What upgrade should I get (details inside)

Do not buy an OCZ SSD. Horrible reliability and quality. Also, get 1600MHz RAM, cheaper and there is no difference. When you get the extra 8GB I suggest taking and leaving the current 4 out. AMD has a weak IMC and 4 sticks have a high possibility of giving off BSOD or random crashes.

With 400 dollars your best bet would be a GTX 670.

You're such a boss, thanks for the help.
Would you recommend this Samsung over OCZ as far as SSD's? So you think a gpu would be a best bet for an upgrade as opposed to cpu/mobo, correct? And, just to make sure, the GTX 670 is compatible with my current mobo? (I fail to understand what makes components compatible with each other)
Do you have an opinion on this graphics card?
I think the new ram will work wonders because with firefox, next-gen games and itunes simultaneously I am typically upwards of 75% physical memory.
 
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if you still have 4GB ram i would grab this, it is DDR3 1866 and on sale for 45$ till the 30th
ALSO if something you need to do is go into your BIOS and make sure your CPU NB FREQUENCY is set to 2400MHZ if you have s sticks of DDR3 1600MHZ RAM. I read an AMD manual and it said to set it at that frequency, I am sure of this because it used RAM frequency as an example and showed why(I dont remember)
So change that to 2400MHZ, also when I ran windows Inderx Experience my RAM calculation went up. It's not overclocking it because thats what it suppost to be, but it is set at the wrong thing, like my board gives my AMD CPU 1.5V stock(too much). With those volts I got up to 4.2ghz for a few min then freez. Also check in the BIOS to see if your RAM is set to its right speed(800,1366,1600 etc...)

you could also overclock your CPU with this cooler. I get about 52C max when I do a stable OC to 4GHZ
 
if you still have 4GB ram i would grab this, it is DDR3 1866 and on sale for 45$ till the 30th
ALSO if something you need to do is go into your BIOS and make sure your CPU NB FREQUENCY is set to 2400MHZ if you have s sticks of DDR3 1600MHZ RAM. I read an AMD manual and it said to set it at that frequency, I am sure of this because it used RAM frequency as an example and showed why(I dont remember)
So change that to 2400MHZ, also when I ran windows Inderx Experience my RAM calculation went up. It's not overclocking it because thats what it suppost to be, but it is set at the wrong thing, like my board gives my AMD CPU 1.5V stock(too much). With those volts I got up to 4.2ghz for a few min then freez. Also check in the BIOS to see if your RAM is set to its right speed(800,1366,1600 etc...)

you could also overclock your CPU with this cooler. I get about 52C max when I do a stable OC to 4GHZ

Thanks a ton Steve, for sharing your experience with the cpu and bios. What did you mean by "if you have s sticks of DDR3 1600MHZ RAM". I understand setting the frequencies in the bios but im having a hard time understanding the language you used. What would I set the CPU NB FREQUENCY to with the 2 sticks of 4 gigs each 1866 mhz ddr3?
Im sure the 1866 DDR3 is gonna be a huge upgrade from my 4gb of DDR2 800 at only $45! :D

Basically narrowed down my best options to:
EVGA 4gb GTX 670 which is only $420 after the rebate at the moment OR
EVGA 2gb GTX 680 @460
Wondering which one of these is a better value

And I figure this Samsung 840 pro series is my best option for the SSD

While im not too concerned about funding, im all ears if there is a good deal/price drop or some new technology coming out. Im still open to putting funds from the gpu towards a new cpu if my Phenom II 955 black is holding me back in some way. Ive never even overclocked it to my knowledge so that would be a start, reading into it now.
Edit: Just began overclocking in a matter of minutes haha, love how stuff becomes more simple over time. It appears I can adjust the CPU NB Frequency and the ram frequency from the same program I overclock with.

Thanks for the help tech-forums
 
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You're such a boss, thanks for the help.
Would you recommend this Samsung over OCZ as far as SSD's? So you think a gpu would be a best bet for an upgrade as opposed to cpu/mobo, correct? And, just to make sure, the GTX 670 is compatible with my current mobo? (I fail to understand what makes components compatible with each other)
Do you have an opinion on this graphics card?
I think the new ram will work wonders because with firefox, next-gen games and itunes simultaneously I am typically upwards of 75% physical memory.
Yes that SSD would be perfectly fine and MUCH better than the OCZ.

That's a good video card.

Good RAM too.

if you still have 4GB ram i would grab this, it is DDR3 1866 and on sale for 45$ till the 30th
ALSO if something you need to do is go into your BIOS and make sure your CPU NB FREQUENCY is set to 2400MHZ if you have s sticks of DDR3 1600MHZ RAM. I read an AMD manual and it said to set it at that frequency, I am sure of this because it used RAM frequency as an example and showed why(I dont remember)
So change that to 2400MHZ, also when I ran windows Inderx Experience my RAM calculation went up. It's not overclocking it because thats what it suppost to be, but it is set at the wrong thing, like my board gives my AMD CPU 1.5V stock(too much). With those volts I got up to 4.2ghz for a few min then freez. Also check in the BIOS to see if your RAM is set to its right speed(800,1366,1600 etc...)

you could also overclock your CPU with this cooler. I get about 52C max when I do a stable OC to 4GHZ
I'm sorry but again, HT/FSB frequency has nothing to do with being able to set your RAM at 1600MHz. The NB frequency is how fast HT communicates between your NB and CPU. It essentially the same as QPI on an Intel based rig. This setting does not in the least affect the speed of your RAM or the capability. That is all in how the motherboard does the RAM divider from the FSB clock.

