What's the best time to buy?

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greenman

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Jul 17, 2007
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Looking to build a new top-line pc.
Want something that'll last a long time but I do have a budget of $1,200. (So probably an i7 cpu, 16gb ram, silent case, on air, something nice for mobo and gpu.. ? For [4k?] video games, 4k video playback/editing)
Any suggestions on time to buy?


(Also, I have a 40gb SSD on my current system and love the SSD load speed, but I don't necessarily want to spend more on a new SSD.. Will a regular HDD slow down operations noticeably?)
 
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Probably another week or so. Thats when the majority of parts should be back in stock after the holiday/end of the year season.

Yes going from a SSD to a HDD is a major downgrade. Nor would I recommend reusing your 40GB SSD since it's old, slow, and is lacking in space. Your $1200 budget is more than enough to fit in a solid 240GB to 256GB SSD.
 
One option is to keep the SSD as a boot drive only, and add an HDD for applications and/or games. It's the most economical way to keep an overall snappy system but still have the space you need. If there's still room in your budget for a large enough SSD when you've covered your other bases, that would be the faster but pricier way to go.
 
Is your current system 32bit? 40GB is pretty small. Most Win7 64bit installs I've done come out around 30GB, add a few core applications a minimal user data and you'll be maxed out. Pinging the rev limiter on storage space is no fun. Get a 250GB SSD for a little over $120 and rest easy. The added benefits of being able to throw a few games on it and use it for video editing read/write temporary storage will really make the investment worth while, IMO.

As far as time to buy, February is build your own month at Microcenter and they generally have some good deals.
 
Thanks guys. Yeah that's what I'm doing with the 40gb SSD on my current win8 64bit setup and honestly 40gb is too little for a system and temp files. After installing only a few programs such as editing software on it, I get low space alerts all the time. Had to move it to another drive. Video editing too, needs large temp folder size.
Will definitely have to get an ssd then.

So I'm guessing video gaming off a hdd can be slower than off an ssd too?
 
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greenman said:
So I'm guessing video gaming off a hdd can be slower than off an ssd too?
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It's not bad, just slightly longer load times. I don't think it would cause any performance issues, but haven't researched that.
 
greenman said:
So I'm guessing video gaming off a hdd can be slower than off an ssd too?
Click to expand...

Your just gonna have shit load times and game stutters when it needs to load data off the platers. Get a 128 gig ssd which are so cheap nowadays, install windows, games and programs on that. Store data and files on a regular HDD. It's what I do and works well.
 
Arct1c0n said:
Your just gonna have shit load times and game stutters when it needs to load data off the platers. Get a 128 gig ssd which are so cheap nowadays, install windows, games and programs on that. Store data and files on a regular HDD. It's what I do and works well.
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Gross exaggeration. I run all my games off my 2TB hard drive. Load times are longer than on an SSD, true, but they are still quick. OP: Buy as much SSD as you can afford, and supplement with HDD.
 
1911Shootist said:
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As far as time to buy, February is build your own month at Microcenter and they generally have some good deals.
Click to expand...

I think that has more to do with tax returns than anything else really. Best time to order parts is when they're in stock. ;)

greenman said:
So I'm guessing video gaming off a hdd can be slower than off an ssd too?
Click to expand...

You most likely wouldn't even notice the difference.

Arct1c0n said:
Your just gonna have shit load times and game stutters when it needs to load data off the platers. Get a 128 gig ssd which are so cheap nowadays, install windows, games and programs on that. Store data and files on a regular HDD. It's what I do and works well.
Click to expand...

That's not true at all. Most games don't even benefit from having an SSD anyway and the ones that do you wouldn't notice. So it might take 3 seconds longer to load the level/world. Big whop.

sonyman said:
Gross exaggeration. I run all my games off my 2TB hard drive. Load times are longer than on an SSD, true, but they are still quick. OP: Buy as much SSD as you can afford, and supplement with HDD.
Click to expand...

This is sound advice and as Dangman stated. Your budget has room for an SSD + HDD anyway.
 
Thanks guys.

Skillz said:
Best time to order parts is when they're in stock. ;)
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Does that mean they operate like most retail stores - good prices with a full stock, at some point prices go up to then go back down for a "sale"? (excluding a potential rare deal somewhere)
 
Dangman said:
Yes going from a SSD to a HDD is a major downgrade....Your $1200 budget is more than enough to fit in a solid 240GB to 256GB SSD.
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Really?!
I saw a portable 500gb for $59, and a 1TB for $89. Desktop 3TB is like $120.
 
If you manage your OS SSD well, 128GB is more than enough for your typical system with standard set of applications.

