New Haswell Build

[Kerse]

I'm currently in the process of moving over from console gaming to pc gaming and decided to build my own rig. I've read a few reviews here and there and put together this list of parts so far. I'm trying to keep with a sort of black / red look going on if possible.

CPU -i7 4770k
MOBO -Asus Maximus Vi Hero
RAM -Corsair Vengeance Pro 16Gb (Although I'm not sure on which speed would be best for gaming?)
GPU -Asus GeForce GTX 770 Direct CU 2GB OC (Although if there are better 770's out there for a fairly similar price I'd prefer that!)
SSD - Would like a recommendation for a good one around the 120GB mark, was thinking maybe a Samsung?
HD - Also would like a recommendation here for a hardrive with good speeds that would aid with recording gameplay!
PSU - Corsair 850W (Would I need anymore power if I was to add a second 770 and over clock other components?)
Cooling - Corsair H100i, I also already have some Corsair AF series fans and I'm considering adding some SP fans for the H100i.
Case - Already have a Corsair C70

I would appreciate any help if possible and definitely recommendations on cooling setup, i.e how many fans to include in case and which ones!

Thanks!
Kerse

 

[Feronix]

Welcome to the forums, and the PC building world!

The mobo is a good choice. You could also consider the MSI GD65 Gaming but both cost (and I guess would perform) around the same so it's probably just a matter of design/taste.

16GB RAM is a bit overkill for gaming, but seeing as you've picked an i7 and you want to record gameplay, I'm assuming you'll be video editing and rendering? In that case I would grab an 1866MHz CL9 kit at 1.5Volt. They cost around the same as a 1600MHz kit these days, but when rendering, you'll benefit from the faster speeds.

I'd recommend a Samsung 840 Pro or their new EVO drive. You can't really go wrong with Intel, Crucial or the newer Kingston drives.

For the HDD: That depends how hardcore you are on your recording really. I suppose for most people a regular 7200RPM drive would be more than quick enough, in which case I'd recommend a Western Digital Caviar Blue or Black.
If you want it quicker than that; WD has a Velociraptor range, which are 10,000 RPM drives. Mind you; these do run hotter and pretty loud.

850 Watt should be plenty for that set-up, however I would recommend you to stretch to a Corsair AX860 or AX860i. Not because it has 10 Watts more, but because they are really solid units with an 80+ Platinum rating.

Other than that, it looks pretty good to me

 

[Kerse]

Thanks Feronix I'll definitely change up for some of these parts!

As for editing goes I do a little bit of design and video editing as is, and use aftereffects and photoshop fairly regularly, so the RAM will definitely have to be that!

As far as recording goes I don't think it would be anything too hardcore so the Caviar Black would be a good choice!

What is the difference between the AX860 and the AX860i? I've heard / read that the AX860i has a worse fan? Athough noise isn't too much of a problem for me as I would prefer better performance rather than a quieter system until I go with watercooling in the future!

Also would anyone have an idea of the FPS I would be probably getting in games such as BF3, Crysis or other games like that?

Thanks again!
Kerse

 

[Feronix]

http://www.youtube.com/results?sear...1j1.22.0...0.0...1ac.1.11.youtube.HULNMIoQcY0 Have fun!

The AX860i can be used with Corsair Link via an on-board USB 2.0 header. Personally I would never use such a thing, so I'd save myself some money and get the AX860, but that's up to you of course

 

[Kerse]

Looks like I should have some decent performance

AX860 it is then!

Thanks again
Kerse

 

[Feronix]

No problem, be sure to post a build log

 

[Kerse]

Will do!

Oh, and one last thing, as it has four ram slots, would it be best to populate all 4 slots with 4gb sticks or two 8gb sticks?

Kerse

 

[Feronix]

Using 2x8 GB will put less stress on the memory controller and give you the ability to upgrade later on

 

[Operations]

For RAM you could get "Crucial BLE2CP8G3D1869DE1TX0CEU 16GB (2x 8GB) Ballistix Elite Memory" on amazon for £102, which is cheaper than I can find the comparable corsair stuff.
I would include a link, but then post goes into moderation and never returns.