Under $1800 Gaming System Feedback

My build: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/2HRK2

Comments:

1) I wanted to fit in a GTX780 graphics card. I went about $30 over budget but if that's a big deal you could save a few dollars elsewhere.

2) I recommend the i5-4670K. While the FX-8350 does comparably in a few new games now that games are being written better it also performs very poorly in most current games such as SKYRIM which can run over 30% slower.

Most people don't just buy new games, but rather get current/older games on Steam for cheap. It's not a few older games it's MOST of them. Some argue you'd be above 60FPS anyway, but games also have a LOW FPS at times which results in stutter so the poorer the CPU, the more stutter (of this type) you get. The CPU also creates a lot more HEAT which is very problematic in areas that get hot.

Benchmark (i5-4670K is slightly faster than the i5-3570K): http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fx-8350-vishera-review,3328-14.html

3) NOCTUA CPU COOLER:
This one should keep things pretty cool and quiet and it's reasonably priced. The stock fan gets pretty noisy, and the Cooler Master Hyper 212/Evo is only abut $20 cheaper but its fan is prone to noise issues.

4) CASE:
There are other cases depending on your preferences. You want one with front USB3, and at least one included case fan.

5) Windows 8.1 64-bit:
Not much to say there, but don't get Windows 7. I do however recommend START8 from Stardock for $5 to bypass the new Start Menu by default (can still easily go to the new one).

6) SSD:
The Samsung 840 EVO is the best value IMO.
*You will want to download Samsung Magician to update the firmware and Overprovision the drive.

7) HDD: 2TB is the best value and the reviews for this model are good.
*Install STEAM and other games to the hard drive. For example, when installing STEAM create it and "E:\STEAM" if "E" is your 2TB hard drive.

Other:
- memtest for DDR3 memory www.memtest.org
- motherboard BIOS update
- click "XMP" in the BIOS to set the CPU and DDR3 optimal defaults (don't overclock until Memtest and used for a week to ensure no issues. I recommend 4.1 or 4.2GHz by manually changing the Multiplier for each core and nothing else, then rerun Memtest)
- motherboard main chipset, and other drivers, fan control software etc.
- create BACKUP IMAGE of Windows (C-drive) to the hard drive. Programs include Acronis True Image (Seagate has the free version under the name "Seagate DiscWizard" which can create a compressed backup of your Windows drive. Roughly 20GB to 40GB depending on capacity).