Building a budget gaming PC

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

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $711.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-02 16:43 EST-0500)

ssd(only if you need one): crucial m4 72$

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-internal-hard-driv...

samsung 840 120gb
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-driv...

^ +1.

Those are nice specs. You should definitely follow it

Thanks alot  

I noticed you didn't include a sound card or cooler. That's not necessary? (Sorry, don't know a lot about computers)

the stock cooler that comes with the cpu will be enough for this build as the cpu cannot be overclocked..are you considering overclocking your cpu?

the i5 that i included in the build cannot be overclocked..but cpus like i5 3570k can be overclocked and require a custom cooler.
and no need for a sound card as the motherboard comes with an integrated sound card..

There is already a chipset on the motherboard for sound, comes with all modern motherboards, sound cards are only needed if you are making serious music, or if you just want a vibrant experience when playing games.

Alright thanks guys. Do you think I should go with the Radeon 7850 2GB or the GTX 660 2GB?

Eh
Check if the 7870 is in your price range.

It would be if I didn't have to be Windows, but I do so it's not.