Getting Ready to Build My Next Desktop PC - Wait till Black Friday Sales?

Click_It on 25/10/2018 - 14:58

Hey guys

So I'm getting ready to build my next computer to replace my old faithful i7 2600k build from Feb-2011 (!!).

My question is, should I hold off on pulling the trigger until Black Friday sales late November? In previous years I've been too poor to do anything at Black Friday (my contract work tends to die off in November but this year it's booming)

Build specs for anyone interested (it's an ITX build because I like that form factor despite the premium involved)

Motherboard - ASUS ROG Strix X470-i
CPU - Ryzen 7 2700 + Noctua NH-D15-SE cooler for better performance and quieter function
PSU - Corsair SF600 Gold 600W
RAM - 2x16GB G.Skill Trident Z RGB F4-3200
SSD - Samsung 970 EVO M.2 500GB
SSD - a secondary 1TB probably (not priced in yet)
CASE - NZXT H200i
OTHER - External DVD Burner for that once in 12 month need

Cost is just shy of $2000 at the moment (not including the likely 2nd M.2 SSD I will add)

I also wanted the Samsung CJ89 (43" 120hz Ultrawide) but that's blowing the budget ($2500) so I'm going to sit, wait and watch the monitor scene. Lots of next gen ultrawides coming in the next few months. Sticking with 2 x 24" 16:10's in the meantime.

Computing Computer Desktop Computer

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 25/10/2018 - 15:19
    +1

    Isn't Black Friday more an American thing?

    I doubt that branded stuff gets that much a significant of a discount anyway

    • scrimshaw on 25/10/2018 - 15:23

      We do have Black Friday as sales events in previous years. Some retailers even had Cyber Monday but generally speaking it's not quite the same level of 'door busting' craziness that you'd see in the states.

      Looking at the sales page last year, the only things that were computer hardware related was a Logitech mouse and a AOC monitor.

      With Trump-related trade tariffs it's possible we may even see a price increase after the holiday season.

      • Diji1 on 25/10/2018 - 22:09

        Yeah anything's possible.

  • [Deactivated] on 25/10/2018 - 15:19
    +1

    Sure I read a similar post on WP or reddit with very similar story.

    Concensus was you may save 5% all up so may not be worth the wait.

  • dcep on 25/10/2018 - 15:20
    +4

    2k without gpu ?

    • cypher67 on 25/10/2018 - 15:23

      Onboard graphics these days is amazing

      • dcep on 25/10/2018 - 15:24
        +4

        the thing is 2700 doesn't have one

        • Click_It on 25/10/2018 - 19:13

          Oh yeah I forgot to mention I already have a GeForce GTX 960. It's no beast but I'm not much of a gamer either so I'll put that in the new build for now.

  • Wampus on 25/10/2018 - 15:39
    +1

    Seems pricy for what it is?

  • dogboy on 25/10/2018 - 16:44

    No discrete video card?

  • HighAndDry on 25/10/2018 - 18:23

    Personally, yes. And mini-ITX? Nice. I'm a fan of the form factor especially given how powerful and small components have gotten in recent years, and how extraneous extra HDDs are for most users.

    Without commenting on compatibility as to parts (especially size wise because of the ITX nature):

    You need a video card.

    Motherboard - ASUS ROG Strix X470-i

    Query whether you need a X470 board, because you'll be paying a premium for this over X370 boards while most of the improvements afaik are more aimed at power- and enterprise users. (But if getting an X370 board, get the seller to flash the bios to use with the 2XXX AMD CPUs).

    CPU - Ryzen 7 2700 + Noctua NH-D15-SE cooler for better performance and quieter function

    Nice - though from memory the stock AMD coolers, especially for the higher R7 CPUs, actually perform very well unless you're over-clocking.

    PSU - Corsair SF600 Gold 600W

    Nice.

    RAM - 2x16GB G.Skill Trident Z RGB F4-3200

    Holy shit nice (maybe see how RAM prices are, you'll be paying a fortune for this - possibly more than what the CPU will cost).

    SSD - Samsung 970 EVO M.2 500GB

    Nice, very nice.

    SSD - a secondary 1TB probably (not priced in yet)

    Sounds good. Not necessary but honestly with SSD prices what they are now, can definitely start using in place of HDD for general storage too.

    CASE - NZXT H200i

    Not actually up to date on cases. Check dimensions and size for the components. PC Part Picker is a good guide for this.

