[Gee1337]

Ok mongoose... I can see you seem to have been bombarded with a lot of information regarding experiences and knowledge from a lot of people regarding most parts in this machine. So I'm going to steer clear of the parts already talked about and make a suggestion regarding sound.

My advice would be to not bother getting an additional soundcard, whether it be external or internal. But instead, invest in a half tidy headset. Higher end soundcards are usually a requirement for people doing a lot of audio editing in studios. If you are just casual gaming or listening to music, then an onboard card is fine, with a nice pair of headphones. If you do a bit more hardcore gaming and fancy a bit more immersion... definitely get a headset.

When I was playing Counterstrike Source heavily, I use to have the sound from an onboard going through my mini hifi (anyone remember those?) and my DJ cans (Sony MDR v800) plugged into the hifi. It sounded pretty darn awesome and I could hear things miles away on the map... promptly started people to accuse me of wall-haxxing!

I currently use a Creative HS950. It is comfortable, has excellent sound quality and the mic is fantastic. It is discontinued now I believe and I believe I got it for about £45 (maybe $65 ish) a few years ago and it still works fine. It's a very handy piece of kit as you don't have to worry about disturbing other people when gaming at silly o'clock in the morning.

[Mongoose]

Yeah, I'm definitely going to hold off on the discrete sound card for now; if I decide I want one later it'll be easy enough to add.  I'll think about a headset down the line, though for now my current setup should be adequate.

And right now I'm going to see if I can hammer out choices for the mobo and case, because quite frankly I just want to get this thing bought already, and I feel like I've been actively avoiding committing for too long here.

[Mongoose]

Okay, updated build list.  I did step down to the 970X, albeit a Zotac factory-OC'd one to keep my e-peen intact.  The other change I made was going with a 3TB Hitachi HDD: just like the WD Red, it's intended for NAS primarily, but this one's running at 7200RPM instead of 5400, and according to someone earlier in the thread (sorry I'm just getting everyone muddled by now) the Hitachi brand has very good reliability.  As far as the motherboard goes, I'm still sticking with the MSI Krait Edition for the moment, since that seems like the best fit on the MSI side of things.  As far as ASUS is concerned, I found this board which supports the new USB 3.1 standard, and this one with just 3.0.  I'm sure 3.1 is mostly a gimmick at this point, but which out of those three would you say looks like my best bet?

Oh right, and one more thing: a BD burner.  I'm not even sure if anyone bothers reviewing these things anymore, but is there any manufacturer in particular that's good stuff as far as optical drives are concerned?

(Now sleep.  Tomorrow case, I swear, so I can finally order some ****.)

[Klaustrophobia]

I would simply recommend NOT getting an OEM burner.  I did that and driver/software/firmware support was completely non-existant.  Unless things have changed significantly in the past year or so, there are no decent free software packages for blu ray.  A retail drive should come with basic versions and save you money overall.  And also just be less of a pain in the ass to deal with. 

[Gee1337]

I just saw somewhere you could probably save a few more quid... err... bucks I mean.

With that card, you have picked I would say that you will definitely need a FULL tower case. The cheapest full tower I have seen is around $70, but for a half tidy case, I think you will have to spend a little more as they seem to be around the $100 mark.

This case was about $160 on Amazon with a blue scheme... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811517004 and 69% of reviewers gave it 5 stars. Obviously on newegg it is just over $100.

Save yourself $30 on the card and go for the Omega clocked edition... as all you are actually sacrificing is around 80Mhz on the clock speed. (you can get that MHz back just by overclocking the card and there are several utilities out there which allow you to do this easily.. for example MSI Afterburner seems to be the most favoured one)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500369&cm_re=GeForce_GTX_970-_-14-500-369-_-Product

With the $30 you save, you can then get the full tower case.

Seriously though, I don't want you to get a mid-tower case just to find out that a 12 inch long GPU won't fit into it!

I hope this helps!

P.S. i can't tell you much about blu-ray burners as I have no need for them and therefore never bought one!

[Mongoose]

That case does look cool, but the reviews mention a few prominent negatives: several of the case fans are fixed-speed instead of mobo-controlled, there doesn't seem to be a lot of dust protection (which I'd really value), and it mentions the space behind the mobo being a very tight squeeze for cable-routing.  Given that it's my first build ever, I'd definitely like something convenient on that last point for sure.  I haven't done serious looking at the case yet, but I definitely will tonight...I'm starting to get antsy about this and I just want to get it done.

Edit: Also found this on the MSI side of things for just a bit more.  Just on aesthetics, I like the red-on-black a bit better than the Krait's white-on-black, though obviously that only applies if I get a case with a side window.  Between this and the three I linked in the previous post, this is the one place where I could really use an expert word or two, because some parts of the features lists on all of these are still a bit Greek to me.

(Sorry if I've come across as too pestering at any point; again, I really really appreciate all of the advice!)

[Gee1337]

Personally, I'm not a fan of MSI ever since I had a dodgy board a few years back. I generally stay with ASUS now.

