Building New Computer Soon

[darkness357]

Approximate Purchase Date: 1-2 Months

Budget Range: $1500 - $2000

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Running Mac OSX Lion, Gaming, Watching Movies

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse, OS

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg, Amazon

Country of Origin: United States

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU, LED LCD Monitor 21" or above

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe in the future

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Needs to be able to run Mac OSX Lion


Here is the build I came up with:

Case:

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Blue RC-932-KKN3-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119213


Monitor:

Asus VE228H 21.5" Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD Monitor w/Speakers - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824236100


CPU:

Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115070


GPU (I do not know if the 580 is worth the extra $100 or not):

EVGA 012-P3-1570-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130593

EVGA 015-P3-1580-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130587


PSU:

Sparkle Computer Corp GOLD CLASS SCC-750AF 750W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active, 0.99PF Typical PFC Power Supply - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103053


Motherboard:

GIGABYTE GA-Z68MX-UD2H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128503


RAM:

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145345


HDDs:

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136284

Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC128MAG-1G1 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148348


DVD/CD Drive (Not sure if I should get a BlueRay compatible drive or not):

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827135204

ASUS Black Blu-ray Drive SATA Model BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827135247


Card Reader (Not sure which card reader is better quality):

AFT PRO-55U All-in-one USB 2.0 Card Reader - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820176021

HP AR941AA 22-in-1 USB 2.0 Card Reader - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820326037


Wireless Adapter:

ASUS PCE-N10 PCI Express Wireless Adapter - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833320071


Extras:

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835100007

Rosewill RTK-045 45 Piece Premium Computer Tool Kit - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16899261003

CyberPower 850 6 Feet 8 Outlets 2400 Joules Home/Office Surge Protection - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812120401

 

[WR2]

Hello darkness357;

All your links are bad. Think you left the link description area blank.
Just paste the link without using the fancy tool.. and they should work.

 

[WR2]

Did you get your parts choices off of a known good Hackintosh source?

 

[darkness357]

Yes I got ideas for parts from both http://www.kakewalk.se/ and http://www.tonymacx86.com/index.php

Here is the new build and I fixed the links:

Case:

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Blue RC-932-KKN3-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119213


Monitor:

Asus VE228H 21.5" Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD Monitor w/Speakers - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236100


CPU:

Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070


GPU (I do not know if the 580 is worth the extra $100 or not):

EVGA 012-P3-1570-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130593

EVGA 015-P3-1580-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130587


PSU:

Sparkle Computer Corp GOLD CLASS SCC-750AF 750W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active, 0.99PF Typical PFC Power Supply - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817103053


Motherboard:

GIGABYTE GA-Z68MX-UD2H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128503


RAM:

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345


HDDs:

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2CCA 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148448


DVD/CD Drive (Not sure if I should get a BlueRay compatible drive or not):

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

ASUS Black Blu-ray Drive SATA Model BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135247


Card Reader (Not sure which card reader is better quality):

AFT PRO-55U All-in-one USB 2.0 Card Reader - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820176021

HP AR941AA 22-in-1 USB 2.0 Card Reader - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820326037


Wireless Adapter:

ASUS PCE-N10 PCI Express Wireless Adapter - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833320071


Extras:

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007

Rosewill RTK-045 45 Piece Premium Computer Tool Kit - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16899261003

CyberPower 850 6 Feet 8 Outlets 2400 Joules Home/Office Surge Protection - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812120401

 

[WR2]

Yes I got ideas for parts from both http://www.kakewalk.se/ and http://www.tonymacx86.com/index.php

That's how you get a smooth ride on a Hackintosh build. Chances are you won't have the driver issues people sometimes run into.
Was the wireless adapter also on the list?

 

[darkness357]

Thank you for pointing the wifi card out, that does not work for Mac, I was able to find several cards that work with both Windows 7 and Mac OSX Lion:

EnGenius EUB9603EXT USB 2.0 Wireless Adapter with High Gain Detachable Antenna - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833168080

ASUS USB-N13 USB 2.0 Wireless Adapter - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833320040

 

[darkness357]

Also, would I be able to put the usb wifi adapter inside of the case or does it have to be plugged into one of the external usb ports?

 

[gammerx]

You don't really need more then a gtx 570. Why would you get all this great stuff and then skimp on the motherboard? You don't do any rendering so drop to an i5-2500k, that is more then enough for gaming and you can overclock if needed. Get this so you can SLI in the future
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011
Also get a better motherboard for that.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128494
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128498

 

[darkness357]

The reason why I chose that motherboard is because it is known to work with OSX Lion. Are the motherboards you listed compatible in a hackintosh build? Is this good for a PSU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817103054 instead of the corsair one?

