First build! Budget was $1,000-ish (excluding monitor).

CPU: Using it for video editing, streaming/recording games, photo editing, music recording. Was considering a 4670k, but the 4770k was only $30 more at the time, so I opted for the i7 ;)

CPU Cooler: Everyone I asked claimed the stock Intel cooler is no bueno. 212 EVO seemed the best for the money.

Motherboard: Don't need anything fancy. It has decent reviews, and is working great for me so far! Was purchased with 4770k and received a discount.

Memory: From what I've read, single vs dual isn't that much of a difference (benchmarking mainly) in real-world usage. I plan to buy another 8gb in the future anyway, so then it'd only take up two slots instead of four (212 Evo is blocking the first slot just a tiny bit too). Was also the cheapest 8gb at the time which was the main reason I bought it to be honest XD...

Storage: SSD. 240gb. Reliable. Good deal. Moving on...

GPU: Its a 770 and has good reviews. Games are maxed out, no stability issues.

Case: Bought it open-box. Looks brand new. Front panel ports work. Great airflow. Everything is staying cool.

PSU: This is the only thing I would change... Should've gone modular! Its silent and I haven't had any problems, but routing the cables is tough! The flat design of the cables seems to be more of an issue than a "feature."

All-in-all though, I really like this build. It was a fun learning experience to research each part and put it all together.

Side-Note: Haven't installed the NZXT fans yet. Haven't needed to! Excuse the SSD as well, its secured now. Also, previous computer was a 2010 i5 MacBook Pro... It was time for a change haha.