Building new gaming pc - need some advice

[Daveke34]

Hello,

I'm looking to buy a new pc that will be mainly used for gaming (mostly shooters). I have the following build in mind

Fairly certain of
- gpu: Asus GTX970 (never had problems with Asus, heard that MSI 970 has coil whine problems, Gigabyte seems to have a decent card too but I'm not familiar with that brand)
- cpu: Intel i5 4690K
- cpu cooler: Sycthe mugen 4
- motherboard: Asus Z-97A

Not so sure of
- HDD: Western Digital 2000GB Black => or perhaps red or green?
- SSD: Samsung 256Gb 850 Pro series => I am not familiar with SSD, is this a good choice (some people recommend me Crucial MX100 or M500) - will only be used to boot Windows
- memory: Corsair 8 Gb Vengeance Blue Pro 1600MHz => I have a hard time deciding on the memory; I am happy with my current Corsair set but read good things about G. Skill too. Should I go for LP heatspreader?
- case: my biggest problem, there are so many and the more I read the more difficutl it is to choose; I am looking for a case that offers good air flow, is spacious and above all silent. I currently have an Antec P90 but looking for another one (preferably Cooler Master, Antec or Corsair) - any recommendations?
- power supply: Corsair CS650 - 650 W - honestly I just picked one, they all look good

So basically I need some help regarding SSD, memory, case and power supply - thanks in advance !!

 

[tiny voices]

Change PSU to an XFX650.

Get a Caviar blue or Seagate Barracuda. No reason to pay for the black.

For the SSD get an 840 Samsung EVO. Best quality for the money.

Get low profile RAM. You might need it with your heatsink.

The Fractal Design R4 is the case you want.

 

[Daveke34]

Thanks, will look into this. I was under the impression that Seagate Barracuda was less reliable but may be wrong.

Had Samsung 840 in mind first, can't remember why I changed to 850

 

[tiny voices]

There is no proof that any HDD is more or less reliable. I have had better luck with seagate than WD personally.

 

[Daveke34]

While the Fractal Design R4 looks interesting I am not entirely convinced. Any other recommendations ?

Other questions that pop to mind: gpu cooler (e.g. Zalman) and sound card - are these still necessary? I have them in my current rig but I don't think I need a gpu cooler for my Asus or Gigabyte GTX970 and the onboard soundcard of my motherboard will do just fine for my (old) Logitech 530 5.1 speakers - correct?

 

[tiny voices]

The R4 is one of the best and highest quality cases on the market. Also the most silent for sure. I strongly recommend it. I wish I had one.

You have no use for a sound card. The onboard soundcard on the motherboard is VERY good and will be better than whatever you have now for sure.

Never buy an aftermarket GPU cooler. that is a thing of the past.