# Trying to shave a few bucks off.



## R0bert199O (Oct 2, 2010)

Looking at the following:
Trying to shave off $200-ish and add a case to it.
Suggestions?

WD BLACK SERIES WD3003FZEX 3TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - Newegg.com

SAMSUNG 850 EVO MZ-75E500B/AM 2.5" 500GB SATA III 3-D Vertical Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - Newegg.com

MSI GTX 970 GAMING 4G GeForce GTX 970 4GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support G-SYNC Support Video Card - Newegg.com

EVGA SuperNOVA 850 G2 220-G2-0850-XR 850W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Power Supply Intel 4th Gen CPU Compatible 10 Year Warranty - Newegg.com

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory Model F3-2133C9D-16GXH - Newegg.com

ASUS MAXIMUS VII HERO LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI 8 x SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - Newegg.com

Intel Core i7-4790K Haswell Refresh Quad-Core 4.0GHz LGA 1150 Desktop Processor BX80646I74790K - Newegg.com - Newegg.com

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - Operating Systems - Newegg.com

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/FM2/AM3+ - Newegg.com

LG Black 12X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-ray Disc Drive Model UH12NS30 - Blu-Ray Drives - Newegg.com

SAMSUNG 850 EVO MZ-75E500B/AM 2.5" 500GB SATA III 3-D Vertical Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - Newegg.com


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

You certainly don't need WD Black series. A WD Blue series will do the job just fine.

A 500GB SSD? Such overkill for the SSD to be a boot drive. You should go for a 256GB. Then store the rest on the HDD.

Go for a Asus or EVGA branded Nvidia graphics card. a GTX 970 is a good choice. MSI tends to ask for more for their name.

Your PSU is made by SuperFlower, a lower quality PSU manufacturer. You also don't need so much power. Go for an XFX or Seasonic PSU or Antec HGC branded PSU at a wattage of 650W.

Change the memory speed to 1600MHz. Anything above will put a load on the motherboard.

The motherboard and CPU are major overkill, but nice if you can afford it.

Why are you getting another 500GB SSD?


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## R0bert199O (Oct 2, 2010)

Are there any blues that go over 1TB? Would like at least 2TB.
The second SSD was just an accidental paste.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

If you need so much space like 3TB, then you can go for this one here:

Seagate Barracuda STBD3000100 Internal Hard Drive - Newegg.com


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## R0bert199O (Oct 2, 2010)

Updated List a bit, knocked off quite a bit. Making sure everything is still compatible though.
Any reccomendations for the CPU if that one is overkill?

Swapped HDD: Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive - Newegg.com

Swapped SSD: SAMSUNG 850 EVO MZ-75E250B/AM 2.5" 250GB SATA III 3-D Vertical Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - Newegg.com

OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - Operating Systems - Newegg.com

Swapped Graphics: ASUS STRIX-GTX970-DC2OC-4GD5 GeForce GTX 970 4GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready SLI Support G-SYNC Support Video Card - Newegg.com

Swapped PSU: Antec EarthWatts EA-650 GREEN 650W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Newegg.com

Swapped RAM: G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Intel Z87/ Z77/ Z68/ P67 Memory Model F3-1600C10D-16GAB - Newegg.com

Swapped MOBO: ASUS H97-PRO GAMER LGA 1150 Intel H97 HDMI 4 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), gray USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - Newegg.com

CPU Fan: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/FM2/AM3+ - Newegg.com

Blu-Ray: LG Black 12X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-ray Disc Drive Model UH12NS30 - Blu-Ray Drives - Newegg.com


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Certainly better! Remember that you're getting the same performance and power, but not at the cost of your entire bank account. :smile:

Change the motherboard to this one:

ASUS Z97-PRO GAMER LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI 4 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), gray USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - Newegg.com

For gaming you'll much rather be on a Z97 chipset over the H97.

Something to note: make sure to install your PC games on the HDD. Installing them on the SSD only helps them boot faster, not play faster.

For the power supply, change it to this one here:

XFX TS Edition PRO650W (P1-650S-NLB9) 650W SLI CrossFire 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Newegg.com

Or if you want to spend a tad more, you can opt for all modular cables:

SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold ((SS-650KM Active PFC F3)) 650W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Newegg.com

That's only a design aspect if you have a Windowed case.

As for the CPU, will you be overclocking?

Why are you getting Windows 7 and not Windows 8? Remember that Windows 8.1 with ClassicShell makes it identical to Windows 7, just updated and nicer.


