Should I trust my computer shop?

[Aacron]

    Hey all, new to the forums and this is my first post.  I am currently buying for my new build from scratch. This is what is confirmed

 

   Asus VII hero motherboard

   i7-4790k

   Corsair 760T black case

   Corsair H105 aio

 

   Everything else is up in the are right now. Hard drives i don't really care about at this moment in my build and will talk about later. Main things right now are power and video. My plan is a Corsair AX860 and an Strix 980. I was talking to my local computer shop guy (small town, we have one shop staffed by the owner and thats it) and he is pushing me to get a bronze 80 1000W to 1200W power supply and two 970s in SLI. I was planning on buying some stuff from him later on like mouse/keyboard and hard drives when the time comes. Now I am thinking I don't really trust him at all. What do you folks think? Is he right? should I SLI or not? More power at bronze or less at platinum? I live in an appartment that is known to have some dirty power issues, I have a great surge protector. Will platinum help with that? He told me to do SLI without even knowing what my monitor set up was going to be. Should I walk away from the store and do all online or just not care what he says and buy things from him and ignore him?

 

thanks a bunch

 

 

Aacron

 

 

PS he also said there is not point to overclocking and tried to sell me a 4770(non K)

[costacis21]

no no no, go with the ax860 and the 980 instead. with the ax860 you can sli the 980s. the 1000w is an overkill for two 970s

[OfficialJsP]

my local PC store was trying to push me to get a 1000W+ PSU also when i was going to build my first PC but if you get a 970 you are getting more for your money and you could also overclock it but i am not saying the 980 is a bad choice in any way at all they are both great choices 

[SeanBond]

Instead of any of those power supplies go with a evga super nova g2 750W which is more than enough to power 3 970's and it's a much cheaper power supply with even higher quality than a AX series. The g2 series from evga is king right now. It's cheaper than RM corsair psu's but slightly better than their AX series. The 750w g2 will cost like $110 at ncix.com. I got it on a sale for that price on newegg though. 

 

Don't expect to pull more than 350W with a gtx 970. 

[connorpiper]

My store tried to make me get a 850W PSU for a GT 610. Which used 35W. 

 

No.

[dalekphalm]

    Hey all, new to the forums and this is my first post.  I am currently buying for my new build from scratch. This is what is confirmed

 

   Asus VII hero motherboard

   i7-4790k

   Corsair 760T black case

   Corsair H105 aio

 

   Everything else is up in the are right now. Hard drives i don't really care about at this moment in my build and will talk about later. Main things right now are power and video. My plan is a Corsair AX860 and an Strix 980. I was talking to my local computer shop guy (small town, we have one shop staffed by the owner and thats it) and he is pushing me to get a bronze 80 1000W to 1200W power supply and two 970s in SLI. I was planning on buying some stuff from him later on like mouse/keyboard and hard drives when the time comes. Now I am thinking I don't really trust him at all. What do you folks think? Is he right? should I SLI or not? More power at bronze or less at platinum? I live in an appartment that is known to have some dirty power issues, I have a great surge protector. Will platinum help with that? He told me to do SLI without even knowing what my monitor set up was going to be. Should I walk away from the store and do all online or just not care what he says and buy things from him and ignore him?

 

thanks a bunch

 

 

Aacron

Short answer is 970 SLI will perform better under certain circumstances, but SLI has issues - even still - with game compatibility. It also increases the complexity of troubleshooting if you encounter a game bug or driver issues.

 

The AX860 is a great choice. I would stick with your original instinct of a 980 + the AX860. As noted above by @costacis21 the AX860 can handle SLI 980's, so you've got a better "upgrade" path if you find out one 980 just isn't doing it for you.

 

I don't necessarily think your PC Shop guy is trying to screw you, as SLI 970 vs single 980 is more personal preference (though single better card is almost always better). But the 1000w or 1200w PSU is completely unnecessary.

 

I'd say he's just trying to maximize his profit margins with your purchase.

 

Instead of any of those power supplies go with a evga super nova g2 750W which is more than enough to power 3 970's and it's a much cheaper power supply with even higher quality than a AX series. The g2 series from evga is king right now. It's cheaper than RM corsair psu's but slightly better than their AX series. 

Do you have a review or other link you can post to support that? The AX series from Corsair has always been excellent quality in the past, and EVGA's PSU record has been... mixed.

[Charlie]

1200W and 1000W is just too much for your build, unless you are running Quad 780ti's. You should be good with a Corsair AX860. I would personally go with a single GTX980 rather than two 970's. With a 980 I can upgrade to 2 980's in future.

[costacis21]

 

I'd say he's just trying to maximize his profit margins with your purchase.

