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[Addnan]

Currently 500, hard drive and OS I already have. If I get the job I am applying for, it may go up a few hundred.

Start at 500.
Thanks

At around $500 this is the best I could come up with

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI H87M-G43 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($55.25 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7790 1GB Video Card ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec Basiq Plus 550W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $515.20
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-31 15:49 EDT-0400)

Note: This one will not allow overclocking, but it should be good enough to emulate games. However the next one will do it better!

For when/if you are able to. This one will allow your to overclock the CPU which emulating software apparently like a lot. Fast CPU = good.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($55.25 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($259.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec Basiq Plus 550W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $772.20
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-31 15:41 EDT-0400)

 

[MKUltra]

I'm planning on doing my first build before the end of the year and am aiming for as small a budget as possible just to play older and indie games, maybe some newer stuff (Skyrim, Minecraft, Far Cry 3). I've tried to read up as much as I can and have chosen a few parts but thought I'd ask here for advice or suggestions if possible as I'm still new to PC. Thanks!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A8-5600K 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor (£70.98 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI FM2-A75MA-P33 Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard (£37.99 @ Aria PC)
Memory: Crucial 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£20.03 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£46.99 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card (£82.99 @ Novatech)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply (£40.47 @ Amazon UK)
Other: Octigen CM-431 Mini Tower Case - Black (Purchased)
Total: £299.45
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-31 21:15 BST+0100)

EDIT: Forgot to mention I'm in the UK, have a Micro-ATX case bought and have a monitor and Windows 8 already.

 

[kharma45]

I'm planning on doing my first build before the end of the year and am aiming for as small a budget as possible just to play older and indie games, maybe some newer stuff (Skyrim, Minecraft, Far Cry 3). I've tried to read up as much as I can and have chosen a few parts but thought I'd ask here for advice or suggestions if possible as I'm still new to PC. Thanks!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A8-5600K 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor (£70.98 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI FM2-A75MA-P33 Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard (£37.99 @ Aria PC)
Memory: Crucial 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£20.03 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£46.99 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card (£82.99 @ Novatech)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply (£40.47 @ Amazon UK)
Other: Octigen CM-431 Mini Tower Case - Black (Purchased)
Total: £299.45
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-31 21:15 BST+0100)

EDIT: Forgot to mention I'm in the UK, have a Micro-ATX case bought and have a monitor and Windows 8 already.

No point in getting an APU and a discrete GPU.

Better off with a Pentium or a Core i3. AMD also offer their APUs sans GPU in the form of the Athlon X4 760K.

 

[dekjo]

Been playing a lot of dota and need a new headphone/mic solution since what I have now isn't working well. Would prefer something that'll work with next gen consoles - any one know if the headphones & mics in the OP will also work on PS4/XB1?

 

[Addnan]

MSI B75 + 3220 is a bit more, but will perform much better than that AMD.

 

[Hazaro]

212 but the fan was pretty silent when I was running OCCT, could it be that it wasn't running at 100%?

Possibly, check your Mobo BIOS control or use something like HWmonitor and see if the RPM is your fan's max RPM (2000?)

Whichever is cheaper.

I'm removing the base 840 due to the EVO replacing it, and it not being as great over a longer period of time (Speed / durability). So at 120GB only the EVO or Pro or M4. At 240/250 the regular 840 is alright.

 

[kharma45]

I'm removing the base 840 due to the EVO replacing it, and it not being as great over a longer period of time (Speed / durability). So at 120GB only the EVO or Pro or M4. At 240/250 the regular 840 is alright.

EVO will have similar lifespan to the 840, still TLC NAND.

 

[Guri]

Depends on your definition of best and what fits in your case. H60 is a great all around. H80 is a little bigger. H100 is amazing but huge. Best of course would be custom loop. But you're looking $400-$600 to do that depending on if you cool your gpu as well.

