Upgrading from Core 2 Duo to i5

Alright guys the current gaming computer that I have has been needing an upgrade. I have some money to spend but would like to stay within 1k.

Here are the things that I would like to upgrade:

MB
CPU (quad core)
RAM (+2gb / +4gb) up to 6gb or 8gb depending on price and current setup
HDD (+1-2TB)

Here is what I currently have. I no longer play computer games (360, PS3, Wii) - so the video card does not need to be upgraded or any component needs to be selected to amplify frame rates, etc... I do however do some video encoding (1080p/720p) , and use as a media server/holder.

Case:
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Motherboard:
ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU:
Intel e7300 core 2 duo 775

Video/Graphics Card:
SAPPHIRE 100245L Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX

PSU:
Antec Neo Power 500 500W ATX12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Ram:
Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996587

HDD:
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD6400AAKS 640GB
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD800JD 80GB 7200
Seagate 500gb

Optical Drive:
SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223Q LightScribe Support

Recommendations on particular setups, deals through Newegg?

Is there a reason you aren't just putting in a quad? Your current system is ok for what you want. 4GBs of ram with a quad 9xxx should be fine for converting videos. Yes the i5/i7 would be faster but not sure its worth what you'd spend. Also because your 4850 is overkill for non gaming purposes you could sell it and use it to buy a lower power GPU saving you even more. I personally would sell the 4850 and E7xxx for whatever you can get, buy a new 5570 and Q9xxx and spend the $800+ on other new toys like monitors, keyboard, converting software, etc.

13hrs? From what to what are you transcoding? The only transcoding I really do is converting a 1.4GB .avi file to DVD. To do this AND burn it at 4x takes me just over 1hr. Yours is x8 as large, so I would think 8+ hrs would be enough. (unless you are using more advanced codecs or resolution.) My CPU is probably similar in performance to yours, an E6600.

You can certainly upgrade to something newer/better. I'd probably grab an AM3 board with a 1055T. 6 cores should make short work of those videos. Nothing wrong with going this route, more so if you have the $$$. ]

You can just grab another 2x2GB kit. You would then have 4x2GB for a total of 8GB. Just make sure you have a 64bit version of windows or it won't work.

I just looked and saw you do 1080 videos. Mine are considerable smaller so thats probably the difference.

So I'm deciding between these two: (Second component setup will be posted later)

CPU:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz 12MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor

Will this processor turn my performance around? Like Night and Day changes? Or will it be subtle?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115041

Ram:
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory.

The RAM that I have is now discontinued. Will this be a good substitute to add up to 8GB? Also will this be compatible with my motherboard? The motherboard that I have says the memory standard is Dual-Channel. Will it be ok with 2 Dual-Channel kits?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231207

HDD:
Western Digital Caviar Black WD2001FASS 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136456


Total: $ 530 (Yay or Nay) ?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820146731

Model

Brand
Mushkin Enhanced

Series
Blackline

Model
996587

Type
240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM

Tech Spec

Capacity
4GB (2 x 2GB)

Speed
DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)

Cas Latency
5

Timing
5-4-4-12

Voltage
1.8V

Multi-channel Kit
Dual Channel Kit

Heat Spreader
Yes

Haven't thought of going AMD, but if I was too, would it be a bad idea? Never had an AMD system so I really am in the dark here...

Six cores for less than $200!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103851