BFB budget Developer system for VS2012

OK, looking for best BANG FOR BUCK ideas... will be running VS2012 (C++dev) and frankly the machine I have been borrowing (2Ghz quad-core i7, 8G ram, SSD) is not TERRIBLY snappy, but I doubt I'll be able to afford more than $1200. AND I'd like a touchscreen (for app testing)

Anyone out there using VS2012 and can comment?

I'm trying to figure out where to focus the funds!

More Cores vs. higher Mhz?

More RAM vs. SSD?

In a perfect world, a touchscreen notebook with SDD, six cores and 12G ram - but I with my limited budget, don't forsee one popping up in the next month. So pondering a desktop build... all input greatly appreciated