Attention Mid-Range System Builders - Updated 08/01/2015

[xchecker]

If I have a $1000 budget but also need a monitor and Windows 7, would you recommend dropping the SSD and going with the 7850 card? I'm thinking for gaming if we get a 1080 monitor this should work OK.

Thanks.

 

[lehtv]

Windows $91
Asus VS239H-P IPS $170

Leaves about 750 for the rest of the build. Drop the SSD (-100) and swap GPU to Sapphire 7870 (-145)

Also, PSU: XFX 650W Bronze Modular $50 AR AP

 

[xchecker]

Windows $91
Asus VS239H-P IPS $170

Leaves about 750 for the rest of the build. Drop the SSD (-100) and swap GPU to Sapphire 7870 (-145)

Also, PSU: XFX 650W Bronze Modular $50 AR AP

That's even better, thanks!

 

[harobikes333]

Mfenn, I might just be picky but the case you currently have the build does not include a 3.0 USB on the front of the case. Pretty big deal breaker IMO.

Just thought I'd give you a heads up

 

[lehtv]

I don't find it much of a deal breaker at all. Not a lot of people actually use USB 3.0 devices that often. And you still have USB 3.0 in the motherboard's I/O panel. If you have an external 3.0 drive that's mostly stationary on your desk, just plug it in the motherboard.

For those who want USB 3.0 on the case, there's the Challenger-U3 for $10 more: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811147060

 

[Auggie]

Hey guys, first time logging into my Anandtech account in years - thanks mfenn, Sleepingforest and Lehtv (and others) for keeping this a relevant thread, it's helped me mucho in the last week put together a good b0x3n. (Whoa, pretty close to my 10 year account anniversary!)

I wanted to throw in my my $0.02 and note that SuperBiiz (formerly eWiz - an online e-teller that I've had good luck with long ago) has the Sapphire 7970 3GB on sale for $373.00 - after rebate. That's about $40 more than Newegg, but it comes with AMD's Never Settle: Reloaded promotion: a copy of Bioshock: Infinite, Crysis3, FarCry3:Blood Dragon and Tomb Raider for free with purchase. No other online reseller still has valid game codes for the promotion AFAIK. That's about $200 of excellent software for me.

Edit: Just wanted to add that I called their customer service line a short while ago to verify that they still have active Never Settle AMD game bundles on the 79-- RADEON cards. They are out of coupons on the lower tier 78-- cards.

 

[mfenn]

Very nice! I guess sometimes it pays to shop at the lower-volume retailers.

 

[mfenn]

New update, awesome deals all around! The 7970 is an good deal at $300, the 300R is a great deal at $50, and the XFX PSU is incredible at $50 (thanks lehtv!). Also some nice drops on the SSD and HDD+ODD combo.

 

[007ELmO]

Thanks!! now if I could just get my damn bills under control to purchase hardware!

 

[lehtv]

Since that's $47 below the $1K budjet, after rebates... to anyone going by mfenn's latest build, I'd recommend adding an aftermarket cooler.

ARCTIC Freezer i30 $30
- low noise (400-1350 RPM versus 212 Evo's 600-2000 RPM)
- ~ 212 Evo performance
- 6 year warranty
- Arctic MX-4 thermal compound

 

[mfenn]

New build, only minor changes and price adjustments this week. The ridiculous sale on the XFX XXX is over, but the Hive 650W is not a bad deal at all for $50 AR AP. Also swapped the SSD to a Sandisk Ultra Plus since the 840 shot up in price.

 

[mfenn]

New build, nice deals on the 7970, Seasonic Gold PSU, and 300R. The lower-end Radeons are all actually super nice deals right now. Anybody else feel a launch approaching?

 

[xchecker]

Just want to add that we ordered and built last month based the recommendations given here and couldn't be happier. Thanks all!

 

[mfenn]

Awesome, glad you like it! Always great to get feedback.

 

[mfenn]

New build posted. Special thanks to lehtv for pointing out some nice combos that allow me to pick a higher-end mobo for about the same price as I normally do!

 

[dragonlord72]

@Above :Thanks for your inputs

I am think of taking the plunge this weekend.

I however have found these 2 links for GPU on Newegg today.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202008&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10440897&PID=3332167&SID=u00000687

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150665&nm_mc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r&cm_mmc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r-_-Video+Cards+-+AMD/ATI-_-XFX-_-14150665

They both seem to be Radeon HD 7970 384 bit DDR5.

Is there any difference in one being less than other?

 

[lehtv]

The Sapphire card has a considerably better cooler. Despite the outward appearance of a dual fan design, the XFX cooler is rather mediocre, it suffers from temperatures nearly as high as a reference model, and the noise level isn't much better either. The Sapphire card will run quiet and cool in comparison.

I would, however, point out the MSI 7970 Twin Frozr for $300 AR. It's between the price of XFX and Sapphire, but the cooler is equal to Sapphire.

