PC building tips for a noob?

[Rand0mUser]

I am planning on building my first ever PC. Do you have any tips, tricks, and advice. Anything to make my build go smoother would be much appreciated. I also have not yet purchases anything, so if you think i should make any changes to the hardware, that would be nice too.

This is my build:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.97 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Cooler ($46.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-PLUS ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($158.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($113.98 @ Best Buy)
Case Fan: Cooler Master R4-L2S-122B-GP 39.8 CFM 120mm Fans ($11.98 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ Microcenter)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($59.00 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Acer G246HLAbd 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($148.24 @ TigerDirect)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($32.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1381.08
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-24 22:21 EST-0500)

 

[manofchalk]

Rig looks fine to me, though I would change the HDD to a WD Black or Seagate Barracuda.

Tips
- Download all your drivers ahead of time, some of them can take a fair while and whats on the disc you don't want to use.
- Update your BIOS and SSD Firmware before doing anything with them, because later on it will become "dangerous" to your data to do it after everything is set up.
- Breadboard/Testbench it before it gets in the case.
- A whole day, yup, dedicate a whole day to building it. Especially if you plan on overclocking the thing.
- When you first turn it on, everything assembled, hold the power plug.
- Dont have your HDD plugged in when you install Windows.

 

[Rand0mUser]

Rig looks fine to me, though I would change the HDD to a WD Black or Seagate Barracuda.

Tips
- Download all your drivers ahead of time, some of them can take a fair while and whats on the disc you don't want to use.
- Update your BIOS and SSD Firmware before doing anything with them, because later on it will become "dangerous" to your data to do it after everything is set up.
- Breadboard/Testbench it before it gets in the case.
- A whole day, yup, dedicate a whole day to building it. Especially if you plan on overclocking the thing.
- When you first turn it on, everything assembled, hold the power plug.
- Dont have your HDD plugged in when you install Windows.

thanks for the tips, but what do you mean by "hold the power plug".

 

[manofchalk]

Lets say when you turn the system on theres a loud pop and/or smoke, having a hand around the power plug means you can pull power instantly.

 

[Rand0mUser]

Lets say when you turn the system on theres a loud pop and/or smoke, having a hand around the power plug means you can pull power instantly.

good to know