First Time Builder - Am I missing anything?

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GT604

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Aug 22, 2014
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Hello All,

First of all, thank you for taking the time to read this and add your input. I don't know a lot about building a PC, but I have always wanted to do this myself and obtain a system that can do a bit of everything.

To Note, I am not really looking for something very upgradeable, nor do I think my gaming needs will get much beyond the odd bit of SC2. With that said, I don't want to be restricted by having a PC that is underpowered in any way. So for my purposes, I wanted a cool looking computer that can game, multi-task a bunch of work, and be used for a bunch of random stuff.

I have an external Optical drive, so I don't want one on this build. I am going to list all of the parts that I am going to buy, I just need to make sure I am not missing anything, and I have the right parts that will work together well. I don't know if I have chosen the right power supply, or if this thing has enough cooling power, or if there are better choices for my parts!

Parts list:
CASE: Fractal Design node 304
MBOARD: Gigabyte H97N-WIFI
CPU: Intel Core i5 4690
RAM: G. Skill DDR3-1600 (PC3 12800) 2x8GB for a total of 16GB
SSD: Crucial m500 256GB
HDD: Seagate 1TB 7200 RPM SATA III
GPU: GeForce GTX 660 WINDFORCE 2X Graphic Card
PSU: CS Series CS450M Modular Power Supply

OS: Windows 8.1 (DVD)
DISPLAY: samsung s27d590p 27in widescreen pls Monitor
KEYBOARD/MOUSE: Rapoo Advanced Wireless Keyboard and Mouse

Thanks so much all! Assuming this looks good I may try my hand at putting it all together tonight.
 
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byza

byza

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Sep 7, 2013
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If you've already got the parts that it looks good, you've got everything you need. If you haven't got it yet, change the PSU. The EVGA B series is a solid budget PSU for non-overclocking builds, for something better look to XFX, SeaSonic or Rosewill Capstone in the budget sector. You also don't need 16gb of RAM, save some money and just get 8gb.
 
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G

GT604

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Aug 22, 2014
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Haven't bought the parts, planning on heading out to do that shortly though!

I have a boston acoustics soundbar and wireless sub that this will get hooked up to in the interim

Thanks for the input
 
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G

GT604

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Aug 22, 2014
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Thanks Byza, I will switch to 8GB. I will check out the EVGA B PSU as well. Is 450 watt psu enough?
 
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byza

byza

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You don't need a cd drive, you use another PC to transfer the OS onto a USB and use that to install and boot. Or you can use an external ODD.
 
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GT604

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Aug 22, 2014
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I have an NCIX and a Memory Express close by, all parts are available so I was going to go get them in the next couple hours. Most of my choices were based on things they had in stock
 
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GT604

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Aug 22, 2014
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Not really.... but sort of. I have a smart TV connected to my network, so I can stream things onto it pretty readily. I will do a real HTPC in the future when we get a bigger home. For now I kind of like having it separate so the wife gets to watch whatever she wants while I play on the computer
 
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GT604

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The price difference is pretty large, and I think for my uses it might be overkill. If I could find a better deal, I would have probably gone that route. My three card choices (within an appropriate budget and performance range) were the GTX 660, the GTX 750 Ti and the Radeon R9 270x.

The 270x is slightly better than the GTX 660 on benchmarks, but it was also more expensive. Performance per dollar the GTX 660 was the best. Plus, I just like NVidia better
 
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G

GT604

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Aug 22, 2014
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Yeah as I mentioned i have an external optical drive, (as well as this laptop), so I should be okay getting it installed
 
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byza

byza

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Ok well switch the PSU and RAM, and if you don't have another pc, or one you can access to make a boot USB, than you'll need an external ODD. Use the money you save on RAM :) It should only be cheap anyway.
 
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byza

byza

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Yes if SC2 is your only game than the 660 is fine, it's still a very good card.
 
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G

GT604

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Aug 22, 2014
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Weeeelllll, of course I want to leave a little head room to run other games, now or in the future. Since I will be saving about $70 on RAM, should I consider getting that Radeon R9 270x instead? And will it change anything as far as other components? Like the PSU?
 
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G

GT604

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Aug 22, 2014
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Thanks for doing that!

Yeah, it will be the third computer in the house, and I do have the external Optical Drive. I love the fractal case, which doesn't have an optical drive bay at all, so that is part of the reason I chose to forgo it.

I always worried that the HTPC Cases would get real hot with a decent video card in there
 
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byza

byza

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ODDs are dead, i've not used mine since I installed my OS. Obviously they are still in use, just pointing out that for most home users they aren't used anywhere near as often as they were in the past, which is why a lot of laptops forgo them these days. An external ODD will be perfectly fine when he needs it and he gets a sleek, sexy case.

As for the PSU, i'd see what they have in stock. I'm not sure what the prices you are looking at are, but on pcpartspicker the CS450w is nearly $70 and you can get a semi-modular SeaSonic 520w M12II for less, which is an excellent PSU. 450w is enough, although more headroom certainly won't hurt. I would try and go semi-modular, just since it's a small case and you don't want to clog up airflow with extra cables, but don't sacriface PSU quality to get semi-modular cables. If you are willing to buy off pcpartspicker it's a lot easier to recommend parts.
 
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byza

byza

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As an idea, this is an ITX build i'd recommend, depending on your budget.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($223.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($76.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.91 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Node 304 Mini ITX Tower Case ($79.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($65.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Samsung S27D590P 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($242.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $1237.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-22 19:33 EDT-0400
 
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