Phenom II X4 questions

[slayer9019]

Hey guys, I got a question here. To start off I've been out of the hardware game for awhile (lets just say last PC i built was a P4 3.4ghz Extreme and that was fast! lol). I've been using mainly servers and heavy-duty laptops recently and want to build a new desktop finally because P4 ain't cutting it anymore for the work I do (multi processor intense programming, dev, and VMs running 24/7/365).

I have servers but I want a desktop that I can also run for some games (been out of that since CS 1.6) and I also want to overclock the living hell out of it.

I was going to go for a i7 but I saw that the AMD alternitive was cheaper. (Phenom II X4)

What should i do to get started. (Ive always have had a heavy preference toward Asus mobos). (also I want to keep this sub 500$ if possible

 

[SicKlown42012]

You should post this in the General Hardware sub-forum. You'll need to read the stickies, but people there are really helpful.

 

[slayer9019]

Thanks.