Looking for suggestions on a <$1500 first build

Here are my recommendations: (i will list them on newegg.com and assume that they can be found on the site you are using)

CPU: Intel i5-3570k http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819116504 ($230)

CPU Cooler: Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835103099 ($35)

MB: AsRock Z77 Extreme 4 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813157293 ($135)

RAM: G.Skill Ares F3-1600 8Gb (2x4Gb) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231544 ($44)

GPU: Radeon HD7970 3Gb http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814125413 ($440)

PSU: Corsair HX-650 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139012 ($125)

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1Tb http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822148840 ($90)

SSD: OCZ vertex 4 128Gb http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227791 ($110)

Optical: Samsung 22x DVD-RW http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151244 ($15)



Total: $1224 (before rebates, u could save another 30-50 $ from rebates, didnt really look) and not including case (probably about another $80-$100 depending on what you want/if you need one.

If u want to spend a bit more, you can add some more Ram, or upgrade the processor to an 17. Let me know what you think.

Looks good. Get the Powercolor HD7850 and low profile ram

Nice build two suggestions 1 you need low profile ram that ram is not compatible with your cpu cooler 2 cooler master makes great cases but psu are a no go switch it this is newegg prices PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M4 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 570 2.5GB Video Card ($299.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1352.89
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-20 03:04 EDT-0400)