Gaming PC, ideally long-lasting

[Lavaridge]

I'd like to get a high-spec PC for games and 3D graphics, and I've come up with this specification. However, I don't really understand cooling all that well; and I'd appreciate advice on how loud this PC is likely to get and on whether it needs more/better fans than it has at the moment. Also, I'm curious as to how long you guys think this sort of machine will stay capable of playing the latest games at high settings; given that consoles can't change over a generation and games must still remain compatible with them (although I'm aware I can upgrade individual components as/when I need to). Thanks for any help!

Also, I've chosen one of the cheaper motherboards; I'm wondering what the advantages are of a better one?

Case
PCS TRAIL-BREAKER 7206B BLACK CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4670 (3.4GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® Z87-A: ATX, USB2.0, USB3.0, SATA6GB/S, SLi, XFIRE
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz, X.M.P (2 x 4GB KIT)
Graphics Card
3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 780 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
120GB KINGSTON V300 SSD, SATA 6 Gb (450MB/R, 450MB/W)
2nd Hard Disk
500GB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 16MB CACHE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W ENTHUSIAST SERIES™ MODULAR TXM-650 V2-80 PLUS®
Processor Cooling
Super Quiet 22dBA Triple Copper Heatpipe Intel CPU Cooler
Sound Card
Asus Xonar DG 5.1 SoundCard & Headphone AMP (Award Winner)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11N 150Mbps PCI-E CARD (Special Offer)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Power Cable
1 x 2 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
DVD Recovery Media
NO DVD RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Keyboard & Mouse
Microsoft Comfort Curve Keyboard 3000 for Business
Mouse
CM Storm Xornet Gaming Mouse
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Miscellaneous
FREE ASSASSINS CREED BLACK FLAG & MORE with GTX 660 & 7 Series GPUs!
Miscellaneous
FREE ASSASSINS CREED BLACK FLAG & MORE with GTX 660 & 7 Series GPUs!
Quantity
1

 

[keynes]

For gaming a more expensive motherboard won't give you any advantage. If you are on a budget I would drop the SSD and soundcard to get a better case and a caviar black drive.

 

[Lavaridge]

I want to keep the SSD for my OS and a small handful of programs, but upgrading the secondary drive to a Caviar black adds less than £15 so if there's a notable difference in performance there then I'll just do that anyway. As for the case and the sound card, I know very little about either. What would be the advantage of a better case, or of a sound card vs none? Also, what counts as a good case? I could conceivably jump to one of the £59 ones if it would mean the system was quieter or less likely to overheat, or go higher if I dropped the sound card.

EDIT: Would the COOLERMASTER HAF 912 Plus be sufficient? Ideally I don't want something that makes a ton of noise but obviously I appreciate that a games machine will get louder than most at times.

 

[keynes]

You have a pretty high end system, a good case offers better cooling/airflow as well as better cable management. I wouldn't recommend a quiet case since you compromise on cooling, the coolermaster 690 is a good choice. A soundcard is not needed unless you are looking for specific features or have high end speakers. You could try onboard audio first and see how it goes before adding a soundcard.

 

[Lavaridge]

I'll upgrade to the Coolermaster 690 II case then, and drop the sound card (but keep the motherboard as it is so I still have a free slot for one). I'll add one extra fan as well, because apparently that case isn't brilliant for cooling. And I also have the Caviar Black drive. Any more advice?