 

[gammerx]

any GA board should work from what I have read

 

[darkness357]

Okay I made a few changes to the build:

Case:

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Blue RC-932-KKN3-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119213


Monitor:

Asus VE228H 21.5" Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD Monitor w/Speakers - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236100


CPU:

Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070


GPU:

EVGA 015-P3-1580-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130587


PSU:

Sparkle Computer Corp GOLD CLASS SCC-850AF 850W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active, 0.99PF Typical PFC ... - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817103054


Motherboard:

GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128498

Or

GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3P LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128506




RAM:

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345


HDDs:

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2CCA 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148448


DVD/CD Drive:

ASUS Black Blu-ray Drive SATA Model BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135247


Card Reader:

HP AR941AA 22-in-1 USB 2.0 Card Reader - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820326037


Wireless Adapter: I am not sure which to get yet.

 

[darkness357]

Which motherboard do you think I should get?:

GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128498

Or

GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3P LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128506

Both are supposed to work in a Hackintosh build.


Also, has anyone else made a Hackintosh build and used a wifi card either PCI/e or USB, if so what card is it and does it work in both Windows 7 and Mac OSX Lion?

 

[gammerx]

I think the UD3P has more features so I guess go with that. Drop down to an i5-2500k, you don't need an i7. Saves you $100. Also gtx 580 is not worth the price/performance right now. If you want to stick with nVidia, go with a gtx 570 or 2 gtx 560 ti. You can grab another gtx 570 later.

 

[darkness357]

Okay, I made several changes to the build to make the pc more hackintosh compatible and to reduce costs.


CPU:

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072


Monitor:

Asus VE228H 21.5" Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD Monitor w/Speakers - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236100


Case:

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Blue RC-932-KKN3-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119213


Motherboard:

GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128498

OR

GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3P LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128506


RAM:

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345


DVD:
Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model AD-7260S-0B - OEM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118039


HDD:

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2CCA 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148448


GPU:

EVGA 012-P3-1570-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130593


PSU:

Sparkle Computer Corp GOLD CLASS SCC-850AF 850W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active, 0.99PF Typical PFC Power Supply - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817103054


Card Reader:

HP AR941AA 22-in-1 USB 2.0 Card Reader - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820326037


WiFi Adapter:

Rosewill RNX-N150UBE USB 2.0 Wireless Adapter - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833166055


Extra:

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007

Rosewill RTK-045 45 Piece Premium Computer Tool Kit - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16899261003

CyberPower 850 6 Feet 8 Outlets 2400 Joules Home/Office Surge Protection - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812120401

 

[darkness357]

Okay, after making some decisions I have made a couple more changes to my build, any suggestions or comments on what to add or change?


CPU:

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072


Monitor:

Asus VE228H 21.5" Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD Monitor w/Speakers - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236100


Case:

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Blue RC-932-KKN3-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119213


Motherboard:

GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3P LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128506


RAM:

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345


DVD:
Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model AD-7260S-0B - OEM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118039


HDD:

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2CCA 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148448


GPU:

EVGA 012-P3-1570-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130593


PSU:

Sparkle Computer Corp GOLD CLASS SCC-850AF 850W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active, 0.99PF Typical PFC Power Supply - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817103054

OR

CORSAIR Professional Series HX850 (CMPSU-850HX) 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011


Card Reader:

HP AR941AA 22-in-1 USB 2.0 Card Reader - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820326037


WiFi Adapter:

Rosewill RNX-N150UBE USB 2.0 Wireless Adapter - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833166055


Extra:

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007

Rosewill RTK-045 45 Piece Premium Computer Tool Kit - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16899261003

CyberPower 850 6 Feet 8 Outlets 2400 Joules Home/Office Surge Protection - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812120401

Patriot Xporter XT Boost 8GB Flash Drive (USB 2.0 Portable) Model PEF8GUSB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220252


- I am not sure which PSU to buy for the build, both are 850W, but which is more reliable over long term usage?

- Also should I get the 24" Asus monitor http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236153 over the 21.5" http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236100 ?

 

[WR2]

I think Core i5-2500K and GTX 570 are a great match for a 1920x1080 resolution screen.
With a CPU/GPU change I think you can also do a PSU change to a 750W model and still have plenty of power in reserve for a 2x GTX 570 future upgrade.

I see AS5 thermal compound in your parts list but not CPU cooler. What was your thinking here?

The Premium Computer Tool Kit is a luxury you won't need. The only tool in that kit I regularly use is the dual head barrel screwdriver (and rarely the claw grabber).

