Need case suggestions and general advice on first build

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Tyrannus3

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Jul 17, 2013
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So this is going to be my first build. I've had a gaming PC before but it was a friend's, he was getting rid of it, and I only did some minor customizations. I've tried my best to do research and be knowledgeable about the subject but I've come to terms with the fact that I just don't know how to pick out a case. I know my motherboard is going to be an mATX and to my understanding that means I'll need a small form case. Personally I can't stand these because everything is tight and there's very little room to work but I'll deal with it if it's what would be best. So I would like to ask for suggestions on what the best case for my build would be. Also if this is a good build. Again this is my first one so I'm trying to take cues from other builds. This build was largely based off two from last years best High-End Intel PC build forum. So please give me a heads up if I'm setting myself up for failure! Thanks in advance! And here's all the info I think should be necessary.

Approximate Purchase Date: Mid-September. Admittedly a bit far off but I like to have things planned ahead of time.

Budget Range: Roughly 2,000 before shipping, after rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Heavy visual editing and digital artwork, decent amount of gaming, streaming video, general internet usage, word processing

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg, Amazon only if need be

Location: Morehead, KY, USA

Components:

Processor: Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116501 (399.99)

Motherboard: ASUS Maximus V Gene LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131830 (199.99)

RAM: G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231552 (72.99)

Graphics Cards: GIGABYTE GV-R795WF3-3GD Radeon HD 7950 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card (2x)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125414 (279.99x2=559.98)

OS SSD: SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD250BW 2.5" 250GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147189 (174.99)

Games SSD: SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD250BW 2.5" 250GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147189 (174.99)

Storage HDD: WD WDBH2D0020HNC-NRSN 2TB 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Mainstream Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236531 (109.99)

Cooling: CORSAIR Hydro series H50 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181010 (59.99)

Power Supply Unit: CORSAIR HX Series HX750 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010 (129.99)

Optical Drive: LG Black 14X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 12X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA BDXL Blu-ray Burner, Bare Drive, 3D Play Back
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136250 (68.99)

Second HSF Fan: COOLER MASTER R4-BMBS-20PK-R0 Blade Master 120mm Case Fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103069 (9.99)

Intake Fan: SILVERSTONE Air Penetrator AP182 180mm Case Fan with Adjustable Speed Control
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835220048 (29.99)

Exhaust Fan: COOLER MASTER R4-BMBS-20PK-R0 Blade Master 120mm Case Fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103069 (9.99)

Current Total Cost: $1861.87 (Before taxes, shipping or rebates)
 
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JackNaylorPE

JackNaylorPE

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Oct 30, 2004
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$2000 should do a lot more than that ..... gimme a few minutes. I don't quite get the part about that ya hate small cases and yet ya wanna use a mATX board.

-OK here's what I did ..... gave ya a big, cool case with plenty of room to work in and a 10.0 jonnyguru rated PSU
-Took ya up to current generation hardware (1155 is a dead end) with a hardened MoBo w/ 5 year warranty
-Upped ya to 16GB of faster RAM
-Added a cooler just in case ya wanna OC someday
-Huge upgrade in the GFX department
-Fast HD w/ 5 year warranty and top end SSD
-Added in Blue Ray Player

Total is $1960

PSU - $210 Corsair 500R Black http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1390832
PSU - included Corsair HX850

MoBo - $500 - ASUS Z87 Sabertooth http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1389944
CPU - Included - Intel Core i5-4770k

RAM $140 - (2 x 8GB) Muskin CAS 9 DDR3-1866 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226382

Cooler - $30 - CM Hyper 212 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835709011

GFX - $400 - Gigabyte GTX 770 Windforce http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125463
GFX - $400 - Same

HD - $90 Caviar Black 1TB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533
SSD - $140 - Samsung 840 Pro 128GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147192

DVD Writer - $50 - Asus Blue Ray Player / DVD Burner http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135247


The case comes with

2 x front-mounted 120mm fans
1 x rear 120mm fan
1 x 200mm side panel fan

It has room for four 120mm, six 120mm/140mm.

So ya have room for more but I don't think ya will need it


 
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Tyrannus3

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Jul 17, 2013
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By all means! I have barely any idea of what I'm doing. And it's mainly because while comparing two motherboards this one came out looking better so I went with it. Because I wouldn't even begin to know how to go looking for what would be a better component within my price range.
 
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realchaos

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($294.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($94.50 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($122.36 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($65.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: Plextor M5S Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($93.49 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1475.99
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-17 19:51 EDT-0400)

-New Haswell processor.
-H87 motherboard and non-k version since you're not overclocking.
-16gb of ram and i7 to help you in video editing.
-One 256gb SSD for os and games. I don't know why you'll need a 240gb ssd just for the os.
-Big 2tb HDD for storage.
-Great case.

@Jack: He said he will probably never oc so no need of getting the expensive, over-rated sabertooth. The thermal armor is a hoax. I have told you multiple times...
 
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Tyrannus3

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That is awesome! Thank you so much! I never would've guess I could've gotten that much out of it. One thing though, the link for the motherboard goes to the psu/case page.
 
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JackNaylorPE

JackNaylorPE

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Exactly .... probably not being definitive, that's why i said ....

"Added a cooler just in case ya wanna OC someday"

I offered the possibility of the future option. And since it so easy, I'm thinking it will be taken :)

 
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realchaos

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"can't really see myself needing to do so."
The OP seriously can't see himself Oc'ing, so it's mostly just a waste of money.

Okay now I have some time.
@Jack:
-No need for blu-ray drive.
-As stated, sabertooth is a rip-off. If the OP wants the option to overclock, grab the ASRock Z87 Extreme6 instead. It's not over-priced.
-ram is a bit expensive, but not that big of a deal.
-No need for cpu cooler.
 
