Advice on my first gaming build

[Mahoney490]

Hi! I've decided on building a gaming computer for the first time and I was hoping you could help me. I've never done this before so any help is much appreciated! Thank you.

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Ti - $299.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130809
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 - $134.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293
PSU: Antec EarthWatts EA-650 GREEN 650W - $79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371044
CPU: [strike]Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge - $229.99[/strike] Intel Core i5-3570 Ivy Bridge - $214.99
[strike]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504[/strike] http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115233
RAM: [strike]Wintec One 8GB (2 x 4GB) - $41.99[/strike] G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) - $45.99
[strike]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820161452[/strike] http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314
HDD: [strike]Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB - $109.99[/strike] SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1TB - $84.99
[strike]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533[/strike] http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
CD/DVD Drive: Sony Optiarc 24X DVD Burner - $17.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118067

Total Price - [strike]$914.93[/strike] $878.93

 

[coleam45]

Compatibility looks good.

Regarding the CPU, I assume you're planning to overclock since you picked the unlocked version? If you aren't, switch out the K for any of the other quad-cores. If you are, you'll definitely want an aftermarket CPU cooler. Ivy Bridge gets pretty hot when overclocked. The CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Evo is a frequent recommendation for that.

RAM is RAM, but a 5-star rated kit might be a better choice, just for peace-of-mind. This one is just a few bucks more.

I would swap the hard drive for the Samsung Spinpoint F3. SATA3 does absolutely nothing for traditional hard drives.

Just my suggestions.

Edit: Oh, and don't forget a case!

 

[Mahoney490]

Thank you for your input, I made the changes to my wishlist. Also my dad is a woodworker and offered to make me a unique wooden case for the build, I looked online and didn't see anything wrong with wooden cases as long as they are built correctly.

 

[coleam45]

Oh, that's sweet. Just make sure you have adequate ventilation. Don't want to cook your new components! You'll also want to pick up several case fans to keep your airflow going.

 

[Mahoney490]

How many fans would you suggest?

 

[coleam45]

Honestly, I've never worked with a wooden case, so I have no idea. You'll probably want at least one front intake and one rear exhaust fan though. More might be better since wood is a decent insulator. Maybe one or two more on the top for exhaust and a second in front for intake? You said you looked at some resources on wooden cases - did they say anything about fans?