is it better to get a quad core (intel) or dual core (AMD/intel) CPU taking into account i am trying to make my computer future proof for around 3 years & quad core CPU is the future.

please post reasons for your choice

also do alot of games/applications support quad core? (assessing its practicality)

They will support quad core, just they might not run better with it. Quad core is just like having 4 processors instead of 1 and dual core is like having 2. Benchmarks actually come back better using dual core from what I have read. In three years though, there will probably be 8 or 16 core processors, but you should be fine running stuff for the next 3 years.

In my opinion, go for Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 @ 2.66 Ghz. You can pick them up for around $189.99. Quad cores you won't find for under $250 and probably more than that.

Regards,
Adam

To be honest it is very hard to make a computer future proof as the technologies are changing rapidly and new software is coming out all the time with different requirements. It depends on your requirements of your PC whether it will be future proof. If you expect to play all the latest games at high settings it would be hard building something future proof, as new graphics cards etc are released very often.

i am a mild to moderate gamer and with respect to graphics cards, i am going to purchase the 8600GT....i guess this will be sufficient to play games on moderate settings and ill try to use it for as long as i can. (upgrading from my geforce4 MMX440)

knowing which CPU ill get will help me choose a motherboard...i had my mind set before on AMD dual core but looking at the intel quad core has made me go back to the drawing board....but intel quad core isnt cheap so investing more money now, i hoped it would last a little longer than the AMD dual core route.

You should also seriously consider the intel dual core route, the core 2 duo's are still extremely good, and they do still manage to beat the AMD dual cores in terms of performance.

I agree with Axephilic - an E6750 will do you extremely well and willl last a considerable amount of time.

As for the video card, if you plan to future proof, i would try and get the 8800GT 512MB, that's if you can afford it, it will last much longer and is much more powerful than an 8600gt