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Where can I save some money?

dropsonde
By dropsonde
in New Builds and Planning
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First post.. building a new gaming system, still on pentium 4 time to update. Trying to keep this under $1000. What changes should be made to save some money without sacrificing too much performance? Prices are from NCIX in canadian dollars.. Thanks

 

 

Intel Core i5 4690K Unlocked Quad Core 3.5GHZ/3.9GHZ Processor LGA1150 Haswell 6MB Cache Retail $284.99
 
Corsair Vengeance CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 Dual Channel Memory Kit $84.98
 
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM 64MB SATA 6Gbps 3.5IN Internal Hard Drive - OEM  $72.09
 
ASUS Z97-A ATX LGA1150 DDR3 3PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 2PCI CrossFireX/SLI SATA3 USB3.0 HDMI Motherboard $184.99
 
ASUS GeForce GTX 970 Strix OC 1253MHZ 4GB 7.0GHZ GDDR5 2xDVI HDMI DisplayPort PCI-E Video Card $419.99
 
Corsair Carbide Series 300R Window Black Gaming Case ATX 3X5.25 4X3.5 Front USB Audio No PSU $104.99
 
XFX 650W TS Series Core Edition Single Rail ATX 12V 53A 24PIN ATX Power Supply 80PLUS Bronze PSU $104.99
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There might be a better power supply for about the same price, but other than that it looks good.

Main rig on profile

VAULT - File Server

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Intel Core i5 11400 w/ Shadow Rock LP, 2x16GB SP GAMING 3200MHz CL16, ASUS PRIME Z590-A, 2x LSI 9211-8i, Fractal Define 7, 256GB Team MP33, 3x 6TB WD Red Pro (general storage), 3x 1TB Seagate Barracuda (dumping ground), 3x 8TB WD White-Label (Plex) (all 3 arrays in their respective Windows Parity storage spaces), Corsair RM750x, Windows 11 Education

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Intel Core i7 6700K @ 4.4GHz, 4x8GB G.SKILL Ares 1800MHz CL10, ASUS Z170M-E D3, 128GB Team MP33, 1TB Seagate Barracuda, 320GB Samsung Spinpoint (for video capture), MSI GTX 970 100ME, EVGA 650G1, Windows 10 Pro

Mac Mini (Late 2020)

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Apple M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB, macOS Sonoma

Consoles: Softmodded 1.4 Xbox w/ 500GB HDD, Xbox 360 Elite 120GB Falcon, XB1X w/2TB MX500, Xbox Series X, PS1 1001, PS2 Slim 70000 w/ FreeMcBoot, PS4 Pro 7015B 1TB (retired), PS5 Digital, Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo Wii RVL-001 (black)

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-SNIP-

 

Welcome to the Forums!

 

You can save a little on the RAM with something like Kingston Fury, Crucial, G Skill. and the case, if you really want to cut costs but it looks good

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104460&cm_re=kingston_fury_8gb-_-20-104-460-_-Product

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146083

Updated Modding FAQ

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CPU- Good to go; The i5 4670k is also a good option if it's cheaper ATM.

RAM- If you're not OC'ing, don't bother with expensive sets of RAM

HDD- Pick up a WD Blue

Board- There are cheaper Z97 boards out there. Look at the 100-150 dollar range.

GPU- Get a cheaper 330 dollar card by a reputable company.

Case- Personal preference and budget.

PSU- There are WAY cheaper PSUs in that wattage range. Pick up a good semi modular CX 600 for about 60-70 bucks.

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Get a 4460 and a MSI H97M-E35 motherboard. You could also go for the 290x for $20 less than the 970 and a little worse performance. That CPU downgrade is not too impactful especially if you weren't thinking of overclocking.

G3258 @ 4.5 | 8GB Team Vulcan RAM | 128GB Kingston V300 SSD (I didn't know what I was doing when I bought it) | MSI H81I Motherboard | Corsair H55 with Noctua NF-P12 | EVGA SSC GTX 960 4GB | OCZ 550W Fully Modular PSU with Noctua NF-A14 | Cooler Master Elite 130 (Soon to be something cool)

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CPU- Good to go; The i5 4670k is also a good option if it's cheaper ATM.

RAM- If you're not OC'ing, don't bother with expensive sets of RAM

HDD- Pick up a WD Blue

Board- There are cheaper Z97 boards out there. Look at the 100-150 dollar range.

