£2000 Build + Live Stream

Well, This will be my first build from scratch, previously I'd changed a few sticks of ram and a graphics card here and there but in the coming months I'll finally be getting the funding to do a lovely build from scratch. 

This will be a massive learning experience for me and I'd like to give back to the community by live streaming the entire build process (This isn't a shameless plug, I have no youtube/twitch channel nor intend to progress one). 

However, as a sorta' nooby I'd like to get the communities suggestions and feedback on the components I picked out. Incompatibility issues is my biggest fear right now... But yeah, here goes...

 

PC Rig - £2000

Monitors x2 - £800

Monitors
Asus PB278Q - £400
http://www.amazon.co.uk/PB278Q-Widescreen-Multimedia-2560x1440-DisplayPort/dp/B009668YPM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410714719&sr=8-1&keywords=Asus+PB278Q

 


PC - £1183

CPU
i7 4790k 4Ghz - £250
http://www.ebuyer.com/645546-intel-core-i7-4790k-4ghz-socket-1150-8mb-l3-cache-retail-boxed-bx80646i74790k

Video Card
Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 - £290
http://www.ebuyer.com/664280-gigabyte-gtx-970-g1-gaming-4gb-gddr5-dual-dvi-hdmi-displayport-pci-e-gv-n970g1-gaming-4gd

Motherboard
Asus MAXIMUS VII RANGER - £127
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-maximus-vii-ranger-intel-z97-s1150-ddr3-pcie-30-(x16)-quad-sli-crossfirex-d-sub-(vga)-dvi-d-hdm?utm_source=google+shopping&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=CPHc4vKY6cACFRHLtAode0wAYA

RAM
Corsair Vengeance Pro Kit 16GB 2x8GB 1866Mhz - £131
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B00D2LGRO2/ref=sr_1_1_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1411330270&sr=8-1&keywords=Corsair+Vengeance+Pro+Kit+16GB+2x8GB+1866Mhz&condition=new

SSD
Crucial MX100 256GB SSD - £75
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crucial-CT256MX100SSD1-256GB-Includes-Spacer/dp/B00KFAGCWK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411418164&sr=8-1&keywords=crucial+mx100

HDD
WD 1TB Black Hard Drive - £55
http://www.amazon.co.uk/WD-3-5-inch-Internal-Hard-Drive/dp/B00FJRS6FU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410718144&sr=8-1&keywords=WD+1tb+black+hard+drive

PSU
EVGA Super Nova G2 750W - £82
http://www.ebuyer.com/660724-evga-supernova-750w-fully-modular-80-gold-power-supply-120-g1-0750-xr

Cooling
Corsair H100i - £85
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-Series-All-In-One-Digital-Performance/dp/B009ZN2NH6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410727741&sr=8-1&keywords=corsair+h100i

Fans (MAY PURCHASE AFTER BUILD AS NOT A NECESSITY) 
Corsair Air Series 120mm PWM Quiet Edition High Static Pressure Fan - £27
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-Series-Performance-Edition-Pressure/dp/B00C249QNE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411176755&sr=8-1&keywords=corsair+sp120+pwm

Case
Fractal Design Define XL R2 Black Pearl- £92
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fractal-Design-Define-FD-CA-DEF-XL-R2-BL-Casing/dp/B00AZQTZFU/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1411416750&sr=1-1&keywords=XL+r2

 

I look forward to the feedback, thank you. =]

looks fine to me.

Psu is a bit overkill for a single gpu, basicly, 650W is way enough.

I would recommend a better cooler, the H80i is not that great. i would grab something like the NZXT Krakan X61.

The PSU might be a little big, but at the same time it gives you some space to allow it to run cooler (you dont need much extra)

Cpu cooler...ehh...I agree get a kraken, those things are great.

Just curious, why only a 1t harddrive? at the cost of harddisks you surly could of sprung for a 2tb? trust me you can fill that up fast :P

based on your profile, your an artist? You do digital?

I agree ..

  1. an XFX or Corsair or Seasonic ... 650w PSU is plenty for one GPU (but it is better to have too much then to have too little)
  2. If you are determined on water cooling  ... the Kraken is great choice.
  3. and if you are an artist and store your stuff digitally ... you should add another drive for backup.

Awesome build BTW ... look forward to the video.     :)

i think two 1tb drives in raid 1 would be a good choice. That way data wouldnt need to be copied manually and you just replace the dead drives as you go.