My previous rig has 128GB SSD and it was enough to squeeze a 1-2 full sized games onto it, though it was a tight fit. In my new rig, I have decided to install all non-game related apps onto the 250GB SSD, and moved my downloads and documents folder to my 3TB drive. Right now, I am barely using even 40GB of the 250GB SSD, so I reckon I would have done well with just a 120GB SSD for just the OS.

Smaller SSD does generally have lower write and read speeds though, but Samsung drives are pretty good in this department (for example, at 120 and 240 capacities, Samsung consistently beat equivalent Crucial in benchmarks, at 500GB they are pretty much the same).
 
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So I'm watching the prices now, here's my projected build:

PC Hound Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K ($335.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASUS MAXIMUS VII HERO ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.SKILL 16GB (2 x 8GB) Trident X Series F3-2400C10D-16GTX ($160.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 GTX 970 GAMING 4G ($349.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 550W CSM Series CS550M ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial 240GB M500 CT240M500SSD1 ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design FD-CA-DEF-R4-BL ($79.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1,286.91
Price may include shipping, rebates, promotions, and tax
Generated by PC Hound

Any critiques on it? :)
Would love some feedback. My previous build sucked because my ram bottlenecked the cpu and in order to upgrade the ram I'd had to get a new mobo, which was all just not worth it. Would love to make sure my new build won't bottleneck anywhere.

I'll be using a Seiki 50" 4k tv for most activities, and while for now 4k is only at 30hz, 60hz may be modded later.. So I do have concern for a 970 not pulling 4k gaming, however honestly at this point I think gaming at 1080p should do just fine, if not 1440.. I'm also really hoping that this build will be able to run GTA5 smoothly, but time will tell.

Any thoughts on the cpu cooler being enough for the i7 4790K, or other parts ideas?
 
^ I like your build but maybe a more powerful PSU would be better as for future proofing for GPU needs, at least 750w I would say, preferably 1000w.

If money is an issue you could always go with a cheaper mobo and/or mem, and there are always really good deals on SSDs if you look around.
 
Great points, definitely might SLI later. Keeping an eye out for a better PSU and maybe a better deal on an SSD. Thanks.
 
Sales are good, but great components are better. I see the biggest places to save money frequently as the PSU and Cases. Sales can happen any time but you need to be flexible on what you want to save the most. If you buy parts one at a time over a few weeks, you will probably save money.
 
550w is more than enough for that rig, with room to swap out the GPU later for a more power hungry one (but they aren't evolving that direction). Unless you have solid plans to SLI in the near future, I'd stick with ~550w and run it efficiently with a $60-$70 PSU than buy a budget high wattage PSU that won't be as efficient or reliable. Definitely look at the Seasonic PSUs, much higher quality than the CSM series for not a whole lot more dough. Buy a smaller 80+ Gold unit now, and repurpose it later (if you outgrow it) on a server or HTPC build without fear running it off the low end of its power curve.
 
Just an FYI, but SLI 970s use less than 440W at the wall. (even less after the PSU)
 
You won't really need the SSD for all games, The way I set mine up I put things like FPSs and RTSs on my SSD, I then put things like Hearthstone and Diablo on my HDD, (Diablo is limited by the server) I strongly recommend getting the HDD as a 2nd drive.

As for your build, If you want that 4K at 60Hz your going to need 2 970s or a 980 for smooth gameplay.

Do you already have WIN7? do you still have the Sticker on the back of your old PC? You can re-use the code and just download an ISO of WIN7 and save money. If not you will have to purchase a new OS, or are you upgrading to 8?

Your cooler will be fine if you don't OC and you have good cable management so that you do not block airflow. If you plan to SLI in the future though I would recomend getting the H80 liquid cooling.

Here is another build for you.

PC Hound Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K ($335.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASUS Z97-A ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) Ripjaws Series F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL ($74.93 @ Amazon)
Memory #2: G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) Ripjaws Series F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL ($74.93 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 04G-P4-2974-KR ($339.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 850W X Series X-850 (SS-850KM3 Active PFC F3) ($138.17 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Crucial 240GB M500 CT240M500SSD1 ($109.00 @ Amazon)
Storage #2: Western Digital 1TB WD Blue WD10EZEX ($44.99 @ TigerDirect)
Case: Fractal Design FD-CA-DEF-R4-BL ($79.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1,362.97
Price may include shipping, rebates, promotions, and tax
Generated by PC Hound

Don't forget mouse, speakers, headset, keyboard.