GPU- Get a cheaper 330 dollar card by a reputable company.

Case- Personal preference and budget.

PSU- There are WAY cheaper PSUs in that wattage range. Pick up a good semi modular CX 600 for about 60-70 bucks.

Are you aware that OP posted in CAD?

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You mean like this?

 

 
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E34 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($62.45 @ DirectCanada) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($57.98 @ DirectCanada) 
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card  ($417.99 @ Newegg Canada) 
Case: Corsair 100R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($59.99 @ DirectCanada) 
Total: $962.14
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-18 00:11 EDT-0400

Want to help researchers improve the lives on millions of people with just your computer? Then join World Community Grid distributed computing, and start helping the world to solve it's most difficult problems!

 

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First post.. building a new gaming system, still on pentium 4 time to update. Trying to keep this under $1000. What changes should be made to save some money without sacrificing too much performance? Prices are from NCIX in canadian dollars.. Thanks

 

 

Intel Core i5 4690K Unlocked Quad Core 3.5GHZ/3.9GHZ Processor LGA1150 Haswell 6MB Cache Retail $284.99
 
Corsair Vengeance CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 Dual Channel Memory Kit $84.98
 
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM 64MB SATA 6Gbps 3.5IN Internal Hard Drive - OEM  $72.09
 
ASUS Z97-A ATX LGA1150 DDR3 3PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 2PCI CrossFireX/SLI SATA3 USB3.0 HDMI Motherboard $184.99
 
ASUS GeForce GTX 970 Strix OC 1253MHZ 4GB 7.0GHZ GDDR5 2xDVI HDMI DisplayPort PCI-E Video Card $419.99
 
Corsair Carbide Series 300R Window Black Gaming Case ATX 3X5.25 4X3.5 Front USB Audio No PSU $104.99
 
XFX 650W TS Series Core Edition Single Rail ATX 12V 53A 24PIN ATX Power Supply 80PLUS Bronze PSU $104.99

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

Things are looking pretty good as others have said.  You've given us your budget, but do you have any certain games you're looking to play and at what frame rates and resolutions?

 

The biggest way I know to save money without sacrificing performance is not to buy cheap parts but rather to shop smart and buy quality parts at low cost.  One great way to do this is to buy used -- I know it sounds scary, but with patience and a level head you can save yourself a metric butt-ton of money with very small trade-offs.  Another way is to watch on this forum and other places for deal postings.  If you are willing to be patient, good deals will come around eventually.  However, those options aren't always practical.  Your part list looks pretty good if you're unwilling to follow those other routes.

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A bank is a good place to save money at. Build looks good. Go with any bank that has good security btw.

CPU: Ryzen 5 5600 Motherboard: MSI B550 Tomahawk RAM: 32Gb DDR4  GPU(s): MSI 6800-XT Case: NZXT H440 Storage: 4x 250gb SSD + 2TB HDD PSU: Corsair RM850x with CableMod Displays: 1 x Asus ROG Swift And 3 x 24" 1080p Cooling: H100i Keyboard: Corsair K70 RGB Mouse: Corsair M65 RGB Sound: AKG 553 Operating System: Windows 10

 

Current PC: 

http://i.imgur.com/ubYSO3f.jpg          http://i.imgur.com/xhpDcqd.jpg

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I personally wouldn't go with such a cheap motherboard, and that PSU is a little low on wattage for a 970.

Define "cheap". It has all the functions he needs and it's from a good brand. Sure, it doesn't have a crapton of Sata ports, multiple PCI slots, stunning visuals that other boards might have; however, OP doesn't need any of that.

 

Also, 430w is just fine for 970s. Especially the Strix. You know, there is a reason why it only asks for 1 8-pin.

Want to help researchers improve the lives on millions of people with just your computer? Then join World Community Grid distributed computing, and start helping the world to solve it's most difficult problems!

 

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A bank is a good place to save money at. Build looks good. Go with any bank that has good security btw.

Ok king on literaland, SHAVE not save

G3258 @ 4.5 | 8GB Team Vulcan RAM | 128GB Kingston V300 SSD (I didn't know what I was doing when I bought it) | MSI H81I Motherboard | Corsair H55 with Noctua NF-P12 | EVGA SSC GTX 960 4GB | OCZ 550W Fully Modular PSU with Noctua NF-A14 | Cooler Master Elite 130 (Soon to be something cool)

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Define "cheap". It has all the functions he needs and it's from a good brand. Sure, it doesn't have a crapton of Sata ports, multiple PCI slots, stunning visuals that other boards might have; however, OP doesn't need any of that.

