First build, Compatibility check, Alterations welcome

[Tithonus]

A few concerns of mine include the CPU fan, motherboard, GPU, and PSU. I also plan on using dual monitors, a main monitor for

whatever I'm focused on/gaming, and a second monitor for browsing/multi-tasking while gaming/other. Also if anyone knows if one or more retailers recommended by PCPartPicker is consistent in poor quality/service I'd like to know. As a side note, I was trying to stick to black/purple > black/blue when considering parts but I can sacrifice color in favor of a notable upgrade.
-CPU Fan- My only concern with the CPU fan is that it is rather big and may not fit, though a quick search has shown a handful of builds with the same CPU fan and case and PCPartPicker has it listed as compatible.
-Motherboard- I have no idea what to look for when comparing motherboards. All I know is that the Asrock 97 motherboards support Haswell Refresh CPUs, and that the Z97 is suited for overclocking while the H97 is not (I don't plan on overclocking).
-GPU- I'm uncertain if I am getting the most for my money for the build I want. And I'm uncertain as to what is required to run dual monitors (one screen gaming, the other browsing/multi-tasking) as I have never used multiple monitors.
-PSU- I'm confident that the PSU I chose is sufficient for my build, as PCPartPicker shows it at 458W and a review on Hardware Secrets. Confirmation from someone more experienced than myself is better.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty H97 Performance ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($105.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($82.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.23 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($285.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair SPEC-02 ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($63.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit) ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus VS229H-P 21.5" Monitor ($147.15 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VS229H-P 21.5" Monitor ($147.15 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series Purple 2 pack 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($19.98 @ Mwave)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series Purple 2 pack 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($19.98 @ Mwave)
Total: $1462.36
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available


Budget: $1400 to $1500 max
Resolution: 1920x1080
Games / Settings Desired: Generally games with an open world (WoW, Skyrim, Witcher, etc). Looking for High/Ultra settings. I plan to game on one monitor and use the second monitor for browsing/multi-tasking.
Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc): On occasion I may dabble into one of these, but not enough to warrant an i7.
Country: USA.
Parts that can be reused: None.
Do you need an OS?: Yes.
Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)?: Two monitors. I doubt I will notice a difference between 2ms and 5ms, especially when I am currently using a dinosaur of a monitor at the moment, so I was looking into superior color offered by IPS panels.

[Deleted]

Honestly with your budget there is really no reason to locking yourself out of being able to overclock, WoW and other MMO's benefit a lot from the higher clocks and the price really isn't much different. I put a build together for you with that in mind:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($75.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($106.81 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card ($279.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair SPEC-02 ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($63.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($94.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Dell P2314H 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($189.99 @ Best Buy)
Monitor: Dell P2314H 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($189.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $1499.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

If the budget is stretched too far then swap the two monitors to either of these:

Asus VS239H-P $156
ViewSonic VX2370Smh-LED $159

Double the SSD capacity, better and bigger monitors, overclockable (one button auto-tuning might hit decent mild OC for you,either way it's really easy).

You can get a Win8.1 64bit key for $22 here.
You can verify that key with Microsoft tool
Downloaded the image and mount it with their USB tool

I've used it myself with no issue though some will tell you there is a risk of the key getting blacklisted since it's like MSDN, either way now you know. You will also save the money on a DVD drive.

As for extra fans, I would just start with default fans and add more if you ever feel like you need it.

I would also prefer this power supply but it didn't really match anything but the case fans:

Antec High Current Gamer 620W

- - - Updated - - -

Build without overclocking option, no aftermarket heatsink needed:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($76.66 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($75.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($106.81 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card ($279.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair SPEC-02 ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($63.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($94.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Dell P2314H 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($189.99 @ Best Buy)
Monitor: Dell P2314H 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($189.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $1421.34
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Same comments regarding monitors if you wanna save more or you could opt for even better monitors for an extra $20 per, also 24" instead:

Dell P2414H $210

Assuming you get the $25 rebate there is also money to save on the PSU if you don't mind it not being semi-modular:

XFX TS Series 550W $35 after rebate