vakkotaur

Due to some curious circumstances (a mix of bad & good) my new computer hardware is almost paid off, which means it's time to at least think about what to do next. I am no longer sure, but I had thought that the best bet was add memory first, and upgrade the processor later. Right now I am running a dual-core CPU and 2 GB of RAM. I want to go to, eventually, a six-core CPU and 16 GB of RAM.

I find I am using some swap, so more RAM is probably the right way to go. That still leaves a question or two. I can go cheap or I can go fast, but is the difference even going to be noticeable? The motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-890XA-UD3 which according the manual can take DDR3 1866(though it may need overclocking work, which I am a bit leery of)/1333/1066 MHz. From Newegg:

$189.99 DDR3 1066 (PC3 _8500) CAS: 7 Timing: 7-7-7-18
$249.99 DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) CAS: 7 Timing: 7-7-7-21
$299.99 DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) CAS: 9 Timing: 9-10-9-28

For what it's worth, I am currently using 2 GB of 1333 with a CAS of 9.

While I'm currently using a "slow" CPU (Athlon II X2 4400e, which is an unlocked Sempron at 2.7 GHz) I will be going to something faster all around. My suspicion is that if it weren't for Phoenix (or Firestorm or other Second Life client) it wouldn't matter at all. But with that there, there might be some advantage to the faster RAM. I don't know. I am not versed in gaming-type system requirements and specifications.[1] Any advice?

I'm not asking about the CPU as things might change by the time I get to that part. Also, the price differences between the least of what I would consider and the fastest thing I can (now) get and use isn't all that big.

[1] I know the choke point is the graphics card, but if I change that it will be after everything else is taken care of. While I'm not utterly thrilled with what I am using, it is pretty gonzo and will do for some time, I expect.