First gaming computer

[manimoo]

Hey!

Been fooling around with the thought of finally building myself a gaming rig after my xps laptop died a few months ago(after going solid for 5 years). My goal is to make a rig in the $1000-$1500 range which can meet the requirements for most of todays games at max settings, while also hopefully being able to re-use some components later on.

Following is the current setup I've landed on after mixing a bit around between the "Gaming 1500" setup from mmo-champion.com/threads/986175-Marest-s-Sample-Builds and the "Narwhal" and "Unicorn" builds from Chauds "Setup of the month" mmo-champion.com/content/2562-Dragon-Soul-Encounters-Class-Balance-Follow-Up-Poll-Setup-of-the-Month.

Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 - $60
MoBo: Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3P – $179.99 Review
CPU: Intel i5 2500k – $219.99
RAM: G.Skill Sniper 1600Mhz 2x4GB – $54.99
GPU: EVGA GTX 570 – $370
SSD: Crucial M4 120GB – $196.99 Review
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint 1TB – $59.99
PSU: Seasonic X Series 650W – $109.99 Review
Heatsink: Corsair A70 – $38.00 Review
Total: $1293

A few questions:
Regarding the CPU: Is the difference between the i5 2500k and the i7 2600k negligible in terms of price, performance when overclocked and longevity in the ever developing tech world?
Regarding the RAM: should i get the 2x4GB ones listed above or should i go for a single 8GB(for example: 8GB G.Skill DDR3 12800)
Regarding the HDD: The Samsung one is really much cheaper than the Caviar Black 1TB, is it worth throwing in the extra $100 for the performance?

Also: got network card etc. and other peripherals I plan to reuse if compatible(can't post here yet, seeing as my old PC is in the town I study at and I'm on vacation), but the sound card is integrated to the MoBo of the old PC, so if anyone got any thoughts on a decent card it would be much appreciated

General thoughts on the compatibility of the components and upgrades/degrades that should be done etc. is also really appreciated

[Wries]

Regarding CPU: Difference 2500K vs 2600K is negligible at least in today's games, somewhat notable in the productive applications that can make use of the HT, though still there's a question of price. I'd bet both will be obsolete at pretty much the same time.

Regarding RAM: Only having one stick will reduce memory bandwidth. Platform is dual channel but if you only have one stick you'll only use one channel. Go 2x4.

Regarding HDD: No it shouldn't be. Especially not when the difference has become $100. Hard drive prices are ridiculous at the moment, pay as little as you can.

Network card (not wifi) and sound card will be integrated into your new motherboard as well, and should be of decent quality. So you don't have to buy more stuff.

---------- Post added 2011-12-29 at 04:39 PM ----------

The motherboard, like most of all new models, does not support PATA/IDE, meaning if your old optical drive is using that interface, you'll have to get a new SATA-one.

[manimoo]

CPU: Right I'll just stick with the i5 then, seeing as I'm primarily going to be gaming I guess I won't have much use for the HT.
RAM: 2x4 it is then.
HDD: Just realized the sample thread Marest have hasn't been updated for the HDD price surge, so the price difference is negligible, so I think I'll be going for black caviar. Although, do you think I should just wait for the prices to drop, any idea how long it might take for the prices to normalize? Got an external HDD I could use as storage while having the programs I use frequently on the SSD, if the prices are bound to go down in the foreseeable future.
Network card/sound card: Oh, pleasant to hear I must say!
Optical drive: Right I'll have to check that out then.

Thanks for the help!