So this is my first time building a pc as well as my first time posting a link; I will go ahead and apologize for any broken rules. I tried to read up on the guidelines first. I'm just tired of the console circlejerk and feel like I could get more use, longevity, and power out of building my own gaming desktop. I intend to use it as essentially a new console, but I will also use it for general entertainment purposes (browsing reddit, watching videos, watching movies, writing papers, listening to music, etc.).
I wanted to build a pc that would be powerful enough to last me for several years before upgrading anything, and several more years adding new parts as need be. I intended on hooking it up to my tv and surround sound instead of using a simple monitor.
TV is a Samsung UN65ES8000
http://www.samsung.com/us/video/tvs/UN65ES8000FXZA
Surround Sound is a 5.1 Yamaha YHT 497
http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/hometheater...
My Budget on the build is $2000, but being under that would be great as long as performance isn't sacrificed. The TV is an active 3D TV, and when I last searched, I had a hard time finding information on using an HTPC as a 3D bluray player. My understanding is that is more about the software than the hardware, but still I'm not sure what requirements need to be met besides a bluray optical drive. As for the sound, my understanding is that the appropriate motherboard should take care of getting it in 5.1, or a soundcard if need be. I didn't know if it would be as simple as just plugging an optical audio cable in, or if I could even run the sound out of the HDMI with the video.
I had fiddled around with picking parts on pcpartpicker.com, and i had come up with a few (3) slightly different builds. Here are some links to those:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/graymjones/saved/2zyU
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/graymjones/saved/3lHE
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/graymjones/saved/3pT3 (This one is the one listed below)
As of right now, the following is the most expensive build and the one that seems the most promising to my untrained eye in terms of power and longevity.
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770k 3.5Ghz Quad-Core $324.99
CPU cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid $99.99
Motherboard: ASRock z77 extreme6 ATX LGA1155 $153.99
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" SSD $88.99
Add'tnl Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1 TB HDD 3.5" 7200RPM $47.92
RAM: Corsair XMS 32Gb (4x8Gb) DDR3-1333 $279.96
Video Card:Zotac GeForce GTX 770 2Gb (2x in SLI) $629.98
PSU: Corsair 760W ATX12V / EPS12V $137.99
Case: BitFenix Shinobi Window (White) ATX Mid Tower $74.76
Optical Drive: Asus BW-14D1XT Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer $104.98
OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro - OEM (64-bit) $137.97
Wireless Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N250PCe 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 $15.99
Keyboard: Corsair Vengeance K70 $119.99
Mouse (already owned): Logitech G700s
and a Microsoft Xbox360 Wireless Controller Receiver $18.88
This totals to $2236.38
So if you guys think all that sounds good and that is a reasonable price, great! However, I suspect that won't be the case, so if you have suggestions, let's have them.
And if anyone thinks it's prudent, here are some videogames I intend to play:
Crysis 1,2,3
Mass Effect 1,2,3
Bioshock 1,2,3
Skyrim
Universe Sandbox
Kerbal Space Program
Assorted Splinter Cell games
Assorted Arma games
Assorted Counter Strike games
Garry's Mod
Minecraft
The Witcher 1,2
Dark Souls 1,2
Slender: The Arrival
and many more. I also intend to look in to Oculus Rift, so basically I would really like to be able to play any game I want on it's Ultra settings, and for it to be able to run simulations and handle plenty of physics computing. I'm also an engineering major, so I will probably use this desktop for running any sort of simulation and programming I may need in the future. If you all think this would be a satisfactory build, great. If you see a way to cut down the cost and keep up the performance, excellent. I honestly have only a sliver of an idea of what I'm doing, so any sort of feedback would be greatly appreciated.