Going to build an AMD gaming rig. Could use some help

[siph33]

Hi group!
Im finally there. Next week Im going to buy all my parts for a brand new gaming rig. (other than gaming i will do the usual... movies and websurfing and music). Last month I bought a new XL2370 monitor (1920X1080), a razr mouse, and Kb, so all I need is the tower.
I have decided to stick with AMD.
Hard choice, but it seems to me to be the best bang for the buck. As well, it'd be nice to drop in a 6-core in a year or so, no?
Ive got $1000 to spend. (incl win 7).
I have an old 9600GT i plan to use until next mont/paycheque. Then I have a REALLY tough decision.
BTW im in korea for a year, so prices are 10-20% higher
Heres the list:

Phenom II 965 - 125W ($225 here)
MSI 790FX-GD70 motherboard ($230)
4G DDR3 - 12800 (havent figured out the best kit yet) ($150)
1TB WD 10EALS - ($100)
Case/750W PSU - $200 - could use advice here
used 9600GT (second card) for SLI ($50)
win7 Home 64bit - $130
optical drive -$30

Damn, im at $1100 already

Anyway, the big questions for me are, can I do a lot better tham the MSI GD70?
How much am I losing out on not getting a 1366 board?

Is it worth saving a bit of money and buying a tri-core?

Wish I was back home to buy this thing ...

Cheers all!

and thanks for any advise you can give.

 

[MadAdmiral]

A quick note before I get into the specific recommendations. I would not recommend planning on SLIing the 9600. It's an older card, which means that it won't perform as well in dual card solutions. Also, there are many new features that have come out since it's been out, namely DirectX 11, multiple monitor support, 3D support, and etc. I would just buy a new card to replace it later. The 5770 seems to be the most likely to be in your budget range soon.

Get the X4 955 instead of the 965. They're the same chip, just one has been overclocked at the factory.

Instead of the WD, get a Samsung Spinpoint F3 or Seagate 7200.12. They'll both be faster and likely cheaper.

You can do a whole lot better than the MSI board for less. I highly recommend the Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4. It's more future proof with USB 3/SATA III support. Also, considering that an i7/LGA1366 build isn't even possible in the US on your budget (even without the GPU), you are losing nothing in terms of gaming performance.

The case is largely up to personal preference. The ones that are very high quality for not a lot of money are the Antec 200, Antec 300, Antec 300 Illusion, Coolermaster Elite, Coolermaster Centurion 5, and Coolermater 690.

For a PSU, you want to make sure you get something that is high quality. Stick to the major brands (Antec, Corsair, SeaSonic, Silverstone and PC Power & Cooling). Also, 750W would be overkill. 650W is closer to your needs.