Well, I suppose the quad core might technically be more future-proof...but dual core processors are going to be the standard for programming for a little while yet...and you'd get much better bang for your buck gaming-wise if you went with an e8400 instead of the q6600. By the time most applications are wanting quad cores, you're probably going to want to be upgrading your processor anyway. Just my two cents...theragu40

Thanks for your opinion, but an e8400 is a bit more expensive than a q6600. I'm on a tight budget that's why I don't want to go for an 8800gt.

I'd exchange the quad core for a dual, then take that money and switch to an 8800GT or 9800GT. 2 more gigs RAM.WDT-BlackKat

For what I've heard the 8800gt is faster than the 9600gt, but not much. The quadcore I think is more future proof than a dual. So changing the 9600gt in a couple of years and retaining the quadcore is the idea. If I opt with a dual core (the E6600/6700) and the 8800gt, I'll have to upgrade both of them in a couple of years. What do you think of this?

PV-T94P-YHF4 GF 9600GT 650M 512MB DDR3. Does anybody have this card? Is there light glowing on the card when the computer is on?

Is it ok to install a power supply unit(psu) upside down? Thanks in advance.

okay guys, thanks for your replies. It's becoming clear to me that a q6600 is more future proof. But I'm planning to get a Gigabyte P35-DS3L mobo. Will this mobo support q6600?

I'm getting a 9600 gt and I want to play the latest games especially Crysis. Probably, upgrading the 9600 gt after two years and retaining the q6600. What do you think of this?