Help! First time computer builder

[Garrosh2]

Hi there guys,

So my computer has been causing alot of freezing problems when I play wow. I have spend months and contacting blizzard as well as taking the computer to the repair shop but the problem still remains. Instead of paying $50 for everytime I take computer to repair shop just so they can try something and if it doesnt work take it there again and keep paying $50, I decided I should rebuild the computer.

Part I will be using from my old computer ( Dell XPS 8500, bought in 2012):

Default 2TB Hard disk ( I may buy a new one)
DVD/CD Drive

The following 2 parts were upgraded

ThermalTake Smart Series SP-750M Modular Power Supply ( 1 year Old)
ASUS GTX650TI-OC-2GD5 GeForce GTX 650 Ti 2GB 128-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card ( 1 year Old)

The new parts I am looking to buy:

Case: Cooler Master HAF 922M Case, USB 3.0
CPU: Core™ i5-4690 Processor, 3.50GHz w/ 6MB Cache
Motherboard: Z97-K/CSM w/ DDR3 1600, 7.1 Audio, Gigabit LAN, CrossFireX
CPU cooling: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler
RAM: HyperX FURY Black 4GB DDR3-1600MHz CL10 DIMM (x2)

Now the question:

My biggest concern is the motherboard. Since this is my first time building I have no idea if the motherboard is good or not. I was told its a good choice but would like to hear other opinions.
I dont want to spend alot of money on this build but I would still like it to be good.

What I want from this built:

Play wow at max settings without any problem.
Can watch stream while playing wow.
Other than that just regular university work. So I multitask alot, with multiple windows open like word,game or websites.

NOTE: Any part suggest MUST be available at this store : memoryexpress in Canada. (sorry cant post link)

Thank You very much in advance

[IRunSoFarAway]

Since you went with a 4690 instead of a 4690k, I'm going to assume you're not planning to overclock, in which case, you can get an H97 instead.

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX52030

You can spend the extra you save on the cpu/motherboard going from 4GB to 8GB, http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX33234

Everything else you're getting is fine the way it is.

That said, this one belongs in http://www.mmo-champion.com/forums/3...d-Upgrade-Help

Your problems with the old computer probably could've easily been resolved here, instead of taking it somewhere and paying them(being overcharged) for doing practically nothing, but, I guess that's irrelevant now.

[Garrosh2]

Thank you very much for the help!

[chazus]

I'd highly recommend getting the Z97 + 4690K. If you absolutely positively won't overclock (Which is usually a result of not having the funds to do so), I'd probably save the money and get an H97 board and a nice i3. But seriously though, if you can afford it, get the Z97 + 4690K and overclock it for best performance.

[Garrosh2]

Chazus can you link me the specific board you are saying from memoryexpress or is it the same board and CPU combo that I linked?
P.S. I never overclock my computers but I would like to get the good parts.

[chazus]

I just looked. Is there a reason you have to get it from memoryexpress? Their prices are pretty awful.

[Garrosh2]

Yeah thats the only store that I can go to buy those parts. other option will be online but I dont have time to wait for the parts. I just want to get the right setup together in next few days a little over price will not hurt.

- - - Updated - - -

Also is there any suggestion about a GPU upgrade? I might end up buying a new one. Please only link the one from the website memoryexpress.com

[IRunSoFarAway]

Yeah thats the only store that I can go to buy those parts. other option will be online but I dont have time to wait for the parts. I just want to get the right setup together in next few days a little over price will not hurt.

- - - Updated - - -

Also is there any suggestion about a GPU upgrade? I might end up buying a new one. Please only link the one from the website memoryexpress.com

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX46587

[Ghâzh]

What I want from this built:

Play wow at max settings without any problem.

This is impossible with current hardware. There will always be problems with WoW. The best you can do is accept that the game can't be ran flawlessly in heavy raid situations. Expect to drop down to about 30 to 35 FPS in 25man with a lot of AOE going on.

To make the game run as best as you can you should consider what chazus said. Get a z97 board, i5 4690k, and an aftermaket cooler, and overclock the processor as much as you can.

