Building a New System, need feedback

!!!WARNING: WALL OF TEXT AHEAD, NO TL;DR!!!

Well, I feel that it is time to put together a new rig, so, for that past months I have been browsing sites, reading reviews, and watching demonstrations. Needless to say, I'm a little burnt out. So, I come here to ask for the help and recommendations from the userbase of the site I inevitably end up on when looking up hardware. However, I won't jump into my component choices quite yet, as I feel this build could use some backstory as to why I have selected the parts I intend to use (time and money depending).

I am 17, and have been in love with computers since I was 6. I got my first computer around age 9-10 after my neighbors father let me play BF2 and URT. I was hooked on BF2. It was an e-machines "Media" desktop equipped with an AMD Athlon 64 Venice in the 754 socket. Worked damn well for BF3, and when Crysis was announced, I got freakin giddy. It was the perfect excuse to get the Nvidia 9800GT! Plans fell through though. I had started an affair...with console gaming. I got a gamecube. Fast forward to 2010. I had gone through through 4 xbox consoles. It was bad, but I was hooked on live. However, I decided to pick up a PC Gamer magazine, and was instantly transported back to the joys of computing. over the next couple months I had just kinda floated through a console vs PC limbo. Until my friend introduced me to the wonderful world of Minecraft. I ended up dusting my old e-machines off, and my friend and I dove into the minecraft alpha. Now, last year I had told myself I would build a computer, but through chance and need, I ended up getting a Laptop. The ASUS G75VW is the first computer that I have ever purchased with my own money. It was, and still is a glorious machine. It made everything else in that bestbuy look like crap.

Now, I know some of you are thinking "gaming laptops are a waste of money!!!!", but I really do love this thing! I needed a laptop, I wanted to game, I abhor shitty plastic HP's, so I got this. With the i7-3610QM @ 2.3 ghz, and my 660m OC'd to 1084mhz with the memory @ 2817mhz (Burn-in score of 1240), this lappy can take on pretty much anything (well, except for Nexuiz STUPID mode). However, I still do want a desktop to game on. I want my laptop to be used more like...well, a laptop (actually being mobile), I don't want to just run games, I want to DESTROY games! That, and because my gpu only has about 384 cuda cores, and is not the most optimized thing out there, it struggles in some high quality F2P non AAA games (Mechwarrior Online because DX9, Planetside 2, BL:R, etc.). I also want to be able to do some work in CAD, as I would like to start designing and creating my own 3D models/creations.


basically, I want a low profile, super high performance setup, and after looking up tons of benchmarks and setting a build budget of $2500 (let's face it, with college ahead and the current economy, I have a larger disposable income now than I will for quite some time), I have come up with these components:

Processor: Intel Core i7-3930k....$569.99
Cooler: CORSAIR H80i................$79.99
Yes, a bit overkill, I know, but it does seem to offer improvements over 3770k. Although, I am still mulling this choice over. Should I save the $200 for the 3770?

MOBO: ASUS Rampage IV Gene LGA 2011 X79 Micro ATX....269.99
CASE: Custom open air pedestal
Originally, I didn't want to go the red and black route, but screw it! Because I am building my own case, I'll just ROG that sucker up.

Memory: G. SKIL Ripjaws Z 2133mhz (4x4GB)....$144.99
HDD: WD Velociraptor 600GB............................$179.99
Still debating whether or not to get a solid state boot drive.