 

[WR2]

The extra tall RAM heat sinks on the Vengeance RAM (mostly decorative) could interfere with some CPU cooler. Choosing a CPU cooler where you can change the fan from Push to Pull (installed on back side) is probably a good idea. CM Hyper 212+ or CORSAIR CAFA50 CPU Cooler
Both heatsinks come with very good thermal compound so the AS5 isn't required.

CORSAIR HX750 750W PSU $140 a/r

 

[darkness357]

I have a few more questions

- If I have the money to spare would the upgrade to an i7 and GTX 580 be worth it as far as future proofing with newer games?

- Sparkle also makes a 750W PSU, which one do you think is higher quality and will last longer? Also, the 850W is not much more money, wouldn't that be better if I decide to upgrade components in the future?

- Is the cpu cooler that comes with the i5/i7 enough if I do not plan on overclocking any of the components?

Also, I do not think the Hyper 212+ will work with how tall the RAM is. Would a CPU water cooler be better like the CORSAIR CWCH50-1 High Performance CPU Cooler

 

[WR2]

Do you plan on going to any higher resolution screen? Like a double wide 3840x1080 or triple wide 5760x1080 setup? This is the area where SLI 570/580 start to make sense to me.

Future proofing to me (assuming you're using a single screen) is replacing the GTX 570 with a GTX 7xx in about 18 months to 2 years. That strategy would let you go with a 650W, a single GTX 570, a single LCD screen and still have outstanding gaming.
And when you upgrade the GPU you can also boost the CPU (same 18 month to 2 years time frame) and get a nice bump up in CPU power to support the more powerful future GPU. Which is kinda why adding an aftermarket CPU cooler earns it keep.
Even without overclocking the aftermarket CPU does a better job at cooling. AS5 with the stock CPU cooler is the wrong way of improving cooling, IMO.

Have you found any good independent reviews on that Sparkle 750W PSU? I like JonnyGuru, HardOCP and HardwareSecrets for their knowledge, experience and thorough reviews.
I know that a highly qualified independent reviewer has tested the HX750 and given their opinions. If you can find a Sparkle GOLD SCC-750AF review from a source you trust and it meets or exceeds the quality of the HX750 there is no reason you can't pay a bit more if you like it better.

 

[darkness357]

So I should get the GTX 570 now, but why would I not get the corsair 850W to avoid having to purchase another PSU when I upgrade the GPU? Is there a large difference between a Gold and a Silver class PSU? Also, will the GTX570 be able to handle games that come out 6 moths to 1 year from now at max settings? Also, which cpu coolers would be able to easily fit the Corsair RAM with the taller heatsinks? The coolers you listed would not be able to easily fit with the RAM. So, should I get the i5 CPU now and then upgrade to a newer CPU at a later date?

 

[WR2]

750W PSU is fine with dual GTX 570s. And any single future or dual GTX 570 class GPUs will be fine as well.

New games + GTX 570 + single 1920x1080 monitor = max settings.

CPU coolers I listed are fine. Mount the fan on the backside (pull mode) away from the RAM slots.

Your i5-2500K should last you the whole life span of your computer. You'd probably need a motherboard/CPU change by the time any type of CPU upgrade would make sense.

 

[WR2]

Is there a large difference between a Gold and a Silver class PSU?

There is not a large difference between any Bronze, Silver or Gold 80+ PSU. In many cases a Gold rated PSU will not save enough money over it's lifespan to pay for the difference in price.
And the energy efficiency rating in no way is an indication of overall quality or reliability.

 

[darkness357]

So there is no need to buy a GTX 580? Also what do you think would be the lifespan of this computer build? Out of the two cpu coolers you listed I would get the Hyper 212+ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065 , but would a cpu water cooler be better like the CORSAIR CWCH50-1 High Performance CPU Cooler - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181010 , are there any benefits to getting the i7 besides HT? Also, should I get the 21.5" LCD or the 24"? Sorry for all of the questions, but I want to make sure I have a quality build that is not too overpriced but will still last a while.

 

[WR2]

not too overpriced

That's the $1000 question.
It's your money, spend it how you want.
i7 is better, CWCH50 is better than Hyper 212+ (by a small amount) but the CWCH70 is even better (by another small amount).

The 'real life span' of that computer could be 8-10yrs, easy.
The 'gaming life span' is usually shorter since it's your gaming satisfaction that says when you feel the need to upgrade.
If you'd stick with 2011/2012 games you'd never need to upgrade.

Where are you at on your budget and how much more do you want to spend?

 

[WR2]

Also, should I get the 21.5" LCD or the 24"?

This is purely a personal preference based on how much 'desktop real estate' you have to spare for the monitor. If you have a few extra bucks you'd probably enjoy a 23" or 24" monitor a bit more - but it might be a smart move to get a decent set of gaming speakers (or headphones) instead.