This is my case. And I want to cool GPU too, just to be safe (7970). What would be the best water cooler for it?

 

[Shaldome]

Ok reseatd my CPU again an reapllied TIM to both die and headspreader. Still temps at around 70 C° at stock with BOINC running.
I don't know if I put on to much Liquid Ultra, but that should not get the temps that high, should it?
Well at least I found out during this change, that only one of the fans on my 360 radiator was running. Was wondering why the water was so warm,, when I detached the CPU block....

 

[Fried Food]

So is the ASUS VG248QE considered the best 120/144Hz 24" monitor?

I have that one. Others complain about the colors. I think they look fine, good even.

 

[kennah]

This is my case. And I want to cool GPU too, just to be safe (7970). What would be the best water cooler for it?

How much do you want to spend?

 

[Addnan]

This is my case. And I want to cool GPU too, just to be safe (7970). What would be the best water cooler for it?

Don't water cool GPU to be safe, GPU is fine on air. Do it to push overclocks above and beyond anything possible on your air or you really hate the noise.

 

[QaaQer]

Is this chart right? is the AMD FX-8350 the best value?

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+FX-9370+Eight-Core

 

[kharma45]

Is this chart right? is the AMD FX-8350 the best value?

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+FX-9370+Eight-Core

No, get a 3570K.

 

[MKUltra]

No point in getting an APU and a discrete GPU.
Better off with a Pentium or a Core i3. AMD also offer their APUs sans GPU in the form of the Athlon X4 760K.

MSI B75 + 3220 is a bit more, but will perform much better than that AMD.

Alright thanks, I didn't realise the A8 was an APU, I think because of the price/performance I'm looking for I'm leaning toward the Athlon X4 760K, if I am understanding these comparisons the AMD should give me similar performance to the i3 for cheaper, right?

 

[LordAlu]

Alright thanks, I didn't realise the A8 was an APU, I think because of the price/performance I'm looking for I'm leaning toward the Athlon X4 760K, if I am understanding these comparisons the AMD should give me similar performance to the i3 for cheaper, right?

If you could stretch further, it honestly would be better to go for the i3. Paired with a GPU it will beat the similarly priced AMD's including the A10 models. The 760K is pretty much AMD's replacement for the Phenom II X4 965 Black, and isn't too bad for the price (it is after all an unlocked quad core) but it's very power hungry and hot so you'd really want a decent cooler on there. I'd stick the the i3 myself anyway:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor (£83.99 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: MSI B75MA-P45 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£47.98 @ Dabs)
Memory: Crucial 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£20.03 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£48.36 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card (£77.72 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply (£40.47 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £318.55
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-31 22:19 BST+0100)

This is only £19 more. Changed the hard drive over for a WD Blue as well, and saved a bit with the MSI version of the 7770

 

[Guri]

How much do you want to spend?

Prices are different here in Brazil, so I'm first writing down models and then seeing the price!

Don't water cool GPU to be safe, GPU is fine on air. Do it to push overclocks above and beyond anything possible on your air or you really hate the noise.

Oh, ok. Thanks!

 

[mhayze]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6503/second-update-on-samsung-ssd-840840-pro-failures

That may shed some light.

 

[komaruR]

amd 7950 is around ~$200
and nvidia 760 is around ~$260

for a 1080p resolution
is it worth extra +$60 to get a nvidia 760 instead?
how much of a performance gain is it?

 

[RukusProvider]

Help me GAF!!! Just picked up a Evga GTX 780 SC.

Did the following:
removed GTX 580 and drives
did multiple reboots using onboard video
Installed GTX 780
Installed drivers and now I'm trying to play

BF3 stutters everywhere when I'm walking.

Dont' make me go back to fry's

 

[Unknown One]

Let's say I'm building a computer from scratch. Should I get a Haswell or Ivy Bridge?

 

[Artchur]

In light of the new consoles coming out I thought maybe it might be time to upgrade the old beast.

