http://pcpartpicker.com/p/43N6NG

My current PC from 2008 has held up well, but I've decided to build a new one instead of picking up an Xbox One or PS4. I feel like I've struck a nice balance between price and performance, but I'd love hear any suggestions you might have.

The two areas I'm a little unsure about are the CPU cooler (is it necessary?) and the power supply (do I need more power?). I feel pretty good about everything else, but again, any input is appreciated.

@baconhound I think the CPU cooler is fine. It does make the CPU run cooler than your stock cooler but I personally don't have any problems using a stock cooler. I also think the PSU is fine. You could go for something that has a bit more but I think another duder here can probably answer that better than I can if you need to. I think the only possible reasons to add more power is if you're planning to overclock OR planning to go for an SLI set-up by adding another card down the line.

The 4GB 770 isn't that much more expensive than the 2GB version, and that may help future proof your build a bit more.

You only need to buy a CPU cooler if you are overclocking, otherwise the stock one is fine.

Other than that it's fine and should last you 2-3 years.

That CPU isn't meant for overclocking so if you're not planning to do that then I'd say take off that CPU cooler because you won't need it. If you want you could invest a little bit more in the 4GB 770 like Exile said with the money you save from removing the cooler.

Keep in mind the thing you'll be replacing the most often is the GPU, and the 770 will probably be good for another 2 years before you start feeling the pressure to upgrade again. A 4GB model will alleviate that a bit.

Those things said, there's nothing wrong with your build. All those things would work just fine, and the price is pretty good.

@lunnington: @ll_exile_ll: Thanks for your suggestions regarding the GPU. I did some additional research and I'm not sure the 4GB version is worth the extra cost for me. Honestly, I was already stretching the budget a bit to go from a 760 to the 770, and with no plans for three monitor (or even two monitor, at the moment) gaming, the benefit of the additional VRAM seems negligible - at least for now. I guess I'm gambling that by the time I really need 4GB, I'll probably need a bigger, badder GPU anyway.

I'm also not planning to getting into any overclocking, so I removed the aftermarket CPU cooler. Thanks for the tip!

Thing is, even if you're not planning on overclocking, I find the stock heat sinks infuriating to install. (I'm looking at you, Intel plastic push and twist pins.) For me, even a $20 heat sink buys me a little less frustration, and the peace of mind knowing one of those dumb plastic push pins won't just pop loose. I'm 90% sure that Coolermaster heatsink is the one I got for the PC I built my fiance. Super easy to install - pick the brackets, attach brackets to heatsink, bolt in place.

I'd swap out the WD Blue for a WD Black as it's considerably faster.

I'd gut the optical drive from your old computer or build a USB Win8 installer. It's $20 you could put towards the price difference between the blue and black.

Besides that, it looks like a fine build.