Very new to building systems - need feedback please

[ChickFurious]

Hi! I am going to do a little holiday project and build my own desktop (I hope)! Unfortunately, I am limited by knowledge and budget. My goal, is to build a CPU that can play games at smooth framerates at medium settings at 1280 x 1024 resolution spending between $500-$600. Right now, I am playing SWTOR and would really love some constructive feedback. I know that some of these parts may not be top of the line but I'm most concerned to make sure the processor has enough juice for the video card and the motherboard will work for it all.

Here is a link to my build: http://pcpartpicker.com/b/yYY

Listed below:

CPU: Intel Core i3-2120 3.3GHz Dual-Core
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing
Motherboard: Asus P8H61-M LX PLUS R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1155
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower
Power supply: CoolMax 600W ATX12V / EPS12V
Operating system: Windows 7

Total cost $553

Thanks to all who help me!

ChickFurious

 

[ChickFurious]

Updated to the following changes:

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
Case: MSI TC- (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case

Would I be better off with AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor?

Thanks!

 

[g-unit1111]

Would I be better off with AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor?

I'd actually be more inclined to recommend the FX-6300 over the 965 BE.

Stay very far away from that power supply - Coolmax is among the absolute worst manufacturers in the industry.

For a ~$600 budget I'd suggest this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 EXTREME4 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($107.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($77.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card ($111.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($51.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $550.76
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-06 18:45 EST-0500)

Then add OS and you're good to go.

 

[ChickFurious]

Would I be better off with AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor?

Stay very far away from that power supply - Coolmax is among the absolute worst manufacturers in the industry.

Great, that's the kind of stuff that helps me . So to offset the cost of a new power supply my build is now looking like this:

http://pcpartpicker.com/b/yZC

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black 3.2GHz Quad-Core
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing
Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M LX PLUS Micro ATX AM3+
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB
Case: MSI TC- (Black) ATX Mid Tower
Power Supply: Corsair 600W ATX12V
Operating System: Windows 7

$535 including the Operating System!

 

[g-unit1111]

Great, that's the kind of stuff that helps me . So to offset the cost of a new power supply my build is now looking like this:

http://pcpartpicker.com/b/yZC

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black 3.2GHz Quad-Core
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing
Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M LX PLUS Micro ATX AM3+
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB
Case: MSI TC- (Black) ATX Mid Tower
Power Supply: Corsair 600W ATX12V
Operating System: Windows 7

$535 including the Operating System!

Pay a bit more for the case and get something like an Antec One or Cooler Master HAF 912. I can't stress enough how important a quality case is on any budget - there's a lot of good ones, but there's also a ton of crap in this area. MSI makes decent motherboards and good GPUs but I'm not sure about their cases.

Also get a full ATX motherboard like the Asrock 970 Extreme 3 - it will be more future proof and allow for better expansion opportunities.