Greetings everyone. Been out of the gaming loop for 5-6 years and am in the process of selecting parts for a new build. Getting down to the final selections and need some help.

I want this to be quiet and fast to play all games on 1980x1080 maxed out. I don't plan on overclocking from the start, but would like the option down the line and mabye the option of SLI. Here's what I have so far:

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K

GPU: Asus Direct CU II or MSI Twinfrozr GTX 660 Ti

Motherboard: An Asus z77 board.

Case: Fractal Design R4 - Black, No Window

Memory: Need advice - too many choices. 8 gigs.

Storage: Again, too many choices. Leaning towards 1 gig green WD, and a 128 or maybe 256 SSD.

PSU: Ive read good things about Seasonic. Maybe the M12II 620w?

OS: Windows 7 Home

Monitor: ASUS VS248H-P 24"

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kAEC

Questions:

1. Like the Asus boards for fan control and built in WiFi. Don't need all the bells and whistles but there's so many choices, whats the most reliable and popular.

2. Was leaning toward a WD Green drive as its quieter, but would I be loosing much noticeable speed as far as load times are concerned?

Thanks again.

First off, your stress loaded power use will be under 300W and worst case gaming will be in the 250W range. Ideally, you'd want a PSU that's inaudible in idle/low load/gaming. The M12 is a great supply, but dated. For a similar price, you can get Seasonic's G 550 and have gold level efficiency, quieter fan, better idle/standby power. Spend a little more, and you can get the X-400 fanless or the X-560 semi-passive (fan doesn't turn on until ~50% load or higher than normal ambient temp). The Kingwin LZP-550 platinum is another great choice (also semi-passive).

The i5-3570K is the gaming sweet spot.

Asus mobo: Get the -V ($185) or higher if you want Fan Xpert2 and the ability to turn the fans off. Go to a lower model in ATX or go uATX and get Fan Xpert+. I've seen quite a few builds using the uATX P8Z77-M ($125) and -M Pro ($140). If you want 802.11 included, the least expensive are the -I Deluxe Mini-ITX (only 2 RAM slots and 1 PCI-E slot, $195) or the -V Pro ($210.)

Fractal R4: good
Samsung 830 128GB:good. Three months from now, when there's some reliability data, the answer should be the 840/840 Pro.
WD Green 1TB is good. There's also the WD Red 3TB.
RAM
CPU cooler: Scythe Mugen 3 Rev B is a decent $40 cooler. There are others that will do better and cost more if you plan to overvolt.

I'll second the advice given by CA_Steve and add my view.

• CPU: sweet spot is the 3570K, especially if you want the overclocking option. Even if you did not overclock or use the iGPU, the price gap to the other models is very small over here at least, so no reason not to get the full-featured model.
• GPU: 660 Ti for sure if you want maxed-out games. Higher is diminishing returns and lower (7870 or 7850 maybe) is more cost-effective, but maxing out not as guaranteed. SLI can be accomplished with µATX boards, just as an aside, but again - diminishing returns in some cases and more potential problems with SLI.
• Mobo: I like my P8Z77-M Pro (you can find my user review if you dig around in the subforum). The Fan Xpert+ fan control is enough for my needs (see sig). SLI compatible. Has given me zero grief.
• Case: I approve of Fractal cases, solid, quiet and excellent value for money. I have the Define Mini, as mine is a µATX build, was pleasant to build in. Very nice to live with a compact case, I tell ya!
• Memory: whatever mobo you pick, see its compatibility list. I recommend G.Skill sets (I use Snipers for the 1.25 V, 1600/CL9), Steve usually recommends a Samsung set that is excellent value and overclocks too.
• Storage: have WD Green, like it. Reds might not be bad either, they just won't park (as fast or at all, I forget), so might be more in the way of constant noise. Should relegate storage to NAS if possible, remove the last of those harsh noises (my next step when I upgrade my NAS).
• PSU: Seasonic is good. Steve already pointed out the most appealing models in their range. I've used Nexus PSUs with great satisfaction and usually recommend Cooler Master Silent M Pros for others to build with (great value for the original M, not M2, modular). Go for the Gold rating if you can afford it, and see the SPCR Recommended Power Supplies list. All the info is there.
• OS: Win7 HP most likely best for now. Win8 not looking that hot, just lots of nonsense and Microsoft trying to cash in on the App Store/iTunes lock-in approach.
• Monitor: I got nothing. See http://www.prad.de.
• SSD: Crucial m4 should be good value at this point, robust performer and established as reliable. Samsung 830s are another good choice, fast, reliable and affordable. I'd steer clear of the Everest controller drives, they have had some compatibility issues (BIOS not seeing drive). Previous (still current?) SandForce generation should be ready and reliable now too. Get 256 if you can afford it, absolutely - it is not only more spacious, but slightly faster than a 128. I've filled my 128 GB SSD halfway without even having the OS on it.

