About to build my $1700 gaming pc. Just need to dot the i's and cross the t's.

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
T

thijdjo

Honorable
Apr 21, 2014
93
0
10,640
Hello everyone,
I've been saving money for about a year now and I'm finally getting there. I plan on ordering the parts this weekend but I still have a few questions.
My budget is about 1700$ and I currently have this in mind:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/thijdjo/saved/6wyypg

CPU Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core $318.99
CPU Cooler Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BL 78.1 CFM $74.99
Motherboard Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 $129.99
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 $140.98
Storage Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" SSD $62.99
Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM $78.99
Video Card MSI GeForce GTX 980 4GB Twin Frozr $559.99
Case Aerocool Mechatron-Black Steel Edition ATX Mid Tower $100.99
Power Supply EVGA 750W ATX12V / EPS12V $108.99
Optical Drive Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer $16.98
Operating System Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) $92.00
Total: $1685,88

The case in this rig is the black version but I'm buying the white windowed version. I just chose this one in the rig because it was the only aerocool mechatron available in the US. I, myself, live in the Netherlands so I'm ordering the white version.
The theme of my build is white with blue LED's. I'm trying to stick to this but I don't mind if I have to choose another way for better performance.
1. I chose the Phanteks partly because of this over Noctua's NH-D14. I read that the quality is about equal but please correct me if I'm wrong. Again, performance > beauty.
2. I think I'm good with the motherboard but maybe there's a cheaper one that fulfills my needs aswell. So suggestions are welcome.
3. I chose this memory because it was cheaper than the Corsair Vengeance Pro at @2133 MHz. It also fits into the white-blue theme so that's an extra plus. Suggestions are welcome, again.
4. I'm not sure about whether I should go with the MSI or Gigabyte GTX980. In my country the Gigabyte is about 30€ more expensive, but that's not a problem. Please tell me the considerations for choosing the Gigabyte and the MSI. The length is not a problem because my case supports long video cards. Is the performance, silence, etc. about equal or is one of the two better. If price is not a problem, with which one would you go?
5. For now I have the EVGA G2 750W gold + fully modular psu. In my country Power Supplies are extremely expensive. I chose this one over the Corsair RM750. Is this a good decision or should I switch back to the RM?
6. I really want my pc to be as quiet as possible. I believe the Phanteks is a little bit more quiet that the Noctua but that's a really tiny difference. So what I want to know, do I need case fans? If so what would be a good volume (in dcb) to keep it as quiet as possible. The case comes with 2 case fans of each 25dcb which is if I'm right pretty loud. I'm probably gonna put 4 case fans in there. I found some case fans with nice blue leds of 19dcb. Will this make my pc loud? If so, what would you recommend as the case fan noise per fan knowing that I'll put 4 in there plus the Phanteks which is around 19dcb.

It would mean the world to me if someone could help me out with this. I want the best I can possibly get for my money. Thank you so much for your time and I'm sorry for my english being pretty bad but that's just because I'm Dutch.
See ya!
Thijs
 
Solution
Mattios
Most fan controllers use a connection from the PSU to the controller itself. Then, the fans are connected to the controller which puts power from the molex to the fans, varying depending on the speed setting.

If you think you will need to change fan speeds then get one. But, if they are silent then you won't need to be changing the speeds. Also, you don't want to be adjusting settings during gaming. Keeping them on full will be quiet because they are DS, and will also prolong the life of your components because they will run cooler.
Sort by date Sort by votes
Mattios

Mattios

Honorable
Jun 24, 2013
2,433
1
12,960
1) The cooler you have chosen has good reviews and is a good cooler all round.
2) The motherboard is about right for your budget and part selection.
3) Your RAM choice is fine, G.Skill is a good brand.
4) Personally I like Gigabyte however that is only because I have built with them in the past. I would suggest looking at warranties, clock speeds, and reviews to make your decision. Remember you can always overclock slightly if you wish.
5) The EVGA G2 750W is great because it is gold (I know the RM is too) and they are a renowned great quality brand. I know Corsair is too. Again I would suggest looking at warranties (RM can be found here http://www.corsair.com/en/blog/2014/april/psu_matrix_q1_2014 ) and make your choice from there.
6) http://www.gcaudio.com/resources/howtos/loudness.html is a good resource. 19 decibels will be quiet; word on the street is Noctua is quieter but if you've seen product specs then by all means go for the quietest. I'd say one or two more case fans on top of the two you get will be just fine.

