Should I go safe or Risk it all

[Sonatine185]

Just a few additional points from the Aurora…

-Right out of the gate, the i7 is a waste. You’re not going to use this for most applications. Add in that it’s a 6 core processor, and now you’re wasting power consumption as well. No gaming applications are going to use all 6 cores afaik.
-The i7 is unlocked (“K”), yet the build does not include a CPU cooler. You shouldn’t attempt to overclock your CPU without an aftermarket cooler. If you want to use this CPU fully and add a cooler, you are more than likely going to need to remove the motherboard. From what you’ve been saying all along, this isn’t something you’re going to be doing.
-The mobo socket is at the end of its lifecycle. You cannot upgrade your CPU without a new motherboard. See the point above for more info on that.
-The GTX760 1.5GB is very out of place in a “performance gaming” build. You will not be able to play any new title on ultra settings with that card. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure a lot of new titles will crash that card.
-No-name PSU. The PSU is the item in a pre-built that is MOST LIKELY to fail. The problem with this, it that when a no-name PSU fails, it can (and often does) take other components with it. Hell, one of the raiders on my team has a cheap, no-name PSU catch fire and destroy his whole rig.
-The no-name PSU is waaaay overkill for that rig. The only reason that they would do this it because the PSU is inefficient, or they expect you to add a second GPU. Given the inherent problems with running SLI or CF, there is absolutely no reason to go with GTX760 1.5GB x2 vs GTX780 x1.
-This is purely from observation, but that case looks like it is going to be completely crap when it comes to airflow. All it’s going to take is a hot night with a crappy PSU, a 6 core processor, and a stock cooler for you to start experiencing CPU throttling and crashes.

In its place for $1400, I could suggest the following.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.99 @ Mwave)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.94 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($509.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Phantom (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($86.66 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit - OEM (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1400.50
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-13 14:41 EST-0500)

This will absolutely destroy that Alienware hand down, plus this is upgradeable for a long time to come. I even threw in the flashy case to keep the inner child happy. If you watch the youtube videos linked above and buy what’s on this list, you will be much, much happier with your end product. I promise…

I agree with everything you said except about the gtx 760 thought all the 760s I've seen were at least 2gb; the gtx 780 is overkill.

[mocvoyager]

I agree with everything you said except about the gtx 760 thought all the 760s I've seen were at least 2gb; the gtx 780 is overkill.

Thats what I was thinking, it looks downright scary.

- - - Updated - - -

Now I need help with education, I need to find a company with friendly people that are willing to talk to me about this build and its components and give good advice just so that I can feel assured and comfortable with it. So far I have not been able to look for good people in the field, I have tried calling Micro Center and no luck, there is no such stores near my location. I tried calling Newegg too, and seriously I don't know who else I should try with so please anyone, any tips, advice, or references as to where should I look for that can provide education and personal stuff, you know, it would be really appreciated. This is all that I finally need right now since the builds so far recommended here seem awesome and very well made. Thanks.

[lordsphinx]

I agree with everything you said except about the gtx 760 thought all the 760s I've seen were at least 2gb; the gtx 780 is overkill.

Ya know, I thought the same thing too lol. Follow the OP's link to the Alienware website and check out the specs on the card they're including, and sure enough they're advertising a 1.5GB GTX760...

Anyway, I agree that the GTX780 is crazy overkill. You could also go with the R9 290x that was recommended before and have more than enough juice. The only really huge benefit to Nvidia cards atm is Shadowplay, allowing you to record and stream with very little performance loss. This is huge, especially if you're going with an i5 processor. It's like the best of both worlds... you get the Nvidia card and you also get to save money on the CPU. Win-win imo.

edit: 290x, not 280x. Fixed.

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

Ya know, I thought the same thing too lol. Follow the OP's link to the Alienware website and check out the specs on the card they're including, and sure enough they're advertising a 1.5GB GTX760...

Anyway, I agree that the GTX780 is crazy overkill. You could also go with the R9 290x that was recommended before and have more than enough juice. The only really huge benefit to Nvidia cards atm is Shadowplay, allowing you to record and stream with very little performance loss. This is huge, especially if you're going with an i5 processor. It's like the best of both worlds... you get the Nvidia card and you also get to save money on the CPU. Win-win imo.

edit: 290x, not 280x. Fixed.

* R9-290, not R9-290X. Similar performance, 150 dollars cheaper.

[mocvoyager]

* R9-290, not R9-290X. Similar performance, 150 dollars cheaper.

Could you post me a link to the card in pcpartpicker, I really can't find it.

- - - Updated - - -

* R9-290, not R9-290X. Similar performance, 150 dollars cheaper.

I actually chose the 280x, I think the other ones are overkill http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-matrixr9280xp3gd5

[noteworthynerd]

Closing as per this post: http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...1#post23601490