 

 

Do you have a review or other link you can post to support that? The AX series from Corsair has always been excellent quality in the past, and EVGA's PSU record has been... mixed.

http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

[SeanBond]

 

Do you have a review or other link you can post to support that? The AX series from Corsair has always been excellent quality in the past, and EVGA's PSU record has been... mixed.

Yerp. http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=380

The g2 series is the best for the money right now by far. 

[Aacron]

Short answer is 970 SLI will perform better under certain circumstances, but SLI has issues - even still - with game compatibility. It also increases the complexity of troubleshooting if you encounter a game bug or driver issues.

 

The AX860 is a great choice. I would stick with your original instinct of a 980 + the AX860. As noted above by @costacis21 the AX860 can handle SLI 980's, so you've got a better "upgrade" path if you find out one 980 just isn't doing it for you.

 

I don't necessarily think your PC Shop guy is trying to screw you, as SLI 970 vs single 980 is more personal preference (though single better card is almost always better). But the 1000w or 1200w PSU is completely unnecessary.

 

I'd say he's just trying to maximize his profit margins with your purchase.

 

Do you have a review or other link you can post to support that? The AX series from Corsair has always been excellent quality in the past, and EVGA's PSU record has been... mixed.

Yeah I am trying to stay in a Asus/Corsair build and I loved the reviews of there PSUs, thats why I went with them. The graphics I think I will stick with the 980 as yes i can upgrade later. I also hear overclocking the 980 is a beast. I think I am going to ditch the shop. I would like to support local but I want someone I can trust not someone that will sell me the most he can.

[SeanBond]

http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

That index is made for cheapo crap power supplies that tend to blow when they start reaching their limits. 4 way 980's barely pulls over 600W on a lga 2011 chip. Im sure you have seen linus' video. 

[costacis21]

The g2 series is the best for the money right now by far. 

 

 

 

That index is made for cheapo crap power supplies that tend to blow when they start reaching their limits. 4 way 980's barely pulls over 600W on a lga 2011 chip. Im sure you have seen linus' video. 

 

i know the g2 is very good for its price, but the ax is platinum certified. whereas the g2 is only gold certified. i just recommend the best since he didnt specify the budget

[SeanBond]

Yeah I am trying to stay in a Asus/Corsair build and I loved the reviews of there PSUs, thats why I went with them. The graphics I think I will stick with the 980 as yes i can upgrade later. I also hear overclocking the 980 is a beast. I think I am going to ditch the shop. I would like to support local but I want someone I can trust not someone that will sell me the most he can.

Haa. Another im going with this product because it has a name on it. Which I understand but evga simply has the best power supplies right now, there is no question about it if you look up any professional review of their recent line ups, not their old stuff. Like I said you can get a g2 750W that is slightly better than the ax860 in terms of quality, about 60 dollars cheaper and comes with A 10 FREAKING YEAR WARRANTY. By the time you replace it, 80+ titanium will be as common as gold rated power supplies. lol

 

But I did forget the ax is platinum. You get that. 

Edited October 25, 2014 by SeanBond

[SeanBond]

 

 

 

i know the g2 is very good for its price, but the ax is platinum certified. whereas the g2 is only gold certified. i just recommend the best since he didnt specify the budget

 

Thanks, completely forgot about that for some reason. But I personally don't think the ever so slight other drawbacks are worth the extra price.  They make an 1000w platinum series of the same crazy quality as the g2 series for about the same price, a little more than the ax860 though. Ncix has it for 10 dollars more than the ax860. 

[Aacron]

Haa. Another im going with this product because it has a name on it. Which I understand but evga simply has the best power supplies right now, there is no question about it if you look up any professional review of their recent line ups, not their old stuff. Like I said you can get a g2 750W that is slightly better than the ax860 in terms of quality, about 60 dollars cheaper and comes with A 10 FREAKING YEAR WARRANTY. By the time you replace it, 80+ titanium will be as common as gold rated power supplies. lol

 

But I did forget the ax is platinum. You get that. 

Actualy no I am not doing an "i like the name of that" build. I am doing an "I am looking at min 5 reviews of every part I buy and of two items are close going with the brand I want build"  hence the " i love their reviews" comment and the "trying to say in this brand" comment. 

[dalekphalm]

Haa. Another im going with this product because it has a name on it. Which I understand but evga simply has the best power supplies right now, there is no question about it if you look up any professional review of their recent line ups, not their old stuff. Like I said you can get a g2 750W that is slightly better than the ax860 in terms of quality, about 60 dollars cheaper and comes with A 10 FREAKING YEAR WARRANTY. By the time you replace it, 80+ titanium will be as common as gold rated power supplies. lol

 

But I did forget the ax is platinum. You get that. 

It's great that you're recommending the best value ATM, but if it won't fit his build colour scheme, then it won't fit his build cover scheme. Plus, aesthetics are very important to some people, and having all matching ASUS/Corsair parts will look sexy as FUUUUUUUCK.

