Yea, don't go with the APU. If you are on a tight budget, get something like an AMD FX6300. This will deliver more than enough performance (Sure, intels are quicker, but how much of this additional speed will a normal user even realize...aka are they worth the money in this case).
As for GPU's, Newegg has some good ones on sale now, such as a GTX 660TI and a Radeon HD7950 for about $200.
Finally, Windows 8 is fine. The only thing I've noticed is if you are building your own pc, careful with wifi cards/chips...major compatibility issues in regards to those. So if you do go Windows 8, I'd suggest you use wired internet if at all possible. I also urge you NOT to upgrade to the Windows 8.1 preview. I wound up having to run a game in compatibility mode because it would not work in it, and I lost a lot of the options for my Graphics card.
Money can't buy happiness. Just video games, which make me happy.