PSU: XFX 850watt 12V 80 PLUS GOLD....$149.99

Graphics Card: Well...here's where I really need your help.
Because of my age, I will make hourly when I get a job, anywhere from 7.50-9.50 an hour, which means it will take me at least a couple months to scrape together the cash for the build; however, I wanted to put either a GTX 690* or a TITAN* on my build. The 690 offers extreme performance, and even with dual GPUs, it's still a single card, which fits the low profile part of my build. However, the TITAN is a single gpu card, so no scaling problems, and lots of memory (it holds 2gb of it over the 690's head), so no worries about monitor setups, and it still offers performance on-par with the 690.
But something I found out about a certain up-and-coming card kicked me in the stomach today. The GTX 780. Now, this article (http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Nvidia-GeForce-GTX-700-Kepler,22204.html) speculates that the 780's price will be around $499-599. Now, according to the chart, this card is only 200 cuda cores, 40 TMUs, and 8 ROPs away from a TITAN...saywhat? This confounds me, as that is exactly the same projected specs of the supposed "TITAN LE", and it may be launching THIS MONTH....something seems a little fishy.
*I will probably put them on their own custom loop, so yes, in my build the 690 and TITAN will perform at almost the same level after slight overclocks*

Now, I will say, I am a bit of an intel & nvidia fan, so I am not looking for AMD/ATI solutions. However, ALL comments are appreciated! Please share your thoughts and experiences! I am still a bit fresh to this kind of thing. Also, I really need some recommendations for good monitors. I don't really want a triple setup, as, for the price it would be to do so, you could get a 2560x1600 setup instead.

Thanks!

Color matching is fun. Personally, I'd save money if I were you. There's no reason to spend extra money on SLI / CrossFire, water cooling, etc. unless you have to. College is a tough time. You're lucky to finish college with only $50,000 in loans these days. And trust me, that $50,000 will take you 5 years to pay off, during which time, you'll end up paying an 125% of its base price. I suggest going heavy on scholarships.

I'd get something that works, even if it's not the best. I left a 850W PSU in case you do want to SLI, but I don't think you need it. Let me know. A 650W is fine if not SLI.

Also, I suggest that you not post a wall of text like that, especially when 90% of it is irrelevant. I love a good story as much as the next guy, but that story wasn't written well.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($139.65 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 670 4GB Video Card ($443.98 @ Newegg)
Sound Card: Asus Xonar DX 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card ($81.24 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Trooper ATX Full Tower Case ($144.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 850W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($104.33 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.95 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VH238H 23.0" Monitor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VH238H 23.0" Monitor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder 2013 Wired Optical Mouse ($57.24 @ Amazon)
Speakers: Cyber Acoustics CA-3602 30W 2.1ch Speakers ($38.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $1996.27
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

Indeed; but most college graduates have at least $50,000 in loans.

Sometimes, a budget doesn't have to be reached. Like those threads a while back with a budget of $3500, $5000, $6500, and even one with $20,000! It's just insane.

And Denmark! But their tax rates are just higher, still, I rather have higher tax rates than having to pay student loans. It'll take a while for tax rates to take out $50,000 more than here in the USA. But I was lucky with my scholarships and only had $12,000 in loans post-grad. That's been paid off.

He can crush games with a single GTX 670. No bottlenecks either. The only difference is the really high intensive graphical games where ultra may not work too well. I don't know if it's worth a SLI in his current situation to gain an ultra for only some games.

This will be more bang for your buck. I chose an AMD card only because the 7970 is better than both the GTX 670 and GTX 680 for about the same price or cheaper.

I also removed the sound card. Unless you're an audiophile like myself, you won't need it as the difference can really only be noticed if you have high quality headphones or speakers.

Lost the color matching with the heatsink but it's a best one for the money and same price. Overall, it's a solid system.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($139.65 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($389.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.25 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.95 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VH238H 23.0" Monitor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VH238H 23.0" Monitor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder 2013 Wired Optical Mouse ($57.24 @ Amazon)
Speakers: Cyber Acoustics CA-3602 30W 2.1ch Speakers ($38.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $1770.96
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

I love Sapphire Vapor-X too. I have both the Gigabyte 7970 up there and the Sapphire Vapor-X 7970 (non GHz).

Though, not in the same build of course. I have one upstairs and one downstairs. It gets really hot here in the summer so I usually stay downstairs w/ AC during summer time.

