My First Build. Ever. -- Plz see my parts list

[sh0tsl1nger]

So I've decided to build my first PC. Why? because I know I can and it's something that I've always wanted to do. However, being a law student with little to no tech background, I seek the advice and direction of those more tech savvy than I. My main goal with this build is to be able to eventually add on a 2nd GPU and have the total cost come in at under $1000 (remember that I'm a broke law student).
Obviously at this price range, i'm looking for smart, efficient buys rather than the latest and greatest. Plz let me know if you see any bottlenecks or other issues with this build.
After the list below, I had 3 questions specifically related to this build. Thank you all for your time, advice and expertise!

Motherboard: P8H67-M EVO-REV3 (LGA 1155 socket): $125
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131710)

CPU: i5 2400 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHZ (LGA 1155): $189
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115074)

PSU & RAM COMBO: CORSAIR Gaming Series GS800 800W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply bundled with:
1x CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM ... $159.99 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.826155)

Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower $54.99 (Newegg) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153)

GPU: GIGABYTE GV-N560UD-1G GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5: $209 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125401)

RAM: See above

HDD: Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $124.99
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840)

Disk Drive: SAMSUNG Black 12X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-ray Combo Model SH-B123L LightScribe Support - OEM $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151222


Heatsink: ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink $39.99 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118003)


My 3 questions:
Is an 800 watt power supply sufficient to cover the eventual 2nd GPU?
Is the aftermarket heatsink fan necessary?
What does "Bare drive" mean as it is used in the HDD description?

 

[catatafish]

CPUs that end in an K are for overclocking. You didn't pick one of those so there is no need for an aftermarket CPU cooler. If you want to overclock look at the i5 2500K.

If you know you're going to do dual cards, I would be safe and go with a 850w PSU. Can't go wrong with Corsair.

Bare drive means you're going to stick it inside your case.

Good luck on your build, I just did my first a month ago and had a blast!

 

[JackNaylorPE]

You're paying $210 for an 822 Mhz card from Gigabyte...this one is gonna cost ya $205 and is 900Mhz with a bigger cooler and beefed up VRM for extreme OC'ing
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125363

You want to add a 2nd GFX card so ya need a MoBo that supports that. Here's an SLI capable board with a 2500k (K can be overclocked). for $390 .... Subtract the $20 MIR and the $18 promo offer (10% off w/ promo code EMCNHHJ79, limited time ) and ya paying $342 .... just $28 of ya original combo....and ya get HUGE performance boost.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.822654

Is an 800 watt power supply sufficient to cover the eventual 2nd GPU?

yes

Is the aftermarket heatsink fan necessary?

If ya wanna overclock and I most definitely would. 4.5 Ghz easily doable with $28 Hyper 212. $.7 ish doable w/ Hyper 612 ($47)

What does "Bare drive" mean as it is used in the HDD description?

No software, no cables, and no, they are not required.

I'd try and upgrade the case if ya can afford it....something with a front USB 3 port, and more air flow

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=100006644&isNodeId=1&Description=500R&x=0&y=0

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129097&Tpk=902%20V3

If ya can do w/o USB 3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066

 

[g-unit1111]

Is an 800 watt power supply sufficient to cover the eventual 2nd GPU?

If you have SLI in mind, then yes that will be more than ample.

However I'm kind of iffy on the Corsair Gaming Series, the TX 750 would be a better choice: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021

Is the aftermarket heatsink fan necessary?

Even if you don't OC, I find them to be better because they will circulate and move the hot air out of your system and keep the cool air circulating if setup correctly.

What does "Bare drive" mean as it is used in the HDD description?

It doesn't come with a box and is certified as an OEM product which means that the store you purchase it from will be the primary supporter of the drive and has to provide a replacement, and it's not the manufacturer's responsibility.

These would be my suggestions:

Don't get an Asus Evo board - I had one and it failed on me after 2 months of owning it.