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## R0bert199O (Oct 2, 2010)

Okay, thanks for the tip about SSD. I was originally looking at the 500 because I thought it would effect it past boot as well.

As far as the CPU, didn't really have any plans to overlock. Haven't really done it before.

Just have more experience with 7 and Windows 10 upgrade soon either way.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

For the CPU then choose this one:

Intel Core i5-4690 Haswell Quad-Core 3.5GHz LGA 1150 84W BX80646I54690 Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4600 - Newegg.com

I would recommend getting Windows 8, with ClassicShell you'll feel that at home like Windows 7.

Post the build again so we can see a final look. Have you thought about a case yet?


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## BowHunter41 (Apr 19, 2015)

Just another choice to consider here. If you do not plan on overclocking, or just an I5 to about 4.0 GHZ a _really_ good B85 will do the trick, and there is zero difference in processing speed and gaming at stock speeds. This Gigabyte even has the good amplified Realtek ALC 1150 and is also a gaming themed motherboard. B85's do overclock just not nearly as well as a Z97 but gaming and such will the same. This board will save you $60.00 too.

Gigabyte B85 G1 Sniper

GIGABYTE GA-G1.SNIPER B6 LGA 1150 Intel B85 HDMI 4 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors (M.2, SATA Express, and SATA3 4/5 connectors can only be used one at a time. The SATA3 4/5 connectors will become unavailable when an M.2 SSD is installed.&#41


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## R0bert199O (Oct 2, 2010)

Still looking at cases. Trying to go as small as possible, but still fit everything inside it comfortably.


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## R0bert199O (Oct 2, 2010)

But think this is where we left things:

HDD: Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive - Newegg.com

SSD: SAMSUNG 850 EVO MZ-75E250B/AM 2.5" 250GB SATA III 3-D Vertical Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - Newegg.com

VIDEO: ASUS STRIX-GTX970-DC2OC-4GD5 GeForce GTX 970 4GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready SLI Support G-SYNC Support Video Card - Newegg.com

PSU: XFX TS Edition PRO650W (P1-650S-NLB9) 650W SLI CrossFire 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Newegg.com

RAM: G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Intel Z87/ Z77/ Z68/ P67 Memory Model F3-1600C10D-16GAB - Newegg.com

MOBO: ASUS Z97-PRO GAMER LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI 4 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), gray USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - Newegg.com

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 Haswell Quad-Core 3.5GHz LGA 1150 84W BX80646I54690 Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4600 - Newegg.com

FAN: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/FM2/AM3+ - Newegg.com

CD: LG Black 12X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-ray Disc Drive Model UH12NS30 - Blu-Ray Drives - Newegg.com


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## BowHunter41 (Apr 19, 2015)

If you're going to get a non K variant of the 4690 there is really no reason for a Z97 board. You can get the 4690k for the same price as the non K.


Intel Core i5-4690K Haswell Refresh Quad-Core 3.5GHz LGA 1150 Desktop Processor BX80646I54690K - Newegg.com - Newegg.com


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

BowHunter is correct, for the same price, go ahead and grab the K edition:

Intel Core i5-4690K Haswell Refresh Quad-Core 3.5GHz LGA 1150 Desktop Processor BX80646I54690K - Newegg.com - Newegg.com


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## Wolfy-Friend (May 4, 2015)

Just going to throw this link out in the open, Pick Parts, Build Your PC, Compare and Share - PCPartPicker is a great place, I would pick the same exact parts from that site, so you can find the store to get it least expensive from, and to see if everything is compatible, and just because its a nice site to look into.


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## R0bert199O (Oct 2, 2010)

Trying to go as small as possible on the case:

Looking at these 3:

AZZA CSAZ-206S Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Newegg.com

COUGAR Solution Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with 12cm COUGAR TURBINE HYPER-SPIN Bearing Silent Fan and USB 3.0 - Newegg.com

Thermaltake Versa I VO600A1N3N Black SGCC / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Newegg.com


not overly concearned about looks. Just trying to save space.

Edit: would I be able to make things work with a micro-atx board?


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## R0bert199O (Oct 2, 2010)

MicroATX Build: https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Elgorian/saved/CjDXsY

ATX Build: Intel Core i5-4690K, Asus GeForce GTX 970, Azza SIRIUS - ATX Build - Elgorian's Saved Part List - PCPartPicker


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

If you're only focused on space, then I recommend you go with this case here:

Antec P70 Black Computer Case - Newegg.com

I've been using that case a lot lately and its fairly small, but big inside.

