I'm Off To College Build (Help Definitely Needed)

[Hyborean]

Hey Everyone,

So I'm off to college this term and after looking up the computer requirements for my classes it looks like i'll have to upgrade my measly core-2-duo laptop. My current build is this (I came up with it with much help from the forums)

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gFmg
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gFmg/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gFmg/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($42.73 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Gigabyte GM-M6880 Wired Laser Mouse ($21.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1088.59
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-14 22:18 EDT-0400)

What I'll Be Using It For:
Casual Gaming (Minecraft and the like in my off hours)
Hardcore Gaming (I've never been able to run anything better than league of legends on my laptop so I'd like to experience a much wider range of games (Crisis 3, Bio-shock, Assassins Creed, etc)
Engineering Programs (I'll be going into electrical engineering (wish me luck) so I'll most likely need to work with some high-end software)
Industrial Design Programs (Yep, I'll be double-majoring)
General Web-surfing

Things I Definitely Need:
Dual Monitor Support (To balance out my incredible amounts of work)
Wireless Capabilities
The Price to not go much higher than this (I'm already going to be living on ramen for months to come)


Thanks everyone for your help, I know I'm hopeless.

P.S Some Questions:
1. What time frame am I looking at for setting everything up
2. Will these parts come with instruction manuals so i don't screw everything up?
3. What kind of upgrade-ability will i have in case I need it?

 

[JRAtk94]

Change PSU to this - http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-ss650am

You don't need 750W - 650W is more than enough. This PSU is modular as well, which will help with cable management. It's slightly cheaper too.

 

[Hyborean]

Change PSU to this - http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-ss650am

You don't need 750W - 650W is more than enough. This PSU is modular as well, which will help with cable management. It's slightly cheaper too.

Thanks, so what would happen if i kept the 750W (it looks like it's on a great deal right now so It's hard to give up a sale haha) Are there any problems that would arise?

 

[JRAtk94]

High wattage PSUs become inefficient at low-draw, which is what you'll be doing constantly, as you won't get anywhere near 750W.

There aren't any problems that would arise apart from this, but there are no benefits either. 😛 You'll benefit more from a modular PSU.

 

[Hyborean]

Thanks I'll change it , so in your professional opinion, do you think it's a pretty good build for what I need?

 

[JRAtk94]

Haha, "professional", I like that :lol:

And yeah mate, it's great. Couldn't have done better myself.

Good luck with your build, and enjoy 😀

[strike]May I ask though what it is that you're studying at college that requires such a powerful PC? Simply out of curiosity [/strike]

EDIT: You've already told me in your original post - I'm not very observant.

Also, you should be able to get student discount on Windows - you might want to look into it 😉

Since you're studying subjects like that, you might be able to get Windows completely free -you'll have to ask your College. Here in the UK, students get free Microsoft software on courses like that - I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same in the USA. 😛