First off, thanks for the help! Between your suggestions and the OP's guide I was able to find quite a few cheaper alternatives I wouldn't have considered otherwise. For the i5 build the RAM gave me the same voltage error as well, so I decided to stick with the first choice. Anyway, I'll show you the two updated builds just so you can have an idea where I stand now:
BUILD #1.1
PCPartPicker part list:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nsBR6h
Price breakdown by merchant:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nsBR6h/by_merchant/
CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($299.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI X99S SLI Plus ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($189.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($21.98 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2014 Stealth Edition Wired Gaming Keyboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Wired Optical Mouse ($41.95 @ Amazon)
Total: $1238.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-03 09:25 EDT-0400
BUILD #2.1
PCPartPicker part list:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Gdcsgs
Price breakdown by merchant:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Gdcsgs/by_merchant/
CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($115.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($108.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.69 @ NCIX US)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($21.98 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2014 Stealth Edition Wired Gaming Keyboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Wired Optical Mouse ($41.95 @ Amazon)
Total: $981.53
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-03 09:30 EDT-0400
Now that the builds are as lean as I think they can be, I'll explain my situation for some final bits of input. While I do like the fact the i5 build can get my an almost fully functional rig for $1k currently, I'm worried that the lack of hyperthreading will be an issue later on. A few of my friends are getting into Star Citizen, and they said games like that and BF4 are very CPU reliant. Also, I have done quite a bit of engineering/CAD work in the past, and my i7 laptop has done admirably in that regard.
Ultimately I think I'll go for the i7 build at this rate, so are there any final tweaks I should be aware of? The only issues I'm aware of are the case being so large as to prevent power cables from reaching and that I am still tempted by the Samsung EVO or Pro SSDs.