Also, the 4 sticks thing on an AMD Phenom 2 CPU has to do with the chip having a weak IMC. For 4 sticks to be stable they require more IMC volts which is NB/CPU. I have owned Phenom 2 since the first AM2+ iteration (940BE), and also owned a 720BE and 955BE. I have quite the experience with all AMD CPUs besides the FX series because I have personally owned all of them mentioned.

Thanks a ton Steve, for sharing your experience with the cpu and bios. What did you mean by "if you have s sticks of DDR3 1600MHZ RAM". I understand setting the frequencies in the bios but im having a hard time understanding the language you used. What would I set the CPU NB FREQUENCY to with the 2 sticks of 4 gigs each 1866 mhz ddr3?
Im sure the 1866 DDR3 is gonna be a huge upgrade from my 4gb of DDR2 800 at only $45! :D

Basically narrowed down my best options to:
EVGA 4gb GTX 670 which is only $420 after the rebate at the moment OR
EVGA 2gb GTX 680 @460
Wondering which one of these is a better value

And I figure this Samsung 840 pro series is my best option for the SSD

While im not too concerned about funding, im all ears if there is a good deal/price drop or some new technology coming out. Im still open to putting funds from the gpu towards a new cpu if my Phenom II 955 black is holding me back in some way. Ive never even overclocked it to my knowledge so that would be a start, reading into it now.
Edit: Just began overclocking in a matter of minutes haha, love how stuff becomes more simple over time. It appears I can adjust the CPU NB Frequency and the ram frequency from the same program I overclock with.

Thanks for the help tech-forums
Don't bother with DDR3 1866. You need to up the FSB (overclock) to attain 1866 and AMD Phenom 2 does not have any real performance gains from the faster memory.

If you can afford it the 680 is a better option.

There is no point in upgrading your CPU or even overclocking it. As I said before, don't raise your NB/HT frequency. It's a waste. Also, don't OC via software. If you want to OC do it properly from the bios. Like I said though, there isn't any point as your CPU stock is fast enough for any games.
You can take a look at my article indicating so, or you can look at the hothardware article I linked that matched a Q6600 to a GTX 660. Still perfectly capable and slower than your current Phenom 955BE.

I really wish I had more time lately to be around. It appears any time I'm not able to sit here and hit refresh every 5 minutes there is misinformation flying everywhere.
 
Awesome, thanks again for the help. Not only do you answer questions but you inform people and I appreciate that. While I tend to leech on this forum as someone who asks many questions and answers none, I have tried to educate people irl with the knowledge I have accumulated on this website.

So even though the 1866 mhz sniper series is $2 cheaper with the promo code, the ripjaws is the better choice at 1600 mhz? I understand that my cpu will not reach the RAM potential, but wouldnt it better, just in case I get a better CPU, a ways down the line? Is it a matter of reliability between the two?
 
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Awesome, thanks again for the help. Not only do you answer questions but you inform people and I appreciate that. While I tend to leech on this forum as someone who asks many questions and answers none, I have tried to educate people irl with the knowledge I have accumulated on this website.

So even though the 1866 mhz sniper series is $2 cheaper with the promo code, the ripjaws is the better choice at 1600 mhz? I understand that my cpu will not reach the RAM potential, but wouldnt it better, just in case I get a better CPU, a ways down the line? Is it a matter of reliability between the two?
If you can get them cheaper than the same 1600 set then sure. I don't see a problem with that and it's common sense, as it's cheaper. I just don't want others who might read this to think oh now I need 1866 if that makes any sense.
As far as even Intel setups, 1600 is fine. There is so much memory bandwidth generated at 1600 dual channel that it really doesn't matter because it's lightning fast. If you do get the 1866 just make sure to have it set at 1600 in the bios.

I don't mind leeches or answering questions. It's what I post for. I hate it when I'm extremely busy throughout the day and that's when everybody and their mother decides to post :p
 
I have plugged it in as well as the memory and ssd. The fan on the gpu appears to be on but my computer doesnt have an hdmi output or a dvi output to my monitor. Maybe my 550 watt power supply is being over taxed? Or the 2 sticks of memory should be across from each other as opposed to adjacent currently?

Can you think of any reasons my monitor wont read the input at all with the new card? I have connected it with the same 16 slot pci and and the same two 6-pin power connectors I had with the last gpu, I suppose maybe I could try reversing to power cables.
 
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