First time $900-ish build

My main suggestion would be to go with the i5-2500K and invest the extra $100 in getting a better PSU, motherboard, and CPU cooler.

Check out this build:

Case: Antec 300 - $59.99
PSU: Seasonic X650 Gold - $129.99
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3P - $179.99
CPU: 3.30 ghz Intel Core i5-2500K - $219.99
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus - $25.99
RAM: 8GB Corsair Vengeance PC 1600MHz 1.5V - $49.99
HD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB - $69.99
Optical: Lite On 24X DVD Writer - $22.99
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 560 1GB - $199.99

Total: $958.72

... i hate the TT case.. ugh...

Totally agree - there's plenty of better cases you can get in that price range.

i should probably explain why..

TT cases tend to have huge amounts of honeycomb vents and grills spread over the case. Out of the box, the cases looks beautiful and are great coolers, but give it 3-4 months and you start to notice color changes in those grills, and color changing in fans, and soon a couple months later, you cases is in crusted with dust in every tiny grill. Now, dust is common with nearly all cases, but what a lot of people don't realize is that dust forms where high airflow is resisted by a objects (filter, cables, grills, etc) and Antec cases are littered with these.

A good case keeps the fan grills and vents to a minimum and have washable filters in every fan intake. Also, a good case will use a positive pressure cooling (the case has a high pressure then the room it's in) which limits dust inside the case and forces air in and out exactly where you want and not out side vents and holes randomly throughout the case.

I will say, your case will do exactly what you want and as long as you got a compressor to blow it out every few months you will be fine. But keep an open mind about sleek, less "aggressive" looking cases, they can sometimes save you the troubles of those devilish dust bunnies  

Couple examples (pricier ones, but none the less good)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Hey rozz and g-unit1111, thanks for your replies. Firstly, to g-unit1111, if i don't plan on doing SLI or Crossfire, is there any point in getting a 650 watt PSU? And wouldn't the 2600k be better for video editing?

@Rozz, thanks for the headsup about the TT cases. I was kinda worried about the vents collecting dust too, but at $50 i thought it would be my best chioce, what do you think about the antec 300's or the raidmax smilodon?

The i7-2600k would be better for video editing but it should be like REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY HEAVY HD BLURAY 1080p video editing. If you only use normal videos then the difference would be minimal.

I'd get a HAF 912 over Antec 300's anyday.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

the HAF is good.. it's got the filters in the front and if you fill that side panel with an exhaust fan, you'll do good. Washable filters are key  

My buddy got a Antec 900 (bigger 300) and it's pretty messy. Granted he lives in a crap hole full of dust, but meh. it does ok i guess.. if you're a clean freak like me u can pull it off

Do you guys have any opinions on the Haf912 vs the raidmax smilodon? They're both around $60 and I won't mind the LED lights on the smilodon. The smilodon also comes with 2 more 80mm fans and has the heaphone jack on the bottom vs the top for the haf (personal preference).

i like the Smilodon.. looks nice.. (personal preference).

make sure front and sidepanel fans are intakes and rear and PSU fans are exhaust.

A friend of mine has it and said that the everything is intake except for the ones on the back, so looking good so far.

Do you guys have any other comments on my build, the i7 and the ram were already purchased but everything else is still up in the air. I'm thinking of doing some minor overclocks on the i7 so I'm also considering the 212 evo, and what do you guys think is the best 1tb 7200rpm HD from around 60-80?

I'd stick with seagate.. reliable and i LOVE their customer service..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

if you got the money.. their ES drive a fancy and have a hell of a performance

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

64MB cache and a crazy life span.

Well the 2600K is better for video editing that's for sure. But for this build I don't think I'd trust a $50, non-certified PSU but that's just me. I like XFX but I don't think I'd trust a non-rated PSU simply because they are usually built by other companies and tend to have an unusually high fail rate. I'd go with the 2500K for now, invest the money in a good, future-proof PSU, and then if you find the 2500 isn't suiting your needs you can always upgrade in the future.

If you wanted another recommendation in order to fit the 2600K in your budget try the Corsair Builder Series 600 ($75), Antec Earthwatts 650 ($80), or the PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 ($95).

And I have the HAF 912 - it is an excellent case for the price, Cooler Master builds lots of great cases for any budget.

The PSU is rated 80+ bronze, and i thought that XFX was a pretty reputable company? It's got 5 eggs on newegg (albeit with only 12 reviews)

Huh, interesting. XFX makes great video cards (I've used their 6800 and 6900 series) but I don't know about any of their other products. It's your call - I'd personally go with a better known brand like the ones I mentioned, but that's just me. Anyway try this build:

Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 - $59.99
PSU: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MKII 650W - $89.99
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3H - $159.99
CPU: 3.40GHz Intel Core i7-2600K - $314.99
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 - $25.99
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) - $51.99
HD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200 RPM - $69.99
Optical: Lite On 24X DVD Writer W/ Lightscribe - $22.99
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 1GB - $179.99

Total: $975.82