My first build

[mikeyd]

I've been doing my research for a few months now (which is quite difficult with all the new stuff constantly coming out). I'm looking to build something that can handle a fair amount of gaming (SC2 and maybe some Skyrim) but also just normal daily use. I'm trying to keep the cost somewhat reasonable but yet have something that will alst me a few years.
Here's what I've narrowed it down to so far:

Case: Rosewill RANGER Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-970A-UD3 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX
PSU: Rosewill Green Series RG530-S12 530W Continuous
CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz Socket AM3
Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600)
Video: ASUS EAH6850 DC/2DIS/1GD5/V2 Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5
HDD: Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s
SSD: Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal (SSD)

I'm going to use an existing dvd/rw drive initially but upgrade that eventually.
Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Are there any parts you would stay away from or do differently?

[RickyTick]

Personally, I would get rid of the SSD and put that money into a better video card, cpu, and psu.

[ARchamps]

I agree with RickyTick. Personally, I think it is pointless to get such a small SSD. Use the money to get a better PSU, like Seasonic or Corsair. Maybe get DDR3 1600? Price difference is not that much.

[mikeyd]

Ok, I got rid of the SSD idea. I already bought my ram, newegg had a sale on the G.Skill Ripjaws (still 1333). Changed the power supply to Rosewill HIVE 650 (I've heard that's a much better PSU. The GPU is the one thing that I really know nothing about, ATI or NVIDIA??? I was thinking maybe bumping it up to a 6870?

[RickyTick]

I would prefer to go with a different brand psu like Corsair, Seasonic, or Antec.

A Radeon 6950 would a great choice in video card, or a GTX 560 Ti.

[zburns]

The psu is the foundation for your entire computer. Best to follow Ricky's recommendation above.

[mikeyd]

Ok, any recommendations for the PSU? I'm not even exactly sure what wattage I need. The only thing that I know for sure is that I want modular so there's isn't a mess of cables inside my case.

[ARchamps]

I have the 620W version of this PSU. Reviews are great.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151056

http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=52175&vpn=M12II%20520&manufacture=Seasonic%20Electronics