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Tyrannus3

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Also a great option! I'm going to have make a decision and think about it. I think both you and Jack have good points. And yeah in hindsight the SSD solely for the OS was probably a bit much.
 
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Dark Lord of Tech

Dark Lord of Tech

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Aug 18, 2009
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($279.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-PRO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.13 @ TigerDirect)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.13 @ TigerDirect)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($314.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master HAF X ATX Full Tower Case ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1849.16
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-17 20:35 EDT-0400)
 
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JackNaylorPE

JackNaylorPE

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The OP seriously can't see himself Oc'ing, so it's mostly just a waste of money.
Click to expand...

But ya keep forgetting one thing. He also indicated he was gonna use 2 GFX cards so I made sure to allow him that capability. You didn't. You did give him a PSU big enough to handle 2 cards in SLI so it would appear the intent was there but the MoBo only has 1 PCIE 3 slot. Doesn't that pretty much eliminate H87 from the equation ? I'm not aware of any H87 MoBo's that do SLI / CF. Im aware on an Intel board w/ 2 slots but its only x4

Add in SLI / CF capability and about $50 gets eaten outta that "big savings" .... So the question we are left with is are the extra features of the sabertooth, the 5 year warranty, and the "option" of overclockability even if not planned upon worth a 3% increase in build cost ? I was thinking it was but the final decision is the owner's decide. But he still has the 2 GFX cards he wanted.

As for the Blue Ray, no it's not needed, but he left a lot of money on the table. In a $2k build, I prefer to recommend the best items to fit the budget. That means:

1st tier vendors, ones without capacitor or warped board issues
SLI / CF capability especially when stipulated
10.0 jonnyguru rated PSUs
Blue Ray so ya can watch movies

If the owner doesn't have a use for BR or anything else suggested for consideration, he / she can do a Nancy Regan and "just say no" .... No harm in suggesting it be considered.
 
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JackNaylorPE

JackNaylorPE

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I consider the thermal armor a minor feature.... it's relatively new still, somewhat unique, so it gets a lot of press. It helps a little (yes, it has been measured) but the hardened components .... great caps, great voltage control ......, 5 year warranty and the BIOS options to my mind are what attracts me to the Sabertooth....the $100 discount helps too but I generally use the WS.

I know the Asrock is cheap .... but cheap boards w/ cheap components, to my mind, don't belong in a $2k build

More importantly, he still gets his twin GFX cards with the Sabertooth. I think where there's a lack of understanding is that that's impossible in your build.
 
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JackNaylorPE

JackNaylorPE

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This was your build before I pointed out that the build didnt meet OPs needs

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($294.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($94.50 @ Newegg)
Click to expand...

It's a $2k build, no reason to "go cheap". The thermal armor did not figure into my consideration, it''s quality and 5 year warranty did

 
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Tyrannus3

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Jul 17, 2013
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So after look over both realchaos' and jack's suggestions. I think that I'm going to find a compromise between the two. I will take up on chaos' suggestion of the ASrock over the sabertooth. I don't see myself overclocking but jack made a good point that I should at least have the option in case I want to in the future. I can get a cooler when the need arises. So how does this build sound? Again, if these components don't play well together please tell me. Also I've never dealt with microcenter or us.ncix. Are they trustworthy storefronts? Oh, and I'm splurging a bit on the blu-ray burner, I do a moderate amount of output and I like to have as many options for that as I can, plus only 10 extra bucks.

Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme6 LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157371 (190)
CPU: Intel Core i7-4770 Haswell 3.4GHz LGA 1150 84W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80646I74770
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116900&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID= (250)
RAM: Ballistix Sport 16GB DDR3-1600 (PC3-12800) CL9 Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit
http://www.microcenter.com/product/385182/Ballistix_Sport_16GB_DDR3-1600_(PC3-12800)_CL9_Dual_Channel_Desktop_Memory_Kit_(Two_8GB_Memory_Modules) (120)
SSD: M5s PX-256M5S 256GB SATA 6.0Gb/s 2.5" Internal Solid State Drive
http://www.microcenter.com/product/398906/M5s_PX-256M5S_256GB_SATA_60Gb-s_25_Internal_Solid_State_Drive_(SSD)_with_Marvel_88SS9174_controller (190)
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA3 64MB Cache 3.5in Internal Hard Drive
http://us.ncix.com/products/?usaffiliateid=1000031504&sku=66010&vpn=ST2000DM001&manufacture=Seagate&promoid=1337 (86)
GFX: GIGABYTE GV-N770OC-2GD GeForce GTX 770 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125463 (400) x2
Optical Drive: LG Black 14X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 12X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA BDXL Blu-ray Burner, Bare Drive, 3D Play Back
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136250 (69)
PSU/Case: CORSAIR HX Series HX850 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply New 4th Gen CPU Certified Haswell Ready
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1390832 (255)

Total: 1959
 
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Tyrannus3

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Jul 17, 2013
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Wow that is a pretty good combo deal. Thank you! Haha, you sound like my gf. I guess I should listen to common sense a bit and know that I can always upgrade to a blu-ray burner if I need to. I'll probably go then with the straight DVD burner. Shouldn't make myself spend money where I don't have to. Thanks so much for all your help! I just want to ask again, how are microcenter and the us.ncix stores? I just like to be cautious about where I order things, especially electronics. I've gotten screwed over before.
 
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Tyrannus3

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Awesome, that makes me feel a lot better! Thanks again for all the help. This is my first time posting on here and I'm amazed at all the feedback I got.
 
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