I want to build a new system need some advice

[Little Monster]

I am about to begin a new life... well... I'm moving from WoW to SW:TOR so it's kind of like a new life I guess. I have been beta testing and I think that my GeForce 9500 GT is too old for the game. Fan gets really loud (which makes me cranky) and temps run up to about 89C. It's been a good card through the years and I think I want to stick with GeForce. I think I want to grab a EVGA 560 Ti.

My first question:
Do you think that my system can handle a 560 Ti, or will a bottle neck hinder performance?

My current build:
CPU: AMD Phenom X4 9550 2.2GHz
PSU: Apevia Java 500w
Memory: 6GB DDR2
HDD: 640 GB

Second Question:
I am about $300 off from where I want to be to build a new system. The system I want to build is listed below. Is it possible to simply hook up my old HDD in my new build? I ask because at current it's the HDD which is WAY overpriced (due to floods). Would I need to completely format, or would a return to factory settings work? answered through researching more... looks like I can do this but will need to completely reformat... so now I need to figure out how to reformat on these newer machines!

The system I want to build:
CPU: i5 2500k
GPU: EVGA GTX 560 Ti
PSU: Corsair ES 650w
MOBO: Gigabyte Intel z68 ATX
OS: Windows 7
DVD: ASUS 24x
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912

With OS and Office 2010 this system will run about $1300. Since the OS is $100 and the HDD is about $200, I would love to be able to use what I already have.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[Xuvial]

A first-gen Phenom x4 is barely even HALF a 2500K and that's before overclocks. SW:ToR is very CPU-heavy from what I've heard so it's looking like a full system revamp for you
I think you can make a data partition where you can save all your data/etc but your OS+Programs will require a reinstall for the new setup. So clean out a partition just for the OS+Programs and install there.

[Fuzzeekee]

To the OP: I have the same CPU as you, except nicer motherboard and ram. My video card is a 6950 2GB. (Very similar to what you're upgrading to)

I was in the SWTOR beta and playing at maxed settings with no lag...It was MUCH more GPU intensive and efficient than WoW for me, as my best friend had the same CPU, ram, etc as me but a terrible video card, and it was nearly unplayable for him. The beta also disables things like anti-aliasing. It didn't look as nice as WoW does at ultra settings, but fairly close.

Bottlenecks will depend on what game you're running. In BF3 my CPU barely matters, and in SWTOR it's similar to that ideal... You should do a full upgrade though because it'll jump way up in FPS with a new video card, vs just staying at 40-60 FPS and not making yourself futureproof. If you have no cash just do PSU + video card (If your case can fit it)...I'm personally not even going to bother upgrading until q3-q4 2012.