Core Quad or i7?

the i7 930 would be a good processor
ntel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Model BX80601930

this mobo will do great with it
MSI X58 Pro-E USB3 LGA 1366 Intel X58 USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

4GB DDR3 ripjaw series
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

so far about 660$

now your Gpu depends on your Res
you can spend it on a HD5850 1GB

HIS H585FN1GD Radeon HD 5850 (Cypress Pro) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

this can handle all games at 1080p

but exceeds your budget by 40$

so if you want you can get a HD5830

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

+1 to King Game's recommendation. I got MSI motherboard and the DDR3 rip jaws and no complaint so far. However we can give more options if you will let us know what is your monitor resolution? It will tell us how much of a CPU & GPU upgrade you actually need.

Current resolution is 1440x900. As an added note, I'll be upgrading to Win 7 Pro 64 bit if that helps...

Nice motherboard! Was originally going for the Asus P6T but 24GB maximum RAM is too hard to resist!

The Intel Core i7 930 would be a faster processor, but IMO would be too costly for a $900 budget.

If you live near a Micro Center, they sometimes sell Core i7 860s and 930s for $200, which is a bargain.

If you don't, I suggest this, if you do, replace the Core i5 750 with a Core i7 860:

Intel Core i5 750 2.66GHz - $199.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

ASUS P7P55D-E LX - $139.99 + $7.56 shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

G.Skill Ripjaws 4GB DDR3 1600MHz 7-8-7-20 - $114.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

So far the total cost is $462.53.

A few more questions:
1) Will you be reusing your hard drives and case?
2) Would you like to add in another graphic card later?
3) What PSU do you have, which brand?

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1) If you said no to question one, then add these extras, otherwise just ignore this section:

Samsung Spinpoint F3 7200RPM 1TB - $89.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Cooler Master HAF 922 - $79.98 w/$10 rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Total is now $632.50.

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2) If you do not want to add in another card later, and prefer to just change the graphic card completely, ignore this post, otherwise
if you do want to add in another card, you should get this motherboard instead:

ASUS P7P55D-E Pro - $189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Add another $42.44 if you want to add in another graphic card later on, totalling to $674.94.

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3) If your PSU is generic, or came with the case, I suggest that you get the Corsair HX650W or TX650W if you would like to use two
graphic cards or keep your old PSU if you only want to use one. If you do want to add in another graphics card, you'll have to
go cheap a bit.

Corsair HX650W - $109.99 w/$10 rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Corsair TX650W - $69.99 w/$20 rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

If you said no to question one, and no to question two, then the total cost so far would be $462.53
If you said no to question one, but yes to question two, then the total cost so far would be $614.96 (with the Corsair HX650W)
If you said yes to question one, but no to question two, then the cost so far is $632.50.
If you said yes to question one, and yes to question two, then you will be getting the Corsair TX650W with a cheaper graphics card for $744.93.

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The last section is the graphics card. I would go for the XFX Radeon HD 5850 for $318.49.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Thus the total would be:
$781.02 if you reuse your old HDD and case, and do not want to add in another graphics card later.
$933.45 if you reuse your old HDD and case, but go for the add in a graphics card later option.
$950.99 if you decide to get a new HDD and case, but do not go for a graphics card later on.

If you want to add in another graphics card later, and want to get a new case and HDD, you'd have to get this graphic card to make sure you don't go too much over your budget:

PowerColour Radeon HD 5770 512MB for $129.99 w/$15 rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

The total cost then would be $874.92, with one HD 5770, and it's ready for another one to be added in later, which will give HD 5870 performance in most games.

Okay, you don't need i7 for 1440x900 resolution.
According to Anand, your Processor will play with good fps even at decent settings (mainstream) even at 1680x1050 resolution.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/65
However, your 8600GT is definitely the bottleneck. Your $ should be put to better use by upgrading just the video card and another 2GB DDR2 RAM ( same as the one you have now).
For the video card I suggest the HD5770. It will be handy and can play crysis up to 1920x1080 should you upgrade your monitor too and you can bring this to any new build you might do in the future if you want a complete overhaul.

yeah a i5 750 + HD5770 1Gb would be good

+1

This will serve you well for at least 3 years

As for ur current rig if you dont wanna spend much money get another 2x1GB kit and a 5770

For the i7 930 and 1366 motherboards, you'll need to go triple channel memory - 3 sticks of memory for either 3gb or 6gb.

