This machine is more expensive and slower than SF's build.
I advise you to go back to SF's build and compare part by part. The places where you're spending significantly more money (e.g. motherboard, case, cooler, PSU) are not getting you any real-world benefit. Your build is actually slower than SF's because it lacks an SSD of any kind.
I've got to agree with mfenn's advice to you. You are overspending in some areas and getting little in return for it.
CPU: The i7-3770K is only worth the money if you really do need the hyperthreading. The only exception I would add is if you can indeed get it from a Microcenter, but that requires that you actually go to the Micorcenter; the deal is an in-store deal only from what I understand.
CPU COOLER: Noctua is topshelf when it comes to aftermarket coolers. The only thing I would caution with the NH-D14 is that it is rather bulky and heavy. Make sure you have the space in your case to fit it and that the RAM you are going to use has enough clearance for it. A good, cheaper, alternative is the Cooler Master Hyper 212 series. Also, if you are willing to spend the money there's always the All-Inclosed Water Cooler option.
Motherboard: I would definitely advise against the ASUS Sabertooth Z77. It is one area that you are definitely overspending and getting little in return. The Thermal Armor is an expensive gimmick and really doesn't lower or protect from thermals all that much. There are many better motherboards out there that are both cheaper and offer more accessories. When shopping for a motherboard you should be asking yourself what things do you want it to have. Do you want integrated WiFi, WiDi, Bluetooth, do need extra SATA ports, do you want Thunderbolt(I don't know why you would considering that there isn't a whole lot out there right now that utilizes it), are you looking for great overclocking ability, etc.
I would suggest looking at some of the Z77 boards from Asrock, MSI, and Gigabyte. Asus also has some great Z77 boards that offer more bang-for-the-buck than their Sabertooth model.
RAM: You really only need 8GB but if you are really wanting 16GB I would not go with what you've selected. The G.Skill Ripjaws X modules may have clearance issues if you do get the Noctua NH-D14. If you really want 16GB of RAM and the NH-D14 I would suggest either the
Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2x8GB) or the
Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4x4GB). Neither should have clearance issues with the NH-D14 and both are faster than the G.Skill Ripjaws X that you currently have selected.
Storage: The Seagate Barracuda 1TB is a good HDD and comes with a decent pricetag so I would keep that. I would definitely suggest getting a SSD to load your OS, and any other other programs that you want to be very quick responders, onto. This is one area to reinvest money saved elsewhere in the build. I would suggest the
OCZ Vertex 4 128GB, the
Crucial M4 128GB, and the
Samsung 840 Pro 128GB. All three are good, reliable, fast SSD options that are well priced.
Video Card: This is another area where you can reinvest money saved elsewhere in the build. I would ditch the Diamond 7970 since it is just a re-branded reference design Radeon 7970. Instead I would go with the
Sapphire 7970,
the Gigabyte 7970, or the
Sapphire 7970 Ghz. All three are faster, have better thermal performance, and are similarly priced.
Case: The Thermaltake Level 10 GT is a good case but it has a hefty pricetag, especially considering it is a Mid-Tower. I would suggest a cheaper case from Corsair, Coolermaster, Fractal, Antec, or Rosewill. All of those brands offer similar performance and options (USB 3.0, side windows, great cable management, excellent airflow, etc.) for much better pricing.
PSU: You've picked out a good PSU, but if you want one that has the same features (750w, modular, 80+ GOLD rated) for a better price I would suggest the
Seasonic X750.
Optical Drive: You may not use this all that much so sinking a lot of money into it can be a waste. However, if you are going to be using your PC for a lot of media watching (and you have a large collection of DVD's) then you definitely want a reliable optical drive. I would change this to just a DVD reader/writer instead of a Blu-ray reader due to the issues of trying to watch Blu-ray on a PC. These issues stem from the fact that SONY holds the patent on Blu-ray rather tightly so you are going to need to buy Blu-ray playback software to play any Blu-ray discs on your PC. However, this can be problematic as the different playback software suites often have issues playing new Blu-ray movies when those movies are first released (requiring updates from the software manufacturer in order to have successful playback). If you already have a separate, external Blu-ray player just hook that into your monitor instead as it is a far easier and more consistent option for successful Blu-ray watching. If you really want it internally in your PC be prepared to spend an additional $50-$100 on the software and having playback headaches from time to time on new releases.
OS: Windows 8 is what it is. If you are comfortable using it then buy it. I would caution you about the OEM version, however, because it can only be used on a single computer build. Once you register it to that computer that's it, you can't use it on any later builds. This might not be an issue for you if you aren't planning on building another PC for a couple of years (as you'll go with whatever new OS is out then), but if you should have a major hardware failure in your current build after you load the OEM version you might be out of luck when you have to replace parts (especially if it is the motherboard that needs replacing). I've heard of people being able to reuse their OEM versions of Windows after major hardware replacements due to hardware failures, but it seems that each had to spend a good chunk of time talking with Microsoft Support in order to do so and the experience was migraine inducing. Now that being said, the chances of you having an issue like that is relatively low so I wouldn't worry too much about it; just keep it in the back of your mind.