Thoughts on my build, did I overpay??

Hey, I need some input here:

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 (edited)

Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard

RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk

GPU: Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card

Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case

PSU: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply

Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer

I'm planning on picking this up over in Germany—everything adds up to about 1254€, which is $3133.
So, what's the deal—roughly how much would this whole setup run me if I were buying it right here in the States? Thanks, and don't forget to give me your honest take!

Personally, I’d probably lean toward a different power supply—not that the one mentioned isn't good, mind you—but at the end of the day, it's all about what you prefer. I'd also likely stick with the Socket 1150 Haswell platform; whenever I'm picking out parts, I always try to grab whatever the latest tech on the market happens to be. Some people might agree with me, others won't, and honestly, that's perfectly fine. By the way, which CPU cooler are we talking about here? Like, who's the manufacturer and what's the specific model?

Larry Ortiz5 said:Look, if it were me, I’d probably hunt for a different power supply—not because this one sucks, mind you, just a matter of preference—and I’d definitely go with the Socket 1150 Haswell setup. It's all about what you want, right? Personally, whenever I’m picking out parts, I always aim for whatever the latest and greatest tech hitting the market is at that moment. Some people will agree with me, some won't, and hey, that's just how it goes. Anyway, what kind of CPU cooler are we talking about here? Like, who makes it and what's the specific model?

I'm leaning toward Ivy Bridge—mostly because it doesn't run nearly as hot as Haswell does. Just my personal take, anyway.

The CPU cooler is Noctua NH-D14.

Hey, tell me honestly—did I totally screw myself by buying this stuff over in Germany? I was expecting a much lower price than what they're charging here in the States...

Honestly, EVGA power supplies can be pretty loud—and their voltage regulation? Not great at all. Just head over to Newegg, plug in the parts you're looking at, and tally up the total costs.

I actually thought you were leaning toward the Ivy setup because it runs a bit "cooler," but honestly, with a cooler like that, you shouldn't run into any issues—it really comes down to whatever you prefer.

Maybe take a look at a site like

Newegg
Best Buy
Micro Center
Amazon

Just compare the prices and see how much of a difference there is between what they're charging here in the US versus over in Germany..

Oh, and regarding that specific cooler—some people have run into trouble because the thing is so bulky it actually blocks the PCIe x16 slot when you try to plug in a graphics card. It all depends on the layout of your motherboard, though, so just keep an eye on that..

Finally swapped out my old power supply for the SeaSonic 650 w 80 + Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply.

So, what do we think?.. Total damage for all the parts came out to $3167, but honestly, I’m still sitting here wondering if I got ripped off? I was definitely expecting to see lower prices over in
.

And look, if anything actually dies on you, you're going to have to ship it all the way over to Germany.

velvetcanyon54 said:Nah, tell me—did I screw myself over by buying this stuff in Germany? I was expecting much lower prices than what we have here...

Look, it’s not actually from Germany, nor is it significantly cheaper—honestly, you should consider that the warranty might be a bit of a headache if anything breaks, since you'd likely have to ship it back to Swabia. In my opinion—and I'm assuming you want to use this rig for gaming—that i7 is just overkill. You'd honestly be better off with an i5 that has decent overclocking headroom paired with a stronger GPU; that would have been a much more balanced combo. For comparison, I put together a build for you at Uzishop for about $133 more ($3233) ... the only things you're missing are the i7 (which I swapped for an i5) and a slightly smaller SSD (120GB)—though you probably won't miss the extra space anyway since you'll have that 1TB hard drive, plus you've got the GTX 780 and that liquid cooling setup...

Intel Core i5-4670K
Gigabyte GA-Z87X-D3H motherboard
Kingston Technology HyperX black 8GB DDR3-1600MHz Kit
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780
Toshiba 1TB 3.5" 7.2k SATA Gb/s 32MB
Kingston Technology SSDNow V300 120GB
LG GH24NSB0
Corsair Hydro H55
XFX PRO650W
ZALMAN Z9-U3

9 $244 Uzishop (Free assembly)

P.S. That whole thing about how much less Ivy runs hot isn't really a dealbreaker—I mean, you're getting an aftermarket cooler regardless. I'd personally trade those measly 4 degrees for the benefits and better performance you get from Haswell.

Which shop in Germany are you looking at?

