First time builder looking to learn and for feedback

[Esandarius]

Hello, I'm looking at possibly building my first computer. I think it'll be a cool experience, but I'm finding myself a bit overwhelmed when it comes to picking some of the parts. There seem to be a ton of brands with little difference between them to my inexperienced eye. I am looking for feedback on the sample build I picked out and specific reasons for any changes. I want to understand why one is better than the other so I can feel good about making the purchase.

Budget - $1,200 absolute highest for the computer sans peripherals. Ideally would rather spend $900-$1,000.
Resolution - higher is better I suppose, hadn't given it too much thought as it's probably not the limiting factor
Games / Settings Desired - capable of running all current popular games (skyrim/wow etc) at high settings well with a bit of breathing space into the future.
Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc) - none
Country - USA
Parts that can be reused - I have a 5 year old macbook pro with a burnt logic board; not a single part
Do you need an OS? - yes
Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)? - yes, but I'm not focused on them. Open to suggestions for a monitor within $200 bonus if it includes speakers.

Here is the link: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1UYma As you can see I have come in just dollars under my max, this wasn't planned this way, it just worked out. I'm considering not getting the SSD to save on cost, but at the same time I want a quality machine to last so I'm not sure.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-K ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Dominator 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Rosewill BlackHawk ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill 1000W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($56.23 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($95.99 @ Adorama)
Total: $1196.13
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-29 23:45 EDT-0400)

[tielknight]

Bit cheaper than your build, went with 8GB of memory(no reason to get 16 unless your doing professional work and such) and a 120GB SSD and changed the case & PSU to free up some $ and went with a HD 7970 and added a aftermarket cooler so you can overclock the CPU(sooner or later).

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Pro3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($98.99 @ Mac Mall)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($269.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX750B BRONZE 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($95.99 @ Adorama)
Total: $1040.38
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-30 00:11 EDT-0400)

[dangerousdan73]

Hey i am just wrapping up my first build myself and though it seems very daunting the thing i found that helped most was reading,
i joined a number of pc building forums/subforums most of which had beginners guides/tutorials, they are always a excellent place to start
then just i browsed through any topics on people asking for build advice who were building systems similiar to what i wanted theres generally good info on why brand x over brand y ect.

[Deleted]

This build includes a monitor at $170, and should suit your needs more than adequately:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.75 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($98.99 @ Mac Mall)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($299.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($74.48 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit) ($96.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VN248H 23.8" Monitor ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1346.11
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-30 07:52 EDT-0400)

Note that I've gone for an all-in-one watercooler for the CPU. This should give you some gains in MMO/MOBA-type games.