New PC Build

[alesma]

Hi everyone, I've been doing quite a bit of research on gaming rigs as I am a complete novice. I have been asking close friends who have a lot more knowledge than myself also.

I have actually put together and bought the following rig. Could you please give your views on whether or not this is a good setup for the likes of BF4, possibly WoW and other games with similar requirements.

I will most probably get a second monitor at a later date.

Case InWIN GT1 BLACK GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-4770 (3.4GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard ASUS® MAXIMUS VI GENE: RoG, PCI-e 3.0, SATA 3.0, USB3.0, THX
Memory (RAM) 8GB KINGSTON HYPERX BEAST DUAL-DDR3 2400MHz X.M.P (2 x 4GB KIT)
Graphics Card 2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 650 Ti - DVI, mHDMI, VGA - 3D Vision Ready
Change to: 2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 770 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
2nd Graphics Card NONE
3rd Graphics Card NONE
Memory - 1st Hard Disk 2TB SEAGATE ST2000DX001 2TB/8GB SSHD 64MB HYBRID DRIVE
2nd Hard Disk NONE
3rd Hard Disk NONE
4th Hard Disk NONE
RAID NONE
SSD CACHE DRIVE NONE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
2nd DVD/BLU-RAY Drive NONE
Memory Card Reader NONE
Power Supply CORSAIR 750W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Processor Cooling INTEL STANDARD CPU COOLER
Extra Case Fans NONE
Fan Controller NONE
Sound Card ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Modem NONE, I WILL BE USING BROADBAND
Firewire NONE
TV Card NONE
Power Cable 1 x 2 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Monitor AOC I2369VM 23" Widescreen IPS Monitor - 1920 x 1080, DP, HDMI
2nd Monitor NONE
Eyefinity / GeForce 3D Vision NONE
Keyboard & Mouse Cyborg V.7 Gaming Keyboard with Illuminated Keys

thank you

 

[Niem]

I'd drop the CPU to an i5-4670, more than enough for gaming. Change the RAM to the Hyper-X Genesis as 1600mz will be fine. I'd also use the money saved to upgrade your case. You could have an SSD as your main drive for faster startup times/Windows OS and a HDD as your second drive for games etc. If you can afford it of course, optional

 

[Grimezy]

An i5-4670 will be more than enough for your needs. Like Niem said you could also have an SSD as your primary drive with a larger capacity caviar black as your secondary.

You could definitely do with going for a triple copper heatpipe for your CPU cooler, should only be £19. Plus make sure you've gone for silver warranty

I think the Cyborg V7 is very overpriced for what it is, you're effectively paying for flashing lights even though the actual keys are still cheap rubber switches. I'd personally be going for a Mechanical keyboard at that sort of price unless quality doesn't bother you

 

[SlimCini]

What's your budget?

 

[bigben]

I'd personally be going for a Mechanical keyboard at that sort of price unless quality doesn't bother you

Lol.
I agree though, have a look at the func kb460, I found it for £65 and it looks really smart, cherry mx red, red back lights. If I didn't have my Ducky I would buy one.

 

[alesma]

Thanks for all your replies, really appreciate your input and opinions.

As I said I'm pretty new to PCs and I don't mind spending a bit of money in things I'm interested in. I am definitely going to be looking to change parts in the future, not sure how soon though.

I forgot to mention that I will be using my PC for larger 3D modelling and wind tunnel simulation software for the final year of my degree so I wanted to go with i7 as I was advised that it would be beneficial.

I have briefly looked into SSDs and understand that they are a relatively new technology? I wasn't too sure if I would be in need of one or not. From what I understand they are basically hard drives but with no moving parts, allowing them to access information a lot quicker? Or they store the data on the SSD so that it is able to be accessed almost instantly?

As far as the keyboard goes I had no idea what to buy, I just read a few reviews and to be honest I chose it primarily for its look.

I'm now starting to think I should have posted this before I'd purchased it haha!

