Upgrade or wait and build a new system?

[spacekungfuman]

I normally just build a new system every 2-3 years, but the core2duo has remained so viable that I'm thinking of just upgrading my existing system.

Here's my current build (from may 2007):

core2duo e6550
Asus P5B Deluxe/Wifi-AP - this is a P965 motherboard
2 gig corsair xms2 2gb
geforce 8800GTS 640

My power supply is from Ultra. I think it's 550, but it might be 500 or 600.

I'm thinking about getting the following:

core2duo 8500
4 gig ram
radeon 4750 or Geforce 260

Does it make sense to add these parts to my current system? Will I really be missing out by using the P965 motherboard vs a newer one? I take it using ddr2 ram instead of newer ddr3 isn't that big of a performance issue, if ddr3 is even faster at all. Is it a mistake to buy a dual core processor vs a quadcore, and if so, do you think it pays to wait and build a Nehalem system?

I should point out I game on a 22" 1680x1050 monitor, so I don't need to play games are higher resolutions, but I will not play a game at anything lower. Also, the games I see myself playing in the near future are Fallout 3, the witcher: ee, nwn2:soz, stalker and stalker clear sky, left4dead and mirror's edge. There are probably others I forgot to mention.

Thanks for any input.

 

[shafeen]

there would be a good performance increase but

i think you should wait till January till i7 arrives

then you could buy a new mobo and ddr3 memory too<<heard it would be a bit cheaper then>>

 

[Denithor]

Are you mainly gaming?

Overclock your processor and that won't be an issue at all (3GHz should be easy).

If you're on XP 2GB is ok but you might want to add another 2GB (you can get this for $15 after rebate). And no, there's no significant advantage to DDR3.

The GPU is the only thing you should really consider upgrading (weakest link in your system). Bump up to a GTX 260 or a 4870 and you'll fly on 16x10. You might also want to upgrade your PSU as the Ultra units aren't exactly top tier (go for a 500-600W model from Seasonic, Corsair, OCZ or Antec).