Help with budget build that can be upgraded

[mike296]

Approximate Purchase Date: Within a month
Budget Range: under $500
System Usage from Most to Least Important: CAD - Solidworks (just home use), video editing (just home use) surfing the internet
Parts Not Required: (e.g.: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS)
Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: No
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
Additional Comments: Looking to build a budget system and then upgrading once prices drop. Upgrade to I5 or I7, graphics card and more memory

Possible system:
CPU: Intel Core i3-540 Clarkdale 3.06GHz LGA 1156 73W Dual-Core Desktop Processor BX80616I3540
MOBO: ASUS P7H55-M PRO LGA 1156 Intel H55 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ...
DVD: LITE-ON Black 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support - Retail
Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic Computer Case

Any advice or suggestions much appreciated!

 

[mianmars]

Wait till mid-january and save some $$$. If you cant wait till then, an AMD X4 build will be better for u.

 

[boiler1990]

With CAD (are you doing any 3D rendering?) and video editing, I would definitely recommend a solid processor and a good video card.

An i5 is probably what you ultimately want, plus 4GB RAM (which could go up to 8 in the future if necessary).

If you're doing 3D rendering, I would recommend a workstation video card like NVIDIA's Quadro series; if not, a standard video card will work great. I just wonder if you can get by on integrated video...

 

[Knox Gelatin]

If your looking for an upgradeable board, look at ASUS Z8NA-D6.

It's a bit more pricy, but dual 1366 processor sockets and up to 48 GB of RAM is never a bad thing.

Especially for CAD/ 3D modeling.

 

[mike296]

Best answer selected by mike296.