First time pc build $1,200-1,600 - advice appreciated

[LlamaDog]

I've still got a few more questions for you guys out there:

1. Is putting the Radeon R9 290 in this machine justified on a single monitor setup? Is it overkill?

2. I've seen some people argue for 8gb of ddr3, is 16 the right idea?

3. If you were to make any changes to the list, what would they be?

This PC is for gaming, ideally maxed out settings.
Price range: $1,200-1,600 (could, but don't particularly wanna spend more)

CPU Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core $229.99
CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing $29.98
Motherboard Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Combo or $144.99
Memory Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 $162.99
Storage Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" SSD $109.99
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM $51.99
Video Card Asus Radeon R9 290 4GB DirectCU II $369.99
Case Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower $137.99
Power Supply SeaSonic 650W ATX12V / EPS12V $59.99
Optical Drive Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer $16.98
Operating System Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) Combo or $102.98
Total: $1402.86

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/LlamaDog/saved/V78bt6

 

[CTurbo]

The first thing I did is switched out the 4670k/Z87 for the newer 4690k/Z97. Then I switched to a better psu. The next move I would make is to upgrade to a R9 290, but I left the 770 in there for now.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CgHzXL
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CgHzXL/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($162.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($299.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case ($137.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1294.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-09 13:24 EDT-0400




Or this would be an even better gaming machine for the same price.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/s4htLk
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/s4htLk/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($188.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($88.99 @ Mwave)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($162.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 3GB DirectCU II Video Card ($459.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case ($137.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1362.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-09 13:30 EDT-0400

 

[LlamaDog]

The first thing I did is switched out the 4670k/Z87 for the newer 4690k/Z97. Then I switched to a better psu. The next move I would make is to upgrade to a R9 290, but I left the 770 in there for now.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CgHzXL
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CgHzXL/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($162.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($299.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case ($137.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1294.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-09 13:24 EDT-0400

Much appreciated! I'll update my list accordingly.

 

[LlamaDog]

.

 

[Vitric9]

If you plan on using a R9 290 or 290X then 750W PSU would be better. I know some Vendors for the R9 290 have 600w or 650w PSU recommendations, though AMD recommends a 750W PSU to use with their reference design. Insufficient power can overheat components especially the GPU.

 

[gamer1357]

My take on the build
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/pQ6rqs

I went ahead and put a 850 watt psu just because it was only $10 more than the 750. With the 850 watt you can sli down the road.