Help me build a new PC

[Sorriku]

Approximate Purchase Date: within a month

Budget Range: 1000-1500

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, music

Are you buying a monitor: Yes

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com but I am open to suggestions

Location: Phoenix, AZ, USA

Overclocking: Maybe

Additional Comments: Never built a computer before, so my knowledge is pretty limited.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Retiring my old off-the-shelf PC and hoping to build one that better suits my needs.

 

[numanator]

This is a start

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-Pro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($167.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($83.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($83.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($509.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1379.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-20 19:43 EDT-0400)

Leaves $130 for a monitor

 

[numanator]

Do you want to SLI/Crossfire in the future (2 graphics cards for extra power)?

 

[Sorriku]

Do you want to SLI/Crossfire in the future (2 graphics cards for extra power)?

That sounds like something that might go beyond my needs. Currently I play DayZ, Skyrim, SWTOR, and I plan on getting Titanfall. I dont think any of those will require that much power, but then again, Im pretty new to all this.

The build you suggested is very similar to ones I have been looking at. I had been reading about having a SSD for booting and programs, with a HDD for storage purposes, and your build seems to confirm that idea. Another question I had was the difference between air cooled and liquid cooled. Is it worth going the extra mile for liquid cooling, or does air cooling get the job done pretty well?

 

[numanator]

Decent air cooling does just as well as liquid cooling without the risk of leaks. The Cooler master 212 evo i put in the build is one of the better coolers for the price, obviously there are quieter, better coolers for more $$$. I would stick with air cooling unless you want to do the liquid cooling as a hobby or you are building something out of the ordinary. Honestly, the stock cooler on the i5-4670k is pretty good but i threw the cooler on the build just in case. If you want you can build it without the cooler and add the cooler later if you find you need it.

The 120gb SSD will allow you to boot up your OS, daily use programs and a few select games more quickly.

Out of the games you listed, titanfall is probably the most intensive or Dayz (mostly due to bad optimization rather than intensity) which the gtx 770 will handle with ease.

Typically SLI will give you some extra power but there are some problems with it not working properly on certain games, personally I prefer to stick to a single card for stability. SLI would need you to have a larger powersupply than the one I provided in the build but the motherboard I provided supports it if you decided to do it some time in the future.