the right track.

The graphics card is huge but assuming I have the right case (Diablotek) the maximum card length is 330mm which is plenty to cover that card (it's near 300mm).

What I really don't know is if that case has anywhere you can mount a H100i. From what I can see, it doesn't, though I can't see any information to support this. Whether or not you choose to change cooler, I'd still think about swapping the case, you don't need to spend a lot of money to get quality. As for coolers, something like a Hyper 212 Evo is very good value and much easier to fit in most cases.

950W PSU seems pointless, unless you have some odd plans for the future. It's also worth pointing out that the Silencer MkII range is ok, the Silencer MkIII is very good. For that setup, a 550W or so would be perfectly sufficient. If you want to go really heavy into overclocking then you can add a bit for headroom, but 950W is pointless.

I know you said HDD capacity isn't a big deal, but you appear to be using a laptop drive (2.5", low speed) which is a poor choice for a desktop PC. Look at the WD Caviar Blue or Seagate Barracuda ranges.

As for overall cooling, you don't NEED much, but it really depends on preference/environment. A slightly higher quality case will usually come with reasonable fans and cooling as standard, it's usually going to be worth the potential investment, but as I said above, it doesn't need to cost a fortune. Without knowing where you are, it's pointless to make specific suggestions.
 
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Z

zottowr

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Feb 13, 2013
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Go with an i5 3550k or i7 3770k and a 212 evo cooler. You'll be able to hit 4.2ghz easy and it'll perform a lot better. Unless you're eventually planning on doing a crossfire setup, downgrade your PSU to something in the 600-700 watt range. 950 will just eat up money that could be better spent elsewhere...like an SSD.
 
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