People might also find this to be helpful: http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af150/The_FalconO6/CurrentLogicalPCBuyingGuide/Guide.png~original
(thx scholar)

logicalincrements.com Is essentially an updated version of that image with clickable links and support for several countries.

Honestly for people looking for build help i don't think it hurts for them to make their own topics, but seen as my parts are finally arriving on Monday/Tuesday I may as well kick off the topic for anyone that's interested. Here's what I'm building, total overkill I know, but I had the money for once so I thought I'd spend it before it disappears.

Video Card:
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 WindForce 3X OC, 4GB GDDR5

I'm currently ordering a similar build right now. First time I've had the money and would be my first build evar.

CPU:
Intel Core i7-4770K
$326

CPU Cooler:
Swiftech H220
$150

Motherboard:
ASUS Maximus VI Hero
$200

Video Card:
EVGA GeForce GTX 770 4GB w/ ACX Cooler
$490

RAM:
Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866
$80

SSD:
Samsung SSD 840 Pro Series - 256GB
$213

HDD:
Western Digital Caviar Blue 7200 -1000GB
$59

PSU:
Corsair 760W ATX12V / EPS12V - 80 PLUS Platinum
$150

Case:
Corsair 500R Black ATX Mid Tower
$90

Case fans:
Cooler Master Megaflow 110.0 CFM 200mm
$8

Cooler Master JetFlo 120 95.0 CFM 120mm Fan x3
$30

Monitor:
Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor
$267

Total: ~$2063

Plus another ~$50 for shipping so around 2100 total. Super pumped to build it! I'll post something on the rig once its done too.

CPU:
Intel Core i5-3570K

CPU Cooler:
NZXT Kraken x60

Motherboard:
MSI z77 GD-65 Gaming Motherboard

Video Card:
Gigabyte 6850 (going to upgrade soon)

RAM:
G-Skill Ripjaws 8GB (2 x 4) 1600 CL9

SSD:
Samsung SSD 840 Series - 120GB

HDD:
Western Digital Caviar Green - 2TB

PSU:
XFX Pro 650W 80+ Bronze

Case:
Corsair Vengence C70 White

Case fans:
Antec TrueQuiet Pro (x3)

Monitor:
Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24inch Monitor

Collected parts over a few months through deals and discounts.
Estimated Cost so far: ~ $1300 Canadian.

I think you guys are getting a little extreme with the stikied threads ;)

PC builds are typically case by case and ever changing. Everyone's build is going to be different regardless of what people put in here and the issues they might encounter will be unique to their build specifically. I honestly think it's better they make a thread about their build, keeps the forum busy.

I'd add overclock.net, tom's hardware and r/buildapc to the good resources list to use for builds. Overclock.net has subforums on basically every computer part and peripheral known to man, so if you have a specific question there is a good place to go. Tom's is a similar site, with a bit more scope in terms of their hardware covered (cars for instance). r/buildapc is by far the best: a well moderated forum with professionals who know how to make builds cheaper and better.

Anyways my build:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Paals/saved/1Fnb
If you don't want to click, its basically an AMD FX8350 build designed for streaming/ ocing with liquid cooling at about $1900 US. Gets around 130 fps at stock speeds in dx8 while streaming, usually in pubs and some HL.

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor $189.98

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler $19.99

Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard $69.99

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory $79.99

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive $59.98

Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card $149.99

Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case $64.99

Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply $54.99

Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer $14.98

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 $94.98

Total: $799.86

Build is meant to stream tf2 and some video editing.
Is the PSU good enough for now and upgrades to the video card later?
I am going to be ordering the parts in the next week or so.
If it helps im using a 1680x1050 monitor.

Depends on what kind of upgrade. If you go crossfire/sli then no, but for single gpu its fine.

CPU:
Intel Core i5-2500K

CPU Cooler:
Corsair H80i

Motherboard:
Asus p8z77-i Deluxe

Video Card:
PowerColor HD7950 PCS+

RAM:
Crucial Ballistix Tactical 8x2GB

SSD:
Crucial M4 - 128GB
Samsung SSD 830 Series - 256GB

PSU:
SilverStone ST45SF-G

Case:
SilverStone FT-03 Mini

Case fans:
180mm FT-03 Mini Stock fan

Monitor:
BenQ XL2420T
Samsung S24B350H

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1LORz

Estimated Cost so far: ~ $2410

#11, you should probably get a better processor. no reason to still be going with a 2550K, especially when you get a 3770K for about a hundred more, or a 3570K for the same price.

Not really since the sandys OCed better. For all I know his 2500k could be OCed more than my 3570k and thus performed about the same as the newer gens.

#11 Feel free to add me.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($224.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Z87I-DELUXE Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($185.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($134.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($212.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Silverstone SST-FT03B-MINI (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($129.50 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Silverstone Strider Gold 450W 80 PLUS Gold Certified SFX12V Power Supply ($93.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($134.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($266.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1874.37
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-07 04:34 EDT-0400)

#12 Why not Haswell? There's really no point in going for Ivy Bridge.

#13 In theory you could probably push it further, but Haswell and even Ivy Bridge get you a newer chipset with more features, perform at least the same and are cheaper.
Plus OP is looking for a mini-ITX build, which means that you can't cool SB enough to get those 5+ GHz overclocks that you need to beat Haswell in terms of performance.

i actually have the 2500k when it came out. cant find it in pcpartspicker anymore.

