My 2cents...Most games don't utilize all 4 cores just yet, I reckon you will be happy with just an i3 2100(save money until faster chips drop down). Make sure your motherboard is future proof(sli/crossfire) if you do stick with intel and I wouldn't cheap out on the power supply like others have...
Approximate Purchase Date: This week (the closer the better))
Budget Range: Less than 700$ was aiming for 500$.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming
Parts Not Required: Keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS(sticking with xp for now), Dvd/cd drive(hopefully).
Preferred...