PC Upgrade Ideas

What an absolute clown of a salesman. Those AM3+ processors aren't going to work on that board—it's strictly limited to AM3. Your best bet is to hunt down some used Intel Core i7—you'll actually be able to add DDR3 RAM that way. You can't even touch DDR3 without an AM3 processor, because those older LGA 775 setups are stuck playing in the DDR2 sandbox forever.

That was precisely my own line of reasoning.
I must confess, I am hardly an expert in these matters, so if I happen to pose a question that strikes anyone as "foolish," I kindly ask for your patience and forbearance. It has quite simply escaped my understanding why one would bother hunting down used processors when certain retail outlets are still peddling Intel Core i7 chips as if they were brand new. Perhaps I have somehow miscalculated the logic here, but I find myself staring at this particular listing and feeling utterly perplexed:
Intel Core i7 processor, LGA 1366, 3.2GHz, quad-core architecture.

I'm not saying this motherboard is bad, because honestly, everything it does, it does well. It’s just bottom-of-the-barrel stuff... you're really limited by that 95W ceiling for the CPU. You should either hunt down an Intel Core i7 that can actually match its power profile, or just switch over to those triple-core chips that don't pull as much wattage...

Look, please, feel free to just tell me straight if it’s garbage, because I can take it. If that's the case, would it actually be a smart move to swap out the motherboard as well? And honestly, if I decide to go the route of an Intel Core i5, what kind of setup would you actually recommend picking up? Furthermore, does it even make sense to bother with that processor if I'm pairing it with, say, 8 GB of RAM?

He might have given you a general recommendation rather than one specifically tailored to your motherboard. Here is the official CPU support list for yours:
http://www.asrock.com/mb/NVIDIA/N68C-S%20UCC/?cat=CPU

Your power supply is pretty low-end—honestly, you're better off swapping it out. You’ll likely need a reliable unit anyway if you plan on upgrading your graphics card down the road.
That game, Grand Theft Auto, is supposed to be incredibly demanding on hardware.

You're going to need to swap out several components. The smartest move would be starting with a completely new platform—motherboard and CPU—which means you'll need new RAM and a new power supply too. It all really depends on your budget. You could probably hang onto your current graphics card for now, though it'll be heavily bottlenecked by that old processor I assume you're running. As for the case, hard drive, and even the cooling, you can stick with those as long as they use standard SATA connectors.

Looking at the whole situation, I’ve come to the weary conclusion that trying to breathe any life into my current "junk heap" would be nothing more than throwing good money after bad. I was just reading up on the system requirements for Grand Theft Auto, and frankly, it looks like that game won't be running smoothly on my setup anytime soon, if ever.
So, let's flip the script entirely. Instead of wasting breath on a lost cause, how can I put together a somewhat sensible combination around my existing power supply to get things running better while I slowly scrape together enough cash for the high-end gear I actually want?
I suppose I could shell out roughly $667 to get the ball rolling, keeping an eye toward potential upgrades down the road, so please, I beg you, hit me with some concrete component recommendations.

Grab a decent power supply while you're at it, because that EVC unit is total junk:

1 x AMD FX-Series X6 6300 Processor 3.5GHz, 14MB, 95W, AM3+, FD6300WMHK
1 x Gigabyte 970A-DS3P, AM3+, AMD 970 SB950, 4x DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866
1 x 4GB DDR3 (1x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL11, Value
1 x CORSAIR 430W Power Supply, CX Series 80+ Bronze, EPS12V v2.3, 80+

$676

gadgetreview.com

Thanks for getting back to me; that seems like a perfectly reasonable path forward.
I suppose one has to wonder, though—would you classify this particular setup as mid-range? And if I may be so bold as to ask another question—is there actually any tangible improvement in overall quality
if I decide to pivot from the 95W option to the 125W version instead?

You’ll probably be able to game on this CPU for quite a while still.

I’m guessing you're talking about those 95W versus 125W ratings. That’s just the TDP, which basically tells you how much power it draws and how hot it's going to run. You aren't actually getting any extra performance out of a higher TDP.

If you're looking for something similar to what fadedorca66 suggested, here are a few options that offer a slightly better motherboard for a bit less cash.
http://www.diskont24.com/product.php?productid=119139
http://www.diskont24.com/product.php?productid=119266
http://www.diskont24.com/product.php?productid=126307
http://www.diskont24.com/product.php?productid=122103

Total price: $662

That's actually quite a decent budget, even sitting just above a mid-range gaming PC. You should be good for a while—at least until quad-core CPUs become the absolute bare minimum for next-gen titles.

Before Watch Dogs drops, you might want to toss in an extra 4GB stick of RAM and maybe a different CPU cooler if things get too noisy. For instance, something like $33 would help quiet it down, though you might need more beefy cooling if you decide to overclock, which this CPU handles pretty well.
Then, down the road, you can judge for yourself how that GPU is holding up. If you find you need higher settings for those upcoming heavy hitters, you can always swap out the graphics card later on.