Lol, my basement is always between 50-60f , so I'm always down here in the summer xD

I have to say, I actually like the build. However, because I'm an idiot fanboy, I modified it a little to fit my preferences:

CPU: i5-3570k (I wanted an i7, but I cannot actually find a reason to argue against this ...............................$219.99
Cooler: Corsair H100i (I prefer the low profile on the socket, the RAD can be hidden or mounted to the side)....$95.99
Motherboard: ASUS Maximus V GENE micro ATX (ASUS! YAY! Also, micro ATX)..............................................$199.99
Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws Z series 2133 (Im a stubborn bastard, ain't I?)......................................................$144.99
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro series 128gb.....................................................................................................$149.99
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500gb 7200rpm (for 60 bucks, I may just get 4 in raid 10 xD..............................$59.99
Video Card: I think I will hold out till the GTX 780, but I put an ASUS 680 as a stand in (for pricing purposes)...$569.99
Case: Taken care of
Power Supply: EVGA Supernova 650watt 80 PLUS GOLD (the one listed ended up $104+ this one is modular)...$114.99
Operating System: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit........................................................................................$139.99
Monitor: ASUS VN247H-P Black 23.6" 1ms (I only use a 2nd monitor for TS3, so I bumped it up).....................$189.99
Keyboard: Corsair K60 (I just like this keyboard)........................................................................................$109.99
Mouse: taken care of (Logitech MX518, I could never part with it)
Sound Card: ASUS Xonar DX 7.1 (I do want a sound card)...........................................................................$89.99
Speakers: taken care of
Mouse Mat: Corsair Vengeance MM200 standard (why not?)..........................................................................$16.99

TOTAL.....................................................................................................................................................$2102.87

So, what do you think? Is it reasonable?

Oh, right. Forgot to ask, any recommendations for thermal paste?

Oh, right. Forgot to ask, any recommendations for thermal paste?

Oh, sweet, thanks!
I wasn't thinking 780's in sli. I want to keep under budget. Plus, the 780 looks to have almost as much power as the TITAN.

I could always use a second opinion! I like micro ATX because of the size. Honestly, at most, I'd still only go with two cards. I like small profile.
Are there any major drawbacks to micro ATX?

Wow, bad timing for the article. Although, 550-600 still is not too obscene given the price of current 680's, and how this 780 compares to the $1000 TITAN. 2.4k cores compared to the titan's 2.6 means it's closer to the titan than the 670 is to the 680 (200 cores from 1.3k to 1.5). Damn impressive imo

1. If you prefer the H100i, go for it. It offers a very slight advantage over the Noctua NH-D14 while also holding a bit of disadvantages with more potential for failure (leaks).

2. Motherboard is too expensive. Try an Extreme4-M edition.

3. You realize that the 2133MHz only provide at most a few frames in advantage over the 1600 right? It's really not worth it.

4. Saving the $8 in storage to get 500GB instead of 1TB? Stingy much.

5. GTX 680 is only marginally better than the GTX 670. You may get a few extra frames a bit of speed for $100. If you think it's worth it, go for it. But it's $100 for almost no noticeable difference other than in benchmarks. If you're going to wait for the 700s, you may as well also wait for Haswell. You'll also have to rework your CPU and motherboard.

6. As for the case, you could've told us. It would've helped us know what size you were aiming for.

7. You replaced my good Corsair TX PSU with an EVGA PSU? EVGA does not make their own PSU and the OEM for EVGA PSU are not reputed manufacturers. If you plan to buy all that, you should get a good PSU so it doesn't backfire on you.

8. Arctic Silver 5 is a good thermal paste.

9. Micro ATX has less expansion slots.

All CLC are louder than a heatsink cooler. I personally wouldn't ever opt for CLC. If you want water cooling, get a custom kit.

Everything I've said are my take and suggestions. OP does not have take any of said suggestions. So stubbornness or not, it doesn't affect me. Not my system.