@Grimzey, will the standard cooling not be sufficient for my setup? Would your suggestion be something I could look at upgrading to in the future without any real difficulty?

@Niem, is the case I have chosen not able to house an SSD? What would be the benefits of me upgrading my case with this setup? More space for cooling etc?


Again, I really appreciate your input, thanks!

 

[alesma]

@Slim Cini, my budget isn't a set value as such, I am really looking to get into PCs and want to make it one of my primary hobbies so I am willing to set aside some of wages each month to fund it, obviously within reason. I wouldn't want a PC build at the moment that would exceed £1500. But when monitors etc are added to the cost I could possibly take it up to the £1800 mark.

Thanks

 

[Niem]

@Niem, is the case I have chosen not able to house an SSD? What would be the benefits of me upgrading my case with this setup? More space for cooling etc?

With all those expensive components in there you really don't want to scrimp on the case, it's a very vital part of your PC. Exactly as you said the more space for cooling the better. I'd aim for atleast the Coolermaster CM690 II.

 

[Grimezy]

The temperatures of the new intel processors are notoriously high and the standard fans aren't normally enough to keep them low enough. If your order is still in pre-production stage you will be able to change this for free. Like I said, the triple copper heatpipe will be more than enough.

If not, it is possible to upgrade yourself in future, As far as I know, most CPU fans will need the motherboard taking out to properly seat the fan on top of it. You'll also need to apply thermal paste which can be daunting as a first timer (some coolers come pre-applied). What I'm trying to say is when you haven't built a pc with your own hands, tasks like taking out the motherboard can seem impossible as you haven't really understood how it's got there.

If it's still in pre-production then I would definitely save the hassle and get it upgraded now on your order page.

 

[steaky360]

I would agree with Niem and Grimezy. You should not scrimp on your case (not that the InWin case isn't good, but getting a good case is vital). If you're not confident about doing the upgrades yourself in the future it is also possible to send the PC back to PCS for them to carry out the necessary changes (but this obviously costs money for shipping etc.).

 

[alesma]

With all those expensive components in there you really don't want to scrimp on the case, it's a very vital part of your PC. Exactly as you said the more space for cooling the better. I'd aim for atleast the Coolermaster CM690 II.

I was pretty oblivious when choosing a case, I just looked for USB ports, dimensions etc. I believe this case said it had good wiring clips to improve cooling so I assumed it would be fine.

Do you think it will possibly have an affect on how my PC will run at the moment? I am going to have it in my bedroom so I could always leave the side cover off and put a mesh on there to prevent dust getting in for the time being, or will that not be necessary?

 

[steaky360]

I would say that's not going to be necessary and furthermore would probably be a bad idea unless you're planning on regularly cleaning the PC's innards Your mesh would have to be very fine to prevent all the dust.

The side panel will probably have a fan or a position on which you could install a fan should you choose to.

The case isn't a bad case though. Plenty of room inside for airflow etc.

 

[alesma]

The temperatures of the new intel processors are notoriously high and the standard fans aren't normally enough to keep them low enough. If your order is still in pre-production stage you will be able to change this for free. Like I said, the triple copper heatpipe will be more than enough.

If not, it is possible to upgrade yourself in future, As far as I know, most CPU fans will need the motherboard taking out to properly seat the fan on top of it. You'll also need to apply thermal paste which can be daunting as a first timer (some coolers come pre-applied). What I'm trying to say is when you haven't built a pc with your own hands, tasks like taking out the motherboard can seem impossible as you haven't really understood how it's got there.

If it's still in pre-production then I would definitely save the hassle and get it upgraded now on your order page.

It is still in pre-production. Will cost an extra £14 to go for the triple copper heatpipe so I've gone ahead with it.

Out of curiosity, I will be wanting to run games like BF4 possibly Skyrim etc and soon with 2 monitors. Do you think my graphics card is adequate or would you advise upgrading that while I'm amending my order?

Thanks again.

