You don't even need to OC, it's not needed. You could do it if you need the extra -push- to get more stable performance for example.
If gaming is your top priority, you can even get away with the Phenom II X4 9xx CPU's.
The 955 even does better than the i3 2100 in gaming.
In 5-7 years, the current CPU's will be obsolete, but not useless.
I know you said the price is set in stone, but think about it one more time. (You could just in the cash, mow some lawns, and in a few months you'll be able to get a much better PC )
With heat, do you mean you want to purchase aftermarket CPU/GPU coolers?
If so... you don't need to, if you're not going to OC. The stock coolers should be good enough, if you have a good ventilated case that is. Dont spend money in this. You can spend them elsewhere (CPU, GPU for example).
What do you mean with 'last-ability'? You mean durability? Don't worry about that, unless you OC, you should be fine.
If you're really going for a $500 build, the suggestions that NaturalViolence made are probably your best bet.
If gaming is your top priority, you can even get away with the Phenom II X4 9xx CPU's.
The 955 even does better than the i3 2100 in gaming.
In 5-7 years, the current CPU's will be obsolete, but not useless.
I know you said the price is set in stone, but think about it one more time. (You could just in the cash, mow some lawns, and in a few months you'll be able to get a much better PC )
With heat, do you mean you want to purchase aftermarket CPU/GPU coolers?
If so... you don't need to, if you're not going to OC. The stock coolers should be good enough, if you have a good ventilated case that is. Dont spend money in this. You can spend them elsewhere (CPU, GPU for example).
What do you mean with 'last-ability'? You mean durability? Don't worry about that, unless you OC, you should be fine.
If you're really going for a $500 build, the suggestions that NaturalViolence made are probably your best bet.