A mATX build is possible, but you need to choose now between a mATX or ATX build.


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## R0bert199O (Oct 2, 2010)

Sorry been busy. Did some measuring I think the only dimension that really matters is the height. 

I have about 18 inches to work with. Shooting for 17 to give it some breathing room though.

Looking at a couple of these:

Antec Gaming Series One Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Newegg.com

Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus - Mid Tower Computer Case with Windowed Side Panel and USB 3.0 - Newegg.com

Antec Gaming Series One Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Newegg.com

Antec NSK4100 Black SGCC steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Newegg.com

COOLER MASTER Elite 431 Plus RC-431P-KWN2 Black Steel Body (0.5mm SECC), ABS plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Newegg.com


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## R0bert199O (Oct 2, 2010)

I have this desk if it helps:

Computer Desk, Beginnings (408726) | Office Furniture

CPU opening CPU opening:
W: 9 3/8" (23.8 cm)
D: 15 1/2" (39.4 cm)
H: 20 1/8" (51.2 cm)


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

I'd assume the computer goes in the same place as they portray in the advertisement of the desk.

Any of the cases will do really. They all are reasonable, expect the old NSK4100. I'd go with the Antec One if it fits your sizes.


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## R0bert199O (Oct 2, 2010)

Are there any case brands that I should stay away from when looking?


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

I like NZXT, Antec, Cooler Master, and Corsair for case brands.


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## R0bert199O (Oct 2, 2010)

Think this is what I'm gonna shoot for:

Intel Core i5-4690K, Asus GeForce GTX 970, Corsair 300R - System Build - PCPartPicker

Are the fans overkill? Was planning on:

A 140AF 120SP in front
2 140AF on side.
A 120AF in back.
2 120SP on top.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Windows 7 will install on a 2TB drive, but it may give you issues in the long run. Windows 7 doesn't like to be installed on 2TB+ hard drives.

If you want to go for the fans then do so, but you most likely don't need to do that at all.


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## R0bert199O (Oct 2, 2010)

Wouldn't the OS go on the 250 SSD?
In the long run, plan to upgrade to 10 soon also.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Ah yes, there is an SSD listed. You're all set then.


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## R0bert199O (Oct 2, 2010)

Starting to put things together. The case supports the fans, but I'm running out of places on the MOBO to plug them into. Is there a way around this or can I not use them all?


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

With that many fans (6 in post 23), either run them direct from the power supply or get yourself a discrete controller.


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## R0bert199O (Oct 2, 2010)

which of those would be the easier option


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## R0bert199O (Oct 2, 2010)

ALSO, cpu was idling at 35C on bios page with case open [testing] then I put sides on and it was idling at 70C


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

This would be the easiest:

Coboc LP44TX4-16 Sleeved 16 inch 4-pin Molex LP4 to Four(4) x 4-pin TX4 PWM Fan Power Splitter Adapter Converter Cable with one TX4 Female for RPM Feedback - Newegg.com

Its powered by the PSU, but allows the motherboard to send signals if needed.

How many fans are currently running inside the case?


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## R0bert199O (Oct 2, 2010)

AF120 Exhaust on Rear.
AF140 Intake on Side.
SP120 Exhaust on Top.
AF140 Intake in Front.
CPU Fan.

Also, will that work for the fans I have? They don't have connectors like that.
All the AF have these:










and the SP all have 4 holes instead of 3.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

If you are still planning that Antec Earth Watts EA 650 Green I would ditch that as it is a Delta PSU. The EVGA 650 GS would be fine for you though.
Those are all nice cases BTW from Antec and Cooler Master.
As for gaming there is no difference you will see between the Z97 and A 97 take what you like. Amd as for Windows 7 if you feel comfortable there go for it as the speed of Windows 8 is a lot of hype about "smoke and mirrors" and you can run 7 as fast as 8.1 easily with good control. I like your earlier choices of WD Black for hard drive as you will get more performance out of the black and remember the black carries a 5 year warranty vs 2 year on the blue label. Does anyone really think that means nothing? Seagte drives bite and for what you are looking to do I would never use a Seagate drive. And for video card, Asus has lots of issues lately I would rather have the MSI card, that company is hot and growing quickly now and it is not for no reason.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Yes, you can use a 3pin fan header in a 4pin header.


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## adawa (May 19, 2015)

A Blue WD would definitely save you some. However, other parts looks good.


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