The thing i realy like on this build is the mobo choice.

The Ranger is such a nice board for its price. Its one of my most favorite Z97 board. All the decent ROG stuff, like the great onboard audio, for a very affordable price.

Thank you for the response, I stuck a little more power in there for safe measures and make it a little more future proof.

As for the cooler I intended to type "H100i" instead of H80i. The Krakan x61 will break my budget unfortunatly but the H100i fits into it nicely.

The reason I went for a 1TB HDD is because I'm a very tidy person, I've had a 1TB HDD for 2 years and never filled it, because of this it's not a priority at the moment and allowed me to put a little more into the cooling.

In terms of cooling, I meant to say H100i instead of H80i.

I am an artist yeah, I'm a Digital arts student, Digital graphics really but I paint digitally as a hobby too.

 

Cheers for the response. ^^

1) That's what I thought, wanted to play it safe,

2) Kraken breaks my budget a little, I was meant to say the H100i, not H80i.

3) I am an artist, I'll probably storing my work externally or using cloud storage so it's off location. 

Thanks for all the responses guys, a quick update...

1) I meant H100i, not H80i

2) The RAM is 2133Mhz, not 1866Mhz

Also, considering a few people asked I'd like to state I am a Digital Artist / Designer so I'll be using this for Adobe Suite, Digital Painting Software and Gaming.

Another Question I have is this...

Is the case big enough? It's a mid case but should I measure the parts to be sure?

Thanks for the great feedback!

Another Question...

Should I drop the PSU down to a 650W and use the extra £ to spring for a Maximus VII Hero motherboard?

Well the maximus Hero only offer 2 more sata ports then the Ranger, and the Hero has a led lighted southbridge heatsink, THe Ranger has the same heatsink, but without light effects. For the rest those boards are totaly similar.

IN my opinnion not worth it, unless you would realy need 8 sata ports.

1) H100i is basicly fine, its better then the H80i for sure, however its not as good as a krakan X60 / X61. Also the stock fans of a H100i are terrible loud, thats something to keep in mind, Corsair also sells SP120 pwm quiet edition edition fans, i would recommend a pack of those, they dont cost a ton!!!

2) Ram speed is not realy that important to be honnest, i personaly prefer lower speed ram with lower CAS and lower voltage, then highspeed ram with high Cas. I would say 1866Mhz CL9 1.5V ram is realy a sweet spot.

3) PSU, like i said above 650W is way enough for a single GPU setup i would definitely save the cash there.

4) Case is totaly fine.

Oh I see, I read somewhere that it would provide better sound but that could have been total BS.

Cheers for the guidance. =]

the onboard audio is totaly the same on both the Ranger and the Hero, even the Formula, as far as i know ☺

Ok then cool, I'll look into some lower speed RAM with lower CAS similar to how you described, I'd never head about CAS before but after looking it up I kinda' understand it. 

As for the PSU, I think I'll save the money and pick up a pair of those fans with what I save. Nice Suggestion.

You're an amazing help. I'll probably continue to update this thread with further questions I stumble accross before I begin to buy parts at the end of the month.

Yes an about the mobo´s i dont realy think its worth it.You could walk trough this review.

http://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/luke-hill/asus-maximus-vii-ranger-hero-motherboard-review/

Like i said the main diffrence will be 2 extra sata ports, and the Hero has diffrent 60A chokes. But in terms of overclocking, both boards can do it, and its still a matter of luck on the cpu side mainaly.

A few more recent changes due to feedback I've been receiving, new announcements and the trimming of fat out of the budget to get some nicer fans without not much loss in performance. 

New parts include...

RAM
Corsair Vengeance Pro Kit 16GB 2x8GB 1866Mhz - £131
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CMY16GX3M2A1866C9-Vengeance-1866Mhz-Performance/dp/B00D2LGRO2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411176337&sr=8-1&keywords=Corsair+16GB+DDR3+1866Mhz+Vengeance+Pro+Kit

Video Card
Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 - £290
http://www.ebuyer.com/664280-gigabyte-gtx-970-g1-gaming-4gb-gddr5-dual-dvi-hdmi-displayport-pci-e-gv-n970g1-gaming-4gd

PSU
Corsair RM 650W - £80
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CP-9020054-UK-Series-Modular-Supply/dp/B00FG9FWF8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411176404&sr=8-1&keywords=corsair+650W+RM

 

Just need to find the size of that card now as it looks a beast and I'm still edgy about the size of the case... Aha.