Q&A
1: Unless you're building mini-ITX, the wireless is going to up the price considerably. I see it as a waste of money, as Gigabit ethernet will beat the snot out of it, especially for gaming (latency, stability) or with NAS storage. If you're bothered by wires streaking across the room, go with powerline ethernet kits (lose out on some of the performance, wires go to wall socket).
2: No big loss with Green vs 7200 RPM drives. HDDs should not be used for gaming these days. Get that SSD!

PS. Cooler: I like the Thermalright Macho, personally. Clever design to avoid RAM heatsink interference, top notch performance, especially with low airflow. I've had my Noctua through three rigs now, so recommend that very much too - fantastic value for money, even if the initial investment is costly.

Wasn't able to follow through with this build in October and am now able to go for it. Here's what I have again, anything to change?

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K
GPU: Asus GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V ATX LGA1155
Case: Fractal Design R4 - Black, No Window
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" SSD and Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB 3.5" 5400RPM

PSU: 400-500w Seasonic?
OS: Windows 7 or Windows 8??
Memory: 8 gigs
Monitor: Good 24"

If I decide to go with a Powerline Ethernet Kit to increase my internet speeds should I get a different asus board to save money? Thanks for any input.

CPU: OK
GPU: OK
Mobo: Full ATX is a waste of space and money with just 1 card in the system, Gene V has Fan Xpert 2 in µATX. Fan Xpert+ boards still good.
Case: OK, but see Mobo.
SSD: OK, personally prefer mature models.
HDD: Switch to WD Red with longer warranty and possibly better acoustics (see the SPCR reviews, my 3 TB is fantastic).
PSU: OK, but note Seasonic whine risk. See if you can get a deal on the Rosewill Silent Night 500 Platinum 80 Plus if in the USA.
RAM: G.Skill. 2x4 GB is okay, DDR3-1600/CL9 if you're not overclocking.

OS: Win7. See Windows 8: what do you think about it?. tl;dr for me is: no added value or benefit in desktop use, plenty of headaches, even Microsoft regret current W8 iteration.

Monitor: IPS, TN only if completely out of money. My sights are set on an Eizo Foris, but you can get away with a Dell Ultrasharp or similar. Make sure to read reviews (prad.de etc.) first.

Powerline: I've got both a Netgear and a D-Link Powerline AV ("500 Mbps", what a lie) kit in use. Speeds are around 50 Mbps average with a range of 40-80 Mbps. I'm okay with the speed loss over Gbit (100 Mbps fibre internet), as the kits are convenient and faster and more stable than WLAN (D-Link rock-solid so far, Netgear plug-through has some issues).

If you need to save money: µATX mobo, µATX case, Bronze PSU and 650 Ti. Or AMD CPU (A8-5600K maybe).

Edit 1: Fixed language.

I think he's safe with the 840 Pro. It's been out for ~8 months and has the highest customer rating at Newegg.

PSU: Seasonic G-550 is $80.

OS: <shrug> Windows 8.1 might fix the Win 8 issues, but it won't be released until late 2013.

RAM: Get low profile memory to avoid potential conflict with your unmentioned CPU cooler. I like the Samsung 1.35V stuff.

Hah, keep forgetting the 840 Pro is old news already.

Still wouldn't touch Win8 until I thought it'd be useful. Won't know the basics until end-June. Even then, wouldn't install it until end 2013.

I agree, and probably wont move either, but im really curious into what do we see form 7 on 8.

Most people ho bought a pc recently do not have a choice.

I have made good experiences recommending

http://www.iobit.com/iobitstartmenu8.php

Case solved for most of my Joe Average users.

It seems like 3tb drives are the sweet spot for GB/$, I would suggest that 3tb red if you can stretch your budget a bit.

If you like modular power supplies that run pretty quiet, Newegg has a Rosewill Capstone 650m I think which was actually cheaper than the 450m ($72 shipped) and its 80+ gold...

For ram, its hard to go too wrong with decent brand name stuff. I'm happy with my Samsung green ram and Crucial Ballistix vlp. Both are low voltage and low profile for good CPU cooler clearance and low power usage. I haven't been able to test memory over clocking yet but they should have potential.