Another, "Building my first PC" question?

Question

Greetings,

My name is Richard and I've only recently started contemplating and finally acquiesced to the idea of buying a new gaming PC. Although as one might expect from a newbie like myself, when it actually comes right down to it - I quite seemingly have no clue what I'm doing.

Nevertheless, I have scoured the internet for each and every piece relevant to a new build and so I have compiled a list. I would just like some professional feedback really, because I really do not even know if all of these parts are compatible with one another. So any help, or just personal thoughts would be much appreciated.

The PC: I'll just list it alphabetically, by category --

Chassis - Zalman Z11 Plus, mid tower. (Not sure if the components will fit into the box?)

CPU - Intel Core i5 3570k, 3.4 Ghz, LGA115, 4 threads. (Not sure if this CPU will bottleneck the GPU, or vice-versa?)

Heatsink - Cooler Master V6 GT (Ok this might seem silly, but I was absolutely amazed by the seer size of these new CPU Coolers, I've never had anything other that stock, so I'm a bit baffled as to whether or not this thing might actually end up interfering with the other components' slots?)

Graphics Card - Gigabyte GV-N670OC-2GD, GTX670, 2GB/2048MB 256bit DDR5, with WindForce 3 (Again completely awestruck by the size of components these days, will this fit properly i.r.t the case?)
>> I was also looking into a, GIGABYTE GV-N580UD-15I, GTX580, 1536MB 384bit GDDR5, but I'm not sure which one to go with?

HDD - Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003, 1TB/1000GB, SATA6G, 7200rpm, 64MB cache

RAM/Memory - Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9, 8GB (4GB x 2), Vengeance with black heatsink, DDR3-1600

Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-Z77M-D3H, all-in-one LGA1155, Intel Z77 chipset (Is this adequate, or should I look for something better?)

Optical Drive - ASUS DRW-24B5ST, 24x SATA, black , with E-Hammer + OTS

PSU - Corsair GS600, 600w (12v:588w), Eps12V, with 140mm Blue led fan. (I have no idea if this will suffice)
_____________________________________________________________________________________


Sorry for listing my questions so awkwardly alongside each component, but nevertheless, there you have it.

Like I mentioned, any and all help would be much appreciated and please feel free to make suggestions. :)

- R.J

Answer 1

First off everything is compatible. The V6 GTwill fit in the case. I suggest changing your RAM. The one you chose will most likely interfere with your first DIMM slot which isn't a good thing. The ones I suggest http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233379 are the same speed(1600MHz) and timing(C9) and are cheaper. Most importantly they are shorter than the ones you are considering. The PSU is more than enough for your 670. The GFX card is the most power hungry component in a gaming rig. One looks to the GFX card to get an idea how much power their PSU needs to supply. Your gfx card choice is a good one. I however do not like the open shroud design. The shroud is that plastic thing that houses the 3 fans. Why don't I like it? The hot air isn't being told what to do. See how the sides are open on your 670? Take a look at this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130782 . Do NOT let the small fan fool you. This is my card http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/customer-gallery/AFNF0QHE0G7IF . Please click on the third image. You can see an identical fan system. Suffice to say that the 570 Classified that you see there has a closed shroud design. The internal heatsink is not visible. Why am I being so odd about the shroud? The Gigabyte's lackadaisical approach to that shroud design lets the hot air just do what it wants. The extra heat will now affect your other components and of course the card itself. How can the CPU and GPU cool themselves with hot air? The 670 from EVGA directs the heat out the back of the case(EE for external exhaust) leaving your case's ambient temperature a LOT cooler when compared to your build. You might want to add this http://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Silver-Thermal-Compound-ArctiClean/dp/B001FVI91U to your cart. The V6 will come with a tube of Cooler Master's thermal compound so the choice is yours. I purchased http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103055 and the kit from Amazon to optimize the heatsink's operation. MAKE SURE YOU REGISTER EVERYTHING NECESSARY IN A TIMELY MANNER(29 DAYS OR LESS AFTER PURCHASE) TO AVOID REDUCED WARRANTY SERVICE. My affiliate code from EVGA is YWZGQNPO1X should you have the opportunity to use it. The board from Gigabyte is fine. HDD is very nice with the 64MB cache. You MIGHT consider a SSD such as http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148448 . What this will bring to the table is SPEED for your OS and it will reduce your game loading times significantly due to the increased read and write speeds of the SSD resulting in a more seamless gaming experience. You can load your OS and MOST USED PROGRAMS and or games. The 1TB drive is for the rest. Optical is fine.

Answer 2

well, i answered your question earlier about the cpu and gpu not interacting, that statement still holds true so i wont repeat that part.



i would strongly advise you go with a full tower or larger for those kinds of components, you may not even be able to fit the parts you have in a mid size tower.



the gtx670 is nice, still expensive but nice if your willing to spend the money. i personally would go with a generation or 2 behind it like the 650 or 620 since they are much cheaper and 90% as good.



your psu needs to be at least 750w with all that hardware your putting in. sometimes the required energy will spike because of something the computer is doing and if it doesnt have enough power it will slow down what ever process its doing to accomodate (like gaming for instance).



the biggest thing here is the chassis, if you dont listen to anything else i say get a full or larger tower, that is a big deal.

Answer 3

looks good but a suggestion on 4 things. go full tower, gtx670 video-card, diamond or creative sound-card, 650-750w power supply. good luck w/your build.