Need to lower cost by about 100-200 dollars...need help

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Spsimms36

Honorable
Jan 29, 2014
15
0
10,510
I would like to lower the cost by 100-200 dollars but would like to keep performance. If anyone has any suggestions please post them. Here's my build. Thanks!

CPU Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core $222.00
CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing $29.98
Motherboard Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 $139.99
Memory Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 $76.99
Storage Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM $88.97
Video Card Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB $249.99
Case Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower $79.99
Power Supply Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V $59.99
Optical Drive Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer $15.98
Operating System Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) $89.98
Monitor Asus VS228H-P 21.5" $127.58
Wireless Network Adapter TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 $40.99
Keyboard SteelSeries APEX $77.00
Total $1299.43
 
Solution
DarkSable
1) Get a locked i5 like the i5-4440
2) You then don't need a CPU cooler, as the stock cooler will suffice.
3) Ditch the z87 motherboard for an h87 motherboard, which has every feature but overclocking support
4) Get a Caviar Blue instead of a Black
5) If you need to, you can absolutely get a cheaper case.
6) You don't need 750w. That's overkill unless you're planning to use a second 760 in SLI in the future. A 550w power supply will be MORE than enough.
7) Ditch the optical drive - you can install windows from a usb stick if you have access to another computer.
8) Ditch the wireless adapter - that one certainly isn't worth $40. If you can any way possible, go with a hard-wired ethernet connection. It will be faster, more reliable, and...
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Remixex

Remixex

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Mar 18, 2014
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Network adapter and keyboard...you can buy keyboards that last a lot (like the one writing this) for 10 bucks, the network adapter also can be cheaper mine is like 15 dollars and is connected via USB no need for a pcie port, also the PSU...a 650w or even 600w PSU should suffice...that's all i got
 
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DarkSable

DarkSable

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Sep 27, 2012
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1) Get a locked i5 like the i5-4440
2) You then don't need a CPU cooler, as the stock cooler will suffice.
3) Ditch the z87 motherboard for an h87 motherboard, which has every feature but overclocking support
4) Get a Caviar Blue instead of a Black
5) If you need to, you can absolutely get a cheaper case.
6) You don't need 750w. That's overkill unless you're planning to use a second 760 in SLI in the future. A 550w power supply will be MORE than enough.
7) Ditch the optical drive - you can install windows from a usb stick if you have access to another computer.
8) Ditch the wireless adapter - that one certainly isn't worth $40. If you can any way possible, go with a hard-wired ethernet connection. It will be faster, more reliable, and far cheaper.

This is a huge one:

9) That keyboard is a RIP OFF. DO NOT BUY IT. It's got no different technology than a $20 membrane keyboard, and will feel as crappy. For that amount of money, you could be buying a mechanical keyboard, which feels like typing on a cloud of boobs, is built like a tank, and is better than that PoS in every way but the rainbow LEDs. (You should be looking at your monitor anyways, though - I would think leds like that would just distract you.)
 
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Solution
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Spsimms36

Honorable
Jan 29, 2014
15
0
10,510
Alright thanks that helped a lot...and he only reason I had the wireless adaptor is cause my router is in the first floor and this would be in my room on the second floor and it'd be a pain in the ass to run an Ethernet cable through the floor/wall to get there. That's what I have to do for my xbox and it's a pain
 
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DarkSable

DarkSable

Judicious
Sep 27, 2012
8,890
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34,965
Of course!

I feel you, but... it's worth it. Seriously, a wired connection is faster and FAR more reliable. Is anything else hard-wired to the router? You could take the line running to your xbox and have it go from the modem downstairs to the router up by where the xbox is, so you don't have to make any new holes. Then just run lines upstairs from the router to the xbox and your PC.
 
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Lightheart

Reputable
Apr 14, 2014
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4,520


On top of the keyboard, network card, and psu, you can also save another $10-20 on memory, switching out the 8gb stick for two 4gb sticks will both save you about $10 and improve your access speeds, as otherwise you're just running that 8gb over a single channel.

I don't know your current computer situation, but the other way I tend to cut costs if building for myself is using the same peripherals (kb, mouse, monitor) and case as my previous build. Speaking of which, you're not being over extravagant on the case already, but it's another price cutting target.

Another suggestion is to price out other mobo's. I know and love Asus hardware as much as the next guy, but they don't always have the best value for the money, and some of the other manufacturers, Gigabyte and MSI, to name a couple are pretty comparable on performance and overclocking stability (which is as much or more dependent upon your luck in the cpu bin lottery), and quite often run $10-20 cheaper.

Finally, if you're not expecting to overclock your cpu, which you probably don't need to seeing as the nVidia 760 will be your bottleneck before your i5, you could opt for a non-K i5, saving you $25.

so to total up target savings:
less fancy keyboard: $60
nic: $10
psu: $10
RAMM: $10
Mobo: $10
Cpu: $25
$125 off the price, same performance for all essential purposes.

On the other hand if you cannibalize an old build, you could reuse:
Case $80
Optical Drive: $16
Monitor: $130
NIC: $40
Keyboard: 80
HDD: $90
total savings: $440

Just food for thought
 
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