Which parts to replace?

[Johnny Barber]

Alrighty,
so here's what I got on my mind. Next year (probably January or so), I'm going to replace some parts in my computer. I can't afford to build a whole new one (albeit I have some pretty sweet ideas, just under 800$), rather I can afford to replace approximately 300$ worth of parts.

Current Parts (to be replaced):
-run of the mill motherboard socket LGA 775
-E7400 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
-Radeon HD 5770 1 GB
-4 GB RAM

So, should I replace the video card with some nice enthusiast card (probably something like a Radeon HD 6950 or GTX 570, when the prices are lower)
OR
should I replace the CPU with a 4-core processor from either Intel or AMD (depending on what they both have to offer at the time)?

NOTES: replacing the CPU would entail replacing the Motherboard, Processor, and Memory. Take that into account. Additionally, there's no way I would shell out for an LGA 775 Core 2 Quad, not cost efficient. Also, with my case and preference of motherboard, I cannot do crossfire or SLI.

Thanks

 

[kajabla]

What are your other specs? PSU is the most important, but case too.
On that budget, you'll be going AMD for sure.
Mobo+CPU will come in under 200 (955+whatever mobo).
I don't think you can do both RAM and something better than a 5770 on the remaining $100, though.

 

[Outlander_04]

ask again in january

 

[Johnny Barber]

I have a Corsair 650 TX (or whatever). It has enough amperage for any single card I can throw at it, far as I know.
The case is a Silverstone Sugo SG03. I perfer to keep my case small for the point of mobility. According to it's specs and the specs of video cards, it can fit 10.5 inches, and the 6950 I found is exactly that much. If needed it's not hard to cut out .25 inches.
I figured out a 1155 motherboard, i5 2400, and 4GB DDR3 for about 275$, if you want to know what I've looked at. Currently, I wouldn't buy a Phenom II of any sort. Sure they have good pricing, but even an overclocked 955 won't perform comparably to a 2400. Also, the thermals on the Phenom II are to high for me. With this compact case, all my parts would fry using a 125 watt processor.
Also, if you read the post again, I'm going for either the main components, or the video card not both. I'm not trying to do both, just one or the other. I'm also glad to poor the whole 300$ in, whether it's a video card or main components.
Thanks for your input though. Were I going for a really tight budget build, yes, I would pick the 955, but this is not the case. Even then, I might pick a i3 2100 simply because of it's better thermals, and the fact it performs similarly to a 975 (basically an overclocked 955).

You have good points, but rather they don't fit to this problem. Thanks for the contribution though.

NOTE: My primary use of the computer would be gaming at 1920 x 1080 resolution.

 

[Johnny Barber]

ask again in january

Fair...I will probably end up doing that. In the instance I come into the desired amount of money though, please humor the request. It's possible given my circumstances.

 

[jers]

Hey Johnny!

I recently faced a very similar situation, especially because I live in Latin America and it's tough to shell out anything above 200 bucks at once.
Consider the following:
Right now you are at the limit of a bottleneck even with your current 5770 because of your processor speed; and given your worry for temps, I assume you don't want to overclock -which is regrettable.
Your best bet is exactly to go for an 1155 cpu; specifically an i3-2100 because its price/perf ratio. Do your math and if you can, go for the i3-2400.

However, if you are not going to build it any time soon, you should check out your options later on. Maybe you are just suffering upgraditis xD. I know what it's like. If that is it, then better prepare for the future so that you won't have to worry about thermals: get a nice roomy, windy, quiet case and a big aftermarket cooler you can use with both your current 775 plataform and your future 1155.
I totally agree with you about getting a phenom II or a core2 quad. Neither is worth it anymore. I ended up overclocking my cpu another few megahertz and going for an HD6870. I had an improvement over my GTS 250, especially kicked ass in new gpu-bound games, but now I'm suffering a tremendous bottleneck with an e5200, even at 4ghz.
Your call dude.

 

[Johnny Barber]

Alright. I'll ask the question again in 6 months when I'll actually be doing the parts buying.
Thanks for the information.