Advice for First Build ($1500 budget; Gaming)

[Superfoil]

The 18th of November, the year 2014, was a day of many realizations. I had purchased and installed Dragon Age: Inquisition, but upon playing it I noticed a horrible item of concern: poor FPS. It was a bittersweet moment, and I may have shed a tear two. On one hand, it was the end of an era in which I could play games on ultra settings with good FPS. On the other hand, I knew that it was time for me to move on to bigger and better systems.

My current system is a factory built Dell XPS something-or-other, which sports an Intel Core i7 2600 @ 3.4 GHz, an AMD Radeon HD 6870, and 8 GB of memory. Now, in its time, this bad boy was no chump, but its time is now over. My computer served me well, but it should be passed along into someone else's hands now.

I've learned a working knowledge on computer hardware from taking classes and personal research. Nevertheless, when perusing the actual market for the components, I was daunted. Despite being confident that I can put a computer together, I realize that a lot of good advice and research can go a long way.

I would like to stay to stay at my current price of around $1400, but if I can be persuaded to purchase other, more expensive components, my budget clocks out at $1500. So without further delay, I provide you with my hypothetical build! (btw I am planning on purchasing the components by the end of the month)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4970k 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 7 ATX LGA 1150 Motherboard ($168.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ Directron)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($329.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Stryker (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.00 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.89 @ Directron)

I have a few questions I would like to ask off the bat.
1. First, what kind of thermal compound can you recommend?
2. Second, regarding the case, are the stock fans included sufficient to regulate temperatures, even when overclocking? If not, what case fans do you recommend?
3. What kind of gaming performance am I looking at with this build (not considering overclocking)?
4. What should I look for in a motherboard? Obviously the socket type and features I want, but what about performance wise?

What do you all think of my build? Would you change anything? Any advice and suggestions is welcome. Thank you.

- Superfoil

 

[DonkeyOatie]

Welcome.

You have assembled a good build, avoiding the usual pitfalls. Do you have an OS?

The only important thing I would suggest adding is a 128 or 256GB SSD for Operating System and applications. 256GB is a more expensive, $100 vs $70, but is faster due to parallel access. It won't give you any PS, but it will make the machine run faster when booting, loading/saving, and loading levels.

for a detailed answers on DA:I, look at other threads which have asked about such builds. In general this system is about as good as any modern signle GPU solution, and the GTX970 can be overclocked itself for even more performance, up to an FPS or so of the GTX980.

The Noctua will come with thermal compound. It works.

If you are going to overclock, you might consider faster memory (1866) in anticipation.

I don't know enough about the case to offer any suggestions. Here is a reivew: http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/4927/cooler_master_storm_stryker_full_tower_chassis_review/index8.html

 

[Superfoil]

Welcome.

You have assembled a good build, avoiding the usual pitfalls. Do you have an OS?

The only important thing I would suggest adding is a 128 or 256GB SSD for Operating System and applications. 256GB is a more expensive, $100 vs $70, but is faster due to parallel access. It won't give you any PS, but it will make the machine run faster when booting, loading/saving, and loading levels.

for a detailed answers on DA:I, look at other threads which have asked about such builds. In general this system is about as good as any modern signle GPU solution, and the GTX970 can be overclocked itself for even more performance, up to an FPS or so of the GTX980.

The Noctua will come with thermal compound. It works.

If you are going to overclock, you might consider faster memory (1866) in anticipation.

I don't know enough about the case to offer any suggestions. Here is a reivew: http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/4927/cooler_master_storm_stryker_full_tower_chassis_review/index8.html

Thank you for your response!

I will be purchasing Windows 7 for my system, I just forgot to list it.
Regarding the SSD/HDD suggestion, I have noticed that most people use both types of storage in their configurations. Does the speed increase justify spending another $100 dollars in your opinion?
Also, I'm still not 100% certain on which case I want to purchase, as the Cooler Master Storm Stryker is a little on the higher side regarding price. Do you have a particular case you would recommend? How do you feel about Full Towers vs Mid Towers.

Again, I appreciate your feedback.

- Superfoil

 

[DonkeyOatie]

I like SFF system, mATX at the largest, so you are asking the wrong person there. Philosophically, I like a 'big-enough case', with space for a little bit more, so definitely Mid over Full unless I NEED Full.

You don't need and SSD and you won't miss not having one, until you have one. It's like color or cable TV. 100$ is about 8% of your system budget. It's worth it. Your whole system will FEEL faster. SSD is something you can add later, although it will require you to move your OS and software to the new drive.


Read reviews or ask a separate question here. That review was good for the case. I would not spend 10% of my budget on a case unless I REALLY wanted it, but case choice is very pwersonal. Look at pcpartpicker and see how some of those builds worked out. Go to a store and look at cases and see what floats your boat. For me, cases are mostly a box to put bits in, so it's all about function. If you drop down to an mATX board, more options may open up.

 

[Superfoil]

Thank you again for your responses.

At this point I am fairly confident in this system, minus a few reservations I have with the video card, which I will ask about in another question I suppose. I will probably begin purchasing the parts over the weekend. Regardless, any further advice is always welcome.

- Superfoil

 

[DonkeyOatie]

What concerns do you have about the video card?

 

[Superfoil]

I'm not really concerned about the performance. Rather, after some research I am torn between MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card and EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card

On one hand I read that there are some concerns regarding the quality of parts used in the EVGA card, as well as a loud coil whine. On the other hand, I read that the Twin Frozr V does not have a back plate, which causes some sagging in the card.
What can you tell me about the two cards? Which would you recommend.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

There were some problems with the first release of the EVGA concerning the cooling. I believe that problem has been completely fixed.

Read this article about coil whine. http://www.pcper.com/news/Graphics-Cards/GeForce-GTX-970-Coil-Whine-Concerns

I would be a little more concerned about the lack of a back-plate as a general and long-term problem. I recommend the EVGA card, generally.

 

[Superfoil]

Okay, I suppose that just about wraps it up. Thank you very much for all your advice. Now the only thing left to do is to just go for it!