 

Also, 430w is just fine for 970s. Especially the Strix. You know, there is a reason why it only asks for 1 8-pin.

 

I don't mean cheap in the sense that it's of poor quality, but that it's at the low price tier that lacks a lot of features.  It is good for the budget, but personally I would spend a little more money for more RAM slots, more PCIe x16 or x8 slots, a better range of I/O, etc.  Again, that's just me.  I would want the option to upgrade RAM without throwing out my existing DIMMs, throw in another card for SLI, and other changes down the road.

 

Per NVIDIA's website, the GTX 970 requires a minimum of 500W system power.  Even if one could scrape by with 430W, it would leave little room for upgrades and only saves a few bucks between that model and the next step up in wattage (CX500M).

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I don't mean cheap in the sense that it's of poor quality, but that it's at the low price tier that lacks a lot of features.  It is good for the budget, but personally I would spend a little more money for more RAM slots, more PCIe x16 or x8 slots, a better range of I/O, etc.  Again, that's just me.  I would want the option to upgrade RAM without throwing out my existing DIMMs, throw in another card for SLI, and other changes down the road.

 

Per NVIDIA's website, the GTX 970 requires a minimum of 500W system power.  Even if one could scrape by with 430W, it would leave little room for upgrades and only saves a few bucks between that model and the next step up in wattage (CX500M).

While upgrading RAM to 8gbs is pretty much a waste, I guess you can just change it to a single 8gb stick and have the option to upgrade later. It won't make a difference in gaming. As for extra PCI slots.... why would you want those? You'd have to get to z97 SLI level to have any benefit from extra lanes, and that's already 100$+. And I/O? Really? C'mon...

 

As for power consumption, please watch this video. And remember that both CPU and GPU are overclocked, and that the parts being used are rated for even higher power draws than parts we are recommending. Get rekt by the efficiency of Maxwell.

 

https://youtu.be/UnS0xWtoRzk?t=280

 

Forget all that bullcrap about "need 500W", that's just the manufacturers trying to make sure that you have all the necessary PCIe connectors. Most 970 models require 2 cables, and those only come at 500w and above.

Want to help researchers improve the lives on millions of people with just your computer? Then join World Community Grid distributed computing, and start helping the world to solve it's most difficult problems!

 

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While upgrading RAM to 8gbs is pretty much a waste, I guess you can just change it to a single 8gb stick and have the option to upgrade later. It won't make a difference in gaming. As for extra PCI slots.... why would you want those? You'd have to get to z97 SLI level to have any benefit from extra lanes, and that's already 100$+. And I/O? Really? C'mon...

 

As for power consumption, please watch this video. And remember that both CPU and GPU are overclocked, and that the parts being used are rated for even higher power draws than parts we are recommending. Get rekt by the efficiency of Maxwell.

 

https://youtu.be/UnS0xWtoRzk?t=280

 

Forget all that bullcrap about "need 500W", that's just the manufacturers trying to make sure that you have all the necessary PCIe connectors. Most 970 models require 2 cables, and those only come at 500w and above.

While the need for a RAM upgrade may seem unlikely at this point, I'd still like the option to upgrade RAM, whether for gaming or system repurposing.  The reason for the extra PCIe lanes would be the aforementioned SLI.  Because NVIDIA doesn't allow SLI at less than PCIe 8x, this board cannot support SLI.  Yes, really, I/O.  It needs more I(MH)O.

 

Yes, Maxwell is efficient.  I still wouldn't buy a power supply that doesn't meet manufacturer requirements.  Even if NVIDIA is posting false requirements, their warranty service will probably require the user to have a 500W power supply.  Personally, I'd spend the extra $15 for that.

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CPU- Good to go; The i5 4670k is also a good option if it's cheaper ATM.

RAM- If you're not OC'ing, don't bother with expensive sets of RAM

HDD- Pick up a WD Blue

Board- There are cheaper Z97 boards out there. Look at the 100-150 dollar range.

GPU- Get a cheaper 330 dollar card by a reputable company.

Case- Personal preference and budget.

