Best $1200 Upgradeable Gaming PC

[Hugh705]

Hello, I have been wanting a new computer as my old laptop dies. I enjoy gaming but have been limited to playing on friends consoles, or playing on extremely low settings with games newer than 3 years ago (Other than dota 2, but it is still pretty bad). I will mainly use this computer for Dota 2, BFBC2, Skyrim and TES Online (Possibly), WoW, and maybe crysis (Played through Crysis 2 on Xbox and loved it). Other than those games it will just be a general purpose machine. I want it to be highly upgradeable, overclocking is definitely an option. Preferred brands would be Corsair, Asus, and Intel, although anything without the god awful blue color scheme (Glory to the Horde and Dire) and brown pcb. This it my current thought for it, this will also be my first build.

Mobo: Asus Maximus V Gene: http://goo.gl/KWEqZ 199.99
Case: Fractal Design R4 Black Pearl: http://goo.gl/4m4Ha 119.99
OS: Windows 7 HP : http://goo.gl/PGCYB 91.17
GPU: XFX 7870Ghz Edition Double D: http://goo.gl/5WNBb 229.99
PSU: Corsair AX750: http://goo.gl/zZQnW 139.99
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws 8GB 1600mhz: http://goo.gl/F5di 52.99 (Why has RAM gone up a few dollar over the past month?)
CPU: Intel Core i5 3570k: http://goo.gl/RALrx 229.99
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212Plus: http://goo.gl/mByH 23.99
SSD: Kingston HyperX 120GB: http://goo.gl/RMJLH 129.99
I have a 500GB external HDD for my main storage.
Total, ~1218

Any suggestions, the psu doesn't have to be modular like the AX750, I just like a clean looking computer, I could settle for a different case, and the mobo is mainly for the extra features.

 

[tigerg]

You could probably find a cheaper PSU, especailly ones that are not modular. Also, you might be able to save some money by getting a cheaper motherboard. Put the saved money from the PSU and motherboard towards the graphics card.

That said, I personally love the Maximus V Gene. My suggestions above are to improve your gaming experience.

 

[djangoringo]

For gaming i would invest in a high end card and i'd get the hyper 212 evo over the plus :

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V Lk ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB 2X4GB PC3-12800 DDR3-1600 9-9-9-24 1.5V ($38.50 @ NCIX US)
Storage: SanDisk Ultra Plus 128GB SATA III MLC ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 6GB/S 7200RPM 64MB Cache ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7970 Double D ($359.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 ATX Mid Tower Window Case White ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX Core Edition PRO550W ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB/BEBE 24x SATA DVD+/-RW ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit - Full OEM ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: 1151.38$

Fixed now, some links were wrong, this goes under 1200$ with a 7970, also you don't need 750W, the xfx 550 core edition is a quality psu made by seasonic and it will do just fine.