My very first self-assembled computer.

[Panurge]

Hi there!
Being new around here and knowing very little about building custom computer, I'd like to ask about your opinion on what I think might be a good idea for a decent gaming PC. It's not aimed in overclocking or any benchmark running, but on being able to suffice for quite some time. This is what I was thinking of recently:

• 
  ■ Chasis: Bitfenix Prodigy M (http://www.bitfenix.com/global/en/products/chassis/prodigy-m)
  ■ Motherboard: ASUS Z97I-PLUS (http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Z97IPLUS/)
  ■ CPU: Intel CORE I5 4690 3.5GHz (http://ark.intel.com/products/80810/Intel-Core-i5-4690-Processor-6M-Cache-up-to-3_90-GHz)
  ■ RAM: double HyperX FURY DDR3 8GB 1600MHz CL10 (http://www.kingston.com/datasheets/HX316C10FWK2_16.pdf)
  ■ GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 OC, 2GB DDR5 256 Bit (http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4663#ov)
  ■ SSD: Crucial MX100 256GB SATA3 (http://www.crucial.com/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&urlLangId=-1&productId=12929&urlRequestType=Base&langId=-1&catalogId=10151)
  ■ PSU: Corsair CS Series 650W Modular (http://www.corsair.com/en-us/cs-series-modular-cs650m-650-watt-80-plus-gold-certified-psu)
  ■ Additional fan: BitFenix Spectra 230mm (http://www.bitfenix.com/global/en/products/accessories/spectre)

Some reasons for choosing these:

• 
  ■ Chasis: I love the looks and size, though it could have been a little smaller.
  ■ Motherboard: It has everything I need (hopefully), especially wifi, because I try to make it as wireless as possible.
  ■ CPU: as I've written before I don't find overclocking atractive, so I think it will be ok.
  ■ RAM: 16 gigs might be quite an overkill, but they are not SO expensive and they've got a lifetime warranty.
  ■ GPU: a friend of mine recommended a 256 bit one, so I choose this.
  ■ SSD: Cheap for size.
  ■ PSU: It is supposed to have at least 92% of efficiency (I hate wasting power).
  ■ Additional fan: I wanted to put it on the bottom, and move the two stock 120mm on top, to get a top-down (or down-top) airflow.

Doubts:

• 
  ■ I would like to have the chasis even smaller, but I think I can't sacrifice the look.
  ■ Is it possible to connect more fans, than there are ports on motherboard (to PSU perhaps)?
  ■ Will the SSD last?
  ■ Will PSU fit to the chasis with long graphics card and leave some place for modular wiring?
  ■ Is 650W PSU enough?
  ■ I was thinking if water-cooling the cpu is worth it? If is, are there any 120mm water kits worth looking at?
  ■ It would also be nice if it was quiet.
  ■ IS IT GOING TO WORK?

I would really appreciate your thoughts on topics that I mentioned and things I would not even think of.

 

[numanator]

Looks like some pretty good choices but a few things to consider:

- If you don't plan on overclocking you can look for a H97 motherboard though I am not sure if there are any mini ITX H97 boards.
- You can take a look at the Xeon E3 1231v3 for the CPU, it is essentially an i7 without the integrated graphics card. Typically priced around $250
- The Corsair CS is not great quality for it's price. this would be a much better quality option:

Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ NCIX US)

Comes with a 10yr warranty.

Edit: A good quality 550w would be enough for your build but for the price hte EVGA G2 750w is a great deal.

 

[kunthakenthe]

hey you stole my psu suggestion lol.

 

[byza]

I stuck with the same case as that is something you like. I swapped the motherboard from the Z series to the H series, as the Z is for overclocking. You lose built-in wifi, but with the price difference you can easily afford a wifi card with change left over. Personally I think this is better, as if there is ever a problem with the adaptor it is easier to fix. You could also afford a better quality wifi card than the built-in one if that's what you want, but I stuck with a budget option. I also changed from the ITX model to the mATX model as it has less restrictions.

I added a CPU cooler, it's not necessary but it would be quieter than the stock cooler and you said you want quiet. The motherboard only has fan ports for a cpu cooler and 2 chassis fans, although you can power additional fans through molex cables from the PSU. Personally I'd get a PWM fan controller like the NZXT Sentry 3 and pair it with some BitFenix Spectre Pro PWM fans but there is more practical places to spend money in your build. I changed the SSD to the Samsung EVO, it's a little faster but also a little more expensive. G.Skill has better quality RAM so I went for the Ares as it is low profile and will fit under the CPU cooler. You can probably get it cheaper as it comes on sale all the time.

The PSU wasn't very good quality so I changed it to something better, making sure it was at least semi modular. 520w is sufficient.
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1804779/power-supply-unit-tier-list.html
If you can afford it, a bump up to the R9 280x would improve the graphics or it might be worth adding a HDD for storage.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($22.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: Asus H97M-PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($82.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($129.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($229.90 @ TigerDirect)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy M Arctic White MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($98.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($73.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN751ND 802.11b/g/n PCI Wi-Fi Adapter ($13.74 @ Amazon)
Total: $982.56
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-29 19:59 EDT-0400

Update: The PSU suggested by Numanator is a good deal. It's only $10 more than the PSU I suggested and is gold rated as opposed to bronze. Furthermore, PSU's tend to be most efficient around mid-draw, which is roughly where you would be at with a 750w when under full load with your build.

 

[kunthakenthe]

http://www.amazon.com/XSPC-Raystorm-Universal-Included-Dead-Water/dp/B00FVVEDWY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406678543&sr=8-1&keywords=watercooling+kit

water cooling kit(custom loop)

water cooling kit(AIO all in one)

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-cpu-cooler-h100i



gpu much stronger and cpu is overclockable.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nRm923

 

[Panurge]

Thank you very much for support! I love the idea of changing the power supply, but wouldn't the EVGA be too long? I think I've read somewhere, that prodigy should use 160mm PSU and the one is 180.

 

[kunthakenthe]

no the evga should fit most psu's dont have trouble fiting in. the evga is the best also you could run it outside the case it dont fit or turn it on it side.