Help picking parts for gaming PC

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/NbOZ
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/NbOZ/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/NbOZ/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.69 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77-DS3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.34 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sandisk Extreme 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($389.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1137.94
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-30 01:55 EDT-0400)


Yes, you can have 2 monitors on one card. The psu might seem like overkill but you will need it when you crossfire.

This is a great framework but definitely do some research on what EXACT parts you'll need.

CPU: 3570k is a great CPU and fits your budget

CPU cooler: The Hyper 212 is THE go to cheap heatsink. If you think you might want higher overclocking capacity and maybe a little less noise I'd look into a closed loop liquid cooler (Corsair H80, H100, etc.) or big-ass dual-fanned heatsink (Noctua NH-D14)

Motherboard: Problem. If you do end up later adding a second video card, the Gigabyte GA-Z77-DS3H will under-perform. The second PCI-E x16 slot only has 4 lanes wired up (instead of the usual 8) so you'll end up with a bottleneck at that slot. The next tier up from that motherboard would be the Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H, which performs well in SLI/CrossfireX. If you aren't specifically looking at Gigabyte, ASRock Z77 Extreme3 is a little bit cheaper and overclocks very well.

Memory: Get an 8GB (2x4GB) kit, 1600 MHz, not much more really matters. More-so make sure that it'll fit (big heatsinks need low-profile RAM) and that it's a color that'll look good

Storage: You'll want a 1TB HDD for storage of Games, Movies, Music, etc. The Seagate drive above is solid, Western Digital Blue 1TB is the same price and that's what I use. As for an SSD storing the OS and programs, that Sandisk Extreme 120GB is a great price and it's also really fast for a 120GB SSD, get that.

Video Card: You definitely have the most choice here. Do you want Nvidia or AMD (SLI or CrossfireX)? I prefer using Nvidia/SLI over AMD/CrossfireX. SLI usually scales better in games than CrossfireX does, and Nvidia's Geforce Experience is a very cool program for optimizing games for your specific hardware. Very cool, very streamlined, I dig it.

The argument for AMD is usually price, and computing power. If you need a workstation with a gaming graphics card, AMD's cards will perform better than Nvidia cards when being used to accelerate certain programs (I'd look up whatever programs you use for game development and see if they favor AMD).

Considering all of that and your budget, you'll probably want an HD 7970. If you get a GTX 670 or 680 you will be just as happy though. If you've got the money for a 680, do it; if you don't, a 670 overclocked is pretty much the same thing. Pick a model, look at prices (use pcpartpicker.com), google what brand is the best for that particular model, make your decision.

Power Supply: That's a great cheap power supply, it'll handle whatever SLI/CrossfireX configuration you may end up with.

Optical Drive: Meh. If you know you need one, get one. I honestly haven't used one in years, and most cases look good without one.