PSU- There are WAY cheaper PSUs in that wattage range. Pick up a good semi modular CX 600 for about 60-70 bucks.

The 330 range for video cards would get me a 960 like this http://www.ncix.com/detail/gigabyte-geforce-gtx-960-oc-2c-108015.htm or http://www.ncix.com/detail/evga-geforce-gtx-960-4gb-7c-106961.htmor http://www.ncix.com/detail/gigabyte-geforce-gtx-960-g1-73-108014.htm 

 

I have read that the 970 falsely advertises it's use of 4gb vram... is this true? The price gap from 960 to 970 is quite large..

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Don't get the corsair CX series. Stick with the original XFX PSU. CX Series is far from decent.

i5 4670k - Z87X-UD3H - EVGA GTX 670 Sig 2 - Samsung 840 Evo 250GB - 8GB Avexir Core White 1600Mhz - Corsair 750D w/ RGB LED Mod & Remote Control - 2x SP120 - 3x Enermax Cluster - 2TB Seagate SSHD - Arctic Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 - SuperFlower Leadex Gold 750W 

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Don't get the corsair CX series. Stick with the original XFX PSU. CX Series is far from decent.

Yup, totally far from decent (Sarcasm). Like this much (not) far:

 

Want to help researchers improve the lives on millions of people with just your computer? Then join World Community Grid distributed computing, and start helping the world to solve it's most difficult problems!

 

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Made a few changes... trying to keep it under 1000 is hurting my brain. let me know what you think, thanks!
 
Intel Core i5 4690K Unlocked Quad Core 3.5GHZ/3.9GHZ Processor LGA1150 Haswell 6MB Cache Retail $284.99
Corsair Vengeance CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 Dual Channel Memory Kit $84.98
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM 64MB SATA 6Gbps 3.5IN Internal Hard Drive - OEM  $72.09
OCZ ZT series 650w power supply... $119 <- I want something that is modular
eVGA  GeForce GTX970 SSC $429.99 <- newer model I believe?
ASUS Z97-E ATX LGA1150 DDR3 2PCI-E16   $146 <- slightly cheaper for pretty much an identical board...
 
total ~$1116
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Made a few changes... trying to keep it under 1000 is hurting my brain. let me know what you think, thanks!
 
Intel Core i5 4690K Unlocked Quad Core 3.5GHZ/3.9GHZ Processor LGA1150 Haswell 6MB Cache Retail $284.99
Corsair Vengeance CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 Dual Channel Memory Kit $84.98
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM 64MB SATA 6Gbps 3.5IN Internal Hard Drive - OEM  $72.09

OCZ ZT series 650w power supply... $119 <- I want something that is modular

eVGA  GeForce GTX970 SSC $429.99 <- newer model I believe?
ASUS Z97-E ATX LGA1150 DDR3 2PCI-E16   $146 <- slightly cheaper for pretty much an identical board...
 
total ~$1116

 

Bro. You want it under 1k? Then read my post.

 

 

 

You mean like this?

 

 
CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($230.75 @ Vuugo) 
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E34 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($62.45 @ DirectCanada) 
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($69.99 @ NCIX) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($57.98 @ DirectCanada) 
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card  ($417.99 @ Newegg Canada) 
Case: Corsair 100R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($59.99 @ DirectCanada) 
Total: $962.14
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-18 00:11 EDT-0400

 

Want to help researchers improve the lives on millions of people with just your computer? Then join World Community Grid distributed computing, and start helping the world to solve it's most difficult problems!

 

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Yup, totally far from decent (Sarcasm). Like this much (not) far:

http://www.jonnyguru...Story5&reid=239

http://www.jonnyguru...Story6&reid=366

Yes. Those are the OLD CX series, which were much better. The new CX are like this, basically rubbish.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=416

If you want quite a poor PSU, then yes go ahead and buy that

i5 4670k - Z87X-UD3H - EVGA GTX 670 Sig 2 - Samsung 840 Evo 250GB - 8GB Avexir Core White 1600Mhz - Corsair 750D w/ RGB LED Mod & Remote Control - 2x SP120 - 3x Enermax Cluster - 2TB Seagate SSHD - Arctic Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 - SuperFlower Leadex Gold 750W 

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Bro. You want it under 1k? Then read my post.

 

scrapped that plan.. would rather have more performance..

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