Chazus can you link me the specific board you are saying from memoryexpress or is it the same board and CPU combo that I linked?

You can keep that board, the important part is that it's the Z97 model which allows overclocking. Processor should be, however, changed to "Core™ i5-4690K Processor, 3.50GHz w/ 6MB Cache," (emphasis on the K) which is the unlocked model.

Also is there any suggestion about a GPU upgrade? I might end up buying a new one. Please only link the one from the website memoryexpress.com

If I were you, I'd keep your current card and see how well it does first. WoW is a lot more taxing on the CPU than the GPU, so you might be completely fine with GTX 650ti.

[Garrosh2]

THank you very much everyone for your advises!

[dbzfanako]

Try to add an SSD drive with at least 120GB as your boot drive. Then tweak all the downloads and other folder settings to minimize the write event in your SSD. Same suggestion for me is to just get H97 or even B85 motherboard plus i5-4670 processor is more than enough since you are not doing any OC'ing with your processor.

Hope this help also...

[Garrosh2]

I heard some bad things about H97 board. Is it really ok to buy that board? I can spend a little extra to buy the K version no problem

[chazus]

I heard some bad things about H97 board. Is it really ok to buy that board? I can spend a little extra to buy the K version no problem

I've heard zero complaints about the H97. What have you heard?

Also, just to clear up some confusion...

H97 and Z97 refer to the board's chipset. Haswell refresh boards only come in those flavors.

H97 can't overclock, and is cheaper. It's what you get for say, an i3.
Z97 can overclick, and it's what you get for a I5-4690K

When talking about "K", you're referring to either a "K" CPU (I5-4690K) or a "Non-K" CPU... i.e. any i3, or any i5 that isn't the i5-4690K (i5-4690, 4440, whatever)

K implies it can overclock.

I really don't recommend any CPU besides the i3-4150, or the i5-4690K these days, and the main determining factor is budget.

[Garrosh2]

Hey guys So I finally built the computer yesterday. It turns out the HAF 922M case that I used is kinda loud as it has all 3 case fan working at 60% (got the info from BIOS) plus the EVO 212 after market fan that I used.

Final Build Info:
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922M Case, USB 3.0
CPU: Core™ i5-4690 Processor, 3.50GHz w/ 6MB Cache
Motherboard: Z97-C
CPU cooling: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler
RAM: HyperX FURY Black 4GB DDR3-1600MHz CL10 DIMM (x2)

I am a little concerned if the computer temperatures should be what I am getting using HMW monitor. Here at the results:

Test 1 : ( playing wow, twitch stream open in the background, plus few other websites):

Temperature 1 37°C (98°F) [0x25] (CPU)
Fan 0 901 RPM [0x385] (Chassis #1)
Fan 1 795 RPM [0x31B] (Chassis #2)
Fan 2 859 RPM [0x35B] (Chassis #3)

Test 2: Idle (just web borrowsing):

Temperature 1 35°C (95°F) [0x23] (CPU)
Fan 0 836 RPM [0x344] (Chassis #1)
Fan 1 843 RPM [0x34B] (Chassis #2)
Fan 2 837 RPM [0x345] (Chassis #3)

Question:

Are these CPU temperatures normal with that Cooler Master EVO 212 Fan and with the HAF 922M case? Also, are those Case fans running at the right speed for those kind of temperatures?

Also, any suggestions for a good GPU, currently using GTX 650 Ti OC 2GB. Budget around $250 from memoryexpress.com

Thank You guys

[chazus]

Couple things.

1) Those temps are totally normal.
2) Are you overclocking? I can't tell if you have a 4690 or 4690K (I assumed the latter, since Z97 board)

[Garrosh2]

Nah no overclocking. and this damn case is pretty loud with 3 case fans so I thought it should be a little more cooler side.

[chazus]

Is it a 4690 or 4690K?

[Garrosh2]

its 4690 not K

[chazus]

Oookay. Not sure why you got the Z97 then, but oh well. Regardless, since you can't overclock, those temps are spot on. honestly I'd just turn most of the case fans but the front and back off.