$300-350 QuadCore Gaming Build/Upgrade can it be done?!

[hobojoe58]

So I am looking to upgrade from my old:
AM2 X2 5600+ 3.1 OC, 8800 GTS 320MB PNY, 2 GB OCZ Ram

What I intend to reuse:
BFG 650 PSU, 300GB 10,000RPM Raptor, DVDRW24x, ATX mid tower case.....
Soo using the above mentioned what would be the best $300-350 to spend combined on a
Mobo?
CPU?
RAM ?
GPU??

All with an emphasis on GPU+CPU grit and COOLness. (OH and Price) Playing @ 1024x768 to 1360x768. I've done a bunch of eyeballing on newegg mainly at Phenom II/Zambezi's and gf 460/gf 550 ti/ ati 6850's...too many choices...Personal experience is always priceless.
Keeping with this budget what would you do??? Any Facts or guidance would be greatly appreciated!! thx

 

[sosofm]

MOBO : ASRock 970 EXTREME3 AM3+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157280
CPU : AMD Phenom II X4 960T Zosma
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103995
GPU : HIS H679F1GD Radeon HD 6790 1GB 256-bit GDDR5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161377
RAM : Mushkin Enhanced Essentials 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146748
TOTAL : 362$ and after rebates 352$
On your monitor resolution 6790 is a good option and is better than 550Ti.
For 20$ more you can buy 6850 if you want.
The motherboard support an future Bulldozer upgrade.
The CPU 960T can be unlocked in to 6 core if you have luck.

 

[vitornob]

So I am looking to upgrade from my old:
AM2 X2 5600+ 3.1 OC, 8800 GTS 320MB PNY, 2 GB OCZ Ram

What I intend to reuse:
BFG 650 PSU, 300GB 10,000RPM Raptor, DVDRW24x, ATX mid tower case.....
Soo using the above mentioned what would be the best $300-350 to spend combined on a
Mobo?
CPU?
RAM ?
GPU??

All with an emphasis on GPU+CPU grit and COOLness. (OH and Price) Playing @ 1024x768 to 1360x768. I've done a bunch of eyeballing on newegg mainly at Phenom II/Zambezi's and gf 460/gf 550 ti/ ati 6850's...too many choices...Personal experience is always priceless.
Keeping with this budget what would you do??? Any Facts or guidance would be greatly appreciated!! thx

As per this lovely article: Picking A Sub-$200 Gaming CPU: FX, An APU, Or A Pentium? , I shall recommend you not to stick with the 960T Zosma, but with i3-2100 instead or wait the ivy-bridge release.
Considering you won't be rendering or transcoding videos, your main usage will be games.

Said that there's two main reasons to stick with intel:

- At games the i3-2100 is pretty much faster than the Phenom II, A series or FX series..even if they are overclocked. Just check the review. Even doing parallel work and gaming at same time they proved this intel is a tough one to beat. (there's a link inside the article that demonstrates this statement)

- As far I know, the upgrade for you going with the 960T would be a dead end. Piledriver shall not use AM3+ socket, and bulldozer wouldn't be an upgrade truth be said (again, check the review)... So, if you buy this Phenom you won't have an open upgrade path for cpu if you need more power. This i3-2100 uses the LGA 1155 socket, the same socket the upcoming ivybridge will come.

Sadly this won't come at 'free'. This would be an overbudget build, just check the reviews and see if the advantages overcomes the price.

Here's a recommendation for the build:
Intel Core i3-2100 Sandy Bridge - $124.99
GIGABYTE GA-P67X-UD3-B3 - $124.99 ($104.99 after mail-in rebate card )
Mushkin Enhanced Essentials 4GB (2 x 2GB) - $21.99
HIS H679F1GD Radeon HD 6790 - $124.99 ($114.99 after mail-in rebate card ) + $3.99 Shipping

Total: $400,95 ($370,95 after rebates)

See ya and happy buying (as a plus.. at the resolution you would be playing CPUs plays a major role at performance.. the gap from cpus would be deeper, and i3-2100 would deliver a greater % performance..)

 

[kinggraves]

- As far I know, the upgrade for you going with the 960T would be a dead end. Piledriver shall not use AM3+ socket, and bulldozer wouldn't be an upgrade truth be said (again, check the review)... So, if you buy this Phenom you won't have an open upgrade path for cpu if you need more power. This i3-2100 uses the LGA 1155 socket, the same socket the upcoming ivybridge will come.

Just so you know, Vishera using Piledriver modules is supposed to be released for the AM3+ socket in 2012.

http://www.fudzilla.com/processors/item/24345-vishera-bulldozer-fx-successor-in-q3-12

Feel free to speculate that Piledriver will suck as much as Bulldozer, but there will be AM3+ chips in 2012. Intel has already stated a new socket for 2013, so after this year, it doesn't matter anyway.