R9 290 + What PSU?

[railven]

What is the bare minimum I can get away for a R9 290?

Friend got ripped off buying OEM ($650 for an A10-7770k? WTF!?) so I offered to build him something. Trying to stay close to the $650 price point, he said $800 would be his max.

So skimping on parts to try to shoe horn a 290 into the mix. Other wise, just settle for a 280X.

Parts I've picked out for him so far:
i3 3460 or i3 3470 - basically with the Microcenter bundle, they're the same price.
(but I get the feeling he's itching for minimum an i5, and he doesn't seem the type to OC why not even looking at Ks)
Gigabyte GA-Z97-HD3 (stupid that they don't sell any decent ATX H-chipsets, why I'm going for a Z97, but this board is $40 with combo CPU and $20 rebate).
G.Skill 2x4GB DDR31600 1.5v
Generic optical DVD+RW
Corsair Carbide 200R (not finalized)

Eyeing the Sapphire R9 290 Tri-X ($260 with rebates)
For PSU was looking at a CX600 but have read quality issues so wasn't sure if a R9 290 could be an issue.


Any recommendations would be appreciated.

 

[Headfoot]

That CX600 isnt the greatest PSU ever made but its not terrible. If it were my build I'd use it. 600w will be enough for that machine.

 

[Kenmitch]

It would probably work.

Depending on price maybe this one would be a better choice. $39.99 after rebate. Only downside is it isn't modular but it's gold rated.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=17-182-068

During the mining craze I was using the Capstone 450w with a very similar build to yours shown. 24/7 without issue....Only did it for a couple months before profitability dropped.

 

[railven]

That CX600 isnt the greatest PSU ever made but its not terrible. If it were my build I'd use it. 600w will be enough for that machine.

Yeah, I have no experience using any of the CX's with a moderately strong GPU. Last time I recommended an CX to someone they planned on using the integrated video on their i5.

I'll keep looking for something with a little better build quality. Any input on Thermaltake? The last few times I've used them they held up good. Most recent one had issues, but dunno if it was user created issues (the general build had issues that I didn't experience when I shipped it out).

It would probably work.

Depending on price maybe this one would be a better choice. $39.99 after rebate. Only downside is it isn't modular but it's gold rated.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=17-182-068

I always thought "stay away from Rosewill" and then I saw the AT's Editor Choice. Makes me wonder if Rosewill is now decent or AT is pimping it's name out. ^_^

Let me go read the review(s).

 

[Headfoot]

Rosewill has a few decent models and a couple very good models. It's not worth spending a premium over something of the CX's model in a budget machine. The CX really isn't bad, it just doesn't have modular cables or other niceties. It's a solid no-frills power supply for the money.

I can't find reviews on this model: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=17-182-298. But it's a recently released Rosewill model which means its probably in the same mid-range quality bracket as their other newest models. 45.5 amps on the 12v rail, 290 requires around 31-32. But its $50 and semi-modular so it's an option to save a few bucks. The Newegg reviews say its quiet. You can bump up to the 650 for about the same price and get semi-modular.

I'd definitely "downgrade" to a new model Rosewill PSU if it meant moving from a 280x to a 290.

 

[RussianSensation]

(1) That PSU you picked sells for about $60. I can think of many other superior options:

- Corsair CX750 750W for $57.50 after 10% off code - $20 MIR + $1 shipping
- Rosewill Capstone 650W Gold for $65 or Rosewill 600W Gold for $63
^ In fact, even a 550W one would work - Rosewill Capstone 550W Gold for $40
- Rosewill Green 630W Bronze for $40 after $10 off code and MIR
- Rosewill 650W Bronze for $65
- EVGA 600W Bronze $56

And this incredible value - Antec True Power 750W Gold with 5 year warranty - $50 after $30 MIR. I would seriously have a tough time turning this one down since with 750W + Gold rating and solid warranty, it's going to survive many future GPU upgrades and is even good enough for setups like 970 SLI.

I also like this one if you want modular - EVGA 750W Bronze Modular - $65 with 5 year warranty.

The 3 I highlighted in blue all look very appealing for different reasons.

(2) As far as the rest of your system goes:

- Get Zalman CNPS 14X cooler for $10.
Stock Intel cooling is garbage and this is well worth the $10.

- I would not start the system off with a Core i3.

If you are a good friend, maybe do this:

> Sell your 780 Lightning to your friend for $200-210, leaving him $50-$60 extra to step up to the i5. Moving up to the i5 will be huge, esp. if you can spring for the i5 4690K. Even if you get a non-K i5, it's still a way better start. Your friend can save another $10-20 on the PSU if he chooses the Rosewill 550W for $40 or that Antec 750W Gold for $50. Whatever it takes to step-up to the i5, make it happen imo.
> For yourself, pick up the R9 290X or maybe GTX970 with TW3 which actually would make your upgrade just $70 considering TW3 is $50. You'll get to play with a new GPU , and the higher value of the GTX970 will probably net itself out for you since it's bound to have a better resale value than your 780. In 2016 when you upgrade to Pascal, I think the net difference in resale value between your 780 Lightning and an MSI Gaming 970 should be less than $70 (i.e., your overall cost of ownership will be less than the $70 extra you'll pay upfront for the 970).