#14 such a similar build :D i remember the gfx card being a very tight fit. there is a certain order to assembling the parts. the graphics card shroud will be slightly bent but its not an issue.

#15
Everyone though it was a new build, not an existing one.

CPU: AMD Phenom II x4 955 BE @ 3.8GHz
CPU cooler: Noctua NH-D14
Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth 990FX
RAM: G.Skill RipJawsX 1600MHz 8GB
GPU: XFX Radeon HD5830
Storage: Samsung 840 120GB (non-pro version) SSD + Samsung 1TB SATA2 drive
PSU: XFX Pro Series 750W
Sound card: Creative X-Fi Pro Fatal1ty
Case: NZXT Hades

pretty old overall but still somehow manages to play the latest games at high settings (1080p!). upgraded to the sabertooth so i could get piledriver/steamroller in the future.

Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68V-GEN3
CPU: i5 2500k @ 4.5 GHZ(1.372v)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80(Stock fans)
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 4GBx2 @ 1866 mhz
PSU: Corsair GS800w
GPU: Sapphire 7950 Vapor-X 950core(Boost)/1250mem (Don't get this version, sapphire them selves have pretty much fucked up the vcore cooling, doesn't go over 1000 mhz on the core clock so.. no OC'ing this fucker)
HDD: Western Digital 1TB(6Gb/s, 64Mb cache)
Case: Coolermaster 690 II Adv.
Soundcard: ASUS Xonar DG(w/ Sennheiser 558's it's fucking amazing)
OS: Windows 8.1 pro(Don't ask got it for free)

Overall it's meh.

Quick BF4 benchmark: Avg: 58.374 - Min: 40 - Max: 82(All maxed out ofc, but at 1600x900 because of a horrible monitor)

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($197.97 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($55.25 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 250GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.05 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 650 2GB Video Card ($133.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($42.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $873.20
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-07 15:22 EST-0500)

Does this sound alright? I will only be playing/streaming tf2.

The video card is very weak in the current market. Hopefully you plan to update it soon, if not consider spending a bit more for the 660 ti. Also you may regret gettting only 250 gb of storage. Look for a sale on any seagate or WD drive: 1 tb will usually go down to the price of this drive you have chosen. Unless you need it this second, wait until black friday to buy the parts.

I was also going to buy an AMD FX-8350 for streaming TF2 but I asked rays, who streams using an 8350, and he said that Intel i5 processors outperform the 8350 in playing and streaming source games.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.97 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($82.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.65 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Tempest 210 ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($95.99 @ Adorama)
Total: $794.53
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-07 15:42 EST-0500)

Now this is my personal build for the future, and I'm looking for help on this. I know nothing about motherboards and basically anything that isn't a cpu or gpu. My budget's at $800 and I wanted use this to stream TF2, is there anything I'm missing like compatibility issues?

Is there any particular reason you aren't going for haswell? Also you haven't listed an aftermarket cpu cooler, so I'm assuming you aren't ocing. If you aren't then save some $$$ and get a non k i5 and non z mobo. As to the performance of the 8350 vs an i5 in source streaming: having a better single core core performance will help in tf2 for sure, but multi-threaded will always beat single threads in streaming.

This is my current build, I'm looking to upgrade some things.

CPU: Intel i5 Ivy Bridge 3570K (clocked at 3.4 GHz) (stock cooler)
RAM: G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1866 RAM
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4
Video Card: HIS H687F1G2M Radeon HD 6870
SSD: OCZ Agility 3 120GB
HDD: Maxtor 320GB
Monitor: ASUS VG248QE
Secondary Monitor: Envision H19W (it's VGA only...)
Earbuds: Astrotec AM-90
Microphone: Antlion Modmic v1
Mouse: Razer Deathadder 3.5G (1800DPI)
Mousepad: Razer Goliathus Control Alpha Large
Keyboard: Dynex Wired Keyboard DX-WKBDSL
Webcam: Logitech HD Webcam C270

I might overclock my CPU.

For the record, BF3 and Arma 3 are only playable on the lowest graphics settings.

Also, I just want to note on i5 vs 8350 that they're good for different things. If you just want to play TF2, go with an i5. If you want to stream and play games such as BF4, consider the 8350. A few years from now, AMD will probably be the best option overall.

Disregard, did not see you had a monitor included.

$500: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1PYoK

$800: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1PKoJ

$1300: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1PYui

$1800: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1PKYM'

None of them include peripherals (monitor, kb/mouse) or windows.

Assuming I buy the vg248qe, is it worth it to buy an nvidia card just for lightboost?

Lightboost is pretty cool

You don't need to anymore, there's a way to get it working with AMD cards now: http://www.monitortests.com/forum/Thread-Strobelight-LightBoost-Utility-for-AMD-ATI-and-NVIDIA?page=1

If you want to use G-Sync, however, you'll need an Nvidia card. Although if you buy the monitor now, you'll need to add the G-Sync board yourself.

constructive posting 10/10

(actually in the right thread this time)

Built this a few months ago with the help of TFTV threads. A thread like this would have been really helpful then.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair XMS 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($249.95 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Hannspree HS233H3B 120Hz 23.0" Monitor
Keyboard: Razer DeathStalker Wired Gaming Keyboard ($75.99 @ B&H)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Wired Laser Mouse ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1110.79
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-07 22:08 EST-0500)

Too bad Hannspree doesn't make the 120Hz monitor I have anymore. It was by far the best bargain I've ever seen on a monitor.