What do you guys think of this as a first build?
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/stPrhM
CPU
Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor
$256.95
CPU Cooler
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
$34.99
Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
$149.98
Memory
G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory
$71.85
Storage
Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
$98.98
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
$89.98
Video Card
Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card
$329.00
Power Supply
Corsair CX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
$74.99
I chose the Xeon because I don't know anything about OCing, but do you think a different mobo and an 8350 would be a better choice?
Any thoughts are welcome.
Also, any suggestions for a monitor?
Should it be 1440p or 1080?
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Grab the Xeon E3-1231 V3- newer revision.
No need for a Z97 board since you aren't over clocking. If you want to do SLI, then maybe. If not, go with a H97 chip set.
The Xeon works fairly well with the stock Intel cooler. I've built a Xeon E3-1231v3 system for a friend and it's perfectly capable of cooling at stock speeds.
Samsung 840 Evo suffers from slow reads on old data. Pick up an MX100 or something similar.
CX750w is not a great power supply. Max operating temperature is only 30c, where most budget power supplies can go up to 40c. Most well built power supplies will go up to 50c before shutting down.
This should be 1080p imo
I updated the SSD to a 128GB MX100 ($67),
the motherboard to an Asus H97-PLUS ($100),
and the Xeon to the one you suggested.
What PSU would you suggest in place of the CX750w? And what do you think about a 21:9 monitor? Would using one affect the gaming performance?
Here's the updated link: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CRZYt6
Using a 21:9 monitor would definitely affect gaming performance since you're going to still be pushing around more pixels than 1920x1080(vs 2560x1080 or 3840x1440). Some games are also not really optimized for the 21:9 aspect ratio, and as a result you can get black bars on each side of the screen in some games.
I assume you're gaming. I'm not sure what else you plan to do with this computer.
Did some edits:
Cheaper RAM that will work just as well for games.
Cheaper motherboard. I have used this motherboard and it's quite solid.
Wd Blue. Paying $80 for that WD Black is too expensive imo.
Added a case.
Added a relatively budget power supply. This still performs pretty well, and is rated to operate up to 40c at maximum load. 600w is overkill, but it was the same price as the 500w version so I went for it.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mr96jX
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Sorry, I should have stated what I would be using it for. I'll be using it for gaming; photo editing; and a little bit of video editing, but not enough to warrant building a system that is specifically for video editing.
Why did you go with the micro atx mobo and case? Was it to save some money? And will that ever limit me when it comes to expansion, i.e. bigger and better graphics card, perhaps a newer processor in the future with a larger cooling unit? Thank you so much for the help so far.
Well, H97 boards don't really benefit from the ATX form factor since they don't have as many PCIe lanes available as on Z97. Its also cheaper, yes.
Just switch out the GPU when a bigger and bladder one comes out. It should be fine.
Intel tends to revise its sockets quite often. The Xeon E3-1231 V3 is pretty damn powerful and I'd expect that you'd have to buy a whole new motherboard once it gets outdated.