First build! Anyone willing to critique my specs?

[Caveman_Dave]

I am getting ready for my first build this Christmas. I have selected most of the parts, but being a first-time builder, I would like a little help. In particular, my motherboard selection needs some help. Everything else seems decent to me. I have done my research and decided to go with AMD hardware.
A problem lies in the fact that motherboards are confusing to me. All the pins for fan headers and connectors and capacitors and WIRES (at least in my current PC: a 20-year-old hand-me-down) make my brain hurt. On top of that, I don't know what POSTing is, all the chipsets I hear people talking about, it's just a mess.
In short, I need help on selecting a motherboard (preferably ATX form factor, 4 DIMM slots, must be AM3+). My current choice is the Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3, but it doesn't seem to have the amazing reviews of a Sniper or the like.

Here are my other specs (in case they matter):
Case:: Cooler Master 431 Elite
CPU:: AMD FX-6300
CPU water cooling:: Cooler Master Seidon 120M
GPU:: ASUS Radeon 7770 2GB
RAM:: G.Skill Ripjawz X Series 1600 MHz 8 GB (2 x 4GB)
PSU:: Corsair CXM 500M
HDD:: Seagate Barracuda 2TB (Wasn't sure what to go for; do I really need the CUDA?)
Optical drive:: some random drive from ASUS I only plan to use for installing an OS

Total build cost: $578 USD (What should I do with the extra money?)
Budget: $700 USD
This rig will be for medium levels of gaming, video capture/editing/production, music production, and general use, in case that matters as well.

If you can help me select a board or just give me a tip about building in general, I would truly appreciate it!

 

[PepitoTV]

You can do better with your budget, take this as an example:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($158.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme3 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($82.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.94 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($204.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($15.00 @ Newegg)
Total: $693.40
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-11 18:17 EST-0500)

 

[Caveman_Dave]

Thanks Pepito!

While I do like your build MUCH better than my current one, I cannot see myself using all the extra CPU/GPU power that you have suggested. And I would prefer air cooling to water, but I am concerned about RAM fitting under the heatsink fans. As for the motherboard, the reviews I have read say to avoid it at all costs. Bad board, won't POST, bad BIOS, stuff like that. Should I believe that? Finally, I kinda wanted to keep the case I picked because it looks really nice.

Thanks for your suggestions! I think I will go with a nonmodular power supply, cheaper optical drive, and smaller HDD as you suggested.

Thanks again

 

[PepitoTV]

Well, you do mentioned video edition, which is a task that is usually highly multi-core friendly, that's why I went with the FX 8320. As for the cooling, the Hyper 212 EVO isn't liquid cooling, it's just a fan mounter over the CPU.

As for the MoBo, you may look at the Asus M5A97 R2.0 then if you want a more reliable brand.

For the case, no problem, I just like the 200R a lot and always recommend it for more budget builds, nothing bad with the 431 Elite.

You can choose another PSU, no problem, just don't skimp on it, as a faulty PSU can take the whole system with it should something bad happens.

 

[Caveman_Dave]

I know the EVO is air cooling; that's why I mentioned that I prefer it over water and that I asked if RAM could fit under the protruding fans.

I do like Corsair's cases and would really like an upper-end case like the 650D, but the budget just doesn't cut it. The 200R is one of my favorites.

And thank you for suggesting me a new motherboard! I will look into it and most likely swap it into the build plans.

Any tips for a first-time builder? Do I need the anti-static wrist band things? Should I get better thermal compound?

 

[sora]

I know the EVO is air cooling; that's why I mentioned that I prefer it over water and that I asked if RAM could fit under the protruding fans.

I do like Corsair's cases and would really like an upper-end case like the 650D, but the budget just doesn't cut it. The 200R is one of my favorites.

And thank you for suggesting me a new motherboard! I will look into it and most likely swap it into the build plans.

Any tips for a first-time builder? Do I need the anti-static wrist band things? Should I get better thermal compound?

The RAM should fit under the fans. When I first built a computer I didn't use an anti-static wrist band and I ended up fine! I also honestly don't think you even need better thermal compound.

 

[Caveman_Dave]

I know the EVO is air cooling; that's why I mentioned that I prefer it over water and that I asked if RAM could fit under the protruding fans.

I do like Corsair's cases and would really like an upper-end case like the 650D, but the budget just doesn't cut it. The 200R is one of my favorites.

And thank you for suggesting me a new motherboard! I will look into it and most likely swap it into the build plans.

Any tips for a first-time builder? Do I need the anti-static wrist band things? Should I get better thermal compound?

The RAM should fit under the fans. When I first built a computer I didn't use an anti-static wrist band and I ended up fine! I also honestly don't think you even need better thermal compound.

Thanks! Do you know if RAM with a heatspreader (Patriot Viper 3 size, for reference) could fit under there? Or are these just default DIMMs you are talking about here?