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First time gaming computer from scratch -- will this work?

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  • Gaming
  • Power Supplies
  • Computers
  • Motherboards
  • Memory
  • Cases
  • Graphics Cards
Last response: in Systems
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September 17, 2014 10:54:12 AM

Hello. I'm building a new gaming computer from scratch, and am looking for professional counsel before I drop the dough to buy it. I have never built a computer before, so I've been trying to gleen all the information about the process as I can.

The components:
Cooler Master Cosmos SE - ATX Tower Computer Case
MSI Micro ATX DDR3 2600 LGA 1150 Motherboards Z97M
Intel Core i7-4790K Processor
Crucial MX100 512GB SATA 2.5" 7mm (with 9.5mm adapter) Internal Solid State Drive
Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB 2x8GB DDR3 2400MHz PC3
EVGA GeForce GTX 770 Superclocked with ACX Cooler 4 GB GDDR5
EVGA SuperNOVA 750G2 80PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V/EPS12V 750W Power Supply
Corsair Hydro Series Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler H100i

1. Are there any incompatibilities between the components I have chosen?
2. Will everything fit in the case I've chosen?
3. Will my computer be cool enough with just the cooling unit I have listed? Do I even need to buy this, or will the tower's stock fans be sufficient?
4. Is my power supply sufficient? (Note: I plan on also attaching a Asus VS247H-P 23.6-Inch Full-HD LED-Lit LCD Monitor to it.)
5. How do I connect an HDMI cable to my case? They don't seem to say anything about HDMI ports on these cases. (I don't doubt that I can, I just don't know how.)
6. Is there any general advice people can give me when installing particular components?
7. What's the difference between this and that?

Note: I will install Windows 7 Professional via the disc I have with this CD drive.

Any and all input about my build is appreciated! Also, any tips on computer building in general are as well. :) 

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a b ) Power supply
a b V Motherboard
a b } Memory
a b U Graphics card
September 17, 2014 11:07:09 AM

10000RPM HDDs are not worth it in my opinion, they're only marginally faster, but much louder and much more expensive. If you want faster storage, get an SSD.

1. I don't see any incompatibilities
2. yes, they all should fit.
3. It's possible that you will have to add more case fans to cool your other components with a closed-loop liquid cooler. You might be better off getting good air cooling, which works just as well for a lower price.
4. Yes, it's sufficient. Your monitor does not draw power from your computer either, just FYI, it has its own power cord.
5. It's not your case which has an HDMI port. It will be your GPU, but you don't have a GPU listed. Your onboard graphics (motherboard) will not have an HDMI connection.
6. -
7. The difference is the size, there's no real reason to buy micro ATX with a large case like that, it'll be more expensive for no reason
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September 17, 2014 11:16:49 AM

Entomber said:
10000RPM HDDs are not worth it in my opinion, they're only marginally faster, but much louder and much more expensive. If you want faster storage, get an SSD.

1. I don't see any incompatibilities
2. yes, they all should fit.
3. It's possible that you will have to add more case fans to cool your other components with a closed-loop liquid cooler. You might be better off getting good air cooling, which works just as well for a lower price.
4. Yes, it's sufficient. Your monitor does not draw power from your computer either, just FYI, it has its own power cord.
5. It's not your case which has an HDMI port. It will be your GPU, but you don't have a GPU listed. Your onboard graphics (motherboard) will not have an HDMI connection.
6. -
7. The difference is the size, there's no real reason to buy micro ATX with a large case like that, it'll be more expensive for no reason


Oops, forgot to list my graphics card. It's this. (Updated OP to include it.)
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a c 466 4 Gaming
a c 107 ) Power supply
a c 176 V Motherboard
a b } Memory
a c 147 U Graphics card
September 17, 2014 11:19:10 AM

Get a single 1tb normal HDD. The 10000rpm drives are a marketing scam. They really are not any faster.
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a b ) Power supply
a b V Motherboard
a b } Memory
a b U Graphics card
September 17, 2014 11:19:30 AM

that GPU will have an HDMI port.

What happens is your case will have a hole in the back for the motherboard ports, and it will also have a slot for the GPU ports as well. When you get your GPU you will see on the back end of it there will be HDMI ports that you can use.
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a b 4 Gaming
a b ) Power supply
a b V Motherboard
a b U Graphics card
September 17, 2014 11:37:48 AM

FYI I would get one of these power supplies instead (all are fully modular for the same price or less and models I trust more)

Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ NCIX US)

Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($95.99 @ NCIX US)

Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
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September 17, 2014 11:41:15 AM

tiny voices said:
Get a single 1tb normal HDD. The 10000rpm drives are a marketing scam. They really are not any faster.

Can I partition internal HDDs however I want?

Also, I see from your signature that your rig uses 2 graphics cards. Would it be a better idea for me to get two 2GB cards instead of one 4GB card?
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a c 466 4 Gaming
a c 107 ) Power supply
a c 176 V Motherboard
a b } Memory
a c 147 U Graphics card
September 17, 2014 11:45:00 AM

No, you want a single GPU. A powerful single GPU is always a better buy then 2 lower end cards.

