Building a PC, need advice and approval.

Liby195 · Mar 4, 2014

CPU: i5 4570
MB: MSI H87I AC
VGA: MSI 750Ti
SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 250GB
HDD: WD 1TB BLUE WD10EZEX
RAM: Samsung 4GB x 2 PC3-12800
PSU: Corsair RM 450 80Plus Gold
CASE: Corsair Obsidian 250D

This is the small form PC build I came up with. (Won't be overclocking)

First off, are the components compatible with each other? For example:
- PSU strong enough?
- CASE large enough?
- Does it require third party cooling? (I heard Haswell runs hot even in stock speed)

It will be general home PC for both work and entertainment, and the most taxing thing I'll be doing on it will be gaming and photoshopping. I'm sure I could get a better price/performance VGA card, but I just liked the fact that it is small, requires less power, and produces less heat. It's a shame the 800 series Maxwell cards aren't out yet, as if they were, I'd definitely go for them.

Is there anything questionable with the component choices I made?
- Balance / bottleneck issue?
- Overkill / Underpowered component?
- SSD 250GB too much or too less?

Thanks in advance.

bob hays · Mar 4, 2014

a 250gb ssd is kinda big for that build. Its also really strong on the cpu side for that gpu. For a price/performance in gaming i'd suggest an i3. Photoshop should also be just fine on an i3. (my school graphic design class uses old pentiums and it works almost flawless)

smorizio · Mar 4, 2014

for the power supply i bump it to a 650w unit it the 12v line that you want to give it 100w more then needed for cap age.
if your case can fit it use a better cooler then stock intel coolers with the push pin type of locks..lot of times they walk out from thermal cycling and your rig can over heat.

bob hays · Mar 4, 2014

The 450w psu is MORE than enough and will even allow some overclocking. You can literally run a 780 off of that (but not recommended)

Liby195 · Mar 4, 2014

Thanks for the feedback everyone!
Although there are mixed answers, I think I have a better idea of what to get now.
So basically 450w is enough, but for headroom get 550w.
And, the graphic card is the bottleneck if any.
Yeah, I did think 750Ti is weakest component in this build, but I really liked the small size and the new architecture with less heat and power.
It just felt new and fresh. A shame the 800 series didn't come out with it. But no point in waiting for those at this point I guess.

The only question remaining is the third party cooler.
First of all, a decent one should add a hefty amount to the total price, so i'm in doubt.
And if i were to get one, which one is best? Noctua fan type? Corsair Water cooling?
Finally, wouldn't the case be too small if extra cooling is installed?

Liby195 · Mar 4, 2014

Well, as far as cooling goes, I don't need anything too fancy.
Something inexpensive, quiet, and just good enough for occasional long gaming sessions is all I'm looking for.
I'm not really interested in extreme modding or trying to reach extremely cool temperatures inside the case.
Infact, I've been happy with stock coolers for all my computers in the past.
It's just that I heard Haswell runs quite hot with the stock cooler, and although it should still be enough for how I will be using my PC, I thought if the third party cooler isn't that much more expensive, AND runs safer and quieter, then why not?

But I'm beginning to think some of the coolers i'm looking at is way to big for my case.
Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO for example. I'm okay with that price, but it's really big I think.
Never used a cooler before so I'm just not used to seeing such a bulk sitting on top of the mobo.
Noctua ones seem really big too. Small ones seem to blow air upwards. I'm so lost.

Liby195 · Mar 6, 2014

I've decided to go with a low profile cooler for the CPU, Noctua NH-L9i.
I think it fits my needs as in being quiet and good enough for a non-overclocking cpu such as i5 4570.
Not to mention keeping things cool inside a small case such as the Corsair obsidian 250D.

The corsair case seems to include a front and side fan already. I see the case has a few more free spaces for fan installation.
Are these slots just there for someone who needs it, or is it mandatory for the user to buy more fans to fill those slots up?

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Building a PC, need advice and approval.

Liby195

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bob hays

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smorizio

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bob hays

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Liby195

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Liby195

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Liby195

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