Is a 5.1 surround system worth it or should I stick with a soundbar?

I'm thinking about building a system for a grand or so, which is $800 more than my soundbar costs. Maybe a Denon 910, Monitor 60s, PSW505, T30, and T15s. I'm not sure if that'd be a significant improvement over a Samsung soundbar, as I've never heard a surround system. I don't know if that money would be better spent on games.

I've never used a soundbar other than a 2.1, but I know I love my surround setup and am going to try and hook up the extra speakers to go 7.1. If you're wanting to spend that much you can likely go Atmos.

It's highly unlikely that a soundbar would beat a piece-meal system in terms of sound quality or surround sound. Soundbars are a middle ground solution of better sound and simple set up. I'd strongly recommend an actual surround sound system if you've got the budget for it. Seems like you've got a nice set up going... the only thing I'd be weary of is the subwoofer. I never cared for the PSW subwoofers, they're too boomy/muddy. 

I know some people say soundbars offer great surround but I never thought any of them came close replicating surround sound... they kinda just, filled the room with sound (ie, it was the same 'loudness' everywhere in the room). I've had the Samsung HW-FM45C and HW-F355, JBL SB150 and the H/K SB16 and out of all of those, I only kept the SB16, which sounds amazing, and the HW-FM45C for my bedroom. Granted, none of those are high end soundbars but still, none of them come close to replicating my surround sound system. 

Soundbars sound great, but they should definitely be accompanied by rear speakers and a sub.  At this point, I'd say soundbars just take out the need for the annoying left/right/center speakers.

I used to have an entry-level ($300) 5.1 setup that sounded good, but once I moved I didn't feel like hooking it all up again, so I bought a single-piece soundbar instead.  SOOO much simpler (especially since my 5.1 integrated an outdated DVD player), but it really doesn't replicate any sort of real surround experience.

Soundbar + sub + rears minimum or full-on surround system.  Anything less will be disappointment...good-sounding disappointment.

Stick with the soundbar.

If it's your primary viewing TV and you have the room for a surround system, it'll be worth it in the long run though might be a bit costly.

My primary TV used for gaming / movie watching has a 7.1 system on it, though my next-watched TV in the living room has a 3.0 sound bar from Vizio.  This one, specifically:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E1EUX6M/

It sounds great in my living room, has a dedicated center channel speaker for dialogue and has some good bass response for a non-subwoofer system.  It has a wired connection for a wired subwoofer.

Is it as good as a 5.1 system?  No, though my living room isn't suited for a 5.1 or larger system, so the soundbar works well for what I want.