When you have two 2gb cards, you will only have 2gb Vram, not 4gb.
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September 17, 2014 11:48:45 AM

You can partition your HDD as much as you want. As long as the partitions are big enough for the OSes.
I would get a 4GB card and then if you need more performance get another one.
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a b ) Power supply
a b V Motherboard
a b } Memory
a b U Graphics card
September 17, 2014 11:49:22 AM

yes, you can partition HDDs however you want. You could take a 1TB HDD and partition it into two 500GB portions.

just a word of caution:
1TB = 1 trillion bytes = computer thinks it's about 931GB
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September 17, 2014 1:14:28 PM

Okay, I've updated the specs in the OP to account for the suggestions about the power supply and to change the HDD to an SSD.

Can I partition SSDs however I want too?

Also, I was thinking about using the Acronis software that comes with this along with this to clone the current HDD of my laptop to my new SSD. Will that work the way I think it will?
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a b ) Power supply
a b V Motherboard
a b } Memory
a b U Graphics card
September 17, 2014 4:36:31 PM

I would advise against cloning your HDD to your SSD. It's better to install programs fresh on your SSD, especially since you also need to set certain settings in Windows (should be automatically set by your SSD driver software/included) to optimize your SSD's usage.

You can also partition SSDs similar to HDDs in Windows.

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September 18, 2014 6:12:31 AM

Entomber said:
I would advise against cloning your HDD to your SSD. It's better to install programs fresh on your SSD, especially since you also need to set certain settings in Windows (should be automatically set by your SSD driver software/included) to optimize your SSD's usage.

Is it not feasible to clone my HDD and then change settings to accomodate the SSD after?

I just don't want to go through the trouble of starting from scratch--especially since I did a factory restore on the laptop I want to clone just a couple of months ago, and that was annoying enough already. I'd just rather not go through that again if I don't have to.
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a c 466 4 Gaming
a c 107 ) Power supply
a c 176 V Motherboard
a b } Memory
a c 147 U Graphics card
September 18, 2014 6:13:57 AM

Are you saying you want to clone the laptop HDD and then install it in the newly built PC? Yeah, doesn't work.
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September 18, 2014 6:19:20 AM

tiny voices said:
Are you saying you want to clone the laptop HDD and then install it in the newly built PC? Yeah, doesn't work.

Why's that?

Would it work if I at least installed Windows first and THEN cloned my laptop's HDD?
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a c 466 4 Gaming
a c 107 ) Power supply
a c 176 V Motherboard
a b } Memory
a c 147 U Graphics card
September 18, 2014 6:23:57 AM

No, you can't move the installation. It is tied to the motherboard.

You need to do a fresh install on the new computer. You will HAVE TO reinstall all your games and programs. Also, you should not be using Acronis to close the HDD to an SSD in the first place. It will not enable MANY parameters that are needed to properly run and maintain an SSD like windows will when you do a fresh install.
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September 18, 2014 6:32:19 AM

tiny voices said:
No, you can't move the installation. It is tied to the motherboard.

Ohhhh I see. That makes sense. I guess it WOULD be way too good to have a $50 program that could just copy Windows installations around... Still, very sad that I'll have to jump through all the hoops again >.<
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a c 466 4 Gaming
a c 107 ) Power supply
a c 176 V Motherboard
a b } Memory
a c 147 U Graphics card
September 18, 2014 6:36:24 AM

There is a program that does that and it only costs $20, but it can only copy the OS from a drive to an SSD to be used in the SAME computer, not to be moved around. That is not the fault of the program, but simple how Windows works.

I used it a week ago to add an SSD to my GF's computer.
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September 18, 2014 7:12:07 AM

Alrighty. I ordered all the parts.

I just had some questions about taking anti-static countermeasures while I put it together. First of all, do I even need to worry much about it if I live in an area where the humidity is frequently 70%+? (It's 90% right now.) I can't remember the last time I received a shock due to static electricity.

I got an anti-static wrist band anyways since it was only $4.49, and I'd rather be safe than sorry, but my friend is going to help put it together, so should I be worried about making sure to ground him once in a while or something?
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September 18, 2014 11:48:00 AM

You should always have antistatic equipment when you are working on a PC!
Components are affected by static we can't even feel. You should have the band grounded at all times. I recommend grounding on a radiator.
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September 18, 2014 11:57:10 AM

Teranus said:
You should always have antistatic equipment when you are working on a PC!
Components are affected by static we can't even feel. You should have the band grounded at all times. I recommend grounding on a radiator.

I don't have a radiator in my apartment. I heard that it was safe to have the band clamped to your computer case. Would this be fine? What other common household things could I touch to ground myself?
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September 18, 2014 12:26:02 PM

A case will do fine for grounding.
Good luck with your build!
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!