Processor/motherboard/RAM/Video card upgrade

Well I'll start off saying my budget is upwards to $450. Will be mainly for gaming.
My current options to put me under a $450 cap are these.

Newegg.com - ASUS M5A97 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS (ASUS M5A97 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS)

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B (CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B)

Newegg.com - AMD FX-4100 Zambezi 3.6GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor FD4100WMGUSBX (AMD FX-4100 Zambezi 3.6GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor FD4100WMGUSBX)

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150515 (XFX Double D HD-685X-ZDFC Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity)

I prefer AMD over Intel/NVIDIA, but I am willing to swap for NVIDIA graphics. I'm using a 500W processor, case will fit anything up to 10.7 x 8.3 x 2.8 (in inches) for Graphics cards.
Anything I can upgrade, swap out etc would be greatly appreciated if someone told me. From what I saw this would be the best for my budget, and I'm willing to use tigerdirect alongside newegg for parts. Cheers.

Definitely an okay budget build but I would recommend you lurk Slickdeals for a week or so to find a better deal on a higher-end gfx card.

An Intel i3 2100/ASRock H77 Pro 3 combo is a better idea if gaming is your main priority.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Alen

Definitely an okay budget build but I would recommend you lurk Slickdeals for a week or so to find a better deal on a higher-end gfx card.

---

Alright, I can pay at least $189 for the graphics card at most so I'll keep a look out for one on Slickdeals. I have another ~3 weeks until I get all the cash together so I think I'll be able to find something well priced there eventually.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bengali

An Intel i3 2100/ASRock H77 Pro 3 combo is a better idea if gaming is your main priority.

---

I will never go back to a dual core, ever. That's one thing I just can't handle, even if it's a sandy bridge.

Don't get a bulldozer quad core then atleast. Go with a Phenom 960t or 965 if you can find one. The FX series is horrible for gaming. Even a dual core i3 2100 beats a lot of AMD CPUs for gaming. Do not underestimate this little monster.
https://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu...0_6.html#sect0

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bengali

Don't get a bulldozer quad core then atleast. Go with a Phenom 960t or 965 if you can find one. The FX series is horrible for gaming. Even a dual core i3 2100 beats a lot of AMD CPUs for gaming. Do not underestimate this little monster.
AMD FX-8120, AMD FX-6100 and AMD FX-4100 CPUs Review. Page 6 - X-bit labs

---

A decently clocked bulldozer will outperform all but the absolutely best Phenoms. Check benchmarks, and make sure they're up to date. Furthermore with proper threading optimizations in Windows 8 the new AMD stuff should see a reasonable increase in performance.

inb4 same clocks, a newer fab process will always yield better OCs and clocks.

Then again you can OC a phenom as well.

Everyone's hoping Win8 will improve bulldozer's performance, I doubt it. AMD already released patches for Win7, but that little effect on the performance.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bengali

Then again you can OC a phenom as well.

Everyone's hoping Win8 will improve bulldozer's performance, I doubt it. AMD already released patches for Win7, but that little effect on the performance.

---

Check the benchmarks, as I said. Windows 7's and Windows 8's method of handling threads is different. Furthermore I'd like to see you hit an easy 4.5GHz+ on Phenom IIs.

Right clock speed is everything.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bengali

Right clock speed is everything.

---

Clock speed does play a heavy part in it. My processor before my current one (fried it) was a Phenom X4 965? I believe. There is no way I can chip out the money for an Intel processor currently, and those high-end games aren't really my goal to play, more along the lines of League of Legends, TeamFortress2, Black Light Retribution, Combat Arms, Borderlands 2, etc. And after doing a bit research for benchmarks, The FX-4100 basically matches the i3-2100 up until 1920x1080, but that's using something like the 6950 and I'm aiming for a 6850, but even then, it's questionable on how much a difference it is, and this is with high levels of AA. I mean eventually I will upgrade to Intel, but with the money I'm making currently and the money I have allocated to spend, the i3-2100 won't do me much good. I do intend to snag an i5-3550 sometime around November however, unless the gameplay is manageable on AMD then I'd have no reason to upgrade.