New build please help!!

[fiveohnine]

Okay so here is my link to what I am buying and is in my cart for new egg. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qIul
I already have an 80gig SSD for the OS and a 2tb weastern digital HDD. I really didn't wanna go over $800 but
it seems I have to in order to have a gaming system.
Basically what I want is to be able to play WoW and Final Fantasy 14 on max graphics with above 60 fps.
This is my first build and I could obviously use some help. Thanks a lot!

 

[excella1221]

Build is unbalanced.
You don't need an i7 for gaming, there is little to no performance loss compared to an i5. The only real advantage of the former is hyperthreading which games don't make use of.

The GPU choice is fairly low-end, you can do alot better.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($188.79 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($231.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair C70 Gunmetal Black (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($53.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS72 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($91.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $781.26
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-03 06:05 EST-0500)

That 7870 comes with a free game (Far Cry 3).

 

[fiveohnine]

This build will play most games in the highest settings with little to no hic ups?

 

[fiveohnine]

And also what about a fan? Should I get one?

 

[excella1221]

Pretty much, yeah. The 7870 is a really powerful card, especially with Catalyst 12.11, it's right behind the 7950.

Haven't read reviews about the casing, I just sticked to what you wanted since cases are mostly personal preference.

 

[fiveohnine]

All I wanted was one that I could see my hardwork through xD So just a good vented one that has a window But thanks. Is there something you can give me that will tell me about graphics cards? I don't know how to tell if one is better over another?

 

[excella1221]

Well, here's the most recent I could find with the recent drivers.

 

[fazi13]

here's a website that gives you #'s to compare GPUs
http://videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

this will only compare the stock models and each variant will have a slight difference, so in car terms check there for like the model # then check around for the "packages" by Googling the "<name of the GPU> + (optional) <game name> + benchmark" then check FPS and temperatures

Also if you wanna save a bit more money.. you could actually just get an i3 since games mostly only run on cores 1/2 and not 3/4. NCIX built a $700 PC w/ an i3 that runs most games on decently high settings

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-i3-3225-Dual-Core-Processor-Cache/dp/B0093H8H8I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354606724&sr=8-1&keywords=intel+3225

 

[excella1221]

PassMark isn't the best site to go to if you're going to look at a GPU's performance, or even any other component they cater to for that matter. It's all just random people with differing system setups that submit their benchmarks and the site just gets the average.

It's always better to check reputable tech sites.

Also, a handful of games especially multiplayers make good use of four complete cores, WoW is well-threaded as well, I believe dual-cores would have 100% usage on both cores. Modern games are starting to be very well threaded; the i5 also has a performance boost in single threaded stuff (in this case, games).

I wouldn't get an i3 unless the person is really pressed for money since we'll be holding him back, but in this case it fits perfectly well.