Need advice

[rabbit turd]

Hi, I'm looking to buy a new motherboard and CPU, but first I want to know which socket motherboard to go for. I want one that will be upgradable, say a year from now. I'm don't have an AMD or Intel preference, I'm only interested in how upgradable the socket is and will be in the future, for the moment. If it helps, I do game a lot but I also do coursework etc. Thanks in advance.

 

[Newf]

The issue is more chipset than socket. It's not always easy to find a cpu upgrade that will be useful without the need for a new motherboard. For Intel, there are lots of socket 775 boards out there with P4 cpus that simply cannot take a modern Conroe/Penryn upgrade. If you spend serious $ on a P35/X38 chipset board today, you can buy a cheap cpu now and upgrade later to a 45nm quad Penryn when the price is right. The next generation of cpu's will use DDR3 and a completely different northbridge chip.
On the AMD side, an AM2+ board (starting at $170) will take any AM2 processor but the upgrade side is unknown at best.
I would shelve the priority of keeping a mobo for years and instead focus on how to get the most power for my money today...