I need help with upgrading my PC.

[LifeKendall2]

I currently have a setup along these lines:

Intel E8400
AMD Radeon HD 4870 Sapphire edition
7 GB Ram
unknown motherboard, however I do know that it is a socket 775

Pretty old, but I can still get some use out of it.
I was thinking of upgrading it to a completely new PC after the summer because during the summer I will have a job, but for now is it a good idea to upgrade this PC? I have been looking at new parts for a few months now, and this is my plan:

1. Upgrade the GPU: EVGA GTX 1050Ti (still in question) Will be used in the new PC after the summer.
2. Upgrade the CPU: now this is the part in which I really don't know what to get. It has to be a 775 socket cpu because I don't have money for a new motherboard. It's either a Q6600 or a QX9550 (still in question)

Anyone have tips for me? Maybe a different CPU/GPU? Or should I wait till the end of summer to buy myself a completely new PC?

 

[R0GG]

It all depends of the intended use of the system:
Core Duo is a very decent and responsive CPU,
- I would go with a video card first as it is transferrable to newer system if needed
- A good SSD boot drive ( like a good used samsung 840 pro 240 GB )
- THEN If you experience some CPU bottleneck in gaming (which wil be game dependent and probably moderate) go CPU upgrade route or at that time you could just do mobo + CPU upgrade all together and you' ll be able be to re-purpose your Video card and your SSD already upgraded, and at the same time enjoy the newer features of the latest Mobos ( USB 3.1 gen2, USB C, NVME M.2 SSD support, more power efficiency features etc)

 

[LifeKendall2]

It all depends of the intended use of the system:
Core Duo is a very decent and responsive CPU,
- I would go with a video card first as it is transferrable to newer system if needed
- A good SSD boot drive ( like a good used samsung 840 pro 240 GB )
- THEN If the you experience some CPU bottleneck in gaming (which wil be game dependent and probably moderate) go CPU upgrade route or at that time you could just do mobo + CPU upgrade all together and you' ll be able be to re-purpose your Video card and your SSD already upgraded, and at the same time enjoy the newer features of the latest Mobos ( USB 3.1 gen2, USB C, NVME M.2 SSD support, more power efficiency features etc)

This PC will be used for gaming, web browsing and some AutoCAD work, as I'm currently a construction technician student. I was looking to buy an SSD since the 3 300GB hard drives aren't as good anymore, especially with Windows 10. I was thinking of getting a new CPU because here in Croatia I can find CPUs from the C2D series for almost dirt cheap, about 100-350kn ($15-$50).

If I do get myself a CPU as well, which one should I go for? All I'm looking for is that it's more powerful than the E8400 and that it has a LGA775 socket, while still worth the money.

 

[R0GG]

775 socket mobos usually support CPU intel core 2 quad first generation (Q6600 or Q6700) up to Yorkfield (Q8200 through Q9705) and more, here is an exhaustive list on wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Core_2_microprocessors#%22Yorkfield-6M%22_(45_nm)
Since your CPU upgrade cost would be much lower than mobo +cpu , it would make sense to go this route for the moment, however I would keep in mind the advantage of upgrading the platform all together: higher system bandwith, newer USB 3.0 an 3.1 ports, PCIe 3.0 that later mobos offer and other goodies, you could find a nice used combo CPU+ mobo on ebay for a good price especially if you go for a mid-range one, but that you can do later on.