Advice building a Win7 box

[jrandom421]

4. Some parts recommendations

I'd go with the Antec or SeaSonic power supplies. Even when building a killer gaming rig, anything more than 650 watts was just a room warmer.

An i5 processor is a good choice, pair it with an ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI, or BioStar motherboard and you've got a good foundation for your system. Pack as much RAM into it as you can, it will make a major difference. 16 Gb is a good start. 32 Gb is even better

I won't get into the religious wars on GPUs, just choose a good one, whether you're an nVidia or ATI/AMD fan

Pick a good case with lots of space and good airflow. Cooling is going to be key. I've had good luck with Antec cases, but your mileage may vary.

As for hard drives, that depends on your budget. I've got a solid state drive for my OS, and a SATA 3 drive for my apps and data. If price is a pain point, all SATA 3 drives are trending down in price. I've had good luck with Seagate and Hitachi SATA drives, and Samsung Solid state drives, but your mileage may vary.

Good luck and have fun!