Cheap but upgradable gaming PC - first time builder!

Hey Guys!
I'm totally new at building PCs and not really up to date concerning PC hardware (have moved to Macs for the last few years). I would like to build my own machine now. My goal is to build sort of a cheap "base" system that I can easily upgrade over time as needed (Processor, Graphics). I think a socket 1155 system with compatibility to ivy bridge would make sense for me.


Approximate Purchase Date: before 2012, if I can get a affordable hard disc by then.

Budget Range: 400-500$ or Swiss Francs Before Rebates - I know this is a really tight budget, but I'm sure you can help me to get the best value for money ;-)

System Usage from Most to Least Important:
Gaming (Skyrim, stuff like DotA 2, LoL, TF2, Guild Wars 2 (not out yet)) - I know that I can't expect the games to run on super-ultimate settings, don't worry
For all the other stuff I have my MacBook Air and a HTPC..

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor (1920x1080), Speakers, OS (Win7 - I'm a student and get it for free)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: since I'm coming from Switzerland that would be www.digitec.ch - but you can just post the links of newegg.com or whatever page you prefer.

Country: Switzerland

Parts Preferences:
Intel i3/i5 Sandy bridge, socket 1155 MoBo, maybe Nvidia graphics
I'm not sure about case size, I'd prefer a midi case, if that will get me equal components performance-wise for the same price (I don't need 18 USB ports btw ;-) )

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: I know this is not the easiest request

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115078 - $124.99
Intel Core i3-2100 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I32100

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128527 - $49.99
GIGABYTE GA-H61M-DS2 LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820220537 - $19.99
Patriot 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model PSD34G1333K

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822148767 - $84.99
Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] ster%20912 - $49.99
COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139027 - $59.99 - $20MIR
CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 V2 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 8141505407 - $109.99 - $20MIR
XFX HD-677X-ZNLC Radeon HD 6770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151233 - $16.99
SAMSUNG CD/DVD Burner 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model SH-222AB - OEM

Total: $516.92 - $40MIR

***no sli/xfire

cpu: for $5 sure why not
ram: 2x4gb would be the best but if you're tight on budget just go with 2x2gb.
case: as long as it fits the graphics card. you dont need additional fans if you are not ocing.
psu: 500w corsair is plenty for 1 gpu
gpu: sure

http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] ,3074.html
http://www.techspot.com/review/467-skyrim-performance/

@drunkducki
Thanks a lot for the input. It turned out I wasn't too far off with my own trials. I was just not sure if I was putting something together that wouldn't make any sense or maybe not even physically fit together in the end.

And: sorry for not using my brain and maybe google "GPU + Skyrim + benchmark"...

Maybe I'll just ditch the HDD for the moment and go for a small SSD instead, I have plenty of external hard drives to put Data on. I've seen that Gigabyte has released the GA-H61M-USB3-B3 rev2.0 in November, which is damn cheap and has USB 3.0 and a Sata 6Gb/s port -> SSD

@madchemist83
If it will work out I will stay with the Thermaltake V4 since it's both available and cheap here, but thanks for the input.

To me that looks like a pretty decent rig.

Okay, I'll think about the 2500/2500K thing.

Can you tell me if the RAM should work (well) with the motherboard?

Also: there is "only" one 12cm fan coming with the case. Should I get a second one for the front or is that not really required if I don't intend to overclock?

And here we go.

Everything worked out pretty well, everything fits together and all seems to be fine

Some things about the case:
It's pretty small, the ATX just fits between the top and the PSU. There is no cable management, you can't "hide" the cables somewhere behind the MoBo. They promote an additional 2.5" slot with the Thermaltake V4; in reality, it just has 4 holes in the bottom of the case where you can screw on the small disk (or SSD). Problem: the mainboard came with angled SATA3-cables, so the cable wouldn't fit on the SSD. I just bought a 2.5" to 3.5" mount today, problem solved.

CPU is great, love it - GPU as well. Compared to my gaming system until two days ago (MacBook Air, lol)..


Questions:

I had to manually set the RAM to 1600MHz in the BIOS, it was only on 1333MHz - is that normal (I guess so)?

I didn't do any overclocking - but should I run any stress tests?