Is it worth upgrading from the GTX 670 to any of the newer cards atm or should I be able to max most things out for the foreseeable future(watch dogs, etc)? I'm currently using a i5 -3570k as well which I need to put more effort into overclocking (been having stability issues ).

 

[Addnan]

amd 7950 is around ~$200
and nvidia 760 is around ~$260

for a 1080p resolution
is it worth extra +$60 to get a nvidia 760 instead?
how much of a performance gain is it?

Get 7950. The performance of the two is pretty muc identical.

Help me GAF!!! Just picked up a Evga GTX 780 SC.

Did the following:
removed GTX 580 and drives
did multiple reboots using onboard video
Installed GTX 780
Installed drivers and now I'm trying to play

BF3 stutters everywhere when I'm walking.

Dont' make me go back to fry's

Remove all video related drivers, so intel video drivers, nvidia. Install latest nvidia drivers or beta drivers, make sure you are plugged into the GPU and not still in the onboard.

Let's say I'm building a computer from scratch. Should I get a Haswell or Ivy Bridge?

Take your pick. Ivy will overclock better, Haswell is good if you like emulating stuff. They are pretty much the same thing.

 

[knitoe]

Help me GAF!!! Just picked up a Evga GTX 780 SC.

Did the following:
removed GTX 580 and drives
did multiple reboots using onboard video
Installed GTX 780
Installed drivers and now I'm trying to play

BF3 stutters everywhere when I'm walking.

Dont' make me go back to fry's

Reinstall the drivers with the "Clean install" option.

 

[kharma45]

amd 7950 is around ~$200
and nvidia 760 is around ~$260

for a 1080p resolution
is it worth extra +$60 to get a nvidia 760 instead?
how much of a performance gain is it?

7950 is the better choice at those prices.

Let's say I'm building a computer from scratch. Should I get a Haswell or Ivy Bridge?

Looking to emulate? Haswell. If not, IB.

In light of the new consoles coming out I thought maybe it might be time to upgrade the old beast.

Is it worth upgrading from the GTX 670 to any of the newer cards atm or should I be able to max most things out for the foreseeable future(watch dogs, etc)? I'm currently using a i5 -3570k as well which I need to put more effort into overclocking (been having stability issues ).

No, 670 is still plenty good. Keep it until it can no longer fulfil your needs then change it.

 

[JoeMartin]

4770k seems stable at 4.4ghz @ 1.25v w/ temps at 75-80 under Prime95, don't want to see them much higher than that. Not great I spose, but not terrible either.

This is on air with an NH-D14.

 

[kennah]

4770k seems stable at 4.4ghz @ 1.25v w/ temps at 75-80 under Prime95, don't want to see them much higher than that. Not great I spose, but not terrible either.

This is on air with an NH-D14.

Dude. That is amazing.

 

[Unknown One]

Thanks for the answers. What is the emulation differences between Haswell and Ivy Bridge? Is it significant?

 

[kennah]

Thanks for the answers. What is the emulation differences between Haswell and Ivy Bridge? Is it significant?

10-20% faster by some reports

 

[Unknown One]

Thanks for the answers. Well I'll go Haswell since I won't go crazy on overclocking. Having better results with emulation for a few dollars more seems worth it.

 

[Skel1ingt0n]

4770k seems stable at 4.4ghz @ 1.25v w/ temps at 75-80 under Prime95, don't want to see them much higher than that. Not great I spose, but not terrible either.

This is on air with an NH-D14.

That's actually pretty damn good for Haswell, especially on air. Good work!

 

[Azulsky]

EVO will have similar lifespan to the 840, still TLC NAND.

Not quite true due to the SLC and DRAM caching.

 

[kharma45]

Not quite true due to the SLC and DRAM caching.

They'll still be similar, Samsung themselves rate them both the same in terms of cycles. It's still a mainly TLC drive at the end of the day and that's what will be taking the main brunt of the work.

