*UPDATED* First timer: Advice for building a micro ATX

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MrPotatoHead

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Oct 13, 2015
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Hello, I'm planning on building my first machine which is going to be a micro ATX and would love some advice. I'll be using this machine occasionally for gaming and mainly for work purposes which will involve programs like AutoCad, Sketchup + Vray, a little Revit, 3DS Max and Adobe programs etc.

Here is my list so far: (£1000 budget)

Case: Aerocool Dead Silence
Motherboard: Asus H97M-E
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-4790 Processor (8M Cache, up to 4.00 GHz)
CPU cooler: Noctua NH-12S
Ram: 2 x 8GB HyperX Savage 1600Mhz
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970
HDD: Western Digital 1TB blue
SSD: HyperX Savage 240GB
Optical drive: Asus DVD-RW Bulk Drive
PCI-E adapter: Asus PCE-N15 - 300Mbps Wireless N
PSU: ... Don't know
OS: Windows 8.1 64Bit
Fans: 4

1. How do I workout how many watts the machine will need? (I've tried different PSU calculators and results turned out to have a great difference).

2. Is there a big difference between 80 plus gold and bronze? Is paying extra worth it?

3. Is there anything in the list that I can change to save money?

*UPDATED*

I'll be using the CPU and GPU for rendering but I wont be overclocking the CPU. The question is, would I need an aftermarket CPU cooler or would the stock Intel CPU cooler be fine?

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I really appreciate it.
 
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sadams04

sadams04

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Nov 23, 2010
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CPU - Without overclocking and when not using the integrated graphics, you won't be able to tell a difference between the 4790 and the Xeon below. The Xeon below is essentially a 4770 without the graphics. ...and is cheaper!
CPU COOLER - Not needed when not overclocking. The stock Intel cooler will be just fine.
SSD - The Samsung 850 EVO is a better performer.
GPU - The GTX 970 is overkill for light gaming and primarily business work, but you have the budget available...
PSU - PCPartpicker.com has a wattage calculator that will tell you what is needed as you add parts are added to your build. Rating has little to do with quality, and a higher rating means little in regards to power draw from the wall. Simply put, look toward XFX, Seasonic, the EVGA G2 lineup, or filter through the Tier 1 or Tier 2 list. There is some good reading to be had in this link also regarding quality and efficiency... www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html
WIRELESS - Changed to a model that includes AC
OS - You will have to make the move to Win10 at some point. Might as well do it now.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£196.12 @ More Computers)
Motherboard: Asus H97M-E Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£69.54 @ More Computers)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£61.19 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£67.14 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£39.99 @ Dabs)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card (£251.94 @ Aria PC)
Case: NZXT H230 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£50.52 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: XFX XTR 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£65.99 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£9.00 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) (£72.94 @ CCL Computers)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter (£28.50 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £912.87
 
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MrPotatoHead

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Oct 13, 2015
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GPU overkill? Vray RT rendering requires a high-end graphics card with high CUDA cores...
A CPU cooler is definitely needed...
 
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sadams04

sadams04

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Nov 23, 2010
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True, but you will likely max out on realized performance with a GTX 960. Anything past that should consider a Quadro. In all reality, any medium-to-large Geforce GPU will be just fine.



Nope. Not at all. When not overclocking, the stock Intel CPU cooler is perfectly fine. That is... at 100% CPU usage for a sustained duration, the stock Intel cooler will keep temps well below the max and do it quietly. Adding an aftermarket CPU cooler to this build is overkill, but in the end up to you.
 
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