Soon to be buying parts for first build. Opinions and such?

[Reverend_Mason]

So I figure it's about time to jump into the PC gaming world. I was originally going to be lazy and buy a pre-built PC fro CyberPower but decided against it for the sake of savings and learning more about PCs and building them. I've been doing research on parts and all the basics of PC building and watching tutorials and reading these forums and others for more than a month and I do believe it's almost time to make my purchase. Most of these parts will be from Newegg unless Amazon is cheaper at the time (also I have free 2 day prime shipping for Amazon so that's a bonus) So I figure being borderline paranoid as I am I'd throw what I intend to buy here and wait for some (hopefully) constructive criticism and/or casual observations so here goes.

I'm using a pretty crappy 32" Coby TV for my monitor. 60Hz refresh and 1360x768 resolution. So there's that.

Case: Corsair Carbide Series 300R

Mobo: Gigabyte GA-Z77X UD3H

CPU: Intel i5 3570k 3rd gen Ivy Bridge

GPU: EVGA GTX 670 2GB

PSU: Corsair Enthusiast Series 850w

RAM: Kingston Hyper X Blu 8GB 1600

SSD: Corsair Force Series 120GB 2.5in

HDD: Haven't really decided on one yet, will most likely pick up a good 500GB to 1TB on the next good sale I see.

Asus DVD drive.

CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 or H80 Closed loop cooling haven't decided which yet.

I'll throw a couple specific questions in here as well.

1. Downgrading to a 750w Corsair would save me a little cash or let me put it towards a better mobo if the one I selected isn't recommended. Would that be enough if I only plan on minor overclocking? Or should I stick with the 850w for a little breathing room.

2. If I stick with the 850w PSU would that be sufficient for me to put another GTX 670 in the build at some point later? For now the 670 by itself should be plenty but I know down the line I'll most likely decide I need another just because it would be shiny.

3. I originally went with higher profile RAM but switched to the Kingston due to CPU cooler concerns, now I intend to use the Corsair H60 or H80 so would switching back to high profile leave me room? I was thinking of switching back to the Corsair Vengeance but it is a bit more expensive and takes up more space.

4. I was originally going to go with an AMD CPU due to it being cheaper but I kept reading that it wasn't as fast as the Ivy Bridge by a significant amount. Now I see benchmarks where the performance gap really isn't all that large. Would saving some cash and going back to an FX series CPU be alright? Was thinking either the FX-8150 3.6Ghz or FX-4170 4.2Ghz.

That's about all I can think of right now. Your turn.

 

[o1die]

Use this at all times while handling components: syba esd strap $6.99 at newegg with free shipping. (link broken) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16899263009
Breadboard setup pic: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/page-262730_13_0.html for testing the cpu/ram/video before mounting the board inside the case.
This cpu and board combo will save you money; register with newegg for online promo codes; bookmark this page if you want to use this special: http://promotions.newegg.com/NEemail/june-0-2012/72hoursale15/index-landing.html?nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL061512&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL061512-_-EMC-061512-Index-_-E0-_-AllDeals (2500 non k for $195 with promo code).

This cpu is faster than the amd at the stock settings (or turbo mode 3.7 ghtz). The asus maximus gene 4 is also on sale with promo code, or you can go with a biostar board z77 for around $100. I've recently found non k cpus on craigslist; the 2500 I bought was around $100 and worked fine. Non k cpus are harder to sell, so I offer the seller less.

 

[willzzz]

You can run 2x 670 on a 750w PSU.

There are plenty of PSU calculators around that you can use, just google them.

 

[Reverend_Mason]

Thank you willzzz for pointing out something to me that simple that I never searched for. I feel pretty smart now. Also thanks o1die, I switched to the maximus board.

 

[macten]

Radio Shack sells an anti-static discharge mat that comes with a wrist strap.

 

[Reverend_Mason]

Yeah i got a cheap one up at best buy today for 5 bucks, not the mat though. I figure the mat shouldn't be such an issue since i have hardwood floors and the table ill be working on is also wooden, but hell I could be wrong but I was just going to be careful.

 

[macten]

I'm sure that will do fine. I got a 486DX2 back when I was in high school that made it through a year of college with no case at all and I never used a wrist strap or anything. But when buying brand new components, it's better safe than sorry.

 

[Reverend_Mason]

That is true..I'm still about a week and a half out from ordering the parts so I'll probably pick one up between now and then. After all now that I'm confident enough to build my own a friend of mines wants me to build one for him this fall so hell might as well get the tools I'll need.

 

[Reverend_Mason]

Stick with the i5-3570k or drop some extra cash for the the i7-3770? Choices..

edit: Nevermind, just going to overclock the i5 and save the cash.