Another first time builder

[EndingSorrows]

Hello, I have recently saved up a decent amount of money for my first build and am ready to begin purchasing. This will be my first build, and I would like any advice on what changes could be made to improve what I've picked out so far. I have been lurking on these forums for about a year now but I found this was the best opportunity to finally get engaged in the discussions. Thanks in advance for any advice.

This is the basic build I ended up with, after going back and forth on many of the components multiple times.

Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA1155 - $135
CPU: i5-2500k - $200
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212+ - $30
RAM: G.Skill Sniper 8GB DDR3-1600 - $48
Case: NZXT 410 Phantom - $85
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200 RPM - $100
SSD: Crucial M4 128GB - $125
PSU: Corsair GS700 - $100
GPU: Sapphire 7850 2GB - $250
Total: $1073

I am still looking for advice on any part of the system. However, I would like to focus on the GPU, PSU, and CPU cooler.

PSU: I know that the 700W is probably overkill, but I would like to SLI/Crossfire in the future (maybe a year down the road). I would appreciate any advice I could get on a better fitting PSU, maybe something a bit cheaper with less watts if the 700W is overkill for SLI.

GPU: I still don't feel completely comfortable with my GPU choice. I am looking for the power to play newer games (BF3, Skyrim, etc.) at max settings with around 50-60 FPS. I wouldn't mind paying a bit more for a GPU that would perform well in the future. I was thinking of possibly a 7950 at around $399. Again, any advice would be great.

CPU cooler: From all of the research I've done, this one seemed to be the best for the budget I am looking for. I am worried about it fitting in the 410 Phantom though. Anyone have experiences with this cooler?

To sum it all up, I am looking to make a solid first gaming build for ~$1100. I have done a lot of research and would like some reassurance with the parts I've picked out. I looking to play current games at max settings with high framerates, being able to Fraps the content would be a big plus. I do plan to overclock in the future even though I haven't done it before. I do not need Windows, a monitor, keyboard or mouse. I have read many of the threads in the computer section of this site and I know the experiences users here will have some great pointers. Thank you.

[chaud]

Buy ASUS or MSI brand GPU, not Sapphire. The 750TX is likely a better PSU and still overkill. You could also just use the 650TX.

You want to avoid Crossfire because of the constant driver bugs you will experience, buy what you want now and upgrade to a new single card later. Plenty of people will buy last generation's card on the various hardware forums.

Seagate drives aren't great, go for Samsung or Western Digital.

The 7850 will mostly max BF3 on Ultra and it overclocks to be close to or better than the 7950 in most games. It is hard to justify spending more.

[EndingSorrows]

Thanks, Chaud. Would you think the 7850 would be a pretty solid card for say 1-2 years in the future? I do like the idea of going with a single card, but don't want to have the need to buy another $400 card in a year. If I did go with a single card would a 600W PSU be fine? That would give me some extra money to spend on the GPU as well. Thanks.

[Deleted]

Some pointers:

• I see no reason to get a Z77 board really. Is there any specific feature you need? I'd recommend getting the ASRock Z68 Extreme3 instead.
• The Phantom is a very plastic case (top and front is plastic panels). Just wanted to mention it.
• Get another PSU. I'd recommend the XFX ProSeries 550W (Seasonic OEM) or the Seasonic S12II (if you want a semi-modular PSU).
• As Chaud pointed out, pay $10 extra and get either the MSI Twin Frozr or the ASUS DCII.

[EndingSorrows]

Thanks for the response. As for the motherboard, no, I don't have any features in mind. I am not very educated on motherboards so I picked what I thought was best for my budget. The motherboard you mentioned is cheaper and seems like a good choice, so I'll probably go with that. The case I chose was mainly for looks, which is a bad reason but I love it :P. The PSU you mentioned first seems great, and is cheaper so that's a plus. The GPUs from Asus and MSI were out of stock last I thought, I'll take a look now though.

---------- Post added 2012-05-27 at 06:05 PM ----------

I have updated my build, currently it is looking like this:

Motherboard: newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131781 - $124
CPU: i5-2500k - $200
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212+ - $30
RAM: G.Skill Sniper 8GB DDR3-1600 - $48
Case: NZXT 410 Phantom - $85
HDD: newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533 - $119
SSD: Crucial M4 128GB - $125
PSU: ncix.com/products/?sku=59615&vpn=P1550SXXB9&manufacture=XFX - $70
GPU: amazon.com/dp/B007JLFV7U/?tag=pcpapi-20 - $250
Total: $1051

I was directed to the Asus motherboard by a friend, it looked comparable to the ASRock z68 extreme3.

---------- Post added 2012-05-28 at 11:25 AM ----------

I have narrowed my choices down now. The only real question I have is about the SSD. I saw 2 different versions of the Crucial M4 128GB on newegg. Which one would be preferable?
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148448
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148525
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148529

Also, which motherboard would be the better choice? I've always liked Asus as a brand so I was falling more on the first one.
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131781
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271