Getting ready for a PC build, need some advice!

Thanks DBZ, I understand the basics to the limitation now at least.

Just be aware that post processing is what kills framerates, and post processing (I.e. eye candy, full screen AA, PhysX, ambient occlusion, particle effects etc) is the principle selling point of DX11 games

Any quick read of reviews will give you that information and much more besides. I generally don't post performance benches for the reason that they are particular to my setup and any comparison is rendered null if the other persons system differs to any great extent. My OS is mirrored at install on a stack of hdds which tend to go though rotation back to my SSD, and I reinstall on a 3-6 month basis. In addition my CPU is clocked at 4.8G, and I have a habit of modding gamedata files along with no prefetching instructions and the like- none are applicable to a lot of other people.

A 4GB 680 will easily run those games you listed, even at triple monitor resolutions. If you decide you want to play games such as Battlefield 3, Metro 2033 etc. at 5760x1080 and max settings then you should think about adding another card in SLI. If I were you I'd sell that 2GB Zotac 680 you have, it's not a good idea letting it collect dust and depreciate, sell it now while it's still got good value and upgrade to SLI when you need it.

Wow, spectacular idea! I was just going to toss that Zotac card off to the side a while and possibly save it for a computer build for my Son, which is planned for sometime around late October to early November. But there again, the kid I don't think really needs a GTX 680 card. I think I've got an old Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT laying around somewhere. He can have the 8800 and I could sell off the 680, I do have two used computer stores in my area, I just wonder how much they would give for a used GTX 680, I spent $375.00 for it, doubt I'll even get close to that in return! Oh well, it probably wouldn't hurt to give these places a call and tap their brains to see what they might give me! If it's a good offer I could sell it off and pocket the money and that be the foundation towards saving up for another 4GB GTX 680!

Good idea there slh28, I like it!

Do a quick search on ebay... you'll easily get that much.

This thread has gone awfully quiet... zen, would you maybe shoot us an update to quell my fears that something has gone horribly wrong?

I just bought an H100 ($99 @ CompUSA) and it's definitely worth the money. My i5-3570 runs at least 20c cooler under load than with my Hyper 212+. The only air coolers that come close are huge monsters that weigh 3 or 4 pounds, have 2 x 140mm fans, and get in the way of RAM slots and VR heatsinks ( http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm ) and they cost just as much. I can now use all my DIMM slots and they can have nice tall heat spreaders on them, and I'm not bumping into the heatsink every time I plug a wire in. Also, all the heat from the CPU now blows out the top of my case instead of inside, which helps my GPU to run cooler. Also there's no pump noise, and fan noise is fine even on highest setting.
It's obviously a matter of preference whose processor you use and also depends on what tasks you'll be performing regularly. I always consider the upgrade path as well. Here's a very handy chart I found to compare high end CPUs http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html These are averages compiled from every stock clocked system that ran the benchmark and submitted it to Passmark. As you can see AMD's best CPU is nowhere near the top of the chart, although I'm sure it's fine for all but the most processor-intensive tasks.
In your first post you mentioned 6-8 hours of research. That's a good start, but honestly it takes me 10 times that much research to properly build my own personal system (I want it perfect!). Things change fast, new stuff is available daily, and prices are volatile, so your picks may change right up to the minute you place the order.

Something has gone "very horribly" wrong! On September-1-2012 my Father passed away! He was involved in a serious car accident and was mortally injured and died in the ambulance, just minutes away from his local hospital. I got the news around 3:00pm and by 5:00pm I was on a flight heading to Seattle Washington. I've been up here ever since and have felt no motivation of getting onto a computer, for I'm busy dealing with the human side of life. I'll be up here a while, we had a small and modest memorial service, now I am awaiting the completion and arrival of my Father's cremated remains. After, per his will, he wants me to hike up a local mountain with his remains and set him free atop the mountain, which was as he said was ...."his special spot"!

After the proper handing of the remains are complete, I am still interested with sticking around, mainly to be my Family's Representative at the court house as so I can witness the prosecution of my Father's killer. I have no clue as to when I'll be getting back to Sacramento. I have a group of friends that have offered to help me build my monster. They want to be there to support me and possibly just tell me to sit down, grab a beer, and just keep us company as we build your system. I 100%'ly trusy them, they all work in the technology industry and could build the thing in all their sleep.

So be it that my friends build it, help me build it or if it's just me, one way or the other I will get around to it and of course take many of pictures. But until I get back home, I have more serious matters to tend to that can not wait. I'll check into TechSpot a couple more times, but using my cousins Apple laptop for my daily computing needs has proven frustrating and confusing, in my haste I left my laptop behind, I just wanted to get my a$$ up, out and gone!

Well I'm getting off this thing and going to get back into the house and hang out with some friends and family, lot's of "good ole days" filled with memories kind of talk going on tonight, hard to deal with, needed to escape outside and breath and for better words, I know TechSpot isn't my real world home, but tonight coming here has in a small way made me feel at home. **tears**

....
Words can not express my condolences.
I really can't imagine what it's like, but I truly hope you and your family remain safe and healthy, even through this time.
I sort of understand though, when my grandfather died I was in a state. I'm very, very, truly sorry for your loss.
It sounds like you have great friends, but remember, we are also here for you. From Australia, you have my thoughts, and even though I'm not very religious, my prayers.
Please take your time to come to terms with this event, and I'm sorry if I came off like I was pushy in my previous post.
It's hard to put this in words because I know what I say probably won't have a big effect on you or anyone for that matter, but please know that even though this is a simple forum, we are all a community, and a family.
Once again, you have my deepest condolences, and I hope you and your family are OK.
(this note is the best my 16-year-old brain could do, and even though I don't have much experience with passing family members I hope my message came across)

Regards,

Tom.