Been out of the hardware game for about 2-3 years and am looking into possibly building a new machine. Where can I find the latest about what's the best choices for processors?

When I put together the machine I currently have, AMD was (or seemed) the way to go, but it's seems Intel has fought back hard and strong. Any input on where I can find/get some good reliable info would be great.

Thanks 

If you want the absolute fastest TOP DAWG processor you will need to buy Intel, but it is really going to hurt your pocketbook. A lot. But since this is all about bang-for-the-buck, how many bucks do you want to spend? You name the price and we'll suggest the CPU!

Well, I am a mild gamer, which is what brought me back here, because I realized how old my system was when I tried to play FarCry 2 and the settings were automatically set to low, and I tried to up them, but it was a horrible result. Couldn't even play the game.

I also use photoshop CS4 quite often.

So, I am looking probably around $80-$130ish for the processor. I'd be very open to motherboard/cpu combos since I'll have to buy a new motherboard anyways. So, with the combo, probably trying to stay under $300 if possible.

Thanks. 

Doppler2004:

because I realized how old my system was when I tried to play FarCry 2 and the settings were automatically set to low, and I tried to up them, but it was a horrible result. Couldn't even play the game.

Taking a look at the minimum and recommended FarCry 2 hardware requirements HERE it is no wonder your current hardware had trouble! If you purchase a new mobo & CPU you will also need new RAM (DDR-2 or DDR-3), too. Your current video card is weak by today's hardware standards and you will be hindered by it. A new video card may tax your current PSU and you may need to replace it. How much do you have to spend?

I'm not suggesting that you do this, but I wonder how your current system would run FarCry 2 if it had 2GB - 4GB RAM, a CPU like THIS, and a video card like THIS.

I would say a C2D with about 4 gigs of ram on a LGA775 socket... You can get some inexpensive quad cores from intel and then spend the rest on a sold gfx card. maybe a 5850 ($350) or a gtx 260 ($200)

Hmmm, I didn't really think it would be possible to get get a reasonable upgrade without going all out...but your idea might be very reasonable, and relatively cheap...thanks for the input.

Are there any other higher end PCIe x16 cards you would suggest? If I was to do that, I'd want to try and max out my options and get the best I can to get the most out of my machine I could before a major rebuild. And if possible, would this even be worth it and help squeeze more time out of my current machine?

That AMD 939 dual-core I linked to is going waay higher than I thought it would. If you buy a used CPU and RAM to upgrade your current system it would only be worth it if you can get the hardware really cheap! At least you could buy a nice PCIe x16 video card, like you mentioned, and transfer it to a newer system when the time comes. I like your idea!

I just got a combo deal at Newegg,  An AMD Phenom-II X3 720 with a Gigabyte MA790GPT-UD3H Motherboard, 4GB's of G-Skill Ripjaws DDR-3 1600 RAM, And a LG SATA DVD Burner for $320.00 shipped to my door.

I used a pair of 500GB SATA-II drives in RAID-0 configuration for storage. I already had a good Seasonic Power supply and a Radeon HD4870 1GB video card for it too. It's a Christmas present for my daughter.

It's not the fastest thing around, but it games quite nicely. I don't own Far Cry-II but I think that this rig would play it without allot of problems.

Newegg has some good deals going on day to day this time of the year.

I would stay away from the 775 socket and go with the new 1156 or 1366. This will allow upgradability in the future.

1156 is the cheaper option. And it's a brand new socket, so a few years down the line when you want to upgrade again, you'll be ready.