(i am a mac user so i suck at this)
so I am attempting my first PC build, and i need help checking the compatibility of the parts, as well as suggestions on parts that better fit my needs.

I'm aiming at 1500$ -> 1600$ max budget. The computer is going to be used to operate programs such as maya and mudbox, as well as play games, and school work.

heres what im looking at atm: (if i missed anything pls do tell)

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840

monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009422

CASE: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112404

Graphics Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121635

Power Supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171052

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148545

Mother Board: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131837
    This is one of the items that i really lack knowledge on and if one of the other
mother boards in the ASUS Z77 series would be better or another board altogether pls tell.

Processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116501

Getting windows 8.1 for the processing system, is windows 7 better?

TY in advance to any help, comments appreciated.For gaming and that budget, I would buy Windows 7 Pro 64-bit. I have had problems with Windows 8.1 and games. So I have had to go back to using older computer that is Windows 7 to play games instead until the bugs get worked out or games get patches for Windows 8.1. I have an ASUS Laptop that has plenty of processing power for the games I play like World of Warcraft and I have Mouse Control issues with Windows 8.1 and WoW, so I went back to using my Windows 7 system. The mouse issue with Windows 8.1 is a known bug.

The hardware looks like a good match up. I have the same RAM in a new build of mine and no problems. I am only running 8GB of the DDR3 single stick though vs 16GB. Someday I will upgrade it to 16GB, but 8GB is plenty for now with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit on the 500GB SATA II drive at 7200 rpms.

With a budget like the one you have, I would buy a gaming RIG that comes with a warranty as well if your not that familiar with assembling a computer.

I learned how to build computers by mixing and matching guts from troubled computers in the 1980s when computers were really expensive and it wasnt until 1998 that I bought my first off the shelf computer for $900, and I learned from my mistakes on the older systems of what not to do etc vs buying a bunch of parts and slapping them together and then watching an expensive smoke show such as when I messed up on an old system and did not move a brass stand off and it rested on some traces and I flipped the power switch and  instant smoke show. Since 2004 I have built my own systems and systems for other people and this is after building and rebuilding hundreds of computers to know the tricks to building and avoiding problems.

But dont let that scare you away from building your own computer as for the components today are much better than in the past for compatability and  standards are in affect now for AT and ATX stand off mounting positions to where unless your adding a new motherboard to say an old DELL case will you find that the stand offs are not exactly AT or ATX mounting pattern and you have to either modify the case to remove conflicting hardware or just buy a AT or ATX case to stuff the components into.

One suggestion I would make is that with this kind of money in the build, I would have on site assistance through the build process so that you get to build up the powerful beast of a system, but yet also have someone there to watch and assist with questions or point out where you can run into problems.

Most common PC build problems I have had to clear up for people new to building computers are some of the following examples: ( Forgot to apply thermal compound to heatsink that required it so the CPU roasts at the get go because its not bonded with the heatsink surface with a means to transfer heat, wrong CPU stuffed into a motherboard that doesnt support a CPU that is that powerful (*Note: Sometimes this can be fixed with a BIOS flash to update the supported CPUs such as was the case with a friends Socket AM2 motherboard that he upgraded from a Athlon 64 single-core to a Sempron X2 2.0 Ghz dual-core and it would not post. After PUTTING the original older CPU back in and performing BIOS flash he was able to then put the Sempron X2 in and the system ran fast on that lower end dual core than the older single core), Power supply not high enough wattage for build so it either doesnt boot or it is very unstable, Back in the days of IDE drives not setting the Master, Slave or Cable Select Jumpers and running into problems (* The good thing is that SATA makes this dirt simple now with dedicated ports for each device so no more true master/slave config, although depending on which SATA port you use it is a bootable port or a slave like device port non-bootable ).  I can go on and on with mistakes either I or I have seen others make that I have assisted with.

Though a build process if thats what you stick with vs buying a high end gaming rig pre-built with warranty, we are all here to help you with any questions.     With that kind of budget you can make quite a beast of a system as well a purchase a beast of a system and avoid the RISK of limited warranty terms of a custom built by yourself system.

*Most people like myself build systems not just because its fun, but because it allows you to save money making a powerful beast of a rig with a tight budget. But with your budget, you have to decide if you want to build one up and take some risk or buy an already built powerful system and be covered by a warranty in which you can probably pick up an extended warranty on it as well for $50 to have 3 years of faceplate to back panel coverage if there are any problems.I Was redirected to this build by a newegg employee, and i think i like it more than the one that i picked out myself, since i will be using the market cpu fan, and the case is ready to go, what difficulties do you foresee me facing as i try to set this up.

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Your second build looks much better, not sure of the need for the extra SATA cable though as the mobo should come with 4-6.
I would however go with a Haswell CPU such as the i7-4770 rather than an Ivybridge based Xeon, as Haswell is newer, faster, and more efficient.  You'll then need a new board as Haswell is socket 1150, not 1155.