(3) For DDR3, you can probably manage to stay in the $55-60 range for 8GB.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428&ignorebbr=1

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231665&ignorebbr=1

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231461&ignorebbr=1

It's actually cheaper now to step up to 16GB (8GB x 2) because those kits can be found for $99-100 but 8GB goes for $55-60. But it's much better if you allocate the funds towards the i5 instead of 16GB of RAM.

Sorry for the long response but wanted to give you more options.

 

[Kenmitch]

Rosewill has a few decent models and a couple very good models. It's not worth spending a premium over something of the CX's model in a budget machine. The CX really isn't bad, it just doesn't have modular cables or other niceties. It's a solid no-frills power supply for the money.

I can't find reviews on this model: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=17-182-298. But it's a recently released Rosewill model which means its probably in the same mid-range quality bracket as their other newest models. 45.5 amps on the 12v rail, 290 requires around 31-32. But its $50 and semi-modular so it's an option to save a few bucks. The Newegg reviews say its quiet. You can bump up to the 650 for about the same price and get semi-modular.

I'd definitely "downgrade" to a new model Rosewill PSU if it meant moving from a 280x to a 290.

Yep....Just like the rest there is the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Capstones are based on the Super Flower Golden Green platform. Rated at what you can continuously pull from them....Not max output.

Not saying the OP shouldn't look around more for options....Just that for the money after rebate it might be the better deal currently is all.

 

[railven]

Lots of info to process.

I didn't want to offer him used parts as I know he was rather upset when he realized what he bought for $650.

That and this would be a cross country ship, so I'd rather it be pristine (well as much as it could get) haha.

Lots of stuff to digest in that post RS, thank's once I put this pile of work to rest I'm going to go through your links.

I also have a used i5 2500k sitting around, but trying to find a decent board for it has become a chore. At least retail and used is always a gamble.

 

[railven]

Shot him an E-Mail with parts I have "used" AS-IS see if he's even interested in used parts.

In my inventory of pack up parts, I got the following:
GTX 660 TI
GTX 680
i5 2500K
i7 2600K
2x Cooler Master 212 Evo+ with clips/coolers
1x Corsair H50 (back plate missing, saw Corsair sells replacements for $5).

Them CM 212 Evo+ waste a lot of shelf space so I Could stick one on his build for $10 or so.

If he wants to go used, I'll hunt down a good Z77 board (I got one, but it's sort of "spoken" for).

His gaming interest is WoW/SC2 and he said something else, but it escapes me now.

So trying to still stay within budget, what would you saw are good "offer" prices for the 660 Ti/680.

Selling him my 780 Lightning for $210 seems low balling since Ebay is showing >$300 with packaging (which I got since this was an RMA brand new card to me).

Trying to help him out, but not give him the shirt off my back haha.

 

[RussianSensation]

His gaming interest is WoW/SC2 and he said something else, but it escapes me now.

That 680 should be perfect for him and last a long time. WoW and SC2 are also CPU demanding, esp. the former which means ideally it's better you try to get him an i5 K series and OC it to 4.5Ghz. The interesting part is for these 2 titles a Pentium G3258 @ 4.5Ghz is actually a good fit but of course if he intends to play other games in the next 3-5 years go i5.

MC has i5 4690K with Asrock Z97 board for $240-250. That's like getting an i5 4690K for $150 and a $100 board. That's a solid deal if you ask me because that CPU will last 4-5 years for his style of gaming.

Selling him my 780 Lightning for $210 seems low balling since Ebay is showing >$300 with packaging (which I got since this was an RMA brand new card to me).

Even if you don't sell it to him, maybe sell it yourself then and get the MSI Gaming 970/Gigabyte G1 Gaming 970 with TW3. More VRAM, free game, lower power usage, and Maxwell driver support for at least another 1.5 years. If I could side-step from a 780 to a 970 and get TW3 for free, I would do it. Also, UE4 seems to run as fast on a 970 as on a 780Ti.

If you don't want to spend too much time on my links, just jump to the 3 blue highlighted PSUs as my top 3 picks.

Honestly, even an i5 2500K is a way better CPU than an i3. Look at i5 4670K's minimums matching i3 4330's averages in GTA IV.

 

[3DVagabond]

The Antec 750W TPC is a truly top notch PSU. Seasonic built, all Japanese caps (something you can't be certain of with many companies, even if the review units had them), and according to jonnyGURU near perfect VR and ripple suppression. You could drive 2x 290's with it.

 

[railven]

Aight, I shared some ideas with him. Managed to get a rig within his acceptable price range.

i5 4690K
Coolermaster EVO 212
GA Z97 UH3
GTX 680 (offered it to him for $125, showed him chart for WoW/SC2, beat R9 280X which was his second choice, cost saving to him ~$150)
Crucial 250GB SSD
2x4GB G.Skill DDR3 1600
Thermaltake 600W TR2 (said he'd rather pay less up front, than worry about rebates, going for $55 with $15 rebate).
Corsair Carbide 500R White (not confirmed, he wants to take a look at other cases, I just tried to match what he bought since he said the reason he picked the PC he did was the case.)
DVD Writer

Cost to him before rebates: $735
After Rebates: $680
Possible shipping cost $30
So rounding up to $725.

