Looking to upgrade my computer a bit.

[Deoxysprime]

I built my computer a couple of years ago and I'd like to bring a little closer to up-to-date. I made this computer in July 2011 for about 800$. I use it for mostly mid-low end gaming (WoW, LoL, D3, GW2, etc.) I'll likely be moving to different games later on and I'd like to make sure my computer still runs everything smoothly. My only issues are with my computer's general speed with multitudes of programs running (i.e.: 7 browser tabs [including music], photoshop, WoW, Skype, 3+ word documents, control panels for peripherals, and more) which is obviously a RAM issue.

Motherboard: Asus P8P67 (Pretty sure I can't upgrade, I'm pretty sure my OS [I bought some kind of manufacturer's version at a low price from Microcenter] prevents me from changing motherboard.)
CPU: Intel i5-2500k 3.30GHz OC'd @ ~3.4GHz
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 550 Ti
HDD: 500GB
Power Supply: Thermaltake 650w (can't find exact model, this works fine for now.)
RAM: 2 x 2GB (unsure of brand name, RAM has worked fine considering how little I have.)
Cooling (Case): 4 basic ventilation fans.
Cooling (CPU): Pre-packaged fan.

Since I'm going to be receive some money soon I thought I might upgrade my machine a bit. Right now my priorities are as follows:

1. Get more RAM. I'm looking to purchase two 4GB cards and up the total RAM to 12GB. I shouldn't need more than that for a very long time. I was planning on picking up two Corsairs for about 40 bucks.
2. Get a new cooling unit for the CPU. My CPU begins to run hot every so often because of dust buildup. Dust seems to build very quickly there.
3. I'm thinking of going from the GTX 550 Ti to the GTX 650. I don't know much about ATI's cards so I don't know what they have for competitive cards in the same price range.

So I guess that leaves me with a couple of general questions:

1. What should I upgrade first for general performance? Do I have my priorities straight?
2. What type of CPU cooler should I get? I'm not running extremely hot so I don't think I'll need liquid cooling. I'd just like to step-up from what I have.
3. What video cards are most competitive for around 150$? I'm looking to upgrade but I don't know what's the best bang for my buck.

Feel free to post any comments or concerns with my opinions, setup, or anything else.

[Evil Inside]

Up the ram to 8gb, anything more is unnecessary. For the graphics go either a 660 or a hd7850/70. As for your cpu, you can just get some compressed air cans or a compressor and clean the dust out. A new cooler will only help for a while until it gets clogged with dust again.

[Xs]

I'll answer your stuff

1. You may well need to fully replace the ram, in which case 16GB would be cheap, but that shouldn't be a big deal, alternatively 8GB should do everything you need
2. Def if you get some decent cooling you could clock that CPU, although its not on a brilliant OC board it should be fine and that'll make it perfectly fine for any gaming purpose
3. I wouldn't upgrade to a 50 series, at least get a 60 or 70 or you'll barely feel any difference (eg 660 670)

Next set of points
1. Going off your issues I'd suggest that an SSD would improve your performance the most, its your RAM thats bottlenecking atm second to your GPU so those will be your priorities, but if you only play a select few games, you can easily grab a 128GB SSD fairly cheap these days, and putting windows + browsers + a few games on there will be an insane difference
2. Theres a few low end options, I personally use the Corsair H60 which is one of the best reviewed Liquid units in the low end bracket, but theres some standard fans that do the same job just a bit louder, I couldn't name them off the top of my head but theres plenty of discussion boards that talk of it, including I believe the overclocking thread on this forum
3. For graphics you might want to try and chip that budget up to afford a 60 series, otherwise there is a very minimal difference for the cost, if you want ideas of where to take that from you could scrap the CPU cooler until later down the line when its really a problem for gaming (which unfortunately I don't see coming any time soon thanks to the next gen consoles looking so shit) then you've always got the option of a fairly cheap $80-100 upgrade for a huge boost in longevity when you need it. Then to solve your dust problem just find an anti static air blower and blow out the whole case every few months, should make a pretty big difference

[googz]

Number 1: Upgrade your GPU. Personally, I would try and at least go for the 660ti if you're really looking to try and get some life out of your upgrade. If you have to, spend what money you're getting now on your GPU and then pick up the rest later. This will be your biggest upgrade.
Number 2: Memory, look at Gskillz and get a 2x4 kit and probably run only that and save your current memory for backup.
Number 3: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835103065

That's what I'd do at least

[xrayEU]

You can get a lot more power out of your CPU if you get a new cooler for sure. I'm running a i5 2500k with a Noctua NH-D14 @ 4.5GHz.
And up your RAM to 8GB should be a good investment. And to speed it up even more get an SSD HDD for your OS and games.

[Deoxysprime]

Alright, it looks like my current process should be to first upgrade RAM, then consider an SSD, then look at my cooling last. A GTX 660/670 Ti is a bit out of my pricerange, mid 200$ range is a bit of a push, so I'll consider that when their prices drop a bit. The 550 Ti I have can be clocked a little bit further and I have room two install two more ventilation fans in the case, so I might add those fans and the new cooling system then OC my CPU and GPU.

Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it.

[Xs]

Alright, it looks like my current process should be to first upgrade RAM, then consider an SSD, then look at my cooling last. A GTX 660/670 Ti is a bit out of my pricerange, mid 200$ range is a bit of a push, so I'll consider that when their prices drop a bit.

I wouldn't hold your breath too much on that, if you look at the 560 that took a very long time to drop its price

[Deoxysprime]

I wouldn't hold your breath too much on that, if you look at the 560 that took a very long time to drop its price

The 550 dropped relatively quickly. Maybe if I get a fair sum of extra money I'll pick up a 660 around Christmas. Otherwise I'll just get some extra cooling and do some more OCing instead.

[Xs]

The 550 dropped relatively quickly. Maybe if I get a fair sum of extra money I'll pick up a 660 around Christmas. Otherwise I'll just get some extra cooling and do some more OCing instead.

Maybe it was a different story in the US, I know in the EU it took a long time after the 500 series released for it to start dropping significant amounts