First PC Build. Would like your thoughts

[heapsofsheep]

This is what I'm looking at. I'm primarily concerning myself with gaming performance when selecting these parts and any help you can offer would be appreciated. Also I'll preface this by saying I have considered optional extras like an SSD but I want to make this a pretty tightly budgeted build and while $650 does seem pretty cheap this is not factoring in the cost of things like and OS and a monitor.

Thanks

Spoiler

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($92.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($201.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Three Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 520W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($58.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($24.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $648.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-09 22:53 EST-0500)

 

[stickmansam]

Went for the FX6300 opposed to Intel. It performs better than the i3 in most cases and you can most likely upgrade to Steamroller when it comes around. I chose the stock 7850 since the 7850 overclock so well, almost no point to grab a OC one if you're on a budget. Cooler is pretty decent too. I did not swap out for a cheaper case since you might have a preference to the look. I chose a Seagate 7200rpm since it performs close enough to the Caviar Black while costing less. Also managed to fit in a small SSD to load your OS and maybe 2-3 games onto it.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock 970DE3/U3S3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($31.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 2 50GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Three Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($51.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($20.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $649.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-09 23:22 EST-0500)

 

[emperor piehead]

^ looks very well rounded. If steamroller sounds as good as it is described it will make a great upgrade.

 

[stickmansam]

^Thanks!

Here is the review for the Seagate drive (it is the 2TB version tested agaisnt other 2TB ones)
http://uk.hardware.info/reviews/2997/12/seagate-barracuda-720014-2tb-hard-disk-review-extremely-fast-7200-rpm-hard-drive-conclusion

Here is the gaming review for the FX6300. The FX6300 performs better than the i3 but costs more as well. It has pretty much the same price/perf ratio except in massive multiplayer games like 64 man BF3. There it really stretches it's legs due to it "6" cores.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6396/the-vishera-review-amd-fx8350-fx8320-fx6300-and-fx4300-tested/5

 

[heapsofsheep]

Thanks for the response stickman, I'll look into the AMD option. The reason I opted for the more pricey WD is because I read a bunch of reviews where people had problems with seagates, and that scared me into the WD.

 

[stickmansam]

The new 7200.14/Barracuda Seagates are performing a lot better. The was a splat in time when the Seagate 7200.10, 7200.11 and the 7200.12[better with less issues bit still some] all had firmware issues. I am using a 7200.14 fine myself as are several of my friends (anecdotal of course). I got a 7200.9 before the 7200.10 came out =P
You can opt for the 1TB Seagate Green drive but it is slower @ 5900rpm but the green line never had any firmware issues I am aware of.

Swapped out the Antec 300 for the 301 which looks about the same but with USB 3.0 and better internal layout. Swapped in a Sandisk 64Gb SSD as you get 14 GB more for $5. The 7200.14 apparently is also $2 more.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock 970DE3/U3S3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($31.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Sandisk 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($54.47 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Two ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($51.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($20.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $657.38
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-10 01:51 EST-0500)

This is with a 1TB WD Blue
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock 970DE3/U3S3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($31.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sandisk 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($54.47 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Two ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($51.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($20.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $659.38
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-10 01:59 EST-0500)