One thing I did notice about that board is that it has 2x PCIe slots. Would you be likely to be getting a second GPU for SLI/Crossfire? If not, I would look at something a little cheaper.

When I look for parts, I use www.ebuyer.com then compare prices on www.pricespy.co.uk. Whilst looking on Ebuyer I came across the Asus H81-Gamer, which looks like a board that would suit your needs very well and retails at £40 less than that MSI board, but I can't find it on Newegg and trying to shop in the U.K for parts in the U.S is not easy. I did find it on Amazon, but the price came in higher than the board you chose. I found this bizarre as in the U.K it is cheaper!

Have you considered maybe going for a micro-ATX mobo instead of a full ATX? This got me wondering as I can't see any components that would require you to use additional PCI slots.

The only reasons why I could see you perhaps getting hampered by a micro ATX is if you need connect to the interweb wirelessly and you need an extra PCI slot for it, or if you need additional connectors for chassis fans (although they can be hooked directly to the PSU iirc). With a full tower case, it might seem a bit empty inside... but is that a bad thing?

As for a case, for a $120 you might want to have a look at the Rosewell Thor V2.

[Mongoose]

Funny you should mention the wireless, because that's actually something I will need in here, at least over the short-term.  For now I was probably just going to cannibalize the Linksys Wireless-G card from this old desktop, because my parents still have the ****ty default Verizon modem/router that came with their FIOS installation, and I've just started looking at what their best option is for upgrading.  This card should hold me over until I get them sorted and/or move out myself.

And holy crap, that case looks like an absolute beast. ("Cons: Mjolnir not included") I'll definitely keep it as an option.

As for SLI, in the future, who knows?  It'd be nice to keep it as an available option as far as I'm concerned.

[CP5670]

Any motherboard in that range is fine. Just get one that you like the look and price of, unless you need PCI or some other specific feature. The headphone amp on that MSI is a nice feature but I don't know if it's any good. In general, I would use separate wifi/sound/etc. cards instead of paying more for a motherboard with those things, because they will still be good long after the motherboard is obsolete and has been replaced.

As I said earlier though, Skylake is supposed to come out soon and will have its own boards.

[Gee1337]

Ok, if I was you doing your build, I would settle on this! Taken the prices from your build list, changed your GPU slightly (as mentioned in earlier post) and added the case I suggested.

Intel i7 4790K $319
MSI Z97 Gaming G45 $134
G Skill Ripjaws 16GB Ram £100
Samsung SSD £162
Hitachi HDD £124
Zotac GTX970 Omega Core £340
Rosewell Thor V2 $120
EVGA 750 watt PSU $94

Total:- $1393

There's your build right there! Plenty of room for adding Win 7, monitor(s), keyboard, mouse and possibly even a Hotas... with a $2k budget... depending on what you want. Wireless Nics are reasonably inexpensive these days, so if you do go wireless then don't splash out on something with all the bells and whistles.

However, if gaming online then I would recommend to stay cabled where you can to minimise things like packet loss and external interference.

If you do want a good inexpensive gaming keyboard then I would recommend Perixx PX-100. For a total of $65, you might as well get the mouse that Amazon suggests to go with it as well. Will all go with your colour scheme. I have that keyboard and I do think it is very good!

I'm not sure if I can be much more use to you now (if I've been any at all hehe), so good luck with that build... if you go for it!

[Mongoose]

I do want to double-check the size of the desk ledge where I currently have my machine (I could improvise a bit if I have to), but if it turns out to be a bit too small, what do you think of this Rosewill as an alternative option?  Apparently it's a mid-ATX case, but big enough that it might as well be a full one.

Other than that, just need to double-check the motherboard stuff, and I think I'll be almost set to go.  A bit more on the general side of things, what sort of other miscellany do I need to make sure to include when I place my order?  I know I'll need a SATA cable or two for the requisite items, but anything else other than that?  And should I bother with one of those little anti-static wristbands, or am I okay so long as I keep touching metal while I'm actually doing the build?

Edit: Okay guys, this listing should be pretty much finalized as far as I can tell, barring a potential case change.  I switched to the ASUS mobo with USB 3.1 support, and even if I don't have anything to take advantage of that now I figure future-proofing for the same price doesn't hurt.  If there's any reason at all why someone thinks I should switch back to the MSI board, speak now or hold your peace.  That particular Panasonic BD-writer seemed to have really good reviews and comes with at least some basic software, so that should work just fine.  I think I'm just about ready to load this stuff in a cart and then sit mashing the refresh button on the tracking info until it gets here.

(Oh right, then I have to worry about the display...)

[Jeff Vader]

Other than that, just need to double-check the motherboard stuff, and I think I'll be almost set to go.  A bit more on the general side of things, what sort of other miscellany do I need to make sure to include when I place my order?  I know I'll need a SATA cable or two for the requisite items, but anything else other than that?  And should I bother with one of those little anti-static wristbands, or am I okay so long as I keep touching metal while I'm actually doing the build?

Yeah, SATA cables are surprisingly important. When I was originally building my current system, I didn't even think about them until I got to the point that I was putting the HDD and DVD drive in place and only had one cable (gee, if I plug it into the DVD drive I can install Windows, but then I won't have a drive to install it to...). But antistatic wristbands? Bullcocks. Never used 'em, never broken anything.

