Where to cheapen this out/Any overkill parts

[ALMOSTunseen]

Just looking to get some advice on this build for a friend.
What parts of it could be changed down with little performance drop?
Or are there any parts on it that are just overkill?

 

[Bo$$]

Cut down on the case. you can save $50 on that alone.
If you do this, you can use a full size motherboard which are cheaper and have better features.
Also do you really need a new copy of windows 7? you can grab legitimate copies for much less on fleabay..

Also take a look at Seagate hard drives, they appear cheaper while performing the same.

And in theory you can use a cheaper brand of power supply, however don't stray too low, i'd say OCZ or Thermaltake would be a good one to look out for. Aim for 600W if possible

 

[TRWOV]

The PSU is expensive, I would go for an 80+ bronze or something instead. 80plus gold only matters if you have the PC on 24/7. If you use it 4 hours daily on average it'll take years before you save enough on electricity bills to compensate for the higher price. A good ~$100 PSU would be enough (TX650M is a good match).

I'd try to switch the Kingston memory kit for an 1.5v kit (the Kingston is 1.65v). I've had good experience with the Adata 1600 XPG GS kits (bought 3 of them so far), they're 1.5v and usually the cheapest 8GB kit you can get.

Look at Seagate drives. You could get a 2TB disc (or even a 3TB if on sale) for the same money.

 

[Nordic]

You can cut from anything on that list really. Boss mentioned the easiest ways. I have seen some 3tb hdd's going for that price lately too.

 

[Flibolito]

I agree with above, it is a very balanced list however (nothing is overkill). So yes you can go a bit cheaper on PSU, RAM and the HD to save a few bucks this build will run really well although overclocking the cpu will be limited by the heatsink until an aftermarket one is to be had.

 

[LAN_deRf_HA]

Where is this? That's a lot for an OEM version of Windows. Pro is $139 on amazon and premium is $89.

 

[DarkOCean]

Where is this?

+1, everything is so overpriced...

 

[rtwjunkie]

Or future-proof yourself even more....Windows 8.1 Pro 64 bit OEM version is also being had for $139.

 

[ALMOSTunseen]

Thanks for all the advice guys.
I will spec it up with a cheaper seagate drive, I've just always been a WD fanboy...

The reason for the form factor is because my friend is after something small.

The reason I have gone for the Seasonic PSU is because it needs something reliable, something that will give steady and clean power, and has the lowest chance of blowing up.

Would this ram be good?
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=186_538_913&products_id=17199
It is at 1.25v which I heard works great with the new chips stability wise.


Oh and everything is overpriced because I am in Australia, nuff said.

 

[Pill Monster]

And in theory you can use a cheaper brand of power supply, however don't stray too low, i'd say OCZ or Thermaltake would be a good one to look out for. Aim for 600W if possible

OCZ went bankrupt 2 months ago....

 

[ALMOSTunseen]

OCZ went bankrupt 2 months ago....

Toshiba bought their SSD assests, so who knows what is happening to their PSU's.

 

[rtwjunkie]

The reason I have gone for the Seasonic PSU is because it needs something reliable, something that will give steady and clean power, and has the lowest chance of blowing up.

That is a rock-solid PSU. Definitely get it, even with the higher price. I've run one 24/7 in my server for 3 years. It's cool, stable and powerful. It made me a convert to Seasonic. I like it so much I got a Seasonic X-850 for my W8 rig. You'll be happy with it.

 

[Frick]

Pro Windows is probably a waste, unless he really need restriction policies or something. For most home users the normal versions is more than good enough. Here a retail Windows 8 is cheaper than an OEM Windows Pro.

 

[bpatterson07]

Not sure where you are shopping but those prices are horrible. A quick look and it's much cheaper here, and you could use better alternatives in some areas.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tfSQ
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tfSQ/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tfSQ/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Asus Z87M-PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($88.97 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($315.68 @ B&H)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy M Arctic White MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($137.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit) ($94.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1147.56
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-31 09:31 EST-0500)

 

[ShiBDiB]

you're over paying on the psu/ram/graphics card, they're all cheaper on newegg.. and get 8.1, it's really a much better OS.

 

[qubit]

Save $160 by getting rid of Windows and installing Linux, which is free.

