Once Over before I Buy

[Calamorn]

So I'm about to work on a new rig, but it's been awhile since I've built one. I do a good deal of streaming, rendering and on occasion folding. So I'd like to pickup the I7 over the I5, if I was just gaming it'd be a bit different. As for gaming, I do a lot of that too and I'd like to try to max out most games.
I run everything from crisis to WoW at the moment currently.

I'm running on a hard limit of 1500, but I have an SSD/Optical Drive/OS I can reuse. And case wise I suppose I have a HAFX sitting in a closet (that will make due until I trade to something less... HAFX).

And before you ask why I'm going through Newegg only, I suppose I -could- get things from amazon as well, but truth be told, I live way out in the middle of nowhere. I like the idea of ordering through one place just to get all my parts near the same time. (Also no microcenter near me.)

What I'd like is the same performance the build I currently posted will have. Low profile ram (because if nothing else I'd like to keep the heatsink), a modular psu, and room for expansion is always nice.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($309.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z77 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($246.13 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($164.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($405.91 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional Gold 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($154.48 @ Newegg)
Total: $1455.48
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-23 22:21 EDT-0400)

[chazus]

Build looks good. My only points of contention would be dropping the sabertooth and getting something.... less expensive (Z87-A is a pretty solid pick right now) and you can get a Blue drive instead of a Black

The power supply is overkill too. You can knock off $75 and still get something decent. The Seasonic 620 M12II ($65 for a couple days, $85 normally) might be nice. PC Power and Cooling SIlncer MKIII might also be good.

If you planned on going with SLI 770's down the road and REALLY want to stick with the 750w, there are a gaggle of 750w modular PSU's from PC P&C, XFX, Seasonic, Antec, and others, in the $80-$110 mark. The Corsair simply offers nothing to account for its $50 additional price tag.

[yurano]

Z87-A is a pretty solid pick right now

OP posted an Ivy build.

I'd recommend going for Haswell via one of Newegg's combo deals.

... in the $80-$110 mark. The Corsair simply offers nothing to account for its $50 additional price tag.

The AX750 is full modular and 80+ Gold; each of these features is worth about ~$15. The AX750 has a "Hybrid Silent Fan Control" feature and comes with pretty cables. The AX750 is basically a Seasonic X750 $155 with Corsair customer service.

A budget conscious buyer might not consider these features worth paying for, but the AX750 definitely 'earns' its +$50 price tag.

[chazus]

OP posted an Ivy build.

Derp. I sort of glazed that over with the budget, and 3770 looks more like 4770, than 3570 looks like 4670 >.<

The AX750 is full modular and 80+ Gold; each of these features is worth about ~$15

Er, how? How is "modular" worth $15 when a 750w modular of similar quality is $50 cheaper?
Not only that, but "Gold" is not worth $15. It's.. barely worth 5, or even $10. So that leaves another mystery $70 floating around, being wasted, over a $80-90 Modular PSU of similar power and quality.

The AX750 is basically a Seasonic X750 $155

I wouldn't recommend the that particular Seasonic either, due to the price tag.

There is a difference between "Budget Conscious" and "LOL I have money, lets see how saucy Miss Marketing is feeling tonight"

You can't put a price tag on extra features, if those extra features provide no -actual- benefit.

[Calamorn]

How about this instead gents. I'll meet you guys halfway. Swap to blue, change PSU's for Chaz here, pickup haswell combo deal for Yurano. Save money for me!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($349.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-PRO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($164.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($405.91 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($75.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1255.84
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-24 01:13 EDT-0400)

Anything else gents?
Edit: I forgot to thank you guys for the input so far. Many thanks.

[chazus]

Honestly looks perfect to me. I would -personally- get a ~$150 motherboard, but you already seemed okay with the previous pricetag, I suppose theres no reason not to go with the Z87-Pro

[yurano]

Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($164.99 @ Newegg)

Unless you really like Corsair or how the Vengeance LP looks, go for the high performance stuff when dropping $165 for 16GB of RAM.

Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB 1600 C9 1.35V ultra low profile $57 - 1866 C10 and 2000 C11 capable (review)

Crucial Ballistix Tactical 8GB 1600 Mhz C8 1.35V ultra low profile $67 - my 2x8GB set is capable of 2000 9-9-9-24-1T

On the other hand, the cost effective route would be: Patriot Viper 3 4x4GB 1600 C9 1.5V $90

Er, how? How is "modular" worth $15 when a 750w modular of similar quality is $50 cheaper?
Not only that, but "Gold" is not worth $15. It's.. barely worth 5, or even $10. So that leaves another mystery $70 floating around, being wasted, over a $80-90 Modular PSU of similar power and quality.

It doesn't matter if you don't think its "worth" the money. Certain features come with certain price tags. Windowed cases retail for $10-15 more than their non-windowed counterparts. My price quotes align with observed market patterns.

I wouldn't recommend the that particular Seasonic either, due to the price tag.

I'm not recommending he purchase a high end Seasonic X PSU. I'm pointing out that the AX750 is "fairly" priced given its feature set and that its definitely not "Corsair simply offers nothing to account for its $50 additional price tag"

There is a difference between "Budget Conscious" and "LOL I have money, lets see how saucy Miss Marketing is feeling tonight"

You can't put a price tag on extra features, if those extra features provide no -actual- benefit.

Again, you're missing the point. The AX750 isn't the budget conscious choice, but its not because "Corsair simply offers nothing to account for its $50 additional price tag". The AX750 isn't recommended because the offered features aren't worth the cost; but realize, the added features are actually worth something.

Your argument is akin to saying the BMW 335i's 19K price premium over the Toyota Prius is moot because both cars have the ability to get from point A to point B.

What I'm pointing out is: if the AX750 was on sale for "80-90" it would be stupid to go with similarly priced XFX Core 750 instead. The features offered with the AX750 are definitely worth "something" and the market says the AX750 isn't overpriced for the given feature set; the AX750 is just not an ideal choice for a budget conscious buyer who's not a PSU enthusiast (eg. Faithh).

[chazus]

I guess we agree to disagree? The car analogy is poor, because the BMW actually has features that warrant the price difference over the Prius.

"Gold" Certification is literally a waste of money, if you apply a price tag to it.
You can't say "Modular" is worth something, when an equally good PSU of the same stats, which is ALSO modular, costs less. That's like saying one thing is worth more than another identical thing, because of the thing they both have.

I'm just saying that... Just because someone can afford something... Doesn't mean that it's a good buy just because it's not poor quality. All those features really have no benefit to any one, of any audience or market.

Example.

if the AX750 was on sale for "80-90" it would be stupid to go with similarly priced XFX Core 750 instead

We studied this in our econ courses, and it's effectively a result of good marketing and branding. I believe Extra Credits worded it this way.

"Buying a $20 pair of jeans for $20 feels alright. It feels like you got an OK pair of jeans at the store. But buying a $60 pair of jeans for $20? Feels _awesome_. It feels like you got a stellar pair of jeans for a screaming deal, even if they're the exact same pair of jeans."

Now, are the $140 Seasonic and $110 XFX the same (I checked the Antec 750 High Current Gamer and PC P&C 750 MkIII for $100 too)? I looked. For the most part, yeah. I looked at the cheaper XFX 750w XXX Bronze, and it really offered nothing less either. I guess if you consider the 24pin and 8pin cables fixed and not modular a $60 problem. They all have 5 year warranties too. I mean.. I dunno. I really have no convincing evidence from any of these that the cheapest one is not the winner.

I just can't justifiably recommend a $100+ PSU to anyone and feel good about it. Unless someone needs to get rid of a much money as possible, some kind of frothing spending contest, with dire consequences if they don't, I just don't feel there's any real reason to buy that kind of stuff. Enthusiast or not.

[yurano]

The car analogy is poor, because the BMW actually has features that warrant the price difference over the Prius.

Buyers define the market and subsequent supply demand relationships. Just because one feature makes sense to you and another doesn't can't change the fact that the market has "decided" certain prices for certain features.

"Gold" Certification is literally a waste of money, if you apply a price tag to it.

Actually, calculating out energy savings over say 4 years, there's a good chance to break even. Not ideal to invest in a PSU up front instead of a performance component, but the invest does pay dividends, somewhat.

You can't say "Modular" is worth something, when an equally good PSU of the same stats, which is ALSO modular, costs less. That's like saying one thing is worth more than another identical thing, because of the thing they both have.

