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My First PC Build-Could I get some expert opinions/suggestions?

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Hello there. I am about to attempt my first PC build. I am very confident in my abilities to physically build a PC from scratch. It's the choosing of components I lack the experience in. I have been doing quite a bit of research on the compatibility of components, but I want to be 100% sure I have not only the right parts, but the best for the money. I am hoping I can get some expert opinions and suggestions from some of the vets here on Tom's Hardware.

The purpose for this build will primarily be gaming. I want a PC that can play any game at max settings without a hiccup. I will be running games like Skyrim, BF3, Borderlands 2, Crysis 2 (& 3 when it comes out!), Far Cry 3, etc. I will also be doing some video editing, but not a whole lot. And aside from frequent multimedia use, there's not much more I will use it for. I want to make sure that this build is as "future-proofed" as possible. As it stands the build totals about $1800 and I don't want to exceed that by much more.

I appreciate any and all help anyone can provide, and please be as honest as you can. Okay, so here is the list:

1. Intel i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz Processor- Now I know there is a lot of people who say the 3770K is overkill for a gamers. The i5-3570K will basically do the same thing and that Hyper Threading doesn't mean much for gamers. Is it worth it to go with the i7-3770K since i want to want to future proof this build as much as possible?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

2. GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H-WB- I like the instant overclocking features, 3D BIOS, Wi-Fi & Bluetooth 4.0. How does this MOBO stack up to the ASUS P8Z77-V PRO with it's Fan Xpert 2 controls?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

3. Phanteks PH-TC14PE 140mm Heatsink- I want to go for ultimate cooling for overclocking reasons w/o liquid cooling. I know this thing is a lug and will interfere with one of my DIMM slots. Is there another HS that'll cool just as well that won't interfere with RAM?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

4. CORSAIR Vengeance LP 16GB (2 X 8GB) DDR3 1600- Chose this because of the low profile for heatsink and 2X8GB sticks because i will lose 1 DIMM slot. And also because it's Corsair Vengeance RAM :) 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

5. SAMSUNG 830 Series 2.5” 128GB SSD- Boot drive. I've heard a lot of good things about Samsung SSD. Is there an SSD at the same capacity and quality for a better price?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

6. Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 7200RPM HDD- Mass storage.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

7. EVGA GeForce GTX 670 4GB 256-bit GDDR5- I know the 600 series GeForce GTX cards are a lot of money right now because they're new, but again I don't want to have to upgrade later. I would rather just invest now.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

8. Thermaltake Chaser MK-I ATX Full Tower Case- I like this for ventilation/cooling, space and looks.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

9. CORSAIR HX1050 ATX12V Power Supply- I want to have power to spare. Is this enough or too much?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

10. ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer- Pretty basic. I can add Blu-Ray drive later.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

11. Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OS

Thanks again!

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Down that i7 to an i5 3570K, all the advantage that the i7 has is hyperthreading.
Try the Noctua NH-D14 for a cooler.
You dont need 16GBs of RAM. No one ever really consumes even 8GBs, unless you are multi tasking alot.
Get a 670 from Gigabyte, Asus or MSI. They have great coolers and generally OC better.
A 650W PSU will SLI 670s, but get a 750W one to be safe. 1000W is too overkill :) 

Nw333 said:
Down that i7 to an i5 3570K, all the advantage that the i7 has is hyperthreading.
Try the Noctua NH-D14 for a cooler.
You dont need 16GBs of RAM. No one ever really consumes even 8GBs, unless you are multi tasking alot.
Get a 670 from Gigabyte, Asus or MSI. They have great coolers and generally OC better.
A 650W PSU will SLI 670s, but get a 750W one to be safe. 1000W is too overkill :) 


Ok, I will probably go with the i5-3570K.
I've looked at the Noctua NH-D14, but it has nearly the same dimensions as the Phanteks PH-TC14PE. Will it interfere less with the RAM?
I will probably stick with the 16GBs anyway. It's really not a bad price.
I looked at the GIGABYTE GTX 670 2GB. Looks like it runs about 10C degrees cooler than the EVGA I listed above- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
I will drop PSU to a 750W

Thanks for your help. Let me know if these revisions seem ok. :) 

Quote:
I want to make sure that this build is as "future-proofed" as possible. As it stands the build totals about $1800 and I don't want to exceed that by much more.


You can't completely future proof a build. Especially when you consider that Ivy Bridge is the end of the line for LGA 1155. That's a bit of a moot point. I'm personally not crazy about the case - there's far better options than what you can get from Thermaltake.

Quote:
I've looked at the Noctua NH-D14, but it has nearly the same dimensions as the Phanteks PH-TC14PE. Will it interfere less with the RAM?


As long as you use low profile RAM that won't be an issue.

Try a build like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F4 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($407.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Switch 810 (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($179.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On IHBS112-04 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1474.89
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-28 14:30 EDT-0400)
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g-unit1111 said:
Quote:
I want to make sure that this build is as "future-proofed" as possible. As it stands the build totals about $1800 and I don't want to exceed that by much more.


You can't completely future proof a build. Especially when you consider that Ivy Bridge is the end of the line for LGA 1155. That's a bit of a moot point. I'm personally not crazy about the case - there's far better options than what you can get from Thermaltake.

Quote:
I've looked at the Noctua NH-D14, but it has nearly the same dimensions as the Phanteks PH-TC14PE. Will it interfere less with the RAM?


As long as you use low profile RAM that won't be an issue.

Try a build like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F4 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($407.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Switch 810 (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($179.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On IHBS112-04 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1474.89
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-28 14:30 EDT-0400)



Thanks for the input. This looks like a great build. Not quite sure about the case. It has some great features and is one of the sleekest looking I've seen, but I am not sure about the cooling and ventilation.

Thanks again

sewerslider said:
Thanks for the input. This looks like a great build. Not quite sure about the case. It has some great features and is one of the sleekest looking I've seen, but I am not sure about the cooling and ventilation.

Thanks again


NZXT makes some of the best cases on the market. The case is rated to house a real three fan liquid radiator should you decide you want to go the custom loop route. I don't recommend inferior products. Believe me I know all too well what it's like to get burned by bad computer hardware. I wouldn't recommend something if it didn't live up to my standards. :lol: 

g-unit1111 said:
NZXT makes some of the best cases on the market. The case is rated to house a real three fan liquid radiator should you decide you want to go the custom loop route. I don't recommend inferior products. Believe me I know all too well what it's like to get burned by bad computer hardware. I wouldn't recommend something if it didn't live up to my standards. :lol: 



g-unit1111, I stand corrected. I looked at this case a lot closer, and your right. This thing is seek, spacious, well ventilated and full of awesome features. Now I am in love with it!

Thanks for the input!

sewerslider said:
g-unit1111, I stand corrected. I looked at this case a lot closer, and your right. This thing is seek, spacious, well ventilated and full of awesome features. Now I am in love with it!

Thanks for the input!


Yeah I would have that case if it were available when I got my Graphite 600T but it wasn't an option then. Oh well I'll get it for the next build. :sol: 
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