    OTHER - External DVD Burner for that once in 12 month need

    Haha, I just got a cheap one off eBay just recently too. Haven't opened it yet, but yeah, good to have just in case. Cheap as chips too these days so no reason why not.

    • Click_It on 25/10/2018 - 19:27

      Great reply thanks :)

      The video card, I neglected to mention I already have a GeForce GTX 960 in my current system so I'm just bringing that with me. I'm not much of a gamer, the biggest use my GPU gets is accelerating video rendering jobs. It's also a mini version (don't know why I bought a mini version in 2014) which will fit perfectly in this ITX case.

      RAM, Yes you know your stuff. It IS more expensive than the CPU ($529 v $419). The reason for such a blow out here is the motherboard only takes 2 dimms and I like to future proof my builds. The current build (bar a few upgrades along the way) is from 2011. Why the RGB? You got me there, I figure if I'm spending so much anyway, why not throw another $20 on it to look pretty.

      The motherboard is only $70 more than the x370 equivalent so I thought it was worth it from the future proofing sense.

      The case is actually rather large for ITX standards, it'll even take a GPU 10cm longer than mine. It can technically even take a cheaper ATX PSU though at the cost of where a 2.5" HDD can be added later so I thought I'd keep that option open.

      Someone mentioned above that this sounds expensive, that's because it's an ITX build. I could probably get similar specs in ATX form factor for $1500 total, cheaper motherboards, cheaper ram (4x8gb), cheaper case and certainly cheaper PSUs. But I like the ITX form factor so that's a premium I'm okay with. Someone at work reckons I'm asking for nothing but problems going down the ITX route, I don't really see how. The biggest issue would but not future proofing myself which I think I have covered pretty comprehensively.

      Needs and wants always come at a different price point and I still had to make sacrifices, I really wanted a new monitor but I believe prices are going to tumble in the next 12 months so I'm waiting. I also wanted a new keyboard & mouse but mine still do the job. My main goal is a future proofed system. I've gotten almost 8 years from my current build (with some small upgrades along the way), that was helped largely by getting the king CPU at the time, i7 2600K which has largely remained competitive for the entire time thanks to Intel doing a whole lot of nothing much in the CPU game. That might change now that AMD are back now.

      • HighAndDry on 25/10/2018 - 19:37

        All v. good points, and yeah I have an ITX build too, slight premium yes but like you, one I was happy to pay. I think if you're not doing much gaming, this build with the R7 2700 and 32GB of RAM and all SSDs should absolutely still perform solidly in 5 yrs time. Account for a GPU upgrade mid-life to whatever gen comes out after RTX2XXX / AMD Navi, and you should even be able to run triple-A titles in 5 years, if not at Ultra. (obvious caveat: no one can really make predictions about where the tech industry will go).

        One tip from someone who built a computer earlier this year: Don't look at PC parts prices for about 6 months after you buy and put together your build. I swear, no matter how good a deal you think you got, stuff always gets cheaper.

        • Click_It on 25/10/2018 - 19:54

          That's exactly my thinking re GPU, mid life upgrade. I think the 960 still has legs for what I need now but given it's already 4 years old I'd probably look at replacing by 2020.

          Haha good tip on the prices after purchase, yes I become completely ignorant to what's happening for about 6 months afterwards for the same reason. RAM is something I know is heading down a slippery slide in the next 12 months. I just have to take that one on the chin as I'm not prepared to wait for it.

          Great minds

          • jsb on 26/10/2018 - 07:32

            @Click_It: @Click_It: My 2 cents. Try to make purchases from a card which offer price protection if you can. I would suggest watch for price changes and claim with card.

            • Click_It on 26/10/2018 - 08:54

              @jsb: Oh wow thanks! I think my CBA Platinum Debit Card offers such features I will look into this. Best advice ever :D

            • Click_It on 27/10/2018 - 08:30

              @jsb: Further looking into the features of my CBA Platinum Debit Card. They only cover price reductions over $75 within 21 days of purchase. I think it's safe to say nothing will drop $75.01 in 21 days of purchase but hey, I'll use it just in case.

              • jsb on 27/10/2018 - 12:31

                @Click_It: If you can wait for 2 weeks and willing to apply for new card, there are cards which offer price protection for 6 months or even longer. You will have to search for them. My Coles one offers 2 year but I guess its not for new applications.

