Building a new PC, first timer, medium to high end, at most 475-575$

Do you need an OS? At that budget I don't think you'll be able to play newer games on high settings. Medium may be attainable.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/lWJA

I would do this.

He can save $10 by going with Patriot Viper 3 memory over the G.Skill Ares, but that's pretty much what I would go with too. If he needs an OS it will be another story.

I've got a OS. (windows 7) AKA old faithful, as far as I know, I am never upgrading to Windows 8

Thanks for the link, I will optimize that a bit more and see what I can do!

Also I am going to get a deal on a Geforce 550 ti for 80$ instead of the usual 140$

That card isn't any better than a 7770. I wouldn't go with it unless you have to.

The Viper 3 is out of stock, lol. Get with the program.

You could do SO much better with $575. As in, i5 + 7870 better. If he doesn't overclock, he doesn't need a fancy motherboard, and he doesn't need a fancy case either.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/lXsu
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/lXsu/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/lXsu/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ECS B75H2-M3(1.0) Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($50.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($33.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($209.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill FBM-02 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($28.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 520W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($46.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $575.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

Well 575$ is the most money I could have, I was looking for something for a little less so I have money to buy some games on steam. As for the GFX Card, I don't need anything too high end, just too run most of those games on medium to high settings. For a gfx card the most money I would be willing to spend is maybe 120$, and also I still need to buy the peripherals, I need a bit of money left over for that.
Also if someone can recommend a cheap graphics card thats worth its weight, that would be great, and in my price zone would be fantastic too. Remember to please put it in laymans terms as I am still learning. Thanks for the suggestions though!

7770 is a great card for the money in your price range

Can you give me the full name of the card?

just any HD 7770 card. For example:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

There are many 7770s to choose from.

Are you near a microcenter. they tend to have better deals on cpus. A 7770 would be a good cpu if you have a tight budget

I'll check

EDIT: No, I just checked, none even remotely near me

Ok Thanks