Much appreciated.
At this point, my primary objective is simply accumulating enough capital to make this happen! I find myself wondering, however, if there's any actual wisdom in planning for an additional RAM upgrade down the road? It seems to me that modern titles are becoming increasingly voracious; every single year, once those big November releases hit the shelves, my current rig starts to groan under the pressure, struggling just to maintain a decent frame rate. I have a nagging suspicion that future software will only demand even more from our hardware.
My regards to everyone here, and if anyone happens to have further suggestions regarding the configuration, please don't hesitate to reach out—I wouldn't mind if you pushed the boundaries of my budget by a few hundred bucks or so, maybe up to 200-$100.

I've updated the link above (swapped out the motherboard for 2x RAM sticks)

From there, you could just grab 8GB of RAM right away.
Alternatively, you can upgrade using this: http://www.diskont24.com/product.php...cat=515&page=1
Grab a cooler at the same time too: http://www.diskont24.com/product.php...cat=407&page=1 or http://www.diskont24.com/product.php...cat=407&page=1
http://www.diskont24.com/product.php...cat=395&page=1 - if you do that, an i5 might actually fit the budget. That would make much more sense if this PC is strictly for gaming and you aren't planning on overclocking (OC).

http://www.diskont24.com/product.php...cat=618&page=1
http://www.diskont24.com/product.php?productid=129760
http://www.diskont24.com/product.php?productid=119139
http://www.diskont24.com/product.php?productid=119266

Total: $751

You won't need a second cooler here (this CPU is quieter, more efficient, and draws less power—plus, you don't need an expensive motherboard like you would for an AMD fx).

I was actually just about to reach out and pick your brain regarding the motherboard choice.
See, since we’re primarily beefing up this rig to handle some heavy gaming sessions, I'm perfectly fine with running an Intel's processor if that's what it takes.
Anyway, thanks again for all the help.

Personally, I find myself leaning much more toward this second option featuring the i5. It just feels right. That being said, does that cheaper graphics card actually hold its own against the one in the first build? Does it even stand a chance in terms of performance?

Which GPU is the better deal? You already have a graphics card sitting there—so why bother? If that Intel combo fits your budget, just grab it. Honestly, you can always slap in more RAM whenever you actually need it, so don't go blowing all your cash on memory right now if you're already cutting it close with your budget.

My mistake.
I was actually referring to this specific setup: MSI MSI Main board desktop iH81 (S1150, DDR3, SATA II,SATA III,PS/2,USB2.0,USB3.0,LAN,Audio Line-In,Audio Line-Out,Microphone-In,DVI,VGA) mATX Retail #130991
when compared against
ASUS Matična ploča Asus M5A97 R2.0, 90-MIBJK0-G0EAY0MZ M5A97 R2.0, AM3,AM3+, AMD 970/SB950, DDR3, Broj utora 4, 1866 MHz, PCI 2, PCIe x16 2, PCIe x1 2, SATA3 6, RAID 0,1,1+0,5, 8-kanalni audio, 1x 10/100/1000 Ethernet, eSATA 2, US #116878

Look, that Intel option is basic—it has two RAM slots and supports USB 3.0 despite being budget-friendly. However, you absolutely cannot pair an AMD FX with a cheap motherboard, like the one under $167, because they’re notorious for crashing when hitting turbo mode or other similar nonsense. Even if it dies, just look at the price tag; the AMD setup is better equipped with four RAM slots and more connectors, making it superior for overclocking. Essentially, a huge chunk of your budget disappears into the AMD build plus the cooler.

But since you already own a CPU meant for overclocking—and if it's the x2 3600+ BE model, as I suspect—I'd recommend sticking to factory settings. Assuming you aren't hardcore overclockers (not sure how much your son knows or will learn), an i5 would actually be the smarter move for you
.
Here is a visual comparison
: http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i...vs-AMD-FX-6300

Regarding gaming, you will see a performance boost because of the processor, especially since your decent gtx 650 isn't being fully utilized right now. Just keep in mind that even then, you won't be playing Far Cry 3 on max settings—it'll likely stay at medium for smooth gameplay. I mention this so you aren't disappointed, as the GPU remains the most critical component for gaming. Once you upgrade, the graphics card becomes the bottleneck if you try to push high detail settings. Think of this upgrade as just clearing the path; even the strongest GPU can't perform if it's held back by a weak CPU and power supply.
That's why you might want to go with that first, cheaper combination and save the rest of your money for a new graphics card by the time Watch Dogs comes out.

Ha, I suppose ignorance always comes with a price tag, doesn't it? It’s a bitter pill to swallow, really. I recall being quite convinced by some smooth-talking fellow last year who swore up and down that this motherboard was a rock-solid investment, essentially leading me right into a trap.
Thanks for the assist!

I mean, that was probably a decent move and pretty much the only way to go, since none of the other boards supported DDR2 anyway.

Why not just grab a Phenom II X4 945

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=phenom+945

Pair it with a decent 300W power supply $117...and you've got the whole rig sorted for $300