my specs are :
 
intel e6320 @ 1.86mhz
2gb ram at 800mhz
geforce 8800 gts 320mb bfg oc2
500gb wd caviar  
gigabyte p35 motherboard.
 
I feel that my pc isnt giving me the performance I anticipated. my cpu is overclocket to 2.240ghz, but still I think my pc is underperforming. Im thinking of upgrading to an e6550. but, the question still stands, is my cpu bottlenecking my system?

 
More than likely not. Depending on what resolution you play at its probably the GPU being a bottleneck. Only true way to have the CPU be a bottleneck nowadways is if you SLI/CF a 9800GX2/3870X2. Then the CPU starts to bottleneck they system. But right now you are fine.
 
But whats making you think this?

because I downgraded from an intel e6750, and I can definitely see the performance difference.

 
If i remember correctly the E6300 is about equal to a Pentium D 3400 (945), would you use a Pentium D to game? Hell no!
 
OVERCLOCK IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
And.... what the hell were you smoking when you downgraded your cpu?

I needed the money... what if I upgrade to an e6550, will that make a difference? I mean a substantial one?

Of course it will make a difference.
Speed costs money, how fast do you want to go?
Sounds like you need a job instead of a CPU.

intel e6320 @ 1.86mhz on a GA P35 MB... HUH!  Why no OC?  That chip should OC well past the point of any cpu bottlenecking.

It really depends on the resolution you're using.. If youre above 1280x1024 then the Cpu probably is NOT limiting your performance at 2.2 Ghz. At least not by any margin you would likely notice

OC!  That's the whole reason to buy Intel! (plus the fact they are faster clock for clock   )
 
edit:  That 400MHz OC you did is nothing.  You should be able to push that thing to 3GHz+ which would be way beyond any bottlenecking.  If you need any help read the overclocking guide in the OC section and then ask us any further questions.

Your 6300 will run much faster than a 6550.  Why arent you overclocking it?

 
This is like a hot blond cpu just waiting for you, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? DO IT!!!!!!!!!!
 
That CPU could nip the heels of the higher end 8 series.

The 6320 and the 6550 are both great overclocking CPUs. The difference between them is that you already have the 6320. The only thing that should be stopping you is if you are using the stock HSF. If that is true, then spend your money there. Seriously, just take the CPU "at least" to 400 x 8: 3.2 GHz clock with 1600 MHz FSB shouldn't bottleneck anything.

 
Ummmm the max multi is 7 for that CPU - 7x400 -> 2800. requiring 800mhz memory minimum

You can get a q6600 for $199 if you live by a microcenter.

http://microcenter.com/
 
And I have noticed that the cpu under 3.2Ghz will bottleneck that gpu. I have one similar I know. I noticed you are talking about the 320Mb but, it is almost the same as mine "almost".

truehighroller - is it any cpu your referring to or this one in particular? (e6320)

I will say this if I leave my q6600 below 3.2Ghz it will bottleneck mine.

I agree,  There should be no need for worrying about a "bottleneck", which is not a really good term to use anyway, but thats another matter.  If you overclock even to just 2.6Ghz or around that, I see no way that there would be a problem.  The GTS 320 is a PCIe 1.x card.

What is your average cpu utilization when you play your favorite game?  If it is <65%, the cpu is not much of an issue.  If it is >85%, then do something to increase cpu power.
 
For most games, the vga card is the most important.   If your game is FSX, then the cpu is most important.
 
If you had $100, $200, or $300 to spend on an upgrade, where would it be best spent?
 
Don't forget the possibility that 2gb might not be enough.
 

I can easilly do some benches and show you. Hell you can probably look through the futuremark forums and find a hit pretty fast to without wasting my precious time proving you flamers wrong. P.S. my 2.0 card was on a 1.0 motherboard when I noticed the bottleneck effect from my cpu... there for the 2.0 didn't really play into affect in that situation.