Moderate-High gaming build? Got some ideas, need some suggestions.

[cpu killer]

Hey guys! So I actually have not posted on Neowin in a LONG time..but, I am considering building a new desktop for gaming (haven't had a desktop in over 3 years). Last time I built a desktop things were vastly different, and Intel's CPUs were still named Pentium..so I've been out of the game for a while.

I've spent the last 2 days doing my due diligence and researching on what's new and good, and have come down to a build I think is pretty well balanced. I was just looking for any input on components that might be better than the ones I've chosen, or cheaper within the price range at the same quality. Ideally I'd like to stay below $1200-1300, stay away from SSDs, and be able to run most modern games on max settings at 1080p (my monitor is a 24" Asus 1080p monitor).

Here it is:

ASUS P8Z77-V PRO LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - $217.99

Intel Core i5-3450 Ivy Bridge 3.1GHz (3.5GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core - $194.99

Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory - $40.99

Thermaltake Toughpower XT TPX-675M 675W ATX 12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.91 - $89.99

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7970 OC 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 - $399.99

Western Digital WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" - $74.99

COOLER MASTER Elite 430 RC-430-KWN1 Black Steel / Plastic Computer Case - $39.99

LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM - $17.99

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM - $99.99

Total: $1176.91

One of my biggest dilemmas was if it is worth it to spend the extra $40 to get 16gb vs. 8gb of RAM. I did some reading that suggests i7s are overkill for gaming and that i5s are the sweet spot. Any and all input is, as always, greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

- Vic

[+PeterUK MVC]

Why stay away from SSD?

The ASUS P8Z77-V LK will likely have everything you want.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007627%2050001315%20600093976%20600315497&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&CompareItemList=280%7C13%2D131%2D819%5E13%2D131%2D819%2DTS%2C13%2D131%2D837%5E13%2D131%2D837%2DTS

[BigDavy]

I agree about the SSD - one of those devices acting as a boot drive does improve the perceived responsiveness of the system.

If you're going to be gaming at 1080p, the 7970 is probably overkill - for example, the 7870 is around $140 cheaper, and you can use the money you'd save to put towards a modest SSD such as the 128Gb Samsung 830 (http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820147163).