First Time Build. Going Big! Advice/Thoughts?

[PhillyAnt]

Hi folks! Been reading this forums for the past few weeks as I have suddenly gotten the urge to build my first ever PC. My last PC was a Gateway Computer (lol) and the last game I really played hardcore was Everquest. Played that game for a good 8 or 9 years and then decided that I didnt have time for games anymore and gave it up. I made the switch to Apple products around 2007 as I work with audio production and am a voice over actor. Recently I had the urge to get back into gaming so I purchased a Playstation 4 and had some fun with Battlefield 4. Then Elder Scrolls Online came out and my gaming addiction came back in full force. I have a few iMacs in my home office here and was playing ESO on my newest 2013 iMac in BootCamp mode. It did ok as I had a 2gb GPU in that system and the specs are pretty high. I don't want to use my iMac for gaming though and have decided to build my first ever computer. I am a little nervous about everything but it is coming along nicely. I am almost finished the build and I have a few questions. Please go easy on me as I am totally new at this. I feel a little bit over my head but I think things are going well.

First things first. Here are the parts I purchased. I know that some of them are a bit overkill but I wanted to go a little more than needed for when I decide to make changes.

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz
CPU Cooler: Corsair H105
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400MHz
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 512GB SSD
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB Matrix Platinum
Case: Corsair 760T Black
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 1200W 80+ Platinum
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro
Keyboard: Logitech G710 Wired Gaming Keyboard
Monitor: Asus ROG SWIFT PG278Q 27.0"
Various Corsair fans with the red rings just to match everything for my OCD lol.

I want to stay away from mechanical drives so I decided that a 500gb SSD would be enough for now. It's just going to be the OS and a few games as of now.

I know I didn't need an i7 processor and 16gb of 2400MHz ram for gaming, but I want to be able to run things in the background. Was planning on doing some live feeds and other things and might even do some music production on it in the future, so having that extra power was an ok decision (I hope).

The PSU is also a lot more than needed but I plan on adding a second GPU and possibly doing some overclocking (if I am brave enough) and I wanted my PSU to run between 50%-70% if I do so, just to keep things clean and healthy. I can't wait to see what gaming looks like on that RoG Swift monitor! I was a big flight sim addict in the past and I know that those are very GPU intensive. I'm excited to load one up!

I've gotten all these pieces at some excellent prices. The GPU was a steal at $619 and I am trying to get a second one for the same price, but I am guessing it will drop lower in the near future with new cards coming out.

So what do you think of my choices?

Now for some questions. I am a complete noob at building computers. I have watched a few videos online and read the guide on these forums and am almost finished my build (I think). I've done a lot of research on these and other forums but I have a few questions and am sure I will have a few more.

1. When connecting the Corsair H105 to power, I have seen people talk about doing it different ways. I'm confused. Do I connect the pump power to the CPU Fan pins and the radiator fans to the CPU Opt pins? Do I do it the other way around? Do I use totally different connections than the two I mentioned? I know the pump is supposed to constantly run and want to make sure I get this right.

2. Should I bother connecting the fans to the controller on the Corsair case or just keep them directly plugged into the motherboard? I was planning on letting the motherboard control everything.

3. When everything is connected and I power it on for the first time, what should I expect? Will things just start running automatically? How do I update all my drivers and at what point do I install Windows 8.1?

4. When I am finished connecting everything, should I connect to my TV via HDMI to set things up and then after I see it is running ok connect it to my RoG Swift monitor to set that up? Should I just start with connecting it to the RoG Swift?

5. How long should everything take to get going once the build is complete? I have a pretty fast internet connection (120mps) so the downloads shouldn't slow me down too badly.

6. Any other tips/tricks/suggestions you would like to share?

Thanks so much! I really appreciate you taking the time to read this long post. I am excited to join you all in this world of PC building/gaming and I look forward to reading your responses.

-Anthony

[Chino]

1. If you connect the fans to the Corsair H105, you will control their speed with Corsair's Link software. If you connect them to the motherboard header, you can control them via the BIOS or using Fan Xpert 2.

2. If all goes well, yes. You will be in your BIOS until you install your OS. Then proceed to install your OS then download and install the missing drivers.

3. Whichever you want. It doesn't matter.

4. Windows 8.1 does a good job of installing all the drivers you need. You should only be missing 1 or 2.

5. Test your whole build outside the case before putting it in.
Inspect the CPU socket for any bent or missing pins
When installing your H105, tighen the screws in a criss cross pattern and don't overtighten them.
Verify that each cable is connecting to the correct header.
TAKE YOUR TIME!

[PhillyAnt]

Chino wrote:
1. If you connect the fans to the Corsair H105, you will control their speed with Corsair's Link software. If you connect them to the motherboard header, you can control them via the BIOS or using Fan Xpert 2.


