Time to upgrade maybe?

[Ionic]

My current rig is starting to show it's age, and with the new AMD GPUs out recently I think a little upgrade might be in order.

My current rig (~2 years old) looks something like this:
COOLER MASTER Centurion 590 RC-590
ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
1x EVGA 896-P3-1265-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3
OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP 600W ATX12V V2.2
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz (Currently at 3.2 GHz, stable for around 1.5 years)
OCZ Fatal1ty Edition 4GB (2x2GB) 240-Pin DDR2
1x Western Digital Caviar Blue WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA
SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner Black SATA
2x ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24" 2ms(GTG)

I would be keeping the case, HHD, CD drive, monitors and if probably the PSU.

So far the only thing I'm really settle on is getting a graphics card (6850?), that I think is the root of some the stutter and lag I'm seeing in games. (Wow, SC2 and a few others)

I also use the computer for school work, and some Photoshop premiere work.

Budget is about 400-500, hopefully lower. Completion goal, before the launch of WoW:Cata. (Dec 7)

 

[E4g1e]

I would be keeping the case, HHD, CD drive, monitors and if probably the PSU.

Actually, I'd strongly recommend a new PSU if you're going to upgrade to most of the newer CPUs. This is because that OCZ ModXStream Pro PSU isn't that good of a PSU to begin with. More than likely, it's a "600W" PSU that can't deliver more than about 450W to 500W while keeping all of the rails in spec.

And if you're going to build that rig on or just before December 7, check back in this thread later (within a week or two of your target build date) with an updated build list. This is because any parts that we recommend now may not be the ones that we recommend a month from now (in terms of performance per dollar) due to the constantly changing prices on computer components.

 

[Ionic]

Actually, I'd strongly recommend a new PSU if you're going to upgrade to most of the newer CPUs. This is because that OCZ ModXStream Pro PSU isn't that good of a PSU to begin with. More than likely, it's a "600W" PSU that can't deliver more than about 450W to 500W while keeping all of the rails in spec.

Hm. Alright so I'll start looking for a new PSU. Do you think there is a good chance that price will change that much between now and say a month from now?

 

[E4g1e]

Hm. Alright so I'll start looking for a new PSU. Do you think there is a good chance that price will change that much between now and say a month from now?

Yes, chances are very good that something else gets discounted while the parts that we recommend today goes up in price next month.

Plus, any combo deal that we recommend this month will no longer be in effect next month.

 

[Dangman]

Yes, chances are very good that something else gets discounted while the parts that we recommend today goes up in price next month.

Plus, any combo deal that we recommend this month will no longer be in effect next month.

Exactly. Happens all the time. The Antec Neo Eco 620C 620W PSU that we recommended quite often over the past month or so is now sold out. 2-3 months ago, the Antec Neo Eco 520C was our more common PSU recommendation. Now the price for it is so high, it's not longer recommended.

So if there's a very very good chance that you won't be able to buy the PC parts this month, just bump or create a new thread in November as we'll know the November combo deals then.