Critique 1st PC Build... Have a Few Issues

[Appletax]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2BnTL

I will be building a gaming PC as soon as I decide on the parts. I am coming from a $400 HP 11" laptop w/ AMD E350 CPU (very slow) lol. I want something super fast. It will also be used to run virtual machines for school.

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz
Fast and overclockable. I plan to use Virtual Machines for learning. Will I have any issues with this CPU because the K versions do not support all the visualization technologies?

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler
I'm very undecided here. I don't know what to get. Noctua always seemed to have the best reputation. The problem with the large coolers is that they may not have room for the RAM I choose.

Memory: G.Skill Trident X 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Very low memory latency @ 7. They seem to be the best choice I can find. The downside is the heatspreaders must come off to fit underneath the CPU cooler. Also, they're the only item that I can't buy from Amazon.

Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
I'm undecided on this and the Gene micro ATX. I like the smaller size of the Gene and it has more USB 3.0 ports and fewer legacy ports (e.g. PS/2). Also, I like that it takes up less space. It can do SLI, which is something I won't get. I don't see any future need for the additional space offered by the Hero.

Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
Seems to be the best SSD at the moment - has a long warranty. Plan to eventually add some regular hard drives in the future.

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card
$100 cheaper than the Sapphire Tri-X OC AMD 290 GPU I was interested in, and available. I want Maxwell, but don't want to wait. This should be a wonderful card for now and I can always sell it and upgrade (maybe around the 900 series).

Case: Cooler Master HAF XB EVO ATX Desktop Case
Lots of space - More portable than a regular tower - Stylish

Power Supply: SeaSonic 660W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Pricey, but I think a system like this should get the cleanest power. Two PSU calculators put the system under 450 watts, so this should have enough power. Also, using the 80% rule, this system uses less than 80% of the peak power.

Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer
Fast @ 14x - wish they were cheaper at this point

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro
Free from DreamSpark

Total: $1700ish

 

[KompuKare]

Intel's K CPUs only lose IO virtualisation which is only relevant for a hypervisor OS AFAIK and of no/little use if you're just running desktop stuff (VB or VMware).

Oh, TSMC 20nm won't be ramp up until Q4 2014 or so any Nvidia or AMD cards coming out before then will be mid-range or more likely mobile. After Ferni Nvidia finally learned their lesson that launching their biggest chip first on a new node is asking for trouble.

840 EVO performs pretty much the same as Pro and costs a fair bit less so I think it's better value.

PSU calculators are not that useful. I prefer to look at power consumption from similar configured reviews instead. 650W Seasonic Platinum is good though.

No PS/2 is not a feature! There is always some boot disc which doesn't support USB even with the BIOS set for legacy keyboard support. Mobo-wise it really depends on how much overclocking you want to do but Ivy Bridge is 77W at stock so even with a modest overclock you don't need really $200 mobos anymore. The days of the P4 are over (well AMD FX and Intel LGA2011 still use up a fair bit of power).

 

[madcow007]

Noctua makes some amazing products but you may want to consider the current competitor to Noctua nh-d14.

http://www.thermalright.com/html/products/cpu_cooler/silverArrow_sb-e.html

Its almost dead silent and I'm currently running one in my bulldozer rig and its keeping things nice and cool.

If your case can accommodate them I would also recommend using TY-141 or TY-140 Thermalright case fans.

edit:Forgot to mention low profile ram is pretty much a must with the coolers such as the silverarrow and nh-d14 if you want an option that can accommodate memory with heatsinks check out
http://www.thermalright.com/html/products/cpu_cooler/true_spirit_140.html

 

[Appletax]

Noctua makes some amazing products but you may want to consider the current competitor to Noctua nh-d14.

http://www.thermalright.com/html/products/cpu_cooler/silverArrow_sb-e.html

Its almost dead silent and I'm currently running one in my bulldozer rig and its keeping things nice and cool.

If your case can accommodate them I would also recommend using TY-141 or TY-140 Thermalright case fans.

edit:Forgot to mention low profile ram is pretty much a must with the coolers such as the silverarrow and nh-d14 if you want an option that can accommodate memory with heatsinks check out
http://www.thermalright.com/html/products/cpu_cooler/true_spirit_140.html

Does the installation of these massive coolers require more than applying thermal paste and snapping the cooler in place?

Will there be a big difference in cooling between those two coolers?

Which low profile memory would you recommend?

 

[ohio_grad_06]

I know with AMD Motherboards many times you have to take the backplate off the board(the hard piece the brackets bolt onto), then install an aftermarket bracket that should come with your cooler in it's place.

 

[LordX]

The new Intel sockets since 1156 have a kind of 'backplate' already installed around the CPU socket - which is why such large heatsinks can simply 'snap in' without bending the socket area.

 

[Appletax]

I finally made the splurge after years of salivating lol

I bought everything on my list, except:
- Blu Ray Drive - not sure what to get

- CPU - prices fluctuate quite a bit on Amazon. Going to see if it goes down tomorrow since it's at the high end.

- CPU Cooler - undecided between Noctua DH-14 and the Thermalright - It seems like the Noctua will be quieter and easier to install.

I purchased faster 1866 MHz Trident X RAM. I discovered that the RAM under the CPU cooler will need its spreader removed, but the other RAM can keep it on.

I decided on the EVGA GTX 770 due to price, availability, reputation, and value.

Lord have mercy on my wallet lol

 

[Appletax]

I noticed just now that the ram is over clocked...wonder if I should have bought 2400mhz ram for $10 more.... Order already shipped

 

[Appletax]

All I need to buy now is the CPU cooler and blue ray drive

 

[ohio_grad_06]

It'll be fine. I have ddr3 1600 in my gaming system, performs just fine.

 

[Appletax]

What should I get for a blue ray burner? There's so few choices and they all seem bad