Welcome to FT
seema76.
Personally I was not impressed with 1K over Platinum, and had I kept flying UA I could not have aimed for 1K again. Depending on the route you fly platinum may be enough for a regular UG but then again if you are flying a lot of international flights those GPU's can be nice.....if you can use them. For more on 1K's value I'd check out this thread:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...th-2015-a.html
Regarding a MR...if you chose to do it take a look at:
LAX-NRT-SIN-HKG-SFO-LAX. There are a few dates available this week and next in the low $800's all on UA metal so you'll have plenty of miles. I know PEK is cheaper but it will require a visa, and will not get you enough miles unless you route through NYC or something creative.
Good luck