Starting a New build. Looking for some pointer. i5 2500k, gtx 570

[aoffan16]

I'm looking to start a new build and was just looking for some pointers/feedback. This rig is gonna be mostly for gaming and college work. I don't need the best graphics ever just enough to play most games on med/high graphics on a 1920x1080 display.

Approximate Purchase Date: Around Fall 2012 (3-5 months)

Budget Range: ($1300-1600 w/o the OS)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, College work, Video enconding/rendering

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor, Might keep Old Hard Drive (WD Caviar Blue 500 GB - 6Gbps - 7200 rpm)
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com

Country: USA

Overclocking: Maybe, looking into it.

SLI or Crossfire: Likely in the future

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 Likely upgrade in the future, it's fine for now

Parts for Build:

Case: NZXT CA-SW810-W1 White Steel / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146088 $169.99
(I like the fact that its a full tower case for good airflow, also like the side window and the vent on the top for maximum airflow. Pretty set on this part.)

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840 $99.99
(I just bought a new 2TB external so I think my old WD will do fine, plus that will scrape $100 off)

GPU: MSI N570GTX Twin Frozr III PE/OC GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127582 $319.99
(Only other gpu that i really considered was the AMD 7870)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102981 $349.99

PSU:SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151087 $159.99
(Will 750 be enough for future SLI/crossfire? Would prefer a PSU that is modular/full modular (not sure if there is a difference))

Memory: Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 Desktop Memory Model KHX1866C9D3K2/8G
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104297 $64.99

MOBO: ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131821 $239.99
(I know this motherboard is expensive but I really like the ability this gives my build to upgrade. I also really like the benefits of the z77 chipset and am looking in the future 1-2 years from now possibly getting an ivy bridge. Also the z77 gives for 4 back panel usb 3.0 which I could really use in my current setup. Pretty set on this part)

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072 $219.99
(A lot of the articles on here say that this is the ideal gaming CPU since most current games don't take advantage of over cores.)

Aftermarket CPU fan: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065 $26.99

Optical Drive: SAMSUNG Black Blu-ray Combo SATA Model SH-B123L LightScribe Support - OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151222 $64.99

SSD: SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC128B/WW 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal SSD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147163 $174.99

OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 64-bit - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116997 $189.99

or can I get the upgrade version for my current setup and use that for the new rig?
Is it worth buying the full retail version or will OEM be fine?

Total = 1730.99 w/ the OEM OS (w/570)
Total = 1630.99 w/ the OEM OS and no hard drive (w/570)

Also in the future would it be better to get another 570/7870 and SLI/crossfire or buy a new card. I'm sure SLI/crossfire would be cheaper.

 

[jmsellars1]

The HD 7870 is a lot better than the GTX 570 so I'd go for that for only $30 more. Yeah, the i5 is great and yeah 750W is plenty even with overclocking and dual GPU's.

EDIT: As for future SLI/Crossfire: If you plan to buy the second card in the next 6 months or so then go for it. If you're gonna wait 3-5 years though, get a better single card.