 

[Unknown One]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($122.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($405.91 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Desktop Case ($124.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.49 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1581.31

Any critiques on this build? I want to go sli later that's why I got that power supply and mother board.

 

[Sutton Dagger]

Ah I see, thanks! I think my order might actually be cancelled anyway because of how stupidly cheap it was, but if there are no outstanding faults then that's also quite nice. Thank you both.

There is no way Amazon UK is going to honour that deal

Should get a $5 voucher out of it though.

P.S fingers crossed, I ordered two...

 

[tigerin]

how much would it costs to build a pc that performs as well as a ps4/xbone?

 

[WonkyPanda]

how much would it costs to build a pc that performs as well as a ps4/xbone?

You could build one that performs better for about 900 with tax (no monitor).

EDIT: I should say significantly better. The 760 and i5 you would get would trounce the counterpart components in the other systems.

 

[Anton668]

how much would it costs to build a pc that performs as well as a ps4/xbone?

just a reminder(as alot of the PC vs console threads keep getting it wrong), one CANNOT do a 1:1 price comparison to a console vs a gaming rig. your average everyday PC is not made for gaming. you basically have the cost of the PC then adding the cost to turn it into a gaming rig.

not singling anyone out, it just not a fair comparison I keep seeing brought up in those threads

 

[Hazaro]

On the 120GB 840, there's an [H] article that changed my mind on it.

 

[Blowdrum]

Your Current Specs: Intel Core i5-2410M / 4gb / ??? / Nvidia GeForce GT 555m / ??? / Laptop / 750gb HDD. Can't find Model #
Budget: ~1300$. USA
Main Use: Gaming - 5
Monitor Resolution: My monitor resolution is 1920x1080. I have the Asus VS238H-P, and I'll be buying an additional one the same time I buy my rig.
I'd like to be able to run games like BF3, Crysis, and The Witcher 2 at a solid 60FPS.
Looking to reuse any parts?: Just my keyboard and mouse.
When will you build?: I' plan on building in early December, primarily so I can get Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.
Will you be overclocking?: This'll be my first build, so I'm not really sure. If it's easy to do and relatively safe, I don't see a reason not to do it though.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Cooling MX-2 4g Thermal Paste ($4.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme6 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M4 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($72.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: BitFenix Shinobi ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.98 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Microcenter)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.49 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($134.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1328.34
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-31 21:42 EDT-0400)

The reason I went with the larger power-supply is in the event that I want to run SLI or Crossfire in the future.

 

[tigerin]

just a reminder(as alot of the PC vs console threads keep getting it wrong), one CANNOT do a 1:1 price comparison to a console vs a gaming rig. your average everyday PC is not made for gaming. you basically have the cost of the PC then adding the cost to turn it into a gaming rig.

not singling anyone out, it just not a fair comparison I keep seeing brought up in those threads

You could build one that performs better for about 900 with tax (no monitor).

EDIT: I should say significantly better. The 760 and i5 you would get would trounce the counterpart components in the other systems.

I agree with you that a pc can do a lot more than play games. Just my curiosity, for someone who mainly plays games and has no knowledge of pc gaming rigs, will a ps4 be a better choice than a $400-$500 custom pc? (I'm apologize ahead if this stir any kind of conflicts between the two.)

 

[Conflict NZ]

There's a boxed motherboard lying on top of the case-box now

Good choice on the case, I got sick of my Corsair Storm Sniper which was a bulky, noisy case. Swapped to this and it is near silent. Also one of the best cases I have ever built in, it's so good having 8 HDD bays instead of 6 worthless DVD Drive bays.

 

[TheExodu5]

Yup the Define R4 is my favorite case on the market. Fantastic case for the money.

 

[t-ramp]

I agree with you that a pc can do a lot more than play games. Just my curiosity, for someone who mainly plays games and has no knowledge of pc gaming rigs, will a ps4 be a better choice than a $400-$500 custom pc? (I'm apologize ahead if this stir any kind of conflicts between the two.)

