I bought a replacement hard drive to keep my computer running after it died, but I plan to just transfer it into a new system fairly shortly (within the next month or so).

My budget is around $1000. I find that this is more than enough for mid-level but not enough for higher-end specs. I am trying to figure out whether I should upgrade some of the mid-level specs or just save the money. So, ideas:

Build 1
i5 750 2.66 $185
4GB 1600 RAM $85
GTS450 ~$100-110
Antec 300 mid tower case $60
GIGABYTE GA-P55-USB3 1156 Mobo (one PCI 2.0 x16 slot) $105
WD Black 1TB $85 (already have)
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W $90
Arctic Freezer 7 $30 (might be unnecessary, but w/e, better colder than hot)

Notes:
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So yeah, that's $750ish (including the HDD I already bought). I'm throwing around the idea of getting an SSD, about 60GB, which would set me back another $140 or so. I could also upgrade the mobo for some SLI action (add $50) and get another GTS450 (another $100). Technically, I could do both and be over my budget by about $50. That's not so bad. Or, instead of GTS450 in SLI, I could get a GTX470 (~$230). I just don't know if the i5 will be able to handle all of that, though, in which case, I'd be better of just saving the extra $. Or....

Build 2
i7 950 3.06 $275
GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R 1366 mobo $190
Corsair 6GB 1600 RAM $130
Antec 300 mid tower case $60 (honestly, don't know enough about cases yet, but this one seemed popular and good)
WD Black 1TB $85 (already have)
Corsair CMPSU-850HX 850W $120
Arctic Freezer 7 $30 (might have to get a couple more fans, too)
GTS450 $100

Notes:
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That comes in at $990 including the HDD. I could perhaps spend a few more $$ and upgrade to a GTX460. But SSD is really out of the price range I think.


So yeah, I'm still a n00b at this so I don't really know whether the i5/SSD/GTS450 SLI combo will better or the i7/no SSD/GTX460 will be better. But it does seem that the second build should give me more flexibility if I ever need/want to upgrade components post-build. Which sort of makes me lean towards the second build, and add better parts when I'm more comfortable spending the extra $$.

I am still waiting for some sales... I believe post-Thanksgiving is a pretty good time for that and it's not too far away. That's probably when I'll make most of the purchases.