Potential PC build check

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somePcNoob

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Hi guys, thinking of building a pc for myself as our family one is still running a pentium processor from six odd years ago (don't laugh it was good when we got it). I've done some research and the actual building of it doesn't seem too hard, I’m just not sure if1) all my components are compatible and 2) if they’re the right ones for me. I won’t be running any super intensive games but potentially in the future I might do. If I build it then it will be my pc for uni (please don’t go on about how I should get a laptop, save it for another time) so it should last that long before needing updating hugely, also I’m applying for MechEng so there might be some 3D modelling software e.t.c. Anyway here is my proposed parts list:

CPU - Intel Core i5 4670K 3.4GHz (£169)
Motherboard - ASRock Z87 EXTREME4 Motherboard (Socket 1150, Z87 Express, DDR3, S-ATA 600, ATX, Haswell (£124)
GPU - Asus Nvidia GeForce GTX 750 Ti Graphics Card (2GB, GDDR5, PCI-Express 3.0) (£125)
RAM - Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 Mhz CL9 XMP (£78)
PSU - Corsair Builder Series CXM 600W Modular 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX/EPS PSU (£53)
Optical - Samsung 24x Retail SATA DVD Writer (£12)
SSD - Kingston Technology 120GB Solid State Drive 2.5-inch V300 SATA 3 (£45)
HDD - WD 1TB 3.5 inch Internal Hard Drive - Caviar Blue (£40)
Case - Corsair Graphite Series 230T ATX Compact Mid Tower (£56)
Total – about £675

Any thoughts and/or help will be greatly appreciated.
 
Solution
SandmanEnters
Looks good, but if you do decide to upgrade the gaming hardware by adding a more powerful grapics card later, I would recommend checking out the gtx970, as the info Ive seen so far looks very promising. You can then use the gtx750 as a dedicated physx card. Just make sure the power supply is big enough to handle both cards if you do that. Im running the a gtx770 with a gtx560 as a dedicated psysx card, and it makes for very smooth gameplay. Note that not all games can make use of a dedicated card, but you can bet that arkham knight will benefit from it next year.
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barto

barto

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The PSU selected has a few weak points. The capacitors are of lower quality. If you stick with Corsair, invest in the TX or HX series. If you are comfortable with another brand Antec makes really good PSUs as well.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£73.92 @ More Computers)
Total: £73.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-21 22:58 BST+0100

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£68.05 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £68.05
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-21 22:58 BST+0100
 
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SandmanEnters

SandmanEnters

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Looks good, but if you do decide to upgrade the gaming hardware by adding a more powerful grapics card later, I would recommend checking out the gtx970, as the info Ive seen so far looks very promising. You can then use the gtx750 as a dedicated physx card. Just make sure the power supply is big enough to handle both cards if you do that. Im running the a gtx770 with a gtx560 as a dedicated psysx card, and it makes for very smooth gameplay. Note that not all games can make use of a dedicated card, but you can bet that arkham knight will benefit from it next year.
 
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somePcNoob

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Thanks very much for the advice, I think I'll go for that second power supply! As for the graphics card don't know if I'll be able to stretch to the 970, are there any around the same price that would be a better buy?
For the motherboard I've never really heard of ASRock so would something like MSI, Gigabyte or ASUS be better? Maybe the MSI Z87-G45-GAMING ATX or Gigabyte Z89X-D3H? Thanks again
 
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SandmanEnters

SandmanEnters

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If you're not going to be gaming hardcore, I reckon the GTX750 is a very good card. If I'm not mistaken, it is based on the same GK204 architecture as the 970 & 980 (someone please correct me if I'm wrong). I base this on what I have read and heard though, as I've never owned one.

I can comment (somewhat) on the motherboard, as I am also running on an Asrock Z87 Extreme 4. I am very happy with it but, in all honesty I have nothing really to compare it against, as this is the first Z87 chipset mobo that I have owned. Previous board was a Gigabyte H87. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than me can provide some better insight.

 
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somePcNoob

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Thanks for the advice on the GPU. I was thinking of changing the motherboard to the Asus H97-PRO GAMER but I was wondering would either of the boards (ASUS or ASRokc) have the appropriate connections (for the front panel (I think they're called headers)) for two usb3 connections, headphone/microphone jack, power and reset buttons and led's? I'm planning using the Corsair Graphite Series 230T and that's the connections it has. Also would either of the motherboards fit in the case?

Sorry for all the questions, I just want to be super sure that everything is compatible.
 
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somePcNoob

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I looked at both these power supply's and they don't have great reviews on amazon. Is this something I should be wary of or are they defiantly good reputable brands that I shouldn't have any problems with?
 
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logainofhades

logainofhades

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For a little bit more, you can change things up to this and get a far better GPU.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£139.53 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£66.46 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Kingston Fury White Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£59.98 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£39.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card (£251.99 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Corsair SPEC-03 White ATX Mid Tower Case (£44.96 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£63.31 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer (£14.89 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £681.11
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-22 20:26 BST+0100
 
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somePcNoob

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Thanks for the advice, I think I'll definitely change to your suggested power supply because I was having trouble finding a decent one in price range. Isn't 4GB a bit overkill for the GPU for what I'll be doing with it? I did kind of want nVidia too though :/ I think I'll stick with the full atx mobo and case though. Thanks again for your advice!
 
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logainofhades

logainofhades

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Until the 970 is more common and priced better in your country, the R9 290 is a great price/performance card compared to anything Nvidia has to offer. Faster than a GTX 780, and cheaper. The ram amount is not overkill. If your 3d modeling software makes use of GPU, the extra gpu ram will come in handy.
 
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somePcNoob

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Ahh okay that makes sense, I wanted to keep the full ATX board and case though and my budget doesn't stretch too much so could I get the original planned graphics card (GTX 750 Ti) then upgrade to a different one in the future on the same motherboard (ASUS H97 PRO GAMER (or similar))? Or would a similar priced (around £120) AMD card be better?
 
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logainofhades

logainofhades

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The case was an ATX, I can change the board to an ATX one. I was just trying to keep price really close.
Here is a build with a better board, and a GPU in the price range you were talking. It would be far better than a 750ti. I also changed the CPU to one more suitable for 3d modeling software.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (£194.72 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z97X Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£109.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Kingston Fury White Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£59.98 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£39.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 2GB Dual-X Video Card (£119.00 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Corsair SPEC-03 White ATX Mid Tower Case (£44.96 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£63.31 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer (£14.89 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £646.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-23 14:20 BST+0100
 
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SandmanEnters

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^This.
That fatality board is gonna be epic.
 
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sora

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The build is solid but I would rather go with an XFX or Seasonic power supply.
 
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somePcNoob

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Someone suggested a EVGA Supernova 650W G1 Gold Modular Power Supply, would this be as good as an XFX or Seasonic for the price (around £60)?
 
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sora

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The EVGA G2 series are reliable but I am not so sure about the G1. It is probably reliable just as much as the G2 series.
 
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barto

barto

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Ok, but that doesn't mean Antec HCG are bad power supplies. Seasonic is the best, can't argue that. But the top brands are Antec, Seasonic Corsair (TX, HX and AX) and XFX. XFX power supplies are made by Seasonic. Certain Antec and Corsair power supplies are made by Seasonic. You're splitting hairs just because the label on the outside.

http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/psu_manufacturers

EVGA power supplies have been rising in popularity over the past couple years. They are made by SuperFlower and have a great reliability record right now.
 
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