Building First Computer, need advice

[Neo Conker]

Hi, i'm looking to build my own computer. I was looking at the computers in the dell outlet store, but i notice all of them had really crappy graphics cards, so i figured it'd be more cost-effective to build one. I need this computer for 2 things mostly. One, is gaming. High-end games such as BF3 and so on, and some low-end games i play as well. The second, which is more important, is running 3D modeling programs, namely MAYA 2013, Mudbox, 3ds Max, as well as doing rendering etc. with them. Also video editing, and special effects with adobe after effects, and photo editing with photoshop etc. I dont need all of these programs to run completely top notch, but i need them to run decently to give me a decent workflow.

This is the build I have looked at, and is within my price range (~$1000). But I need some advice since this is my first time building. Are these the right parts, will they work together (i've looked at the specifications and from what i can tell they do), should it all fit with my case, and do i have absolutely EVERYTHING that i need. For the 1k pricerange, is any of this inefficient or not cost effective? Are there any better cheaper options? Any advice you guys can give me would be great.

CPU
- Ivy Bridge i5-3570k
Amazon: $214.99
URL: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007SZ0E1K/ref=ox_sc_act_title_8?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

GPU
- MSI GTX 660 Ti Power Edition Graphics Card with Triple Overvoltage and Enhanced PWM Design
Amazon: 308.98
$288.98 after rebate
URL: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008SBX6GI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Motherboard
- Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H
Amazon: $139.99
URL: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007R21JJK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_7?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Case
- Cooler Master HAF 912 - Mid Tower Computer Case with High Airflow Design
Amazon: $59.99
URL: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZM7YTA/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

HDD
- 1TB Western Digital Black WD1002FAEX
Amazon: $91.33
URL: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036Q7MV0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_9?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

DVD RW
- Asus DRW-24B1ST
Amazon: $22.49
URL: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0033Z2BAQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_10?ie=UTF8&smid=A1B16S9HEII11V

RAM
- Corsair Vengeance Blue 16 GB DDR3 SDRAM Dual Channel Memory Kit
Amazon: $80.98
URL: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004RFBIUU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Power Supply
- OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W
Amazon: $89.99
$79.99 after rebate
URL: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001IZ7MHU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Heat Sync
- Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus - CPU Cooler with 4 Direct Contact Heat Pipes
Amazon: $24.71
URL: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002G1YPH0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&smid=A2EUTVCJXLAJ4K

- Arctic silver 5 Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Compound Paste 3.5g
Amazon: $8.35
URL: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002VFXFE/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=A2EUTVCJXLAJ4K

All prices compared with NEWEGG and Amazon, amazon was always cheaper

Total Price: $1041.80 ($1011.80 after rebate) Within price range?: Yes

Note: I have the windows 7 professional 64 bit operating disk already

 

[oondun]

you can get more cost-effective power supply and HDD also you do not need to buy heat sync. You can buy 7870 hawk/pcs+ and can do CF afterwards instead of gtx 660 ti

 

[Hazle]

PSU's seems to be fine from most accounts, saved for one horrible rating by HardOCP

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2008/11/12/ocz_700w_modxstream_pro_power_supply/9

but considering other customer's satisfaction with the product

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/ocz-power-supply-ocz700mxsp

and that the 600w variant, also an OEM by Sirtec, receives some praising
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page1373.htm

i reckon HardOCP just received a bad PSU that time, which can happen. though if you have no plans to run dual SLI/crossfire, you can get away with a quality 500-600w PSU.

RAM however, i find several better deals than that;
http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/memory/#s=301600&n=4&z=16384&sort=a8

GPU is fine as well, though there are several other deals that are a tad bit cheaper.
if you're going to choose AMD, the 660ti's equivalent is the 7950. going for a 7870 will result in a performance drop over a stock 660ti, unless you OC it.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/Catalyst_12.11_Performance/1.html

note as well the consistencies in frame rate between the two;
http://techreport.com/review/23981/radeon-hd-7950-vs-geforce-gtx-660-ti-revisited

to be fair though, Nvidia has a more stunted compute performance as they're more focused on gaming performance now if that's going to matter.

 

[Neo Conker]

Best answer selected by Neo Conker.