Full modular != modular (semi)

The AX750 is full modular

I'm just saying that... Just because someone can afford something... Doesn't mean that it's a good buy just because it's not poor quality.

You can definitely say that.

What you can't say is: "offers nothing to account for .. price tag" or "those ... have no benefit to any one".

The increased price tag is accounted for by these premium features. These features do actually have benefits, albeit small and non-ideal for budget conscious buyers.

Whats you're saying is: Corsair AX750 is bad bad bad bad, don't buy it never ever ever. What I'm saying is: Corsair AX750 isn't bad, just not budget optimal; purchasing the AX750 would be a good idea, if it was on sale.

[vesseblah]

Prettier and better motherboard, also cheaper http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130692

Also if you want to blow $80 on CPU cooler I'd rather pick Corsair H80i which costs the same as NH-D14 but will be aesthetically more pleasing.

[chazus]

Actually, calculating out energy savings over say 4 years, there's a good chance to break even.

Yes and no. He'd save about $5 a year (I've done the math, actually). So if it were $25 more, he'd break even after five years. Why would anyone spend more money, simply to break even? But we're talking $40-50 here. Spending more money to on a 'money saving' thing, that actually loses money.

Full modular != modular (semi)

Again, yes. I recognize that they aren't the same... But is there -really- a difference between a "Modular" 24 pin, and a non modular 24 pin? I'd like to see how good computers run without at least that.

Whats you're saying is: Corsair AX750 is bad bad bad bad, don't buy it never ever ever. What I'm saying is: Corsair AX750 isn't bad, just not budget optimal; purchasing the AX750 would be a good idea, if it was on sale.

No, I'm not. I'm saying that the AX750, at retail, is not worth to buy for any market, regardless of it's actual good quality. If it were on sale, bringing it down to the same price as something else to be considered (around the $100 mark)... It would STILL provide no additional reason to buy. It would have equal standing with it's other competitors (With Gold/Modular). It would have a 50% chance of purchasing, rather than 0%. With no real distinguishing features over something else, a higher price tag does no make something 'better' if it's price tag is lowered to other things.

We're getting off topic here, though. I'm sure the OP can decide on his own what to get from what we've suggestion. The bottom line is, he certainly has the budget to get either. I'm just the kind of person who, if he can afford the higher priced thing, won't necessarily buy it just because it's available.

I may be biased because of my econ stuff I did recently. Scarcity exists in all markets, industries, and audiences.

[Deleted]

Again, yes. I recognize that they aren't the same... But is there -really- a difference between a "Modular" 24 pin, and a non modular 24 pin? I'd like to see how good computers run without at least that.

There is one difference worth noting, the fully modular PSU gives you the option to replace ALL cables with individually sleeved cables like the kit Corsair offers. This is of course expensive and I'm not saying that's what OP wants, just that that it is one reason for fully modular.

[vesseblah]

There is one difference worth noting, the fully modular PSU gives you the option to replace ALL cables with individually sleeved cables like the kit Corsair offers. This is of course expensive and I'm not saying that's what OP wants, just that that it is one reason for fully modular.

Those Corsair cable kits cost almost as much as the whole damn PSU which is something people need to also keep in mind when dreaming of sleeved cables.

[Deleted]

Those Corsair cable kits cost almost as much as the whole damn PSU which is something people need to also keep in mind when dreaming of sleeved cables.

Of course they need to keep that in mind, I'm just saying that's one reason for wanting the fully modular unit, it is expensive and I mention that too. Just like a custom waterloop is nice and expensive but by no means a necessity.

[PBitt]

-Don't buy 16 gb of ram, you don't even need the full 8 for gaming right now and that's just money going to waste.

-I wouldn't bother with the i7, you pay a lot of extra money for almost nothing.

-Find a cheaper mobo. I don't have any personal recommendations for Haswell if that is why you chose to go with but 250 dollars for a mobo with that build is a bit crazy.

[chazus]

-Don't buy 16 gb of ram, you don't even need the full 8 for gaming right now and that's just money going to waste.
-I wouldn't bother with the i7, you pay a lot of extra money for almost nothing.

Based off his OP, I'd say those things are warranted.