Anyway, if you're just gaming, I don't think you actually need an i7; an i5 is probably just as good for what you're doing. As for the SSD, I'd say you don't really need more than 120GB, and if I were picking a graphics card, I'd probably go with the r9 290.

amazon.com

velvetcanyon54 I honestly don't get why you wouldn't just buy everything right here in the States? Or are you actually living over in Germany or something? Because, like everyone else has been saying—if one of those components decides to quit on you, what's your plan then?

Here’s a potential build suggestion from Computer Universe

Intel Core i5-4670K Boxed including cooler
ASRock Z87 Extreme4 Sockel 1150 ATX
MSI Radeon R9 290 Gaming 4.0 GB OC high end
Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB, 7200U/min, SATA3, 3.5"
Corsair RM Series 650 Watt
Samsung SSD 840 evo Series 120 GB Basic-Edition Fractal design Define R4
Fractal Design Define R4 black
LiteOn iHAS124 black Bulk
G.Skill Sniper LV 8GB Kit DDR3 (2x4GB) 1866MHz
be quiet! dark rock 2 1.178,19 €

$1,275.00

Ryan Hayes82 said:here’s a suggestion from an online retailer

Intel Core i5-4670K Boxed including cooler
ASRock Z87 Extreme4 Sockel 1150 ATX
MSI Radeon R9 290 gaming 4.0 GB OC high end
Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB, 7200U/min, SATA3, 3.5"
Corsair RM Series 650 Watt
Samsung SSD 840 evo Series 120 GB Basic-Edition
Fractal Design Define R4 black
LiteOn iHAS124 black Bulk
G.Skill Sniper LV 8GB Kit DDR3 (2x4GB) 1866MHz
be quiet! dark rock 2 1.178,19 €

$1,275.00

Now, this is a solid example of a decent gaming rig—really capable stuff—but I honestly can't tell if it's actually worth him paying the shipping and import fees to order all this from overseas. Amy Vaughn12, did you catch my build? For practically the same amount of money, he could have gotten almost identical components right here in the States...

Mine is the $2867 - $367 is actually the better deal if you think about it. Not only is it cheaper, but you’re also getting a higher quality case, a more reliable power supply, a superior SSD, and a much better cooler. As for the graphics cards, well, I guess it just depends on which game you're running

Ryan Hayes82 said:mine is $2867 - $367 is actually cheaper. Plus, it comes with a higher quality case, a better power supply, a superior SSD, and a nicer cooler. As for the GPUs—well, honestly, it just depends on which game you're playing.

It wasn't an 8600, it was $3000. Look, I didn't mean to make you feel called out—I was really just trying to point out that ordering from overseas doesn't make much sense when you can get almost the exact same thing right here... Regarding the case, they're pretty much identical in build quality, though this Define model does have those sound-absorbing materials and is a bit more well-equipped. You've got a point about the power supply, though; that new Corsair RM Series 650 is quite interesting because the fan only spins up when necessary, which keeps the whole rig much quieter—plus, having that 80+ Gold rating is a huge win. When it comes to the SSD, the read and write speeds are basically identical (the only real exception being the Samsung Pro series, which is lightning fast), and reliability is right on par. And I wouldn't say the cooler is necessarily "better"—you can definitely squeeze out a higher overclock with the H50 while keeping temperatures lower. As for the graphics cards, you're absolutely right; it's a bit silly to argue over which one is "best" since every single card performs differently depending on the specific game... I'm not quite sure where you're getting all this info from, my friend, but I think you might be overthinking it a bit too much...

Everything listed here is in stock right now, so you won't have to deal with the headache of ordering from overseas...

Asrock Z87 EXTREME4 - Intel Z87
Intel Core i5 4670K processor
Patriot Viper3, 1600MHz, 8GB (2x4GB)
Zalman Z9 Plus mid tower case
Corsair Hydro Series H55
Toshiba 3.5" HDD, 1TB
Kingston SSD 120GB V300
Fortron Raider S PSU 650W, 80+

$1919 Best Buy

Sapphire TRI-X R9 290 4GB $1183

http://www.bestbuy.com/product_info.php?c...ducts_id=14136

Total cost:$3102

If you pick up the graphics card from them, they'll even put the whole build together for free...

Wait, which shop are you even talking about?
If you're dead set on ordering from a specialty boutique, they probably carry cheaper options than the one you mentioned. But if the price difference is negligible, I’d honestly just grab it at Target or Walmart—it's much easier to handle returns or exchanges if something goes wrong.