What he ended up buying:
http://www.amazon.com/CyberpowerPC-...8&qid=1428029634&sr=1-3&keywords=cyberpowerpc
+Taxes.

Originally I was going to suggest a GPU upgrade, but his unit has a 350W PSU which basically limited our options. So they he said he'd get a new PSU. That's $200-250 on top of the $650 he already dropped. Told him he'd be better of returning it.

EDIT:
Board I'll be getting with the CPU combo deal:
http://www.microcenter.com/product/433412/GA-Z97-HD3_LGA_1150_ATX_Intel_Motherboard
$80 - $40 CPU bundle - $20 Rebate == $20.

 

[RussianSensation]

Thermaltake 600W TR2 (said he'd rather pay less up front, than worry about rebates, going for $55 with $15 rebate).

There are way better PSUs linked in this thread. Again, not sure how you are passing on the $50 Antec 750W Gold with Japanese components and 92% efficiency rating. This PSU even made it to front page on SlickDeals now. hehe

That Thermaltake is a piece of junk as most Thermaltake PSUs are.

 

[railven]

There are way better PSUs linked in this thread. Again, not sure how you are passing on the $50 Antec 750W Gold with Japanese components and 92% efficiency rating. This PSU even made it to front page on SlickDeals now. hehe

That Thermaltake is a piece of junk as most Thermaltake PSUs are.

It's not my build, and that Antec is $80 up front. I'll push it again, but if he says no, what am I going to do? Scrap the build? Cover the difference out of pocket?

EDIT: I'm not even sure where he will decide on the case. Either he goes cheaper or more. This build doesn't include an OS to stay under his budget.

 

[RussianSensation]

How much is that Crucial SSD? Samsung 850 250GB is $105-110 and is better than the Crucial MX100.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-850...sh=item4d2ff9b6ef&afepn=5335869999&rmvSB=true

 

[railven]

How much is that Crucial SSD? Samsung 850 250GB is $105-110 and is better than the Crucial MX100.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-850...sh=item4d2ff9b6ef&afepn=5335869999&rmvSB=true

$75, combo deal $10 off when purchased with Mobo+CPU.

EDIT: However, online inventory is showing only one in stock so I'm swinging by tomorrow after work just in case.

 

[RussianSensation]

$75, combo deal $10 off when purchased with Mobo+CPU.

EDIT: However, online inventory is showing only one in stock so I'm swinging by tomorrow after work just in case.

Sounds good. The best part is for his games the 680 is still awesome and he is getting an i5 K series!

P.S. Crazy MC has a $299 5820K and now throws in an Asrock X99 Extreme 4 for $149.99 but with $30 MIR the board is $119.99. Looking at the specs, the X99 Extreme 4 is stacked compared to 95% of Z97 boards. With this combo deal the i7 5820K + X99 mobo is not any more expensive than a good Z97 board and an i7 4790K.

 

[railven]

Got an EMAIL response back. Going with the 500R and the Antec 750W. Will be placing order tonight and swinging back Microcenter.

He sounds excited. Said he already got the return in process, he's taking a 15% restocking fee but said he doesn't care. Seems he's also returning a laptop he bought for his wife. I didn't ask the specific but said it was another AMD APU.

I hope he's ready to either go desktop for her or drop a good coin for a decent laptop.

 

[RussianSensation]

I honestly don't even know how your friend got ripped off this badly. I barely did any research and found a Core i7 4770 + 8GB DDR3 desktop + WiFi N + Windows 7 Premium for $580 USD.

http://slickdeals.net/f/7761737-hp-...dows-7-home-prem-579-99-ar-with-free-shipping

Add that $50 Antec PSU in there for the future bringing the total price to $750, which he can offset by selling the GT640 GPU in that system. Take that and throw a GTX680 in there, get a free Windows 10 upgrade and there you go a $750 rig with legitimate Windows 10. The problem is missing SSD, but anyway not sure what your friend was doing when he was buying a pre-built PC!

 

[railven]

I honestly don't even know how your friend got ripped off this badly. I barely did any research and found a Core i7 4770 + 8GB DDR3 desktop + WiFi N + Windows 7 Premium for $580 USD.

http://slickdeals.net/f/7761737-hp-...dows-7-home-prem-579-99-ar-with-free-shipping

Add that $50 Antec PSU in there for the future bringing the total price to $750, which he can offset by selling the GT640 GPU in that system. Take that and throw a GTX680 in there, get a free Windows 10 upgrade and there you go a $750 rig with legitimate Windows 10. The problem is missing SSD, but anyway not sure what your friend was doing when he was buying a pre-built PC!

He isn't computer literate and I think the person he was discussing this with wasn't being honest or just ignorant.

I think majority of the $650 in his PC is in the case. As for Windows, he said he has a copy of Win7. It's validity is on him. Haha.