Newb trying to piece together a gaming rig

[Azhigher]

Well folks, after years of tinkering with retail PC's I'm ready to build my own from scratch. I've been doing a ton of reading and have pieced together a rough list of what I think might work. My biggest concerns are:
1: Best performance for price range (under 1300 after rebates)
2: Cost effective
3: Will be able to play the upcoming titles at decent settings without having to swap things out every 6 months.
4: No bottlenecks or anything WAY outperforming other areas.


APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Within 3 weeks BUDGET RANGE: 1000-1300 after rebates

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg

PARTS PREFERENCES: Intel, ATi, full case

OVERCLOCKING: Yes CROSSFIRE: I'd like to, if it makes sense

MONITOR RESOLUTION: Currently 1680x1050, may upgrade later

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Willing to splurge in certain areas for a significant performance increase.


Well, with that here's my rough build so far:
Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor BX80605I5750
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215

ASUS P7P55D-E Pro LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131621

2x SAPPHIRE 100297L Radeon HD 5830 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ ATI Eyefinity Technology
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102878

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

XCLIO Windtunnel Fully Black Finish 1.0 mm SECC Chassis ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103011

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533

ASUS Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

Scythe DFS123812-3000 "ULTRA KAZE" 120 x 38 mm Case Fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185054

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754


I want to build a stout machine for gaming that can play the current titles at high settings with no prob, but can also play future titles at fairly high settings for some time to come. I'd rather spend a little extra now and be set for a while than have to constantly replace things. Also, there's no aftermarket CPU cooler on the list yet. I won't be overclocking this guy to the extreme, but I do want to get the most out of my parts. So feel free to suggest a cooler.

So, with all that in mind how does everything look. Is it worth the price in getting a SATA 6 HD? Will it make that much of a difference? Any ways you folks can see to maybe cut the cost down a touch while still keeping the performance up there? After rebates and combo discounts I'm looking at a total cost of ~$1240.

Any and all input is appreciated, thanks! =)

 

[MadAdmiral]

Here's what I'd build:

CPU: i5-750 $195
Mobo/PSU: Asus P7P55D-E Pro and Corsair 750HX Modular $240 after rebate
RAM: G.Skill Eco 2x2 GB 1600 mhz CAS Latency 7 $105. Faster sticks that use less power (lower power bill, higher overclock)
GPU/OS: HD 5870 and Windows 7 $475 after rebate (with free game). Crossfire isn't a good idea to start a build with. Also, the 5830s are in very poor position in terms of price/performance. The 5870 might not be as powerful as dual 5830s, but it'll handle every game out there at max details at 1080p. And you'd still have an upgrade path.
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB $75. The F3 is just as fast as the WD, but it's a lot cheaper.
Case: Antec 902 $90 after rebate. A much, much better case. High quality and great performance.
Optical: Cheap SATA DVD burner $19
HSF: Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus $30

Total: $1,229

 

[Azhigher]

Exactly the kind of advice I wanted. Thank you sir!

 

[MadAdmiral]

I totally skipped over the resolution part...

The 5870 will be competely overkill until you upgrade. If you're willing to switch to AMD, which will offer about the same performance for less and still have an upgrade path, you'd be able to buy a new 1080p monitor now.

Here's what would change:

CPU/GPU: X4 955 and HD 5870 $520
Mobo/PSU: Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4 and Corsair 750HX Modular $215 after rebates
Case/OS: Ante 902 and Windows $180 after rebate
Monitor: Asus 23" 1080p $170 after rebate
Rest is the same

Total: $1,314