Would appreciate some insight on my build.

Hi everyone,
I'm about to build my own pc for the very first time and have been doing some research on the web for the last couple of weeks.
What I'm aiming for is a rig that can smoothly handle all the most current games on high/very high settings while being able to record said games and still have some juice to run a slew of other programs in the background. Besides that i'll be using it for powerfull image editing software such as Photoshop/corel and 3D modeling programs. (And doesn't produce the decibells of a jetfighter)
Multiple displays is not necesary per se but might be used in the future.

I'm hoping for this PC to be an investment that Ill be able to use for a long time, upgrading it whenever the need/cash arises.

Since this is my first time "building", I could really use some help from some experienced people, that could tell me if this set up works at all, has any glaring flaws/sub-optimal choices etc..
( In advance: Yes I do realise the GTX 690 is outperformed by 2x gtx 680 SLI, but I am somehow very fond of the idea of using this one and planning to get a second one a couple of months from now. I also quite like the look of the case, but if there is a cheaper alternative that can fit all this and has decent air flow/low noise then please let me know !)

Peripherals not needed.
with windows added in this is at the height of my budget ( around $2500 )


Components of my choice:

Fractal Design Define XL Black Pearl w/ USB 3.0 ATX Full Tower Silent PC Computer Case $143 *updated*

corsair 120GB SSD $120

Corsair Vengeance DDR3 16GB 1600MHz $135

Enthusiast Series™ Modular TX850M — 80 PLUS® Bronze Certified 850 Watt High Performance Modular Power Supply $169 *updated*

CORSAIR H100 (CWCH100) Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler $110

Intel Core i5-3570 Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500 BX80637i53570 $214 *updated*

GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H ATX Intel Motherboard $179 *updated*

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $110

LG GH24NS90 DVD drive $17

EVGA 04G-P4-3687-KR GeForce GTX 680 FTW+ w/Backplate 4GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card $630 *updated*

Windows 7 Home Premium $120

Edit: I swapped to a modular PSU with the money saved on the MOBO.
Edit2: Chose a Fractal case for a lesser cost.
Edit3: Went for i5 instead of i7
Edit4: went for gtx680 instead of gtx690, will add a second gtx 680 later if the need arises.


Thanks so much for all the help guys, I actually think this will be my final build, thanks to some great suggestions i managed to cut the price to $2400. That leaves me some money for shipping costs, and a decent antivirus program ( suggestions ? ) while staying just under my budget. Cheers
Hmm doubting again to go gtx 680 and go full water cooling, would like to know what the Pros and cons to both are.
Edited by Grishmal - 7/24/12 at 4:48am

((mainly need some help with a cheaper case now.))

Thanks for the replies guys, this is the advice i'm looking for !
I'll look into another motherboard, as for z77 vs x79, I don't really know what the price difference would be, and don't know how it would affect gaming performance. It's main purpose is gaming, the 3D modellling is of secondary importance.

I'm also thinking of getting a modular PSU if I could shave of some bucks somewhere, possibly with the cheaper motherboard as suggested, to minimize cable clutter. I'd like to know by what degree this affects cooling ? also I'm not particulary concerned with showing off the insides of my pc. So if anyone could reccomend a similary spacious, well performing computer case for less so I can save a bit for the more important bits, that would be great.

My budget is about 2600-700 max right now. but I'm looking for something to start upgrading a couple of months from now when I have the finances. I'd just like to have a working system that will be able to run BF3 and Guild Wars 2 when it releases as soon as possible, since I'm only able to surf and barely play some league of legends on a crappy laptop.
Edited by Grishmal - 7/23/12 at 3:59am

Well I do like the look of those fractal cases. I am wondering though if those would give any problems with cooling ? I'd like to overclock my CPU slightly aswell if it matters

Could you suggest me some coolers then if i would opt for a full water cooler kit ? I've been thinking and am considering to drop the gtx 690 so I can spend the money on some other components instead, So some fancy watercoolers would be nice.
I'm assuming this won't affect performance toooo much ?
Edited by Grishmal - 7/23/12 at 9:18am