$1200 build, how's it look?

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1onlA
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1onlA/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1onlA/benchmarks/



1. CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($144.99 @ Amazon)
2. CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
3. Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($119.99 @ Microcenter)
4. Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.00 @ Newegg)
5. Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($104.99 @ Adorama)
6. Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($254.99 @ NCIX US)
7. Case: Corsair 500R White ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Newegg)
8. Power Supply: Corsair Gaming 800W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
9. Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
10. Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)

Total: $1029.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

A simple breakdown
1. The 8350 is a overclocked version of the 8320, you will save a little over 30 dollars from the 8350 variant and you will easily be able to overclock it even higher with the power supply I provided.

2. The CPU cooler you had originally works very well, you can easily overclock and CPU with it and keep the temps exceptionally cool.

3. Motherboard - The ASUS variant does have better heat spreaders which allow for more safer overclocking for the CPU. But.. you will probably not utilize a fraction of the technology provided by ASUS that makes the difference for the pricing. If you do truly trust ASUS, this board is completely fine but the GIGABYTE 990FXA should be very sufficient for the build you intend on using for gaming.

4. Memory - The memory you selected is very good, they can be easily overclocked without hassle and the heat spreaders on them do not interfere with the H212 CPU fan.

5. Storage - Corsair is fairly good and sturdy enough to last for a gaming PC, I do not recommend a Black version of the corsair 7200 RPM models since they tend to be very unstable after a few years. Blue is very good for gaming and daily use and will last just as long. Kept the Black for the cheap deal. That SSD is great.

6. Video Card - AMD has a fine line of HD cards that can play many games flawlessly but they have a knack for heat. GTX 760s will provide more power for the price, you will be able to run almost every game at max settings with a 2G GDDR5 card. Comparing a GTX 760 to a GTX 670, obviously the 670 will perform better but the new 760s will give you more features and more reliability at a cheaper price, you can compare them easily at their website.

7. Case - Very good and fairly well built case.

8. PSU - I upgraded the Power Supply to be able to house Dual 760s or any other card you desire, also able to over clock with it.

9. Optical Drive - LiteON from my experience and many other from different websites has a bad reputation for spinning out of sync. I recommended an ASUS DRW, just as fast but more reliable and cheaper.

10. OS - Perfect

You have enough money now to buy a 200 dollar monitor or get a new headset, mouse and keyboard.

Over all, this list will provide you with upgrade space down the road for the next 10 years, but that will never be necessary since games will never have engines capable of using that much processing power yet. heh

Hope I helped in any way! A lot of people here gave you some good suggestions and I hope you take them all into careful consideration for a good quality budget build!