From console to superior: I HAVE JOINED PC MASTER RACE

[Zkuq]

That seems like pretty decent value, I'd say. I'm not in the loop that well, but I'm pretty sure it's at least decent value. Congratulations!

Logitech F310 is a great controller if you don't mind wires. I think the F710 is pretty much the same but wireless, if that's what you want. Xbox controllers also work well on PC I hear, and with Steam improving controller support soon, Dualshock 4 should also work great on Steam (but getting it to run elsewhere requires just a bit more effort).

As for running mods, for a lot of games you can simply use Steam Workshop to download and install them automatically. Nexus Mods is pretty great for a lot of other games, and Nexus Mod Manager handles the mods pretty well on your PC. Unfortunately if a game doesn't use Steam Workshop, using mods is a different process for each game. Usually each game has a pretty standardized way of using mods, but it still varies a bit. I think it's still a matter of putting files in the correct place though, and not much else.

As for modding Skyrim, you must install SkyUI first. I mean, not technically, but it's the mod you want to use. It fixes the horrendous UI and makes it actually usable. Climates of Tamriel is also pretty good IIRC, and if you've played the start too many times, you can skip it with Alternate Start. Oh, and Immersive HUD is also pretty great for what it does. :) And in general for mods on Skyrim, Nexus is the best place to get them (here's the list of top mods on Nexus). There's quite a few on Steam Workshop, but most of them are on Nexus. Functionally it doesn't make a whole lot of difference which one you use though.