Feedback appreciated on this build. Can I do any better?

Hey all, thanks in advance for the help! I am looking to build a high end gaming rig to hook up to my big screen 1080P plasma in the living room. I've been thinking about this for a while now and after lots of back and forth I think this seems like a quality build but am hoping for some feedback. Can I do any better for the $1300 budget? I only need the parts listed here and already have a spare hdd, OS and accessories covered...

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/36wjz
CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($76.24 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($139.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($137.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($489.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 350D Window MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1258.19

I chose the the Xeon processor because I am unfamiliar with overclocking. Considering this is essentially a i7 4770 (minus onboard graphics) is this a good move to ensure longevity for my system?  Since I won't overclock will the stock cooler suffice?

I want to max out everything I throw at it and for it to last me several years before needing to upgrade (current rig is 7 yrs old). I will be looking to play many of the latest and upcoming AAA titles like The Witcher 3, Titanfall, Bioshock Infinite, Crysis 3, Skyrim (with HD mods), Evolve, ect...


The only other thing I would possibly like to change is switching out for a goodITX motherboard (recommendations welcome) and building this in the Silverstone Raven RVZ01 to make this more steam machine esque:

http://www.amazon.com/Silverstone-Tek-Mini-ITX-Computer-RVZ01B/dp/B00I3EKXDE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394327465&sr=8-1&keywords=silverstone+raven+rvz01

compatible SFX powersupply (IS THIS TOO LOW TO MEET MY POWER NEEDS?)

http://www.amazon.com/Silverstone-Tek-450-Watts-Modular-ST45SF-G/dp/B008VQ2Y4K/ref=pd_sim_pc_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1YN34TG2PJCC8S0ENVS9

Here is what I came up with:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/37y9n

I did have to sacrifice a bit on PSU efficiency, RAM (I really don't think you need more than 8GB, but left you the upgrade path in case - single channel shouldn't make a noticeable difference), and I couldn't get the Raven in there, and instead opted for something a bit uglier. Now, on the plus side, I got the 780-Ti (most future proof GPU you can get), ITX form factor (w/ USB 3, and a relatively clean gaming look), and 780-Ti. Did I mention 780-Ti? Just in case, I crammed a GTX 780-Ti in the budget. It's a reference design, but Nvidia actually does a good job with the their reference designs, unlike AMD.

Now, the 780-Ti is noticeably faster (~50FPS vs 42FPS). I'm sure you can get 60FPS on Crysis 3 if you lowered the AA to 2x.

Jerm1027 has a really good build, and he backs up his choices with pretty realistic advice.  I made a few changes that you may, or may not be interested in.  Keep in mind that my changes require you to send in a mail in rebate.  

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/37AG1

Also to answer your questions, the xeon processor is a good choice and I'm pretty sure you know yourself it's a better choice.  It's a i7 for the cost of an i5.

Using the raven RVZ01 will be harder to achieve due to the psu limits.  450watts would barely cut it, and I'd highly recommend that you atleast have 500w.  Nivida recommends 600w, but 500w is a good number

The main reason I was thinking 16GB of ram was because an ITX boards only have to ram slots.  I never thought about running single channel so thanks for that option.  

realistically how good is that power supply?  everything I have read seems tosuggest  seasonic, xfx, or corsair.  The reason I had chosen the evga supernova was the 10 yr warranty (and it being gold)

last and most important question.  I have never had a super high end GPU before (my build has a 512mb 8800gt).... Based on your experience how many years do you think a 780 or 780ti will be able to keep up with new games before you have to start dropping down the settings 

I know the Rosewill Hive and Fortress series are pretty good.  I don't like the EVGA Supernova line as it uses 4 +12V rails, indicating cheaper than usual build quality since it uses a design that uses multiple, cheaper rails to create a high wattage rating.  I'm sure that if you know how to balance your components on each rail that you'll be fine, but strong 1 rail designs are preferred over multiple rail designs.

WARNING: Long winded content - TL;DR section towards the bottom.

