Quick look please?

cilldroichid

1. What is your budget? €1000.

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? Gaming, mainly simulators.

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? Yes.

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? No.

5. Do you need a monitor? No.

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? 1600 x 900.

6. Do you need any peripherals? No.

7. Are you willing to try over clocking? No.

8. How can you pay? Bank transfer, Credit card, Debit card.

9. When are you purchasing? Straight away.

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? Should be fine, I hope.

This will be my first build and after been lurking here for the past few weeks this is what I've decided on. I'm hoping one of the kind souls on here that know what they are talking about will take a quick look just to make sure everything is compatible and that I've not overlooked anything. Prices are from Hardwareversand, sorry i'm not allowed post URL's.

Thanks.



Item|Name|Price
CPU| Intel Core i5-4690|192.74
SSD|Crucial M500 240GB SATA 6GB/s 6,4CM|89.99
OS|Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit SB-Version Englisch|85.65
Gfx| EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB DDR5|223.46
Case|Cooler Master HAF 912 Advanced Window|81.13
HDD|WD Blue 1TB 6Gb's|49.81
Mobo|ASUS H97-PRO, Sockel 1150, ATX |98.69
RAM|8GB-Kit Crucial Ballistix Sport Series DDR3-1600, CL9|64.13
PSU| be quiet! SYSTEM POWER 7 600W |68.98
OD|LG DH18NS schwarz bare SATA II|10.99
||965.51

Serephucus

Might as well grab a Z97 board and 4690K. I know you've said you're not interested in overclocking, but that might well change, and it's the difference of around €25 or so.

I'd swap the SSD for the MX100 as well. Slightly more space, and faster.

Also, unless you're planning on adding a second GPU, you can drop to a 450W PSU no problem.

cilldroichid

Thanks for the quick reply Serephucus.

I see what you are saying about overclocking, it would be no harm to have the option available. Probably showing my noobness here but is it possible to replace the stock cpu fan after installing it?

The MX100 does not show up as an option in the pc-configurator, is there a reason for that?

Why I've gone for a higher than needed PSU is because if I do get a bigger monitor in the future I think I have the room to either upgrade the gpu or add a second card.

Serephucus

Oh dear. Don't bother with the configurator. It kneecaps your options, and there are certain things HWVS don't install anyway. Just pick your own parts and assemble it yourself. It's really not much more complicated than something from IKEA, and you learn a lot from doing it. Plenty of Youtube videos / people here to help if you get stuck as well. Alternatively, I can build it for you / walk you through it if you like.

RE overclocking, yeah, it is nice to have the option in the future, and in the grand scheme of things, it costs next to nothing. It's really easy to replace the CPU cooler. Even for a first-timer, it's maybe a ten minute job.

jamescd

I'd recommend at least a 750W if you want to have the option of adding a 2nd card in the future.

Also don't forget to use Geizhals to knock a good amount off the total.

cilldroichid

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I'm planning on building the pc myself as I want to learn how to do it, I've had enough of dell and their unupgradability. I'm confident enough of being able to build it, I know how to use a screwdriver and by following the manuals and online tutorials I should be able to connect everything correctly. The biggest worry I have is when I turn on the computer for the first time as I've never even looked in the BIOS area, which is the main reason I don't fancy overclocking, I might need help for that alright. I was using the configurator because I presumed it would keep everything compatible.

After doing more research it appears the Asus H97 board does not support SLI, despite conflicting reports on the internet, however it does support overclocking, according to manual I downloaded. Not all the Asus Z97's support SLI either, the k and the c versions don't. The cheapest that does support SLI is the Asus Z97 - A which is 132.29 Euro. I can add to the budget a wee bit if it means getting things right to begin with.

Any recommendations for a 750 watt psu? Preferably on the quiet side as the pc will be in the main living room area, their will be other people watching tv and whatnot.

Serephucus

H97 boards sort of support overclocking, via an ASUS-implemented BIOS tweak that was meant for the Pentium G3258. It's unclear whether this functionality will remain though, as Intel aren't happy about it, and they might issue a firmware patch to stop this working. You'd be better off going for a Z97 board to be on the safe side.

750W for two 760s is kind of nuts.

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/geforce_gtx_760_sli_review,4.html

The system as a whole only draws 450W. This is from the wall, so you have to factor in around 85% efficiency (380W), add in the fact that that's only the GPUs under load, so we'll be really worst case here and add in another 100W, which brings the total to 480W, and that's worst-case scenario, with all the power saving stuff disabled.

http://www.hardwareversand.de/en/500+-+600+Watts/82761/be+quiet%21+PURE+POWER+L8+600W.article

cilldroichid

Quick update.

Ordered Sunday the 13th, send the bank transfer the day after, hardwareversand received the money Tuesday the 15th, unfortunately one item had gone out of stock in the meantime. Rang them last Thursday morning, no problem swapping for an instock item, received the case Monday and the rest of the items yesterday.

The building went smoothly and the only slight hitch i encountered was a CPU fan error every second or so start up during the installation process. Just in case it might be a help to anybody with a similar problem in the future after a spot of googling and much looking at the fans it appears the CPU fan takes a few seconds longer to start up than the rest of the fans which triggers the warning. The first fix i tried worked, so far anyhow, which was to set the CPU fan setting to turbo from standard in the BIOS.

All in all it went well and i'm delighted with the result, thanks to the posters who contributed, and i'll never buy a Dell computer again.

I've one question about looking after the SSD, i've seen advice on various sites recommending dissabling page files, drive indexing and other things, is it necessary with up to date SSd's?

cilldroichid

The edit feature seems to be on the blink at the moment but i got the dates wrong, Sunday the 6th and Tueday the 8th i meant.