This would be a far better choice and it's only $20 more: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128498

Or this for the same price: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271

That fan is an OK choice, try one of these for alternates:

- Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099
- EVGA M020: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835288001
- Akasa Voodoo Venom: http://www.frozencpu.com/products/14775/cpu-aka-07/Akasa_Venom_Voodoo_Universal_CPU_Cooler_w_Direct_Contact_AK-CC4008HP01_Sockets_LGA_775_1155_1156_1366_2011_AM2_AM3_FM1.html?tl=g48
- Thermalright True Spirit: http://www.frozencpu.com/products/9403/cpu-tri-62/Thermalright_CoGage_True_Spirit_4-Heatpipe_Core_i7_CPU_Cooler_w_PWM_Fan_Socket_LGA_11561366.html?tl=g48c369s1037
- Noctua NH-U9B: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608016

- And then for your video card I'd recommend this over the Gigabyte: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130604

 

[azeem40]

Is an 800 watt power supply sufficient to cover the eventual 2nd GPU?

If you have SLI in mind, then yes that will be more than ample.

However I'm kind of iffy on the Corsair Gaming Series, the TX 750 would be a better choice: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021

Is the aftermarket heatsink fan necessary?

Even if you don't OC, I find them to be better because they will circulate and move the hot air out of your system and keep the cool air circulating if setup correctly.

What does "Bare drive" mean as it is used in the HDD description?

It doesn't come with a box and is certified as an OEM product which means that the store you purchase it from will be the primary supporter of the drive and has to provide a replacement, and it's not the manufacturer's responsibility.

These would be my suggestions:

Don't get an Asus Evo board - I had one and it failed on me after 2 months of owning it.

This would be a far better choice and it's only $20 more: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128498

Or this for the same price: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271

That fan is an OK choice, try one of these for alternates:

- Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099
- EVGA M020: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835288001
- Akasa Voodoo Venom: http://www.frozencpu.com/products/14775/cpu-aka-07/Akasa_Venom_Voodoo_Universal_CPU_Cooler_w_Direct_Contact_AK-CC4008HP01_Sockets_LGA_775_1155_1156_1366_2011_AM2_AM3_FM1.html?tl=g48
- Thermalright True Spirit: http://www.frozencpu.com/products/9403/cpu-tri-62/Thermalright_CoGage_True_Spirit_4-Heatpipe_Core_i7_CPU_Cooler_w_PWM_Fan_Socket_LGA_11561366.html?tl=g48c369s1037
- Noctua NH-U9B: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608016

- And then for your video card I'd recommend this over the Gigabyte: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130604

I would say the GIGABYTE GPU that Jack suggested would be a faster choice for $45 less.

 

[catatafish]

+1 on the Corsair or Antec case. You really don't want to skimp on the case. You're going to hear all kinds of GPU opinions....I went in to analysis paralysis trying to decide before I ordered my MSI 560ti, which was based largely on price/performance ratio and how long the card was.

One more comment on the cases....with dual cards, you're making a LOT of heat. So again, don't skimp on the case. Most of the Antec and Corsair cases will give you plenty of room to work, and plenty of fan cooling for those dual cards.

Although I disagree with Jack's assessment of ASUS as a company, I agree with him about the performance to price benefit you'll get with the gigabyte recommendation. Some times you're just going to get a bad part, but gigabyte is definitely a top brand. One thing I do love about my ASUS is the utilities it comes with for fan control, bios updating, overclocking, and temp monitoring etc. Not sure if Gigabyte has a similar utility.

 

[g-unit1111]

I would say the GIGABYTE GPU that Jack suggested would be a faster choice for $45 less.

I personally prefer the smaller brands better but that's just me.

One more comment on the cases....with dual cards, you're making a LOT of heat. So again, don't skimp on the case. Most of the Antec and Corsair cases will give you plenty of room to work, and plenty of fan cooling for those dual cards.

I'll agree with this. However I will say most cases now - even the sub-$60 ones are pretty well ventilated and with the right fan setup you'll get the same results as you would with with ones that cost 2 - 3x as much. I do like the cases mentioned though.