I would like to ask what the purpose of the build will be - it is just gaming then save yourself some money and go for the i5. i7 is only necessary for rendering and the like.

This looks like a really nice build and I would love to be able to build it!

If you have any more questions then do ask :)

If you do build it, then please send a few pictures my way!

Mattios
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
T

thijdjo

Honorable
Apr 21, 2014
93
0
10,640
Thank you so much for your reply.
I have done some research and I came across a few things.
Most people choose EVGA G2 750W over Corsair RM750. So I looked at warrenties and review like you suggested. And I found out that I can get a ten year warranty with the G2. So that decision has been made.
About the graphics cards, the highest warranties I could find was 3 years on both of them. The gigabyte one has a little bit higher clockrate and fits better in my case so I think I'm going with the Gigabyte one unless someone can give me a good reason not to.
I also thought about taking LP Ram, since the Phanteks is pretty big and my friend had problems with his RAM too with the NH-D14. I for sure do want to take the dual channel advantage and I don't want to risk that with taking RAM that doesn't fit under my cooler.
Also you say 19 decibels is pretty quiet, but will it still be so if I got like 5 of these in my case. I'm also wondering whether I will need a fan controller or not. One thing I found out aswell is that on pcpartpicker it says the voltage of my RAM is like 1.65V and my cpu can only take up to 1.575V. Does this mean I can't use the 2400MHz that is available on my RAM? I think I'll be able to go into the BIOS to fix that right?
Do you guys have any suggestions for a LP RAM set or do you think it will fit?

And to answer your question about the purpose of the build. I actually do have my own youtube channel. Gameplayvideos and stuff like that. I know I still won't necessarily need an i7 but I want this build to be as futureproof as possible.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Mattios

Mattios

Honorable
Jun 24, 2013
2,433
1
12,960
I didn't look at the compatibility notes at the bottom so yes, going for different RAM I think would be a good idea. Here is a filter for you on PCPartPicker http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/memory/#Z=16384002&V=1200,1575&qq=1&C=10&sort=d1 You can still get high frequency RAM. I see some LP Blue which will fit with your build colours.

You obviously can't get quieter than the quietest fans. Four or five of them, if you have a good pressure set up, will be no problem at all.

In terms of a build, i7 for youtubing is fair enough if you have the money! :)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
T

thijdjo

Honorable
Apr 21, 2014
93
0
10,640
Alright, I have done some research and it seems like Devil's Canyon CPU's like the i7-4790k will have no problem with this RAM, even though it's running at 1.65V. So I'm sticking to this one unless anyone could give me a good reason not to.
I think I'm going to go with Aerocool DS Blue Case fans. I'm not going to put them in immediately. I'll just wait and see if I need it or not. And how many fans I'll need and also if I have to replace the fans that come with the case because they might be too noisy.
One more question. Can someone explain me a little bit more about Fan Controllers? I've looked it up a bit and I see that you just put it in an External 5.25" Drive Bay. I also read something about MOLEX. I believe that is something with connecting the Fan controller to the fans. So do I need one and what would be the main reason to take one and also if I will get one. Should I connect all of my case fans to it or isn't that necessary. If I don't put a Fan Controller in there will the fans automatically run at their max RPM or will they run at the required RPM at that moment?
Thanks for your effort,
Thijs
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Mattios

Mattios

Honorable
Jun 24, 2013
2,433
1
12,960
Most fan controllers use a connection from the PSU to the controller itself. Then, the fans are connected to the controller which puts power from the molex to the fans, varying depending on the speed setting.

If you think you will need to change fan speeds then get one. But, if they are silent then you won't need to be changing the speeds. Also, you don't want to be adjusting settings during gaming. Keeping them on full will be quiet because they are DS, and will also prolong the life of your components because they will run cooler.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom