What to upgrade to for not much cash? (E5200)

[Statia]

I've been building for ten years now. I've always enjoyed best bang for buck rather than spending a load and getting the best. I'm looking to step up some from my current spec, but not spend anything more than £200 (~$300) but if I can spend less, then all the better.

My current spec is:

CPU - Intel Pentium E5200 @ 2.50GHz.
RAM - 4.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 399MHz).
Mobo - Gigabyte G31M-S2L (Socket 775).
GPU - 768MB GeForce GTX 460.
HDDs -2x SATA, 1x IDE.
Optical - 1 x IDE.
Audio - ASUS Xonar DS Audio Device.

I don't know if I should just stump up a bit of money and get a 2nd hand Core 2 Quad and keep everything else, or go for a new CPU, mobo and RAM. Note that I don't want to buy any new HDD's at the moment as I don't really need extra space and the prices being so high.

If I did go the route of new mobo etc, I would like the option to upgrade to and get the most benefit from an SSD at a later date.

I use the PC for some on and off gaming, music, downloading and web browsing. Peak performance isn't a big issue, but I'd like to step up a couple of notches and be able to play future games.

Thanks!

 

[grumbledook]

I would wait before getting a new mobo and cpu. Ivy bridge will be out later this year (april I think it is). Ram is usually pretty cheap, and 399mhz is some rather slow ram. I see that your mobo supports 800mhz so maybe consider that? In the meantime you could also consider overclocking?

 

[Statia]

I have tried overclocking my current rig, but despite having a good CPU cooler, it keeps doing funny things when I shutdown (like rebooting instead) and it kept resetting back to the standard BIOS settings. So I put it back to stock.

Thanks for your reply.