Everyone has their opinions. Sadly, I don't agree with either of those statements.. Let's just Agree to Disagree =)

Hey, thanks so much for all the replies, guys! (I'm the brother he's talking about) So, I see a lot of great advice here, and I'm completely new to this whole deal, so I'll throw this out; generally, what does everyone think is the best build out of this thread?

Out of this thread? I'd go with A_Future_Pilots suggestion. Personally would go with a little cheaper graphics card, but then I don't play that many indies and therefore wouldn't know how demanding they usually are on a graphics card. SSD is pure luxury in my opinon ( my current pc is the 1st one I ever owned that has one and the difference has been hardly noticable).

And obviously, I myself agree with my own build lol

Which is exactly why I want the things that are not Windows on that SSD. I want applications that will call up and run without having to incur seek and rotation delays. I don't give a flying fuck how fast Windows can paint crap on my desktop; I do not use any of that, but I sure as hell want my applications fast.

Putting Windows on an SSD is a waste of the SSD. Putting applications on a mechanical disk is a waste of the applications. And I run my computer to run applications, not Windows.

Heh, Facebook = King of Drama. I only use Facebook to keep in touch with VERY close friends / Family.

Wow you sure are vocal about Windows, lol. I love Linux myself, I just hate the fact Linux doesn't get as much support as Windows does when it comes to intensive 3D gaming

I would like to point out though that saying an SSD isn't worthwhile for booting Windows is your opinion and not a fact, just like anything else here...

It's a fact however that SSD's are indeed faster than mechanical disks.

It basically boils down to whether you want to spend the extra cash and buy a better intel processor. Honestly, if I were you I would try to buy a Core-i5/i7. I mean, I use the same AMD FX chip I listed from my build and I like it, but I still wish I had the money to go intel.. The CPU and GPU are hands down the most important aspect of any computer build. It's worth it to shell out the extra money and get the i7 because you not only save money later on by not having to upgrade your processor, but you get MUCH better performance.

That's my 2 cents.

BTW, if you do decide to buy an i5/i7, keep in mind the K at the end of the model number means you can overclock it. Example: an Intel Core-i7 4770K can be overclocked. Just some extra info for you. ;)

I have no argument with either: yes, SSDs are faster, and Linux-based operating systems are (with some exceptions) excellent. I use Linux a lot more than I use Windows. But SSD space is ten times more expensive than HDD space.

It's a lot easier to use an SSD well with Linux. You put /usr on the SSD; depending on your work habits, maybe you put /var or /home on it. If you run virtual machines, you give SSD physical partitions to the guests. Everything loads like an army of penguins is chasing it, and nothing gets scribbled all over it.

LOL I love how you typed that up, I giggled. =) It's amazing how convenient Linux is, once you learn it.

It's not 10x more expensive, a little bit of an overstatement there, but I get what you're saying.
Still, I think it's a must have for every gaming rig.

I understand you see that differently, but that's the good thing about having different opinions.

I guess it's up to the buyer in the end whether or not to go SSD or not...

You might find this ironic, but I actually don't have an SSD.
Rather, I have a 10K RPM HDD instead.

I wish I would have gotten the SSD instead though, but I was on a limited budget.

wow 190 for a 7870 with rebates on top is pretty damn good considering what those jackasses are up to lately with discrete gpu

550 is a bit for the psu. is he going to upgrade to something with 1 8 pin 1 6 pin? I just don't see the point of a 550. with that i3-2120 you're never gonna hit any problems with that 550w power supply.

it gives him a bit extra headroom, but really with an i3 and a 7870 you wouldn't need more than a 500w. with the rebate it's not bad

Okay! Thanks again everyone! I'll look all this over with my brother!

I have just the 256GB SSD, most of my storage space is on an external USB drive. I never understood why you would want your stuff in storage to be accessible all the time. If that is needed connect it to your home LAN, most routers have a USB port now. Files that I wish to access more frequently are also on the SSD. I have at least twenty games installed and still haven't cracked more than half of that with the Windows OS also on the SSD. I haven't put my music on the drive, but that would still only take up another 30GB at most.

Okay, here's what I've got so far:

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131546

CPU: Is there a huge difference between an i3 and an i5? And what's an "Ivy Bridges" CPU?

Power supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013 (will 50 watts make a big difference? If so, what's a good 600w one? A good brand?)

Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128514

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231445 (a friend might be donating RAM though. What do I have to consider in terms of RAM compatibility?)

Case: Undecided

Hardrive: Would probably prefer to just go with a traditional HDD. 2 Terabytes would be good. One would work too. Any suggestions for how to go about finding one? What are some good brands?

Are there any compatibility issues thus far? I'm not sure what to look for when matching up parts.

Ivy Bridge is last years CPU, Haswell is the new one. And yes a big difference between an i3 and an i5.
But why you asking about an intel processor when you are buying an AMD board. You will need an AMD AM3+ CPU, not an intel one.
Ivy Bridge, Haswell...they are all codenames given to different model years (generations) of chips. All manufacturers use them, AMD has Sledgehammer, Bulldozer, etc.
Basically it boils down to Western Digital or Seagate...everyone has their favorite. Either one will be good, but they both make different models...WD has the Black, Green and Red series. Black being Fast, Green being economy/slow, and Red be Enterprise Level (not normally for the consumer)...so with them the Black drives would be ideal.
Seagate is a little harder to define the enterprise, consumer, and economy drives. But the 7200 series I believe is the current consumer drive.

As far as RAM, just make sure it is DDR3. The speed rating is also semi-important, but for your purpose as long as your motherboard supports the RAM, then you should have no problem. And the RAM's speed you listed is 1600, and your board supports a wide variety of different speeds including 1600.
A handy calculator to see if your system requires a beefier power supply...I'll save you the time...550 is enough unless you are going for dual or triple graphics card setups.
http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

As for the brand of power supply I go with the Corsair or Antec, but there are a lot of other great brands: Seasonic, Enermax, Cooler Master, Thermaltake, Sparkle.
I used to run PC Power and Cooling until OCZ bought them...not saying they are bad, but it made me sad when they were bought out. I have no idea if XFX is a good brand or not. I have no experience with any of their supplies.