Also with the added GPU and replace air cooling

PC Hound Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K ($335.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASUS Z97-A ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) Ripjaws Series F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL ($74.93 @ Amazon)
Memory #2: G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) Ripjaws Series F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL ($74.93 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 04G-P4-2974-KR ($339.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card #2: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 04G-P4-2974-KR ($339.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 850W X Series X-850 (SS-850KM3 Active PFC F3) ($138.17 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Crucial 240GB M500 CT240M500SSD1 ($109.00 @ Amazon)
Storage #2: Western Digital 1TB WD Blue WD10EZEX ($44.99 @ TigerDirect)
Case: Fractal Design FD-CA-DEF-R4-BL ($79.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: CORSAIR Hydro Series H80i CW-9060008-WW ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1,742.96
Price may include shipping, rebates, promotions, and tax
Generated by PC Hound
 
Asap, or whenever best since I'm technically not in a rush.. just wanna play GTA5 and Dragon Age Inquisition and some other demanding games. I can definitely wait if it's worth it, price change being that drastic or better parts..

I I know nothing of water/liquid cooling and am afraid of it cause water and technology don't mix in my brain. lol But yea I have windows 8.1 64bit on my current build with speakers and all the stuff, just building the "computing box" (sorry). Thanks for those 2 builds I'll checkout the parts when I get home.
 
That Corsair CX550M PSU isn't worth the money at all as this higher quality Seasonic PSU costs the same price:
$85 - Seasonic G Series SSR-550RM 550W Modular PSU

Nor is higher speed RAM worth it when it comes to Intel platforms. So I recommend this RAM instead:
$74 - Kingston HyperX Blu HX316C10F/8 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM

How long until you're able to get that second GTX 970 card?
 
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A couple months I suppose. Maybe I'll be satisfied with 1 and won't want the 2nd then lol

I've never heard that about Intel ram timing.. is that so? Cause I will be using this build for video editing and music recording. Don't wanna skim on ram speed.
 
Really no difference whatsoever. This has been true ever since the Core 2 Duo days to some extent: You only needed higher speed RAM for higher overclocks if you were aiming for a 1:1 ratio. But nowadays with Intel CPUs not requiring you to touch the RAM at all too overclock, there's really no good reason to get higher speed RAM for Intel setups unless they cost the same as a lower speed setup.
 
Sweet, these kinds of knowledge just might even fit me at 1200 in the end lol thanks :)

Any purchasing advice? I'm following trends and waiting for a restock on that silent mid tower.
 
What's your list looking like so far?

Also, I'm assuming that you're buying the parts within the next three weeks. Any longer and I can't guarantee that the advice is still solid.

The R4 may not come back in stock since its newer brother, the R5, is already out
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352048

As for the motherboard, unless you need more SATA ports, the Asus Z97-A is a solid alternative.
 
Yeah that's the plan, no known point in just waiting around.
Ah, R5 didn't come up on PC Hound - that makes sense now. So here it is:

PC Hound Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K ($335.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASUS Z97-A ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: HyperX 16GB (2 x 8GB) Fury Series HX318C10FK2/16 ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 GTX 970 GAMING 4G ($349.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic USA 550W G Series SSR-550RM ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial 240GB M500 CT240M500SSD1 ($115.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1,186.92
Price may include shipping, rebates, promotions, and tax
Generated by PC Hound

And then Computer Case: Fractal Design Define R5 FD-CA-DEF-R5-BK Black ($121.98 @ Newegg)

Keeping an eye out for an SSD, have Crucial 240gb on there as temporary unless it drops.
What do you think of the CPU Cooler?
 
That RAM is probably one of the better RAM deals now. So I highly recommend buying it ASAP.

As for the HSF, that particular HSF has been my main HSF recommendation for a few years now. It's a solid HSF but can be a tad noisy. See for yourself and then decide if the fan needs to be replaced.

As for the SSD, I recommend the following SSDs from a price to performance value:
Crucial MX100
Samsung 840 Evo
Samsung 840 Pro
Samsung 850 Evo
Samsung 850 Pro
 
Storage: Crucial 256GB M550 CT256M550SSD1 ($90.98 @ Newegg)
Nice price on the M550 today so I got it.

And yea, grabbed the ram, seems great! Thanks for the insight on intel. Really hope the cpu price will go down again..
 
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My rule number 1 for any build: do not cheap out on a cheap PSU. Looks good otherwise.
 
What's a "cheap psu"? [H] just reviewed a Rosewill model.. or is a bronze psu cheap? Did Corsair fall in quality now?
 
If you use H reviews to get your PSU you will be good for the most part.

what he means by cheap would be going on alibaba and getting one from some 3rd world off brand manufacturer and its not tested or has any kind of quality control.

Corsair rosewill seasonic, all good reliable brands.
 
greenman said:
What's a "cheap psu"? [H] just reviewed a Rosewill model.. or is a bronze psu cheap? Did Corsair fall in quality now?
Click to expand...

Pretty much any PSU that doesn't get recommended well by JonnyGuru.com or HardOCP.com are basically "cheap" or crap.

Corsair has gone down in quality IMO in terms of power supplies.
 
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