 

[Kaynar]

Unlike what I read above, I've had terrible experience with Win8 on two laptops which were practically unusable because of bugs and bad UI. The fast boot feature for me is a big lie. When you have an HDD, the laptop boots in <5secs and then freezes for half a minute every time. Win7 home premium is much better. We all know much MS works... one time the OS is fail one time is good, and you cant tell me Win7 is fail.

Other than that you really dont need a Gold rated PSU and 2GB ram on a high end GPU in... well nearly 2014 is a joke, you will run out of vram before you run out of gpu power...

And yeah the prices in your first post are WAAAYYY overpriced lol

 

[suraswami]

Please add a SSD for OS, that will be one of the best components you have in your machine. That Black WD is awesome too, but may be pick a 2 TB for that price.

 

[EpicShweetness]

Save $160 by getting rid of Windows and installing Linux, which is free.

Along with most of the functionality of the machine, ad by that I mean gaming.
I dream of day I can easily and reliably game on Linux, but that day still isn't upon us as a human species.

 

[thebluebumblebee]

Oh and everything is overpriced because I am in Australia, nuff said.

You have spec'd a nice quality build.
If it were me, I'd spend the extra $20 for the Seasonic XP-660 Platinum. (http://www.jonnyguru.com actually dinged the X-650 for value because it is so close in price to the XP-660) This build only needs a 500 watt PSU unless SLI is in the future. (215(GPU) + 84(cpu)=300 watts) I know some people like the Seasonic "G" series of PSU's. A G-550 would save $60.
I concur with the comments about the "Pro" version of Windows 7.
The Seagate Barracuda 2TB ST2000DM001 is just as fast as the WD Black, is quieter, and has twice the capacity for the same price. The warranty is not as long, however.
This build needs a SSD. Or at least a SSHD. Maybe a 250GB SSD now and add a HDD later if needed?
This build will be very quiet. The MSI GTX 770 Gaming is even more quiet.
If you built this with the XP-660, the MSI Gaming and a SSD, the loudest items would be the CPU HSF and any case fans. Should be almost silent. You could switch to the Nanoxia Deep Silence 4 if you wanted to focus on silence.

Edit: If you really want to reduce your cost, drop to the GTX 760. -$100 for -10%. No big deal

 

[xvi]

I don't think I'd recommend Seasonic for a budget build unless you're incredibly concerned about the quality of the power. I picked up a Corsair AX750 and it's dead silent. Picked it up used for ~$100-ish. About the same power, just as quiet, and it'll save you a few bucks.

 

[Frick]

Unlike what I read above, I've had terrible experience with Win8 on two laptops which were practically unusable because of bugs and bad UI. The fast boot feature for me is a big lie. When you have an HDD, the laptop boots in <5secs and then freezes for half a minute every time. Win7 home premium is much better. We all know much MS works... one time the OS is fail one time is good, and you cant tell me Win7 is fail.

So 35 seconds is worse than the probably longer time Windows 7 would start in? The bad UI is preference, bugs gets fixed.

 

[ALMOSTunseen]

I have an SSS organised for him, just a 60gb OCZ agility for bootdrive. Windows 7 is a must as he needs something that he has used in the past, and that he knows everything works on. As usual the interface is a bit of putdown aswell.

So this is what I am looking at after some amendments. Really sticking for seasonic power supply as it's something I would always use myself.
Really going on the quiet aspect now too.

 

[AsRock]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151087

Or even wait till another egg sale they probably knock another $50 off lol

 

[thebluebumblebee]

About that CPU cooler:

Caution: The NH-L9i is a highly-compact low-profile quiet cooler designed for use in small form factor cases and HTPC environments. While it provides first rate performance in its class, it is not suitable for overclocking and should be used with care on CPUs with more than 65W TDP (Thermal Design Power).

The 4670 has a TDP of 84 watt and the NH-L9i is specifically NOT recommended for the 84 watt Haswell chips. Any of the $75 Noctua's would work. The Phanteks with the 140mm fans (SPCR really liked them) would work too.
My other thought would be to consider the 4670K simply for resale value. Having the ability to let the motherboard OC it would be an added bonus.
I have no experience with the Nanoxia cases, but have heard good things about them.