My first build, diving in the deep end. I would love some advice

[SebDrewett]

The most I have done before is replace a graphics card, a few weeks ago I had little to no knowledge of computer but after many painful hours of research I’m slowly understanding the basics. I’m building myself a desktop mainly for heavy video editing using CS6 AE/premiere and gaming (mostly video editing).

So far this is what I have bought... It currently comes to around £750.

MSI HD7950 Twin Frozr AMD/ATI Graphics Card - 3GB (planning to overclock a little)
840 series Samsung 250GB
Sandisk SATA III 128GB
Toshiba External 1TB USB 3.0 Hard Drive
Vengeance DDR3 4 x 4 GB (16GB) 1600mhz
Intel i7-3770k OC to 4-4.4GHz (stock cooler is optional)
Asus P8Z77-M Pro (M-atx)
LiteOn IHOS104 4x SATA Internal BD-ROM Drive
Fractal Design Core 1000 Series Micro ATX Case
ANKWE USB 3.0 front panel (2xusb3.0)

I still need to buy 2x120mm fans, 1x92mm fan, cable management, ?dust filters?, a Power supply and a processor cooler (something which is able to fit in the M-atx case http://goo.gl/4dAcF)

Should I use the intel stock paste of buy Noctua Thermal Paste? http://goo.gl/Pez4B

What size PSU do I need? I just don’t understand since I have websites telling me 800W and others 350W
What do you think of the build so far? What could be improved?
Is it compatible? (I've checked but I've probably made mistakes)
And do you have any suggestions for what I said I need to buy?

Budget isn’t too much of a problem but I’m hoping to spend around.. £10 per fan, £40 for a power supply and £30 for the processor cooler

I want to overclock but only by a small amount to play it safe, The computers priority is to be stable, silent and compact

If you have the time to help me out I will be very grateful! Thank you

Seb

I understand this build might be a overkill.

 

[g-unit1111]

What size PSU do I need? I just don’t understand since I have websites telling me 800W and others 350W

You can't really rely on online wattage calculators because so many of them don't take into account poor quality power supplies and actual wattage usage.

What do you think of the build so far? What could be improved?

I don't get the use of the second SSD. If it's not really needed drop that and get a GTX 670 - you will benefit from the extra hardware acceleration functions that the GTX series provides. If you get the Samsung get the 840 Pro or get the OCZ Vector - the standard 840 isn't that good from what I hear.

Should I use the intel stock paste of buy Noctua Thermal Paste? http://goo.gl/Pez4B

Extra thermal compound is a wasted purchase - you don't need it. If you're using the stock fan the stuff that comes pre applied is fine. If you're overclocking and purchasing an aftermarket fan Noctua fans include the same compound so you're buying the same part twice.

Is it compatible? (I've checked but I've probably made mistakes)

Yes for the most part. Toshiba isn't really that great of an HD maker - get Western Digital instead. Also get low profile Vengeance RAM.

 

[C12Friedman]

I'll start here with your PSU and why you are getting diffferent numbers for your needs. One PSU calculator is giving you a suggestion for your PSU wattage (800W), the other is giving you your approximate power needs (350W). PSU's operate most efficiently in the ~50% range so an 800W PSU will run at about 45% draw. That is where you want to be. So much for the numbers disparity. I'm going to suggest you raise your PSU budget just a tad - consider that the PSU is the heart of your system, without it performing properly, your computer will not perform properly. Here's a link to PSU reviews that I've found very helpful http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page541.htm
For a CPU cooler, this link shows a few decent coolers of various sizes (I'm thinking a CoolerMaster Hyper 212 probably won't fit that case) http://www.frostytech.com/top5_lowprofile_heatsinks.cfm
Many people are completely happy using the stock TIM that comes on/with the HSF but upgrading to a higher quality thermal compound (such as Noctua's NT-H1) is always a good idea IMO.
Hope it helps

 

[chugot9218]

If you want some nice dust filters, they may even have them specific to your case or custom sizing is relatively cheap from them I believe, try http://www.demcifilter.com/ . They are out of South Africa but shipping was cheap and prompt and the gentleman I spoke with was very helpful, Vince maybe or something like that? I got a full custom set for my corsair case and was very pleased.

I was recommended by someone on Tom's and they said they were thrilled with that company, I was inclined to agree after receiving the filters, definitely enough for me to recommend them myself.