Building a PC for the first time suggestions on setup i have pls :D

[bubblepwned83]

So I am a complete PC noob I dont know a damn thing about Pcs but i decided that since my PC broke i am going to order parts and build my own i have already watched many instructional videos online on how to build them but would like some advice on my setup.It follows the narwhal setup of the month.
I will be using this PC to play wow/pandora, and watch movies/tv shows as i fall asleep it will be used a LOT daily.My budget is about $1000 btw.

case: undecided
power supply: corsair 650tx v2-amazon-$89.99-$10 mail in rebate
CPU: Intel i5-2500k-amazon-$213.49
Heatsink: Thermaltake Frio-amazon-$59.99
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3-newegg-$149.99
Memory: 4GB G.Skill Ripjaws F3 4GB 12800 DDR3-newegg-$29.99
Graphics Card: EVGA GTX 560 Ti -amazon-$229.99-$20 mail in rebate XFX 6950 1GB-same price on amazon
Hard Drive: Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black -amazon-$171.00
SSD: undecided
DVD: Asus 24X SATA DVD+/-RW -amazon-$19.99


the total i got is : $964.43 before mail in rebates and shipping
If any1 finds anything cheaper somewhere else pls let me know

k on to the questions finally

1 I realize that cases are semi important due to fans but i am unsure how to decide what one to get that would be cheap and effective at keeping my pc cool any suggestions?
2 Is an SSD really all that important? I realize it will speed up loading of big open spaces in games but can i get away without one for the time being? ( not raiding regularly atm )
3 Is there much of a difference between the graphics card i chose ( chose b/c of lifetime gurantee) and the other graphics card listed?
4 What OS should i get, windows 7 yes but what windows 7 XD
5 Is there anything i can get a cheaper version of and it wouldn't affect gameplay?

Any help would be much appreciated
I apologize if i made any typing errors using a friends laptop thats buggy and im not very good at it on laptops XD

[sorcerermerlin]

First off am by no means a expert builder, but I just built a PC for a buddy with damn near your components (different motherboard). I prefer to use NVidia cards in my builds, but that is just me. As far as what windows version some will bark that you need to use Windows 7 Ultimate, but I have the regular OEM version of Home Premium and it does just fine. Cases. For cheap with good airflow and feature set, I recommend the Antec 300.

Antec 300 - $54.99
Antec 300 Illusion Edition - $69.99

(I also like the Antec 900s, if you want to spend $90-$130 on just the case LOL. But the above does my builds just fine).

Also, if you're interested you can check out my blog site here, which details my own adventure building a PC from start to finish, plus my tweaks and info on my wow toons lol. Look at the PC specs page for more information on what's in my build!

Have fun!

~ Sorcerer Merlin.

[Fuzzykins]

Antec 300 sucks to build in. Poor cable management, shoddy build quality, and it attracts finger prints like a magnet.

1.) I'd go with a Corsair 400R. New, great case. Beautiful build quality, great to build in. Excellent cable management, good features. Leaves little to be desired in it's budget range.

2.) SSD's really aren't that important. I can see myself living without mine, but it's a pretty cool toy.

3.) I'd go for the 6950 for two reasons. It scales better with crossfire than the 560 does with SLi, so you're more future proof, and two, it actually performs better than the 560ti. XFX has a lifetime warranty 6950 as well, as far as I know. May take some hunting though.

4.) Windows 7 Home Premium

5.) I wouldn't recommend it. If you're a student, you could try to get a discount from your school, but most of the time, you're at the mercy of Microsoft. If you really want to save some money, go for a cheaper hard drive. Now's not the time to buy a WD Caviar Black. The nearly $60 you save by going for a Hitachi Desktstar or something can be spent elsewhere to improve your overall performance more than the HDD will.