 

[alesma]

Thank you all of you! I'm currently amending the order and going for the Coolmaster CM STORM ENFORCER case, upgrading to the triple copper heatpipe as well.

I am a bit concerned that the graphics card I have chosen may not be as good as I would want/need for games such as BF4 and possibly Skyrim and others that require the same/similar specs. Could any of you give me an insight on this and whether you think I should amend this too? As you can see I have already changed the graphics card but may need to do so again?

Should I possibly go for an SSD as well as my HDD?

 

[keynes]

Check benchmarks for the gpu you have chosen. If you have money for an SSD I rather upgrade the gpu.

 

[Grimezy]

A 770 should be absolutely fine however I'm not sure how you mean by running them on 2 monitors. As far as I know most games only support single monitor gaming or triple monitor gaming. I never saw the need for dual monitor gaming as most the details will be cut off where the bezels are right in the middle of your eye-line.

 

[bigben]

A 770 should be absolutely fine however I'm not sure how you mean by running them on 2 monitors. As far as I know most games only support single monitor gaming or triple monitor gaming. I never saw the need for dual monitor gaming as most the details will be cut off where the bezels are right in the middle of your eye-line.

Yeah, 2 monitor gaming wouldn't work. The bezels would be in the way. Even on games like Football Manager where running on 2 screens would be useful you can't.

 

[alesma]

I would only need two monitors for when I'm using my 3D modelling software and mainly for University coursework and then just browsing the web etc.

This is where my order is at the moment, I'm pretty happy with it now thanks to all your advice. I will be looking at getting another monitor (probably the same as my first one) in the future but for now I should be okay.

Case InWIN GT1 BLACK GAMING CASE
Change to: COOLERMASTER CM STORM ENFORCER - GAMING ENTHUSIAST CASE
Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-4770 (3.4GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard ASUS® MAXIMUS VI GENE: RoG, PCI-e 3.0, SATA 3.0, USB3.0, THX
Memory (RAM) 8GB KINGSTON HYPERX BEAST DUAL-DDR3 2400MHz X.M.P (2 x 4GB KIT)
Graphics Card 2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 650 Ti - DVI, mHDMI, VGA - 3D Vision Ready
Change to: 4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 770 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
2nd Graphics Card NONE
3rd Graphics Card NONE
Memory - 1st Hard Disk 2TB SEAGATE ST2000DX001 2TB/8GB SSHD 64MB HYBRID DRIVE
Change to: 240GB INTEL® 530 SERIES SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 490MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk NONE
Change to: 2TB SEAGATE ST2000DX001 2TB/8GB SSHD 64MB HYBRID DRIVE
3rd Hard Disk NONE
4th Hard Disk NONE
RAID NONE
SSD CACHE DRIVE NONE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
2nd DVD/BLU-RAY Drive NONE
Memory Card Reader NONE
Power Supply CORSAIR 750W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Processor Cooling INTEL STANDARD CPU COOLER
Change to: Super Quiet 22dBA Triple Copper Heatpipe Intel CPU Cooler
Extra Case Fans NONE
Fan Controller NONE
Sound Card ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
Wireless Router/HomePlugs NONE
USB Options MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Modem NONE, I WILL BE USING BROADBAND
Firewire NONE
TV Card NONE
Power Cable 1 x 2 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
DVD Recovery Media NO DVD RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Monitor AOC I2369VM 23" Widescreen IPS Monitor - 1920 x 1080, DP, HDMI
2nd Monitor NONE
3rd Monitor NONE
4th Monitor NONE
DVI-D & HDMI Monitor Cables NONE
Eyefinity / GeForce 3D Vision NONE
Keyboard & Mouse Cyborg V.7 Gaming Keyboard with Illuminated Keys

 

[alesma]

Thanks to everyone for your help, it's nice to see so many people offer a helping hand to people who don't have much knowledge on PCs.

 

[bigben]

I'd change hdd #2 to a caviar black.
Apart from that it looks tidy.