If you have, or can acquire at low cost, a Windows license, as well as a monitor or TV, you can put together a nice PC for ~$500. I don't really see how there's a clear choice for the gamer with a $500 budget, really. You'd probably spend less money in the longer-term as well with a PC, considering game prices/discounts and no subscription fees.

 

[RSTEIN]

The only bad thing about the R4 is the red ring of death that stares at me all night. Seriously, why red?

 

[kennah]

Selling Intel i7 3960X and MSI GD45 Plus Motherboard

These are both about 2 months old and in great working order. Never experienced problems with them. Only selling because I have other places I'd like to put some money.

$650 for the processor, retails for $1000 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116491&Tpk=3960x

$180 for the motherboard, retails for $250 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130681&Tpk=msi gd45 plus

If you buy them both I will combine them for $770 ($60 savings)

Feel comfortable dealing with me I have multiple transactions on this site including an entire rig that sold for $800. I can show you my ebay profile as well if you request, I'm not sure if it's okay to link your profile in this thread so only upon request.

From the Buy Sell Trade thread.

This is an amazing deal for someone looking for high end gear.

 

[The_Hitcher89]

Good choice on the case, I got sick of my Corsair Storm Sniper which was a bulky, noisy case. Swapped to this and it is near silent. Also one of the best cases I have ever built in, it's so good having 8 HDD bays instead of 6 worthless DVD Drive bays.

Worth noting that I didn;t choose any of the components myself, kharma chose the obvious ones and we talked over the ones which I had options for. I don't know what I'm doing


Just to alleviate (or compound) my fears, is there feasibly anything I could do wrong that would break multiple components with the same mistake?

 

[TheD]

Is this chart right? is the AMD FX-8350 the best value?

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+FX-9370+Eight-Core

I am pretty sure passmark is a load of shit/scam, the fact that their CPU benchmark shows unrealistic Hyperthreading scaling (It had my 4.3 GHz 2500K being beaten by a 2.something Ghz laptop i7!) makes me think they are just making up the scores (or that their benchmark is extremely poor).

 

[Sora2k7]

Worth noting that I didn;t choose any of the components myself, kharma chose the obvious ones and we talked over the ones which I had options for. I don't know what I'm doing


Just to alleviate (or compound) my fears, is there feasibly anything I could do wrong that would break multiple components with the same mistake?

you could fall down the stairs . Don't worry its almost foolproof

 

[Addnan]

Your Current Specs: Intel Core i5-2410M / 4gb / ??? / Nvidia GeForce GT 555m / ??? / Laptop / 750gb HDD. Can't find Model #
Budget: ~1300$. USA
Main Use: Gaming - 5
Monitor Resolution: My monitor resolution is 1920x1080. I have the Asus VS238H-P, and I'll be buying an additional one the same time I buy my rig.
I'd like to be able to run games like BF3, Crysis, and The Witcher 2 at a solid 60FPS.
Looking to reuse any parts?: Just my keyboard and mouse.
When will you build?: I' plan on building in early December, primarily so I can get Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.
Will you be overclocking?: This'll be my first build, so I'm not really sure. If it's easy to do and relatively safe, I don't see a reason not to do it though.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Cooling MX-2 4g Thermal Paste ($4.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme6 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M4 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($72.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: BitFenix Shinobi ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.98 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Microcenter)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.49 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($134.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1328.34
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-31 21:42 EDT-0400)

The reason I went with the larger power-supply is in the event that I want to run SLI or Crossfire in the future.

For the difference of aounrd $20 change to the 3570K and the motherboard to the MSI Z77A G45.

64GB SSD is pretty small, would really recommend 120/128 at the minimum.

Just to alleviate (or compound) my fears, is there feasibly anything I could do wrong that would break multiple components with the same mistake?

Start building!