[Gee1337]

I would really stick with the full tower case. The GPU is 12 inches long! I reckon you will struggle with Blackhawk.

You can get away without the anti-static wristband, however, you have to be extra careful when handling different components if you have not earthed yourself.

When I build, I put the PSU into the case first and plug it into a wall socket. Then I touch the metal on the case a this discharges any static I have built up. I don't know if  U.S sockets have an earth pin like U.K power does, so I don't know if this would be a viable solution. As long as you have discharged yourself of static, then you would not need the wristband. Personally, I do want to get one though... 32 in September so I might ask for one for me B'day!

As for Sata cables, check with the vendor if they are included in with the mobo package. 9 times out of 10, they are! I think 4 sata cables came with my mobo when I got it about 6 months back!

[deathspeed]

The spec sheet for that Rosewill Blackhawk says "5 types of HDD cage placement for your long VGA card or liquid cooling radiator needs; Supports up to 11.8" (30cm) length VGA card (HDD cage NOT removed); Supports up to 16.5" (42cm) length VGA card (HDD cage removed)".  For any case you pick out, you might search for info like that - maybe from reviews if the product page doesn't mention it. 

My 10 year old mid-tower Thermaltake Tsunami dream seems monstrous in size, but I had to dremel a notch in the hard drive cage to clear a GTX260 and later my GTX480.  Some of the newer designs are laid out better to avoid situations like that and allow full-size video cards in smaller cases.

[Klaustrophobia]

My cooler master HAF 912 mid tower has moveable HDD bays to clear out of the way of extra long video cards if necessary.  Also thick enough for massive CPU air coolers like the hyper 212.  I think you'll be fine with most modern mid towers.  Massive video cards isn't a new thing.  And if you're not afraid to do some cutting, then you REALLY have nothing to worry about

[CP5670]

Yes, the case size shouldn't be an issue as the video cards have been their current size for a long time. The Fury cards and some of the 970s are actually much smaller.

I have an old CM Stacker case that is over 10 years old now, but it's still nice enough and newer ones aren't enough of an upgrade to bother with. A case is something that stays with you practically forever.

[Mongoose]

You know what, screw it, I'll go with the bigass Thor.  I like the front ports being angled upward as opposed to sticking straight up with the Blackhawk, which should make them much easier to access.

All righty, putting my order in for this beauty.  Looks like the mobo comes with two SATA cables, so I'll just toss in another for my BD drive and that should be good.  I'm sure I'll have more questions once all this stuff starts coming in, and I still have to do the display part, but seriously, you guys kick so much ass for all the help.

[Gee1337]

No problem Mongoose!

I'm glad you went for the bigass case. But I would say that because I advised it haha!

Whereas the others are correct in what they say regarding mid-towers, I was thinking about ease of use for you as this was your first build and you don't want to start removing HDD bays etc... just so a bigass card can fit in a mid tower.

There are smaller GTX 970s, but I checked the size of the specific model you were getting. I still think you should go with the Omega Core rather than the Extreme Core, because of that 80MHz core speed for $20. Still, I'm sure you will enjoy that build. It would certainly destroy mine!

[Mongoose]

Yeah, I know I could have been fine going with the cheaper one, but apparently both the clock speed and GDDR5 were increased, and the fan setup looked better.  Plus I needed to get some e-peen splurge on somewhere.

And to answer your earlier question, yes, the PSU will have a grounded plug.  (A lot of everyday electronics in the US, even up to TV sets, don't have them, but fortunately computers and monitors always do.)  I'll make sure to keep it plugged in when I'm actually getting stuff installed.

Speaking of, do you really think it's worth doing the whole "hook up your components in a cardboard box and make sure everything POSTs" routine before actually doing the final assembly inside the case?  I've seen people advocating both for and against it in various comment threads.  I'm sure it is really handy in that it lets you avoid having to take a bunch of crap out if something winds up being DOA, but given how much space this case has it probably won't be too difficult if I need to do that.

And in happy news, my case and the HDD were delivered almost overnight (yay for living close to the warehouse), and holy **** this case is a ****ing tank. I'm fairly positive that it won't remotely fit on the lower desk shelf where my current system sits, but oh well, I'll make do.  Unfortunately the rest of the system guts are shipping from Cali, so it'll probably be a few days.  And now I really need to get on picking that monitor, because this is actually getting real now.

[deathspeed]

Speaking of, do you really think it's worth doing the whole "hook up your components in a cardboard box and make sure everything POSTs" routine before actually doing the final assembly inside the case?  I've seen people advocating both for and against it in various comment threads.  I'm sure it is really handy in that it lets you avoid having to take a bunch of crap out if something winds up being DOA, but given how much space this case has it probably won't be too difficult if I need to do that.

I've never bothered to do that.  Doing it that way, you are guaranteed to assemble it all twice, while doing it once in the case is likely the only time you will have to do it.  If something doesn't work, THEN take I it apart and try outside the box.