 

There's no need to make a belittling comment like:

 

Haa. Another im going with this product because it has a name on it.

 

I know right after you said you "understand", but in the future, please try and keep it a bit friendlier - especially for the newbs

 

BTW thanks for the review link! I'll take a look and see what I think!

[SeanBond]

It's great that you're recommending the best value ATM, but if it won't fit his build colour scheme, then it won't fit his build cover scheme. Plus, aesthetics are very important to some people, and having all matching ASUS/Corsair parts will look sexy as FUUUUUUUCK.

 

There's no need to make a belittling comment like:

 

I know right after you said you "understand", but in the future, please try and keep it a bit friendlier - especially for the newbs

 

BTW thanks for the review link! I'll take a look and see what I think!

Yeah I was going to say, most cases just cover up the power supply from view but then I realized it's a 760t. lol I guess I see that much. But I will say that the 1000W g2 which is the same price as the ax860 comes with black and red sleeved cables  But I get it with that case. Most people asking for build advice don't go with a perfect scheme like that. So I apologize. 

[Aacron]

Yeah I was going to say, most cases just cover up the power supply from view but then I realized it's a 760t. lol I guess I see that much. But I will say that the 1000W g2 which is the same price as the ax860 comes with black and red sleeved cables  But I get it with that case. Most people asking for build advice don't go with a perfect scheme like that. So I apologize. 

so from the site you posted for the review on the evga 750 i looked up the AX860i (I getting the non i) the corsair did the same in performance and functionality and did better in build quality. the only thing it did worse in was value and as i am not going to be getting the i we can tweek the number a little. As the money I am spending is not yours you can stop with the evga. bye bye and have a nice life

 

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story6&reid=317

[SeanBond]

so from the site you posted for the review on the evga 750 i looked up the AX860i (I getting the non i) the corsair did the same in performance and functionality and did better in build quality. the only thing it did worse in was value and as i am not going to be getting the i we can tweek the number a little. As the money I am spending is not yours you can stop with the evga. bye bye and have a nice life

 

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story6&reid=317

Like I said I apologize about seeming to try to force it. But I also don't believe in spending more money because "reasons".

[SeanBond]

so from the site you posted for the review on the evga 750 i looked up the AX860i (I getting the non i) the corsair did the same in performance and functionality and did better in build quality. the only thing it did worse in was value and as i am not going to be getting the i we can tweek the number a little. As the money I am spending is not yours you can stop with the evga. bye bye and have a nice life

 

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story6&reid=317

I would also like to say as far as build quality goes the difference between a 9.5 and 10 is so close to nothing it's funny you even brought it up, if you actually read the review you would have seen that the g2 actually has better ripple suppression. And that's what I meant by quality. The quality of the electricity that goes into your pc, the thing that matters. Not that amount of glue on the inside of the box. 

[Aacron]

Like I said I apologize about seeming to try to force it. But I also don't believe in spending more money because "reasons".

not to beat a dead horse but "reasons"

 

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Corsair/AX860/11.html

 

vs

 

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/EVGA/SuperNOVA_G2_750/11.html

[SeanBond]

not to beat a dead horse but "reasons"

 

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Corsair/AX860/11.html

 

vs

 

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/EVGA/SuperNOVA_G2_750/11.html

I never meant to sound like it was a massively better power supply but it does have ever so slightly better voltage regulation and it's way less for basically the same thing. If only they made lower wattage p2 units...I like to push value maybe a bit too much I admit. 

[Guest]

so from the site you posted for the review on the evga 750 i looked up the AX860i (I getting the non i) the corsair did the same in performance and functionality and did better in build quality. the only thing it did worse in was value and as i am not going to be getting the i we can tweek the number a little. As the money I am spending is not yours you can stop with the evga. bye bye and have a nice life

 

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story6&reid=317

Enjoy your (Possible) coil whine with the AX860   It is a very good psu, but it can suffer with coil whine. Fingers crossed you get a good one.

[Guest]

not to beat a dead horse but "reasons"

 

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Corsair/AX860/11.html

 

vs

 

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/EVGA/SuperNOVA_G2_750/11.html

vs

 

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story6&reid=377

[watts300]

 I think I am going to ditch the shop. I would like to support local but I want someone I can trust not someone that will sell me the most he can.

I'd probably give him the benefit of the doubt and another chance. 

 

In case I can't find power consumption requirements for a video card on the manufacturer's website, a neat website to check out is hwcompare.com.  It's a pretty self-explanatory site.   It gives "benchmark" comparisons based on specifications of each GPU.  I generally don't pay a whole lot of attention to those because of all the other variables that could be introduced by different manufacturers... except for the power consumption section.  That's a pretty straightforward specification.