Building a Computer for friend please review!

[Iamanerd]

So I'm helping out a friend and I'm going a head and building a computer for him. He has an $1800 budget and this includes peripherals except a mouse.
Here's what I have as a build so far:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($22.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($113.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($499.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: Asus VH236H 23.0" Monitor ($145.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($47.52 @ B&H)
Total: $1635.40
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-06-10 10:49 EDT-0400)

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

Looks fine. I'd use a different case myself (fractal arc, corsair 500d).

[Iamanerd]

Also how are you liking the Asus Z77 Sabertooth? My friend likes how to board looks so I'm just wondering what you think of it?

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

Works fine, but screwing it to the standoffs was an effing pain in the arse. If I hadn't had a magnetic screwdriver I would have needed psychiatric help. It does, however, come with a ton of accessories and a half inch thick english language manual, as opposed to the pamphlet you get with other motherboards that has 20 languages in it.

[Idrinkwhiterussians]

Here is my take on the build. There are minimal changes, but I will note them after the build.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9QLE
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9QLE/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9QLE/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($113.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: Asus VH236H 23.0" Monitor ($145.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($47.52 @ B&H)
Total: $1572.40
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-06-10 12:42 EDT-0400)

1. The price is including the processor at Microcenter. By all means get it there if possible. If you cannot, the price is about $40 higher.
2. I upgraded the cooler to the D14, one of, if not the best air coolers on the market.
3. I switched the ram to a low profile set from Mushkin.
4. I switched the GPU to the 670, as it is nearly as good as the 7970, and can be OCd to be as good, maybe a bit better. The 670 that I included also has a nice aftermarket cooler. (the WF3)
5. The case I added for you is a nicer one to work with at the same price.
6. You do not need 750W with the build you had. 650 is sufficient. The corsair I have for you is also fully modular.

Please ask questions if you have any more!

[Gino]

the power supply is over kill for the one GPU I dont know if your planning on buying another 7970 and crossfiring them. you could go with a 550w or even a seasonic X650 or even a Seasonic SS-560KM

[Iamanerd]

Alright I took your advice Idrinkwhiterussians, I went with the noctua cooler as I have a different version myself and love the brand, swapped out my G.skill for mushkin, and I went with a seasonicX 650W as seasonic is a personal preference for me, But the 670 is currently out of stock so I'm looking around to wee what's out there.

Also I'm helping my friend pick these out and I was trying to get him to build it himself and I'd help if needed but he's asking me if I could do it all but I'm not sure if I want to be liable for all this incase something was to happen as I would feel bad plus all the RMA stuff to go through. But I have a buddy who works for a computer place and would only charge 50 for putting it together and I could do all the software/drivers instead. Just trying to figure out what to do, but if you don't mind what would you personally do?

[Libram]

Also I'm helping my friend pick these out and I was trying to get him to build it himself and I'd help if needed but he's asking me if I could do it all but I'm not sure if I want to be liable for all this incase something was to happen as I would feel bad plus all the RMA stuff to go through. But I have a buddy who works for a computer place and would only charge 50 for putting it together and I could do all the software/drivers instead. Just trying to figure out what to do, but if you don't mind what would you personally do?

Well, you could tell your friend that you are human and could make a mistake :S
But if you know someone that could put it all together for $50 I guess it's fine. As long as that person will replace the parts that he might accidentally would break.

[Idrinkwhiterussians]

Well! I have finally gotten back to your thread here. It was a bit of a hectic day here.

Anyway! First off, the corsair I had for you in there is actually a rebranded Seasonic unit. I am sure it is a bit cheaper than the seasonic branded one.

Check for a 670 that has a nice aftermarket cooler on it. MSI TwinFrozr, Gigabyte WF3, Asus DCII or the like. Usually these coolers allow for better OCing of the GPU.

On the build: I would personally make him build it. It really isn't any harder than legos. It is just a lot more expensive legos. Just keep an eye over his shoulder while he is doing it. That way you can help if he gets stuck. This will help him be a lot more grateful for the computer once it is finished. Also a great memory. I even still remember the first computer I built. It had a 386.

One more thing - With the $60 I saved over your build, you might even be able to convince him to get a mechanical keyboard instead of the X4. There are a couple around $110 that would be nice, but then again, the X4 is one of the better rubber dome keyboards out there.

[Iamanerd]

Alright well I'm going to be ordering it at the end of the week and I'm letting him build it at my place since I got a good sized work bench that's anti-static and he said he would build it and I'll help when needed! Also I found a Gigabyte 670 so I'm going forward with that to and I'm considering that corsair 400R case as the cable management possibilities look amazing.