Time for an upgrade - New build

[Ryuzaaki]

Budget - I am open to just about any budget, I will immediately have roughly ~1500 to play with however willing to go into the 2k range if the upgrade is worth the cost, will simply delay getting the pc for a few weeks. I know that just because I have the money doesn't necessarily mean I should spend it. Preferably I'd like to go as high as possible where worthwhile returns are expected. I'm not looking to push thousands of dollars to get a few percent performance increase however I would definitely be willing to splurge if it added to the longevity of the system and results in a significant performance increase (even if said performance increase is overkill for what is currently available.)

Resolution - 1920x1200 I am currently using a PA246 Asus ProArt monitor for my main and an absolutely ancient Dell for my second. The second monitor is just used to watch videos and multitask so isn't important however I actually wouldn't mind doing a cheap upgrade for it so it doesn't look so out of place with the rest of my build.

Games / Settings Desired - I would like to be able to play any game currently available on PC at max settings/60 fps and will foot whatever budget is required to do so. If I could play the new Arkham game coming out next year with max graphics I would be absolutely stoked. I should also mention I have dabbled with playing games in 3d in the past just using some simple nvidia glasses but if anyone has any insight into a specific 3d rig I would love to hear your thoughts.

Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc) - None, the system is either used for casual browsing or gaming and no other intensive activities.

Country - United States

Parts that can be reused - I am not looking to reuse any parts from my previous build.

Do you need an OS? - Yes, I currently have a copy of windows 7 however would like opinions on purchasing Windows 8.

Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)? - I am satisfied with my current peripherals for the most part. However I wouldn't mind getting opinions on speakers in particular as well as a keyboard and mouse. I'm currently running a proteus core mouse and a steelseries merc keyboard. I don't expect to need to change my main monitor unless a conversation about 3d happens but I am interested in replacing my cheap second monitor.

[Remilia]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($151.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($98.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($39.99 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($339.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($68.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: Dell U2414H 60Hz 23.8" Monitor ($244.99 @ B&H)
Total: $1409.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-21 01:17 EST-0500

I would recommend Eizo EV2450. It's $300 at some other places for whatever reason but not the US . It is better than the U2414H, but US price is $400.
It'd be a big time upgrade to your PA246Q too. The only thing about PA246Q is that it has an Adobe RBG range. If you're not using it, it's pretty pointless other than causing over saturation.

[Ryuzaaki]

Great, I appreciate the list. I'm still trying to get a feel for how extreme I want to go with this build as I'm in a flexible financial situation. I was talking with a friend about a crazy build and he showed me this. Part picker link /p/MDpHbv What are your thoughts on a future proof build if I went with a 3-4k budget?

[Remilia]

My opinion, that build is absolutely batshit insane and not worth it.

[Arbiter]

Great, I appreciate the list. I'm still trying to get a feel for how extreme I want to go with this build as I'm in a flexible financial situation. I was talking with a friend about a crazy build and he showed me this. Part picker link /p/MDpHbv What are your thoughts on a future proof build if I went with a 3-4k budget?

Honestly, there's a better way to spend 3.5k on a build. You're just wasting performance with some of that. And to be honest, if the build is strictly for gaming you'll probably never take full advantage of a 2011v3 CPU and DDR4 isn't of much use, although it still stands that with 3.5k you can still build a much worthwhile build even with a 2011v3 CPU and DDR4 RAM.

[Deleted]

~$500 RAM for gaming and random web browsing, that says it all right there haha

Remilias recommendation is spot on, small tweaks could be made for personal preference but other than that using much more money than that will be a complete waste.

[Deleted]

The short version is, get Remilia's build, as it's the best bang for your buck, then save that 2k-and spend that over the next five years on upgrades every 2.5 years or so.

[Ryuzaaki]

So I'll be putting together Remilia's build here in a week or so, thanks again for the awesome build. I apologize for my ignorance on the subject but that is why I asked in the first place :P. One last question I had, I may not be purchasing the monitor right away as my current is still fine but I'm not against upgrading. I was just curious what makes the monitor a big time upgrade over my current?

[Deleted]

Considering you have the budget to work with, maybe consider a step up to a 2560x1440?