First PC Build, seeking advice from the Tom's Hardware pros!

[SpacePirateKhan]

Hi Tom's Hardware, I'm a long time lurker, first time poster. Recently acquired what seem to be a decent graphics card and two sticks of RAM for free (someone was getting rid of them), and figured now was a great chance to finally build a gaming PC rig. (Have not tested the actual gpu or ram, but they look to be in good shape and came in the original packaging) I probably won't overclock this thing until it starts to become outdated, at which point I'm hoping the SLI and overclock capabilities will help keep this rig going for a long time. Knowing precious little about computer hardware, this is the list of parts I've picked so far:

PC Partpicker List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/cBv83F
CPU: Intel - Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: SanDisk - SSD PLUS 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB Superclocked Video Card
Case: Corsair - 500R Black ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
Optical Drive: Asus - DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit

Looking for any tips you guys might have for saving money or improving the build, since again, I'm a complete hardware noob. Thanks for your time and consideration.

 

[Aeacus]

Refined your build a bit.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($260.00)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($98.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($107.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.44 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB Superclocked Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: Corsair - 100R ATX Mid Tower Case ($48.42 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($76.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus - DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.69 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($92.76 @ NCIX US)
Total: $752.17
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-06-11 06:36 EDT-0400

Changes made
SSD: SanDisk SSD PLUS (480GB) -> Samsung 850 Evo (250GB)
HDD: none -> WD Caviar Blue (1TB)
Case: Corsair 500R -> Corsair 100R
PSU: Corsair CX750M -> Seasonic G-650

Reasons why
SSD: You can have much better performing SSD with less cost and less storage space,
comparison: http://ssd.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Samsung-850-Evo-250GB-vs-SanDisk-SSD-Plus-480GB/2977vsm131770

HDD: To make up lost space on SSD, i put 1TB HDD in for data storage.

Case: Decided to give your PC a bit more eyecandy. So, put in a case that has nice big side window. Feel free to switch it back to 500R if you don't like to see the guts of your PC.

PSU: GTX 780 Ti is 250W GPU, add the rest of the system to it at about 200W and total would be about 450W. 750W PSU is way too much for it and Corsair CXM series PSUs are low quality. So, replaced your PSU with good quality Seasonic unit with 650W output, to give you some headroom in CPU/GPU OC.

While the idea of SLI seems appealing, the reality is that for gaming, it's better to use one powerful GPU than two weaker ones in a SLI. Mostly because most games doesn't support SLI. And those that do, there's still great headache to get the SLI working as it's supposed to. Not to mention the double power consumption and heat production, while the gain is only about 50%. SLI is good for video rendering builds where the raw GPU processing power is most needed.
Though, if you still want to go with 2-way SLI with two GTX 780 Ti, you'll need at least 850W PSU.

All in all, refined build is $12 cheaper than initial build.

 

[Lucky_SLS]

if u want ur pc to last long, i would suggest an i7 4790k. ^ good advice there.
if u r gonna OC later, a decent cooler like this would be good. https://pcpartpicker.com/product/8pgPxr/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhd9l

 

[SpacePirateKhan]

Thanks for the advice, guys! Feeling a lot more confident now.

 

[Vici0us]

I'm not sure why you would go for 4690K or 4790K. In tech world they're outdated. For the same price you can grab the newer versions i5-7600K or i7-7700K which will perform a little better.

 

[SpacePirateKhan]

7600k or 7700k aren't compatible with the RAM that I currently have, if I recall correctly. Would have to buy new RAM too. Though, perhaps I should find a way to test my current RAM and make sure it works proper before I lock into decisions based on it.

Edit:
It's also looking like I'd have to redo most of my build to accommodate a skylake o_o;

 

[Lucky_SLS]

another option would be to sell the ram sticks and get a new rig. this would probably cost u 50 bucks more, but u will have a current gen system

 

[SpacePirateKhan]

Hmm. Well if I turn to the dark side and go for the 1k budget I was avoiding, I wind up with this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($328.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-D9L 46.4 CFM CPU Cooler ($53.79 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus - PRIME Z270-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($149.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($106.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($107.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.44 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB Superclocked Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: Corsair - 500R Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($72.89 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus - DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.69 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($89.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1036.84

Ups my budget by ~200$, but I assume this future proofs me for considerably longer than the somewhat cheaper parts I picked first, since several of those parts liked to be incompatible with current tech. Was planning to settle on a budget of half what I ended up with, lol.
Mostly just nervous to pull the trigger at this point, due to lack of experience/knowledge. If someone could check my homework one more time, that'd be fantastic... ~_~

 

[Lucky_SLS]

best i could do to bring down the price :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($328.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Scythe - Mugen MAX 97.2 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus - TUF Z270 MARK 2 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($131.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Team - Dark 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: SK hynix - SL308 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.44 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB Superclocked Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: Fractal Design - Focus G (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($38.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus - DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.69 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($89.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $939.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-06-12 02:49 EDT-0400

 

[SpacePirateKhan]

Thank you for the help and fast reply!
If the RAM I got for free works, I could very well sell it and break even with my old budget like you suggested

 

[Lucky_SLS]

Happy to help

 

[Vici0us]

Everything looks good. I wouldn't recommend going cheap on a SSD and PSU. SpacePirateKhan the ones you listed look good.

 

[Lucky_SLS]

SK Hynix is the brand which makes memory controllers for SSD, GPU. google the SL 308 and u will find that its a decent piece of hardware. while cxm550 is no tier 1, its perfectly fine for the above mentioned PC