My First Custom PC

Nightman · Mar 16, 2014

Hey guys, I'm looking to build my first custom PC, and I'd like some advice. I found some components that I think would be good for my needs (mainly gaming, esp. Starcraft II). I have never done this before, so I wanted to make sure that everything will work. My main concerns are:

(1) Will everything function, i.e. can I use that motherboard with that ram, can I install Ubuntu on this system, etc.
(2) Will everything physically fit in that case and not overheat?
(3) Did I pick quality components, or should I be looking at different brands?
(4) Are there any places where I can reduce cost without hurting the power too much (e.g. I'm not sure if that graphics card is unnecessarily powerful)?
(5) Should I go with the Intel Core i5-4670K or i7-4770K?
(6) How fast can I (safely) overclock the processor?

Here are the parts:

Processor: Intel Core i5-4670K or i7-4770K
$219.00 or $309.99

Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 SC 3GB
$512.99

Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming
$159.99

RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport 3x4GB DDR3-1600
$112.09

Hard Drive: Samsung 840 pro 512 GB SATA
$384.99

Power Supply: Seasonic SSR-650RM
$104.99

Disk Drive: LG Internal Blu-ray Drive
$39.99

Cooling System: Arctic Freezer i30
$46.99

Case: Rosewill Blackhawk
$79.99

OS: Ubuntu 12.04
$0.00

Thanks in advance for any help people may provide. Sorry I have so many questions, I want to make sure I do this right!

vrumor · Mar 16, 2014

Build looks solid but why on earth would you want to install Linux on a gaming PC? Actually why 12 gb of RAM? And no one really needs 512gb of SSD storage, knock that down to 120 or 240 and get a real OS.

oatis13 · Mar 16, 2014

If I'm not mistaken Starcraft 2 is not on linux.

realchaos · Mar 16, 2014

Where are you buying from?
This is what I would do:
-Go for the 4670k.
-Go for 2x4gb of RAM rated at 1600/1866mhz, CAS9, and 1.5v.
-Go for the Asus Z87-A or ASRock Z87 Extreme4, they are typically cheaper than the MSI Z87-G45 and just as good.
-Get a better cooler. The Hyper 212 EVO is a good one at about the same price.
-Drop the SSD to a Samsung 840 EVO 250gb and add a 1tb HDD for storage.
-Get Windows 8.1

Nightman · Mar 16, 2014

realchaos :

I'm going to buy them from wherever is cheapest, probably Amazon or Newegg. I have windows 7 already, so I was thinking of using that just for games, but I prefer Ubuntu, so I'll probably still use that for work. Thanks for the input, I did think that the 12gb of ram might have been excessive, and I'll look into the other components you mentioned. I have never used two hard drives before though. Is the idea there to put programs and operating systems on the SSD and then store documents on the HDD?

realchaos · Mar 16, 2014

Put the OS and your most used games/programs onto the SSD and everything else on the HDD.

Nightman · Mar 16, 2014

Thanks for all the advice guys. Here is my updated list:

Processor: Intel Core i5-4670K
$219.00

Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 SC 3GB
$512.99

Motherboard: Asus Z87-A DDR3
$139.99

RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8 GB
$84.99

SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 250 GB
$139.99

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 2TB
$84.81

Power Supply: Seasonic SSR-650RM
$104.99

Disk Drive: LG Internal Blu-ray Drive
$39.99

Cooling System: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
$33.24

Case: Rosewill Blackhawk
$79.99

OS: Windows 7 Pro
$0.00 (I already own it)

What do you think? Also, I haven't gotten any responses regarding overclock speed on the 4670K.

Nightman · Mar 16, 2014

realchaos :

Hey, I just noticed that you said "The Hyper 212 EVO is a good one at about the same price." There is no reason why the cooling system needs to cost around $40, so if you have another, more expensive recommendation that would give me higher clock speeds, don't hold back. And thank you for your comments, I'll mark your answer as the best.

realchaos · Mar 16, 2014

It looks like a good build. The Hyper 212 EVO allows for decent overclocking (~4.3-4.5ghz) but if you want something more high-end, the Phanteks PH-TC14PE should allow you to get in the 4.6-4.8ghz range.

Nightman · Mar 16, 2014

realchaos :

Do you think it would be worth getting the Phanteks PH-TC14PE over the Noctua NH-U14S for 25 extra dollars?

realchaos · Mar 16, 2014

Yes it is just as good as the Noctua NH-D14 but it looks better.

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