Budget (first) build - Please help w/ CPU & more! (Gaming/All purpose)

[HigginsHEre]

I really appreciate whoever takes the time to read and answer this. c:

For a while I've been revising a budget build that's going to be $650. The thing is though, there's two CPUs that I am having trouble deciding on because of the pros&cons.

Computer use in order from greatest to least: Chrome web-browsing with many tabs, YouTube, Gaming*, Office applications, watching movies & shows, Photoshop, multitasking between these programs, etc.

*Gaming: I've never been a PC gamer because I haven't been able to be one. I've gotten slight tastes of it, and I enjoy the little that I've experienced. The thing is though, I don't know how often I'd game on top of having school. In any case, when I do game, I would like fairly decent+ settings at 1920 x 1080 resolution, but I don't expect super-ulra-mega-amazing.

Here's the two builds that I need to decide on:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($89.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($102.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card ($116.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec One Illusion ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($43.98 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $646.85
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($190.39 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec One Illusion ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS90 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $620.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

UPDATE: I'm starting to lean towards the Intel build, so if you would like to direct your answers more towards that one, you should/can. Thank you. c:


1) With the AMD, I am able to afford the SSD (as well as a decent CPU cooler). But do you think I should drop the SSD to buy the Intel CPU, and buy an SSD later? Is the Intel really worth it based on what my computer use will be? Or should I buy the AMD build in order to retain the SSD?

2) If I go with the second build, should I definitely get a CPU cooler? Can it wait? Or do I not even need one? I don't really know anything about overclocking.

3) Is this build good for upgrading in the future? Is the PSU?

What's your thoughts, advice, and opinion?

Thank you very much for your time! I appreciate it. Have a great day.

 

[emperor piehead]

an ssd is not really worth it. In a budget build like yours you want the beefier hardware, a ssd just makes things open faster. also get an antec 300 (never heard of your case)+ if your willing to go to ncix.com you can get a seagate barracuda 1tb for $70

 

[malbluff]

Definitely the second build is much, much better. It's nice to have SSD; makes everything snappier, but it's something you can add, later. Intel Quad core beats the pants off anything AMD has to offer. (even dual core Intel is better than Phenom's 4). The HD7770 will get you into "highs" on most games, if not "ultras", with all the bells and whistles on.

 

[HigginsHEre]

an ssd is not really worth it. In a budget build like yours you want the beefier hardware, a ssd just makes things open faster. also get an antec 300 (never heard of your case)+ if your willing to go to ncix.com you can get a seagate barracuda 1tb for $70

I actually forgot to change it to that HDD. c: Thank you. Edited. Looking at that case now.

 

[HigginsHEre]

Best answer selected by HigginsHere.