1st PC build, looking for help!!

i would just wait till you get $1500 upgrading something like a case is more hassle than you really want

For the most part, your build is good.
Here are my thoughts:

1. The CoolMax CUL-Series 750W had a terrible review at :http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/977
I would stick with a tier 1 or 2 unit from this list: http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx

2. If the vengeance ram is low profile, then that is good. Otherwise look for low profile.
1.5v ram does not need any heat spreaders which can interfere with your cpu cooler.

3. 64gb is too small for a os ssd. A ssd loses performance when it nears full. Better to have 120gb which is enough to hold the os and a handful of games. Better yet, look at a 240gb ssd, and you can dispense with any hard drive at all.
My picks would be Samsung or intel.

4. You can do a conservative oc with the EVO. In fact, it will not ever really need to be changed out.

5. Ditto for the case. Buy a case you love up front, and it will serve you for many builds.

6. A 7970 needs only a 550w psu. Even a GTX690 or titan needs only a 620w psu.
If you are planning on sli for the future, don.t.
Here is my canned rant on that:
-----------------------------Start of rant----------------------------------------------------
Dual graphics cards vs. a good single card.

a) How good do you really need to be?
A single GTX650/ti or 7770 can give you good performance at 1920 x 1200 in most games.

A single GTX660 or 7850 will give you excellent performance at 1920 x 1200 in most games.
Even 2560 x 1600 will be good with lowered detail.
A single gtx690 or Titan is about as good as it gets.

Only if you are looking at triple monitor gaming, then sli/cf will be needed.
Even that is now changing with triple monitor support on top end cards.

b) The costs for a single card are lower.
You require a less expensive motherboard; no need for sli/cf or multiple pci-e slots.
Even a ITX motherboard will do.

Your psu costs are less.
A GTX660 needs a 430w psu, even a GTX680 only needs a 550w psu.
When you add another card to the mix, plan on adding 150-200w to your psu requirements.

Even the strongest GTX690 only needs 620w.

Case cooling becomes more of an issue with dual cards.
That means a more expensive case with more and stronger fans.
You will also look at more noise.

c) Dual cards do not always render their half of the display in sync, causing microstuttering. It is an annoying effect.
The benefit of higher benchmark fps can be offset, particularly with lower tier cards.
Read this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-stutter-crossfire,2995.html

d) dual card support is dependent on the driver. Not all games can benefit from dual cards.

e) cf/sli up front reduces your option to get another card for an upgrade. Not that I suggest you plan for that.
It will often be the case that replacing your current card with a newer gen card will offer a better upgrade path.
The GTX780 and amd 8000 series are not that far off.
-------------------------------End of rant-----------------------------------------------------------

1. The CoolMax CUL-Series 750W had a terrible review at :http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/977
I would stick with a tier 1 or 2 unit from this list: http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx

Click to expand...

Coolmax is easily one of the absolute worst PSU vendors you could pick from - they have a reputation for blowing up and shorting out.

2. If the vengeance ram is low profile, then that is good. Otherwise look for low profile.
1.5v ram does not need any heat spreaders which can interfere with your cpu cooler.

Click to expand...

Agree here.

Your psu costs are less.
A GTX660 needs a 430w psu, even a GTX680 only needs a 550w psu.
When you add another card to the mix, plan on adding 150-200w to your psu requirements.

Click to expand...

I'm in the minority on power supplies here. Yeah GPUs are getting more energy efficient with each generation, I get that. However, I have seen what happens with PSUs that have incorrect amperage output and are prone to shorting out. I had that on my HTPC when I tried to use a Corsair CX430. Failed to boot every single time because of Sandy Bridge power requirements. Switched it to the Seasonic S12 430W and it's worked solidly ever since. It's not having too few watts - it's having a poorly made power supply.

i would just wait till you get $1500 upgrading something like a case is more hassle than you really want

Click to expand...

It's not really that big of a hassle, I've switched cases out on builds many times. However I do agree that it's not something I would do very often.

That said on the OP's budget here's what I would suggest:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Vector Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($148.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($369.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 500R White ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($75.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1257.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-13 20:03 EDT-0400)

I agree with g=unit1111
It is not worth getting a cheap psu for your brand new components.
I think that the gtx 670 is the best bang for your buck in the market today
The asrock board will be a better deal for this build... It is feature rich - Also, MSI has a live update utility that when you first build your system, you use it to scan your system for all mobo driver and software updates. That part works great and it pops up a comprehensive list of all current vesions alongside of the latest updates for your system. It lets you choose to update them all as a group,but when you try, it only updates the first one on the list and puts the rest in a file without applying them. It is a pain in the tailbone,as you must pick each update individually and complete it before going on to the next. It works in the end, but is a big hassle!!!

Also, corsair psu's are usually good, but the cx(builder) series seems to be less than quality!

I think you will love the case....Plenty of room. The top part will snap off so you can put your radiator above the case and it will still hide inside handle, then you mount the fans from underneath!
You could save a little by going with an air cooler like the coolermaster hyper 212 series. It will work just as well as the fancy h100i and only cost you $30.
You could also save on the case and get the storm scout II, as the trooper is actually big enough for an extended atx board and you wont really need that much room. Maybe you could use the savings to step up your gpu, which is your most important component for your games. Maybe a 7950 or 7970

Yeah, I have the trooper...same thing but black! I have an extended mobo tho... Also, make sure to check your psu power supply cable to the processor...with the case being so tall, some cables may require an extention. Mine barely reached since I hid it behind my board!

i would get a 7870 xt it performs almost as well as a 7950 but at around the $240

Yes. The idea is for the rear case fan to help get the heat out of the case asap.

The ASRock Z77 Pro3 is $90. The price is low because it has only one pcie x16 slot. If you have no plans for crossfire(which I do not recommend) then it will do as well as anything else.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157297

Since you are on a budget, ditch the H100 cooler. Really a cm hyper212 EVO will do very well @$30.
Or, even a Noctua NH-D14 pr Phanteks @$80.
Nothing wrong with a GS700 psu. But a Seasonic S12II 620 @$70 will save you some and handle a graphics card as good as a 7970 or GTX690. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151096

I still recommend a tahiti le card they are like $240 and is about 5-10 fps faster than a 7870ghz before you O/C. It also runs at 925mhz giving you more to O/C headroom. I've saw review where there card went to 1200mhz easily and read similar results on newegg.

link- http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeon-PCI-Express-Graphics-11199-20-20G/dp/B00AWKYB1M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363358869&sr=8-1&keywords=7870+xt
(out of stock) link- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202024&Tpk=7870%20xt&IsVirtualParent=1

I hear good things about the CX750 but I'm not sure how much I'd trust my sources.

But yeah the CX series are definitely not Corsair's best. Just because it has the Corsair name on it doesn't necessarily mean that it's going to live up to the brand's name and reputation.