                • Click_It on 27/10/2018 - 13:49

                  @jsb: My wife has a coles mastercard, would that be the same or is yours a specific type?

                  • jsb on 27/10/2018 - 14:58

                    @Click_It: its only applicable for those cards where insurance on card was activated before around january 2018. Then it moved under Citibank and their insurance provider changed. I don't know the current status.

                  • jsb on 27/10/2018 - 15:05

                    @Click_It: Basically Insurance was optional add-on. If she doesn't know about it, then probably she didn't opt for it. You can still check. I think their current insurance on card provides 3 months price protection but not sure.

      • Diji1 on 25/10/2018 - 22:15

        32 GB RAM is a waste of money unless you know you will be using multiple virtual machines or something else that requires this much. I can't see anything that points to this changing any time soon. Sixteen is enough.

        You could buy 1x16GB and upgrade later. 2x8GB (presumably, I don't build Ryzen systems) will give a slight insignificant performance increase due to dual channel configuration.

        I'd save a couple of hundred on RAM and spend that on other stuff that you want.

        • Click_It on 26/10/2018 - 08:57

          I've had 16 (4x4GB DDR3) on my system for years and I hit a ceiling doing various virtual machines / video rendering and general multitasking. Nothing that's crippling but I do hit the limit fairly easily. I can certainly live with 16GB but 32GB would make life easier.

          I hear what your saying though, buying DDR4 at peak prices isn't the best idea. Prices are set to tumble in late 2019. I'll give this some considering (the 1x16GB option) thanks.

  • Richardc on 25/10/2018 - 22:50

    I got the D15 this week, it already support AM4, maybe new model?

    • Click_It on 26/10/2018 - 08:51

      Whoa! Thanks for this post, it got me thinking I should check the model of my current Noctua cooler on my i7 2600k. It's a D14 and Noctua apparently provide a "free of charge" adapter to make it fit the AM4! $125 just saved from my build cost!

  • RRtm on 26/10/2018 - 01:03

    Lol.
    I'm still using my i7 860 o'clocked.
    Paired with a gumtree 1070ti.
    Thinking the same as you.
    But I can still hold on my wants.
    $2k+ not small sum.
    (Wish I was shopping for new PC)

    • Click_It on 26/10/2018 - 08:54

      I know what you mean, performance wise there is nothing bothering my about my system either. But it's becoming buggy. PSU power issues I think, could be motherboard or something else, I periodically have to reboot it due to an annoying sound failure (onboard sound) Given the computer is quite old I really don't want to spend another cent on it so it's time… Otherwise I'd probably push it out another year or so.

      If yours isn't giving you problems you can probably keep going. Performance wise you wouldn't be far being my system, plus you have a superior GPU.

      • Richardc on 26/10/2018 - 09:59

        If you think it's the power supply, why not change it first? You can still use it for the next build, get something great with 7-10yrs warranty. Also a pci sound card should be quite stable.

      • RRtm on 26/10/2018 - 12:09

        Is ur 2700k suitable for the DH15noctua?
        *PSU
        *DH15noctua

        Maybe try the above 2x first?
        If no good new PC for 2k it is.

        The used 1070ti was gumtreed recently for $430

  • hengzhan on 27/10/2018 - 03:06

    if you like SFF - have a look at Louqe GHOST S1(shipping Jan 2019), Dan A4 or NCASE M1. Any of them should make some great chassis.

  • Click_It on 23/11/2018 - 09:17
    +1

    A little update for those interested on how this panned out.

    I bought everything from different sources as sales appeared. Some 15% ebay sales, a whole bunch last night with ShopBack's 20% Amazon deal and the expensive RAM from Newegg USA.

    Also added a few other minor things I had forgotten about like Grizzly Hydronaut thermal paste etc.

    $1576 after cashbacks vs $1974 shipped from PCCG (saving: $319)

    Some of the standouts was:
    Ryzen 7 2700 for $298
    Samsung 970 EVO M.2 500GB for $124 (I could have gotten it for $120 today with SS Samsung cashback but don't want to wait months for another $4 saving)

    For an original $2000 budget I'm chuffed, oh I also threw in a Platinum SFX PSU instead of Gold during a good sale. Reusing my old GPU, it's an overkill build no doubt but I think it will be future proofed for a good number of years to come.

    I also think I can get between $400-510 on all my existing parts I will no longer need so my total eventual cost should be under $1100. Really happy.

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