Which cpu is best for me?

Hey guys!

I'm a bit stumped on what I should do in this scenario. Basically I have two builds in my home, one of which I want to upgrade the processor. It is currently just a low end game rig, running a E2160 (1.8 ghz, L2 1 mb), 4 gb ram (800), a 320 gb HD (8 mb cache), and a Radeon 4670 (512 mb DDR3).

I would like to upgrade the processor, but am not sure what is the best bet for me. It takes a LGA 775 socket, and the motherboard is a MSI G31M3. All that its used for is mainly playing Warhammer Online and some Adobe CS3. I've heard mixed feeling towards going towards a dual core vs a quad core, but would like to future proof it a bit if possible. I'm not completely worried about getting the greatest and latest, and would like to keep the price tag below $180, less if possible.

So what suggestions do you guys have? Some people say go towards a faster frequency and use a dual core, others say software support for the Quad Cores is here and its the best way to go.

Any help and any info is appreciated!

 

this one is $168.00USD from new egg and has 2329 reviewers and 89% gave it 5 eggs (5 stars) and has some nice stats on it
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037
this seams like it should do the job for you and would be a nice upgrade for ya

 

Yeah I did have my eye on that processor. But is it worth going with a really nice dual core over a quad?

 

from what i've heard/read, that 8400 has performed better for some games than the quad. check out www.tomshardware.com for some product comparisons

 

True, on some games. But...

Then go quad.