Seeking Advice and Recommendations on new gaming build

[ShakinJ]

Hi All,
I'm looking to build a new computer to replace my 5 year old Inspiron 530.
I enjoy gaming and it just doesn't have the GPU to handle any of the newer games.
To upgrade the graphics in it I'd need to purchase a new Motherboard anyway, so why not refresh all the main components?
Cost is an issue, but I'm more concerned with building something with quality and longevity in mind.
I'm considering 2 builds, one using the H77 chipset, and one using the Z77.
I've never overclocked anything before, the Intel core 2 duo 2.8MHz I'm currently running seems to have plenty of power, so I'm not sure if it's worth the money to go the Z77 route.
Anyway, here are the questions from the template, and below that, the components I'm considering for the two builds.
Please offer advice and constructive criticism where needed.
Thanks in advance for your feedback!

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: End of February/ Beginning of March 2013

BUDGET RANGE: Not Set… See Above

SYSTEM USAGE: Gaming and General Use

BUYING A MONITOR: Not at this point, but possibly in the future

PARTS TO UPGRADE: Everything EXCEPT OS and Hard Drives. I have a copy of Windows 7 I can use, and I have 2 SATA hard drives I will move from my current computer.

PREFERRED WEBSITE: Tiger Direct or Newegg

LOCATION: Milwaukee, WI

PARTS PREFERENCE: None except Intel processor.

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe???

SLI or CROSSFIRE: Maybe in the future as a way to stay current???

MONITOR RESOLUTION: Currently 1680 X 1050, possibly larger in the future.

H77 BUILD:
CASE: Cougar Volant
EXTRA FANS: Cougar Turbine CFT12S4 120mm 4 Pack Case Fans
OPTICAL DRIVE: Lite-On IHAS124-04
PSU: XFX Core Edition PRO550W
or the XFX Core Edition PRO650W if the 550 is still out of stock.
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 2x4MB CMZ8GX3M2A16009B
GPU: MSI HAWK Radeon HD 7870 2GB
MOTHERBOARD: Gigabyte GA-H77-DS3H <-- If still out of stock, any recommendations?
CPU: Intel i5-3570

Z77 BUILD:
CASE: Cougar Volant
EXTRA FANS: Cougar Turbine CFT12S4 120mm 4 Pack Case Fans
OPTICAL DRIVE: Lite-On IHAS124-04
PSU: XFX Core Edition PRO550W
or the XFX Core Edition PRO650W if the 550 is still out of stock.
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 2x4MB CMZ8GX3M2A16009B
GPU: MSI HAWK Radeon HD 7870 2GB
MOTHERBOARD: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H
CPU: Intel i5-3570k

Again, thanks in advance for opinions and feedback!

 

[cball1311]

A fellow northerner. I am from Northern Illinois, about an hour from Milwaukee.

Here is what I would go with just under $1000.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($227.28 @ TigerDirect)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-GD55 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($132.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($43.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: A-Data S510 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($279.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($115.17 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $997.25
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-04 09:40 EST-0500)

The MSI motherboard has dual PCIe 3.0 slots for the future CrossFire if you so choose. Went with a 750W PSU so you don't have to upgrade that later for CrossFire. Chaged the case to 200R but the Volant is good for the price. Upped the GPU to 7950 which is a beast if you want to overclock it. Added an SSD for your OS and games/apps. Your build is good but since this was "open budget", I tried to shoot for $1000.

 

[ShakinJ]

Best answer selected by ShakinJ.