Unfortunately the motherboard + RAM combo in the OP is no longer available. At the moment I would recommend buying them separately, choose whichever motherboard fits your budget and overclocking needs:

Asrock Z87 Pro3 $95 AR (4-phase analog, no heat sinks - mild OC'er)
MSI Z87-G43 $120 (6-phase analog, heatsinks - it's OK)
Z87X-D3H $137 (8-phase digital, heatsinks - capable; SLI/Crossfire; Intel LAN)

Also good RAM deals on:

G.Skill Ares 2x4 1600Mhz $55 AP or
G.Skill RipjawsX 2x4 1866MHz 1.5V $59 AP

 

[dragonlord72]

@ lehtv

The second link

G.Skill RipjawsX 2x4 1866MHz 1.5V $59 AP

is dead.

This is the link for anyone who might be lookiong for it http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231455

 

[mfenn]

New build posted, got a great combo deal on the CPU and RAM (free RAM!). Power supply prices kind of suck right now though.

 

[lehtv]

I'm confused about the latest build. I mean, it's a great build as always, but you're $50 below the $1000 mark that you normally aim for, and there several component that could be upgraded to something better with good justification.

$25 more for a SLI board (to go with that SLI PSU) with 8-phase digital CPU power:
Asus Z87-A + Samsung 840 120GB $210

Or $10 more for an SSD with 5 year warranty: Plextor M5P 128GB $100

WD Blue 1TB + DVD-RW combo for $82 ($6 saving compared to your build)

Add a cooler: Arctic i30 $30

Rosewill R5 case + Capstone 750W Gold for $150 ($20 more but no rebate hassle; this $20 will be mostly paid back along the years due to efficiency; also fully Haswell compatible)
or
Rosewill Galaxy-02 + Captsone 750-M Gold (same as above but case a bit cheaper, PSU modular)

 

[dragonlord72]

The Sapphire card has a considerably better cooler. Despite the outward appearance of a dual fan design, the XFX cooler is rather mediocre, it suffers from temperatures nearly as high as a reference model, and the noise level isn't much better either. The Sapphire card will run quiet and cool in comparison.

I would, however, point out the MSI 7970 Twin Frozr for $300 AR. It's between the price of XFX and Sapphire, but the cooler is equal to Sapphire.

Unfortunately the motherboard + RAM combo in the OP is no longer available. At the moment I would recommend buying them separately, choose whichever motherboard fits your budget and overclocking needs:

Asrock Z87 Pro3 $95 AR (4-phase analog, no heat sinks - mild OC'er)
MSI Z87-G43 $120 (6-phase analog, heatsinks - it's OK)
Z87X-D3H $137 (8-phase digital, heatsinks - capable; SLI/Crossfire; Intel LAN)

Also good RAM deals on:

G.Skill Ares 2x4 1600Mhz $55 AP or
G.Skill RipjawsX 2x4 1866MHz 1.5V $59 AP

Since Sapphire and MSI are at same price now which would you say be a better investment.
Could you also explain your reasons on why one would be better than other at this price point?

 

[lehtv]

- MSI is higher clocked out of the box
- But Sapphire will probably OC just the same manually
- Sapphire's cooler is probably a bit quieter
- MSI has 3-year warranty on the parts instead of 2
- MSI is a little bit shorter making it an easier fit in tight cases

In the end it does not matter which card you get, they are very nearly equals. Go with what looks better?

 

[mfenn]

I'm confused about the latest build. I mean, it's a great build as always, but you're $50 below the $1000 mark that you normally aim for, and there several component that could be upgraded to something better with good justification.

$25 more for a SLI board (to go with that SLI PSU) with 8-phase digital CPU power:
Asus Z87-A + Samsung 840 120GB $210

Or $10 more for an SSD with 5 year warranty: Plextor M5P 128GB $100

WD Blue 1TB + DVD-RW combo for $82 ($6 saving compared to your build)

Add a cooler: Arctic i30 $30

Rosewill R5 case + Capstone 750W Gold for $150 ($20 more but no rebate hassle; this $20 will be mostly paid back along the years due to efficiency; also fully Haswell compatible)
or
Rosewill Galaxy-02 + Captsone 750-M Gold (same as above but case a bit cheaper, PSU modular)

The i30 cooler is in there as an option, and good find on the HDD+ODD combo. For some reason the combo deal link wasn't showing up on the Blue for me, maybe because it is one of those "available from 2 vendors" items?

As for the mobo+PSU, that's absolutely a viable option, but the two changes definitely need to go together. 650W is not enough to comfortably run 7970 CFX. I didn't consider a Crossfire-capable build because I don't expect many people to "upgrade to CFX", especially not when talking about a high-end card that is going to be in limited supply.

 

[tg2708]

cooler master haf 922 on amazon is $60 with mail in rebate. Is this a good buy?

 

[mfenn]

cooler master haf 922 on amazon is $60 with male in rebate. Is this a good buy?

I'm not sure what a male in rebate is, sounds kinky though. A USB 3.0 HAF 922 at $60 after mail in rebate is not bad if you like the styling.