AM2+ Upgrade Options

[NeoDriver]

So,

I have a small amount of money sat by (~£200) and I'm thinking of upgrading my system. My specs at the moment are

GA-MA790X-UD3P AM2+ board (Upgraded to F7B BIOS so can use the X6's)
Phenom II x2 550 BE
- OC'd to 3.7GHz
- Unlocking to 4 cores makes it unstable (I think one is dodgy)
2x Corsair Memory XMS2 2GB DDR2 PC2-6400 (800) Dual Channel Desktop
ATi Radeon HD 4890

My original thoughts were to upgrade the GPU to a 6950/6970 but I figured with the 7000 series launching early next year (supposedly) they would drop in price. So then I considered the CPU. My PC is used mainly for gaming and im not too sure where to go from here. I first considered the Phenom II X6 1100t then I read that the Phenom II x4's are better for gaming. Then of course there are the i5 2500k's - but this would require a Mobo upgrade (and memory?)

I would appreciate any thoughts on where to go from here, or if it is worth just waiting and upgrading it all in one go when my Bday hits in Feb maybe?

Thanks

 

[o1die]

You don't need a new cpu yet. Look for some used corsair ddr2; get a matched pair if you have any open slots. I use craigslist alot for used stuff; you should be able to get another 2 gb fairly cheap. For the video, same story. I've found some good cards for around $125. For the cpu, I found a used 955 for $90 recently.

 

[deadjon]

I beleive you should go for the 960T if you are heading for a CPU Upgrade. It takes the best of the X4s and chucks the possibility of unlocking to an X6 in the mix.
I personally would not be able to wait til feb to be rid of a Dual Core CPU (Im getting rid of my Q6600 on Saturday for a 2500k, the bandwagon was so easy to jump on) Chuck a good aftermarket cooler on it and clock it up to 4ghz.
Another choice is to spend premium on Phenom II 980 and whack a big heatsink and send it to 4.6ghz land (At this clock it destroys a stock i5 2500k) and you shouldnt be bottlnecked by it for quite a while at those clocks.
Finally, the most sensible option is to suffer until Feb and go with a 2500k or a 3550k (Ivy bridge assuming they are released or close by then). You can clock the 2500k to 4.5ghz while your asleep and I have a distinct feeling nothing will phase it for many years.

 

[joedastudd]

I'd save up until you can afford to jump onto the sandy bridge platform.
With AMD publicly stating they aren't going to compete with Intel I wouldn't recommend trying to update a AMD system.