If you're only getting 4GB of DDR3 in dual channel, you might as well just get an i7 860 and 1156 motherboard and save yourself some money.

I remember I bought 6GB of DDR3 for $80-$90. RAM inflation is horrible...

The OP is going to play on 1440x900 only. I suggest he try out the HD5770 + another stick of 2GB RAM ( of the same type as he has ) and see from there. He can always consider a CPU upgrade if he is unhappy with it.

If he is happy, he can save the ~$750 left out of his original budget and save a little more for a new RIG. When he finally get that complete rig, he can use the HD5770 for the new PC and reinstall the 8600GT into his old PC to give it to someone. I think that is very cost effective.

I'd think that the Core 2 Duo E4500 2.2Ghz would be a pretty bad bottleneck, even for something like an HD 5770.

At 1440 x 900 resolution, this would probably be better:

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition 3.4GHz - $180.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Gigabyte GA-770TA-UD3 - $79.99 w/$10 rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

OCZ AMD Black Edition 4GB 2x2GB DDR3 1600MHz CL8 - $109.99 w/$20 rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Sapphire Radeon HD 5830 - $239.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200RPM - $89.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Cooler Master CM 690 II Advanced - $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

OCZ ModXStream 500W - $39.99 w/$25 rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Total = $840.93

Of course the E4500 will bottleneck the HD5770. But E4500 does not have to match the HD5770 now. It has to match the 1440x900 resolution of his monitor.
If he get the rig you recommended, then his 1440x900 monitor will be the bottleneck. A waste of money unless he upgrade his monitor to 1920x1080 and spend additional $150-$200 in the process.

Well, considering that even the HD 5970 can't max any games at 1080p, 1440 x 900 wouldn't be too much of a monitor bottleneck. The HD 5830 is suited to medium resolutions like 1440 x 900 and 1680 x 1050.

You mean it can't max some games at 2560x1600  Hey, t's a 5970. 5870 can handle any game at 1080p at max.

Yes a 5830 would suit perfectly for 14x9 res all the way to 1080p.
As for the C2D E4500 bottlenecking an 5770, it will only be a small bottleneck, not a big one.

That is what I am saying. The HD5770+2GB RAM is best for bang for the OP's requirement. A better CPU+Mobo is an upgrade path but I think not immediate requirement.
If OP is willing to spend for more than what he needs, then of course he can. It is his $900 after all.

I agree; my processor runs Crysis on medium just fine (crashes every now and then) however it still runs! The main thing I'm looking for (I should've outlined this before) is that I have clients who want big, powerful movies and stunning photos (I have the DSLR to match it!) The main problem is that, particularly in video editing programs, it is very slow! It takes about 15 seconds to register that I have typed text onto a frame!

1) I will be reusing my case and hardrive. I currently have a 7200 RPM 700 GB hardrive (not sure what brand) My case is a midi tower
2)I have been told be my IT professional that if I want better gaming, a new graphics card would be smarter. It'll be likely that I go for a HD5770 due to recommendations
3)My PSU is generic and has 550 W

Hopes that answers everything!

I've been thinking, would the AMD Phenom 11 X4 Quad Core be a good choice? I'm not rigid on choosing AMD. It's just that AMD seems cheaper, especially in Australia (I live in Australia and things are much more expensive in Australia, tells my American friend!)

My plan was that I would start with 4GB DDR3 and gradually build up to 12GB.

sure a phii X4 955 is great for gaming and can be compared to i7 920 in gaming

this surely a great Cpu

That is if you were to keep your current rig. I meant you would have total 4GB RAM ( your current 2GB + another 2)

And don't worry the PII X4 955 is great CPU