Value for money/bargain buying again (CPU)

[jaqu]

Hello guys,

Its been so long since I posted, been busy busy busy. To the point tho.

I want to upgrade my computer system again.
I currently have:

Gigabyte G31S mobo (1333MHZ FSB, LGA 775)
E2160 1.8GHz FSB800 OC'd running at 3.01GHz (about 855MHz FSB with the OC)
2GB Corex Extreme DDR2 800MHz RAM (2x 1GB Dual Channel)
Gigiabyte 460Watt PSU
Geforce 9600GT 512MB, 256-bit card

which was a pretty average system, but is ageing now.
Im not looking to replace the whole system, but want to upgrade the CPU, which I believe is seriously dragging down my gaming performance.

I would like to buy the cheapest possible CPU for the most gaming performance. Im NOT going to upgrade my system to a socket 1366 based one now, seeing as Im not living off my parent's money, I cant sped that much. I tend to play older games like Colin McRae Dirt, Fallout 3 and Sacred 2; Fallen Angel. And the only other games I see myself buying in the (near?)future is Diablo3 and maybe Need for Speed Shift.

This is the options I consider for an upgrade:

Pentium Dual-Core E6300 - 2.80GHz , 2MB, 1066MHz FSB - SAR 769.50(US$ 98.10)
Core2Duo E7400 - 2.80GHz , 3MB, 1066MHz FSB - SAR1,059.06(US$135.02)
Core2Duo E8400 - 3.00GHz , 6MB, 1333MHz FSB - SAR1,708.86(US$217.86)
Core2Quad Q8200 - 2.33GHz , 4MB, 1333MHz FSB - SAR1,332.66(US$169.90)

Additional info that is important:

1. I will overclock the CPU
2. I only listen to music and do gaming on the computer
3. I consider the E8400 the ideal updrade, but it is actually a little out of my budget atm
4. I will prefer a dual core over a quad core, as I only do gaming, and will OC.
[EDIT] 5. I play on a 19" widescreen running 1440x900 as native

So as I cant afford the E8400, and dont wana go Quad core, the E7400 seems the best choice.
BUT, the E6300 is exactly the same specs as the E7400, except for 1MB less level 2 cache.
So is that 1MB off extra L2 cache worth the extra $36.92? Is the 1MB L2 gnna make me 36.92 dollars worth of extra performance?

So considering all that, the E6300 should be the right choice....Or is my way of thinking wrong?

Your opinions would be greatly appreciated. Please keep in mind the listed CPU's are the only ones I consider buying atm.

And sorry for the long post, but I don't possess the ability to make an explanation short and sweet.

J

[KarmaKiller]

Make sure you double check that your motherboard supports 45nm cores. If so, then I'd have to agree with you, the E6300 seems like the best deal. I personally don't think the extra L2 is worth $40 more, but that's just me.