Looking at a new build

[worshipme]

For the same price and only 700mhz slower newer generation cpu (you said you are only playing css, idk why you would need a quad core)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115055

That is slower than both the Q6600 and the 9950, and it's more expensive.

But here is an alternative

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227199

If I were him, I'd stick with the original 2x2GB DDR2 1066 kit he was originally going to buy, it's only $10 more.

I don't really recommend duals anymore as quads are available at such great prices and at decent clock speeds, the Phenom 9950 is an especially good deal now.

As for the DDR3, DDR2 is still so cheap nowadays and the CPUs he's looking at aren't going to benefit from it. It's going to come down in price still so it's be an easy upgrade in the future. And I don't think you really need i7.