Well I have a build going on 3 years, which is running a 4x 2GB, and I see little reason to upgrade beyond 8GB. 32bit applications still have a dominance (even in gaming), and with that, they do have a RAM limit, which is less than 4GB. While 64bit applications are becoming stronger, it will take a while for them to overtake 32bit applications, so 8GB will be plenty for a long while. While I would encourage dual-channel just out of tradition (and starting building in the DDR2 days, where dual-channel was a big thing), I don't see a whole heck of a lot point to it now since there are very few applications that are held back by memory bandwidth. The most common one is the use of IGP (Integrated graphics), such as AMD's APU's, but that's irrelevant to you since you're using a 780 (Ti).

While the TechNoob does bring up a point about  multi-rail designs often being a sign of lower quality, it isn't necessarily true, and EVGA does back that up with a 10 year warranty (otherwise EVGA would be loosing a lot of money in warranty replacements). I think the Super-Nova might be a good product, but I opted for the Rosewill HIVE because it is more in-line with your build's power consumption (ie not overkill), and is cheaper. Another thing to note about power supplies is who actually makes them. A lot of companies will take an already existing design, slap their label on it, and resell it. Seasonic is a company that designs and manufactures their own power supplies, and often manufactures for other companies as well. XFX has their power supplies designed and manufactured by Seasonic. That EVGA SuperNova you pointed out was likely designed and manufactured by FSP. Corsair designs their own power supplies, but has them manufactured by another manufacturer. In the case of Corsair's Builder series (CX), they have them manufactured by Channel Well, and I don't really trust them as they make power supplies for a lot "generic" (synonymous with garbage) companies. I've also received a DOA CX430, and the wiring was really short, indicating some corners were cut. On an in-depth review, there was a comment about less than stellar ripple noise. So, Corsair's Builder series are not my go-to, despite their amazing value. Seasonic makes a lot of Corsair's higher end power supplies, so that's why a lot of people recommend Corsair. So to that comment about Seasonic, XFX, or Corsair, that translates to Seasonic, Seasonic, or Seasonic. In the case of the Rosewill HIVE series, they are designed and manufactured by Sirtec, which I believe to be a decent manufacturer, and that particular power supply has recieved lots of positive reviews on both Newegg and Amazon. You can find out more about who's who in Power Supplies here

Depending on how many console ports you play, and how determined Sony and MS are to drag out this generation as long as possible... FOREVER. Joking aside (sort of), the 780-Ti is, for the most part, overkill on 1080p gaming, so as long as you have 1 1080p monitor, with no plans to upgrade to 4k, you should be set for at least a couple years without having to turn down settings. It even keeps up with Crysis 3 maxed out well above 40FPS, which is notorious benchmarking game, often leaving future generations of GPU's struggling. Case and point: Crysis 1, a game meant to punish your 8800GT, is still a handful for a 680, which I guess is now a 770.

 

If you happen to get a G-sync monitor, you can prolong the life even more. However, a GPU upgrade, which is often simple, is an affordable upgrade to prolong the life of your system. My personal build (which is about 3 years old now), originally had a 560-Ti, and after a series of dead GPUs and trades, ultimately lead me to a 650. I upgraded to a 760, and now my system is still playing games with very high settings with no issue, running stock clocks, though I did have my 2500k OC'd to 4.5GHz at one point. So, if you really want to be smart with your money down the road, keep that Xeon build, but downgrade the GPU to a high-end value leader like the 760, upgrade it when the need arises (I suspect games will still be heavily GPU bound for the foreseeable future), and the GPU upgrade will breathe new gaming prowess into your aging system, as it did mine. Besides, CPU upgrades lately have been incremental, almost plateauing; instead of pushing the performance envelope (as we're quickly tapping out silicon for microprocessing), Intel and AMD are now pushing more towards mobile technology, integrating more systems into the CPU (GPU being a big one recently, memory controller a few years ago; becoming more SoC-like) and increasing efficiency. So that CPU should last you a very long time.

 

TL;DR 


Games probably won't use more than 4GB in the foreseeable future due to 32bit processing dominance, it will take some time before 64bit processing takes over. As a result, 8GB should be plenty for gaming for a long time to come.

The PSU you picked is good, but not needed. The HIVE is also good, and better suited for your build. Seasonic designs and manufactures most of the highly recommended power supplies, including from XFX and Corsair.

I suspect a 780-Ti will last a while, but if you want to be smarter with your money in the long term, get a 760 and upgrade the GPu a few years down the road. CPU progress has been slow of late (performance wise), so that CPU should last a lot longer than the GPU.