5. Test your whole build outside the case before putting it in.
Inspect the CPU socket for any bent or missing pins
When installing your H105, tighen the screws in a criss cross pattern and don't overtighten them.
Verify that each cable is connecting to the correct header.
TAKE YOUR TIME!

I'm a little confused with your answer for my first question. What do you mean by connecting my fans to the Corsair H105? I connect them to the motherboard. Are certain connections on it specific for that unit so that it will run from the Corsair software? What is the best way to connect everything being that I am new at this?

Too late to test everything outside of the case. I definitely inspected the CPU socket and everything looked good. The screws for the H105 were finger tight and in the pattern you suggested. I am definitely taking my time lol.

[Chino]

Never mind my answer for the H105. I just did an image search on it on Google. It appears the H105 doesn't have the headers for the fans in the CPU block like the H100i. The fans should be connected to the motherboard header. You've installed it correctly.

Sorry for the confusion. I've never owned nor worked with a Corsair AIO before. lol

[PhillyAnt]

Chino wrote:
Never mind my answer for the H105. I just did an image search on it on Google. It appears the H105 doesn't have the headers for the fans in the CPU block like the H100i. The fans should be connected to the motherboard header. You've installed it correctly.

Sorry for the confusion. I've never owned nor worked with a Corsair AIO before. lol

I appreciate you taking the time to answer. Does the CPU Fan and CPU OPT connections on this board act as though they are connected to each other? The biggest thing I am worried about is connecting the pump to something that will not having it run at full power at all times (if that is truly they way it is meant to run). I don't want the system to think it is a fan and turn down it's power. Am I over thinking this?



PS: I look forward to responses from other readers too, especially if you have experience with this setup.

[Heini]

Your board has a fan header near the 1st pcie 1x slot. If you're not using it for anything else plug your pump in to it and set speed at 100% in the bios. Then plug the cooler fans in to the cpu & opt/cpu headers. You can set up speed profiles through the bios that way. That set up works great on my Z97-WS board.

[PhillyAnt]

Heini wrote:
Your board has a fan header near the 1st pcie 1x slot. If you're not using it for anything else plug your pump in to it and set speed at 100% in the bios. Then plug the cooler fans in to the cpu & opt/cpu headers. You can set up speed profiles through the bios that way. That set up works great on my Z97-WS board.

I have 6 fans in my case (1 on bottom, 2 on front, 2 on top for radiator and 1 on back). I have a Y connecter that came with the H105 for its 2 fans. The board has 4 CHA_FAN headers and the CPU_FAN and CPU_OPT headers. That leaves me with a total of 5 fan connecters because the 2 CPU connecters are tied into each other. Should I:

(A) take the Y connector off of the radiator fans and connect 1 radiator fan to the CPU_fan and the other to the CPU_Opt and then use the Y connector for the front 2 fans to free up a connection for the water pump?

Or should I

(B) just connect the water pump to the PSU?

If I go with option A and then connect the water pump to one of the 4 CHA_FAN connectors, does it matter which one? How hard is it to get into the BIOS and set up a profile for it? Remember I am totally new at this. Thanks 🙂

[Chino]

The CPU_FAN and the CPU_OPT headers are linked together. Whichever setting you decide to use for one will reflect on the other. With that said, the pump speed on most, if not all, AIO liquid systems cannot be modified. That means it will always run at 100%.

What I would do is connect the pump to the CPU_OPT header so it will always run at 100% and the fans to the CPU_FAN header allowing you the option to control their speed.

[PhillyAnt]

Chino wrote:
The CPU_FAN and the CPU_OPT headers are linked together. Whichever setting you decide to use for one will reflect on the other. With that said, the pump speed on most, if not all, AIO liquid systems cannot be modified. That means it will always run at 100%.

What I would do is connect the pump to the CPU_OPT header so it will always run at 100% and the fans to the CPU_FAN header allowing you the option to control their speed.

Other users were saying that their pump was not getting 100% power when plugged into the CPU_OPT header because it was reducing the power due to being tied in with the CPU_FAN header adjusting for the fan speeds/heat. Are you 100% sure that the pump will still run at 100% when plugged in there? I don't mean to question you. I just want to make sure that you are right and the others are wrong.

[Chino]

Easy. Test it out for yourself.

Connect the pump to the CHA_FAN2 header right above the 24 pin power connector. Go into your BIOS, find that header and set it to 100%. Save, restart and get back into the BIOS. Go to the Fan Monitor section and look at the reading for that header. Write it down. Save and shutdown your system.

Now connect the pump to the CPU_OPT header. Start up your system and go into the BIOS. Go back to the Fan Monitor section again. Do the reading for the CPU_OPT header match the one you wrote down?