Maximum PC

Hello everyone,

I am taking the leap and putting together my first PC system, switching back from a Mac after many years. I have my parts picked out, and I am really looking for any advice that anyone can give. Trying to create a kickass system for up to 1600 bucks.

Approximate Purchase Date: 3-4 weeks
Budget Range: 1400-1600 After Rebates
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Multimedia Editing (Video, Animation), 3D, gaming, surfing the internet
Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, speakers, monitor
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com, amazon.com
Country: USA
Parts Preferences: Whatever works the best for the money
Overclocking: No (unsure really)
SLI or Crossfire: No
Monitor Resolution: 1440x900 - 1600x1200
Additional Comments: I want it to be quiet, and efficient (power to output ratio)


Current Part List:
Case: Corsair Obsidian Series 650D (CC650DW-1) Black Steel structure with black brushed aluminum $ 189
PSU: CORSAIR Professional Series HX750 (CMPSU-750HX) 750W $149.99
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s $209.99
Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 $96.99
CPU: Intel 2600k Quad Core Processor] $309.99
CPU cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 $26.99
GPU: EVGA 012-P3-1570-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card$299.99
Optical Drive: ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner $17.99
SSD (primary HDD) Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $83.99
Second HDD Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM SATA $99.99

Ivy bridge coming out on monday, rumored, so you might be able to save a little or at least upgrade to Z77 MB.
I like the obsidian series from corsair but a other case could shave some money off and allow you to get a larger SSD I personally think that if that is your primary OS drive 64GB really isn't enough and you will find that you will be constantly monitoring your data usage. Grab a 120GB SSD they are running deals all the time on Newegg that should put one in the $120 range or at the very least $140 range.

Why should I get a Z77 Motherboard? is it really better? and is there a good model I should loo for?

Also for my case, I wanted to go for a cheaper case, but for the long term (4-6 years) the Obsidian 650D seems to be the best bet, I know its more then usual but a good case can go a long way in my opinion, especially if I decide to OC or add water-cooling in the future.

a 120gb SSD? any preferences? I am lost in terms of what SSD to get, also I heard a scary rumor that says that most SSD drives have a lifespan of only 1-2 years. Is that true?